Lady Gaga - Born This Way The Collection

Sometimes I wonder why the artistes like to release their studio albums again and again in different versions over a span of time - like what Lady Gaga is doing this time round with her multi-platinum album "Born This Way".

Because of this collection box, I have 2 copies of "Born This Way" on my shelf. Not to mention, I also have 2 copies of "The Fame" as well because it came with "The Fame Monster". Marketing strategy? I'm confused, honestly, because I don't need so many copies of the same thing, yes?

Anyway, back to the topic. "Born This Way - The Collection" was released last month on the 21st. Uh huh~ Another belated post but hey~ I don't have time to go shopping often you know. Furthermore, this collection box was delayed in Singapore due to some weird issues but at least we still managed to get it.

And... After a long time since I blogged about CDs, it's time for the photos... :)

Presenting to you Mother Monster's latest release - Born This Way The Collection!! Basically, this box set contains 2 CDs and 1 DVD and these are her studio album, the remix album of her studio album and her Monster Ball Tour performed at Madison Square Garden (where ever that place may be...) The reason why I bought this box set is simple - I LOVE THE COVER! I have no clue what Gaga is covered in but it's just aesthetically pleasing to my eyes~

However, if you feel like you do not want to spend S$49.90 (hmv) / S$45.90 (MJ Multimedia) on something which you already have - the studio album, you can buy the remix album and the DVD or Blu-ray versions of the Monster Ball Tour separately. The remix album costs around 14 bucks while the Blu-ray is at a surprisingly affordable price of S$29.90. DVD's going at S$27.90. Gosh!! I'm so proud of myself for being able to remember all the prices!! Anyway, here's the how the back of the gorgeous off-white cardboard box look like.

Here are the spines of the cardboard sleeves which are used to hold the discs - my most hated packaging ever because it's flimsy and provides minimal protection to the discs. Furthermore, when you shake the whole box, which I wouldn't recommend unless you want scratched discs, you can hear that annoying loose disc sound. Design wise, it works. Practicality, no way.

The other side of the box. Kinda reminds you of ayumi hamasaki's A BEST 2 -WHITE- yeah? Font choices, color choices and all...

As expected, when you pull out the cardboard sleeves from the outer case, you see each respective disc contained in the appropriate sleeves with the corresponding album art. If only they used jewel cases instead of cardboard sleeves like what they did to P!NK's "The Album Collection".

Instead of spelling it out in your face, you have to either explore the contents of these cardboard sleeves or be as knowledgeable as me to recognize each album art to know which sleeve contains what. From left to right, we have the Monster Ball Tour DVD, the remix album and lastly, the studio album in its same, scary cover. I think the covers actually look quite good without the titles on it - keeps the cover cleaner.

Let's start with the Born This Way - The Remix. I'm not a huge fan of remixes and I honestly have no idea how this album will sound like because I have yet to listen to it but at least the cover looks better than the motorcycle monster that we see on her regular versions of her album. Sometimes, I wonder if I'm actually buying her photos or buying her music because obviously, I'm more interested in the covers than the remixes of Born This Way.

At least the track list looks pretty good, with songs that I like for instance You and I, Judas, Scheiße, Marry the Night, etc. Well, that's basically the whole studio album that I like, no? :P I just hope that the remixes are not those trashy ones with more electro music than there is actually singing.

The CD peeping out from the cardboard case. Nothing really special about the disc.

Here we have the studio album, Born This Way - the reason why this entire box set could see the lights in the CD shop. Still features the scary Gaga with her bloody red lipstick and her eyes staring right down into your soul, as if seeking out your darkest secrets and your deepest fears...

At the back of this sleeve, you are also greeted with the album art of the regular version of Born This Way - the motorcycle-thing. Seriously, I still don't get this motorcycle madness because no matter how hard I try, it doesn't relate to the theme of the album. Well, unless Gaga is trying to say that she's born a motorcycle then I have nothing much to go against that creative.

Unlike the remix sleeve, this sleeve allows you to open it up like a book. The right side of the sleeve stores the lyric booklet and the left side holds the CD itself.

Here's how the studio album looks like with the CD and the lyric booklet. If you are keen on peeping into the lyric booklet, be sure to drop by my previous post on the deluxe version of the album by clicking HERE. Well, come to think of it, I did not exactly get the same thing. The deluxe version comes with a bonus disc but the collection one features only the album itself. Okay~ Enough of the reaffirmation talk...

OH YES!! In case you're wondering if The Collection copy of Born This Way is censored or not, it unfortunately is. What a letdown! I was hoping that it wasn't censored because I saw the Parental Advisory and M18 sticker but oh well... Don't think they will release the uncensored version any sooner with suckers like me buying copies after copies in hopes of getting the raw one.

Here's the part where I'm most interested in - the Monster Ball Tour sleeve! This is the first English artiste concert DVD to make it into my collection because it's conveniently sold in this box set. I'm more interested in Japanese concerts than English ones because they are more dramatic but since this is Gaga, dramatic is an understatement. The cover features Mother Monster's boobs on fire - who would have thought of that other than Katy Perry, no?

The back of the cover. Did you know that the Parental Advisory label, or in Singapore, the M18 sticker, is "awarded" to this box set due to the concert DVD? Wow... That means that this concert must pack helluva things to make it adult-rated. I have yet to watch it but I definitely will tomorrow when the sun is up, in case the concert gives me a nightmare.

By the way, lucky for me, the M18 sticker is stuck onto the plastic wrap of the album so if you buy this album locally (by locally, I mean Singapore), you can get rid of the M18 sticker by just removing the plastic wrap - easy peasy~~ No hairdryer and baby oil~

Similar to the studio album's sleeve, this sleeve allows you to open it up like a booklet and apologies for my stupidity because I just realized I missed out the shot of her climbing onto a car - the image that you see when you open the sleeve up. Anyway, the Monster Ball sleeve comes with the DVD as well as a booklet of pictures.

Out of all the three discs, this is the nicest looking one because it has fireworks on it.

A close up on the front page of the Monster Ball photo booklet.

The back of the photo booklet featuring a tamer version of Gaga.

Well, just to entice you to go to your nearest CD store to get your own copy of this collection box, I shall post some random shots from the photo booklet. From the booklet, you can tell that throughout the concert, she changed costumes again and again - just like the rest of the Japanese pop stars. Really excited to go watch it tomorrow~ And notice that finger? That small gesture might have been the reason why this collection box is M18.

I love the outfit on the left~

Gaga loves her spikes, no?


Well overall, I would say that this box set is worth your money because...

A) You love the cover like I do because finally, it's not just black and white - it has colors and goo and things that makes you go "What on earth is that~?!"

B) You're a collector like I am

C) You're a Baby Gaga like myself

D) You don't have the studio album (shame on you!!) and you want to redeem yourself from the embarrassment by getting yourself a copy then this collection box would definitely be fantastic for you

E) You like the packaging as much as I do despite the flimsy cardboard sleeves

F) Come on! It's only S$49.90 for 3 discs! That's extremely cheap as compared to the rest of my Japanese CDs!

GAGA) Because you love Monster Mother~ :)



Well, that's all I have to cover for Born This Way The Collection. Let's see if this post can bring up my viewership for this month higher because I'm pretty sure it will. I realized that any post with "Gaga" in it is a sure hit. Let's see then~!! :D

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Lady Gaga - Judas (single) + Born This Way (2CD album)

Hello fellow monsters! Mama Monster, also known as the LEGENDARY pop icon, Lady Gaga, has finally released the long awaited album - Born This Way! And yes~ She also released a single with the same title and people who are unfamiliar with music (like my youngest brother and some other guilty ones out there) thought that the album was released long ago~ Funny!!

Anyway, I finally collected my pre-order copy of this album at HMV Somerset yesterday evening after having dinner at Choa Chu Kang. Couldn't wait for the weekends to collect them because I want to get them quick! Okay~ Partially because I won't really have much time to take the photos of the album and single so I just want to clear my "To-Do list" quick.

By the way, Kaka went back to Indonesia for a short break before coming back again to continue to stay with us. This means that the house will basically be very quiet and probably very messy since Vera doesn't know how to operate the washing machine. SHAME ON HER!



Back to the topic at hand. This album was released last Monday - May 23, 2011 and it's Lady Gaga's second studio album since "The Fame". I wouldn't consider "The Fame Monster" as an album because it only has 7 tracks - that's more of an EP, no? The pre-order version at HMV comes with a copy of Judas; the single following the hit "Born This Way". Other stores have other premiums - for instance, Laser Flair (is this the correct spelling?) is giving out exclusive posters along with a purchase of the album. YES! I do my homework~


Let's take a look at the controversial single first, shall we? Juda~Juda-ah-ah~~

In case you're wondering how come this photo looks slightly tilted, it's not. When Gaga herself designed this cover (Yes~ She did it herself~), she either made the word Judas tilted or she missed out the fact that it's tilted. Oh well~ Not the best looking cover because of the color choices - in my opinion - but who cares?! It's a great song!

Just some trivia. According to what I read on the internet (forgot where though~), she apparently used her camera phone to capture the texture of the single's cover and used the IMPACT font for "Judas". I guess she took less than 15 minutes to create this single's cover but oh well...

The back of the single - the CD itself. When I first saw the single, I was like "WHAT?! One track only?!" I think this is the only single in my entire CD collection that has only one single track! What happened to the remixes? Oh well~ Since it's a free gift, I shouldn't complain too much but I think that HMV should have given this single to the customers when they first purchased it.

What's the point of giving us a single track when this track is featured in the album already? For a CD collector like myself, I'll definitely appreciate the physical copy of the single but others will be like "What the..." At least if they had given us the single earlier, we can enjoy the song first, no?

Back to the CD. Does the "Lady Gaga" font look familiar? That's the font used on the "Born This Way" single! I was slightly disappointed that this font was not used again for the album but oh well~ I think the CD looks better than the cover... Just sayin'~

A CD with a single track - what a waste of memory on the CD~ If only they gave us the single with the "Born This Way" remix, I would be so much happier!

This is what you see when you open the casing up. Well, the album promotional stuff inside obviously hints that this single is meant to be a free gift. Plus, if you see carefully, you can see the words "For Promotional Use Only. Not for Sale". At least I get something limited, no? :D Only people who pre-ordered the album from HMV will get this single - no where else!

Close up on the words on the sleeve. Love Judas! Fantastic song!!





Now - Born This Way (2CD version)

"OH MY $%&*%$!" is probably what you will shout when you wake up in the middle of the night and see this scary face looking back at you with bloody red lipstick and almost emotionless eyes. This is by far the SCARIEST album I have in my possession and honestly, I don't really dig it a lot. Well, you should see the regular CD version because that's even worse.

Sometimes, I have no idea what Gaga is thinking - especially when it comes to her album arts. She take fabulous photos in VOGUE and other magazines but she somehow just cannot score on her own album arts. There are nice ones like "Born This Way - single" but there are also very bad ones like "Judas" and this album. But this 2CD version is still considered better looking as compared to the CD only version. You'll see...

This is the back of the album and yes, that motorcycle-gaga is featured on her CD-only album art. Don't be hatin' on me but I have to say that that's the worst album art I've seen in my entire life! It's digitally imposed cheaply and you should have seen the cheap, embossed fonts on that version - cannot make it! Not to mention it's also very scary...

To me, there's a fine line between being different and being uninspired. I can't say that the album art isn't inspired (maybe the motorcycle is inspiring) but the cheap embossed font cannot be forgiven. 

Dear Mother Monster, please hire me as your art director 

so I can make your album art look better. 

Sincerely, baby monster 

who is afraid of his own mom's photos...

Still love Gaga though. :)

"So scary!! I think I need some hypnotherapy~" - Britney Spears - Scary

Enough of the criticism of the album cover. This is what you see when you open up the scary box. The Singapore/Malaysia press greets you with this card that tells you that by submitting a photo of your receipt to the distributor, you may stand a chance to be invited to the album party~ Coolness! Sent my receipt already~

And when you remove the invitation, you see a SO MUCH BETTER LOOKING GAGA! Come on! Why isn't this on the cover instead? The colors are inviting and the photo begs for a second look because of the textures and lightings. A motorcycle vs this abstract beauty? I'll definitely pick this!!

Let's look at the lyric booklet first, shall we? More photos of Gaga and most of them are like better than the cover. Okay~ I really have to stop bashing the cover but you'll know where I'm getting at, no?

This is how her lyrics are arranged - almost like a newsletter style if you asked me. The words are not really arranged properly and reading it is a little challenging but that beats not having the lyrics at all. In fact, I think the lyrics of Lady Gaga must be published because they are such marvelous pieces of art! The meanings are deep and the writing is beautiful~

Another photo of the queen printed inside this booklet. I wonder what those things wrapping her are... Looks like goo mixed in thread and caramel and peanut butter. Really disgusting looking but it's really intriguing. But I definitely don't want to be covered in those things...

Those artificial cheek bone implants make her look so unhealthy-thin! Think she is going towards the direction where she wants people to know that she is weird but then, she is embracing herself because she's "born this way". Really loud statement! By the way, am I the only one who feels that Gaga's eyes are 90% blank? Or is she doing it in purpose? 

Here's the simple looking CD with 17 ass-kicking tracks inside! I have to say that though this album is really questioning the notion of what is aesthetically pleasing, it definitely did not question what is audibly enjoyable. This album, packed with strong singles and songs, is really worth the money especially when you get the 2CD version. It's quite hard to describe how good this album is because I haven't really fully listened to it yet but so far, it's impressive. Look at the reviews out on the internet~ I do mainly packaging, not really the music :P

Oh yes~ Noticed that I did not mention that this is the deluxe version even though legally, it is? That's because Lady Gaga did not like the words "Deluxe" or "Special" or something along that line and therefore, it's not specify on the cover too! You learnt something new, yes? :D

Close up on the invitation. I hope I win something this time... :D That would be cool~

Anyway, that's all I have for Lady Gaga's "Judas" and "Born This Way (2CD)". Go get the album and support this monstrously woman! Even though her covers are by far the most aesthetically unattractive ones in recent music history (personally at least), her songs are definitely worth it! :D

You go, Mother Monster! But don't be scaring me the next time you release an album!

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