Katy Perry - Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection

Looks like Miss Katy Perry is still dreaming her Teenage Dream in her latest release - Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection. Seriously~ When is she going to release any new material that's not related to candy canes and cotton candies? I really want to see her break free from her Teenage Dream era and move on to something else.

In case y'all don't know, The Complete Confection is a re-release of Katy Perry's 2010 album. This time round, it features some new songs, such as "Part of Me" - the reason I bought this album. Other than that, remixes and different versions of her previous singles are also featured in this album, for instance, "E.T."

Now... Photos anyone? :)

Here's my copy of her original Teenage Dream album (reviewed on my tumblr blog) with the re-release version of the exact same album. Well, almost the same... Just had to take this photo to show off what a supporter I am~ :D You can visit the tumblr blog to see the different between this album and the previous version. Honestly, the difference aren't that significant visually but oh well~

Here's the close up of the sticker explaining what's new in this two year old album. The re-release version of this album comes with all the songs from the album plus 3 brand new tracks as well as some remixes or different versions of her previous hit singles. Furthermore, the special edition of this album comes with a limited edition lenticular (I didn't know such a word existed~) cover insert. So in simple English, it comes with 2 covers that changes, depending on how you view the album.

Viewed from the left, the album shows the classic Teenage Dream cover without the title - just Katy lying in clouds made of cotton candy. I wonder if her blood sugar sky-rocketed at the time when she was doing this shoot. Or are those clouds fake? Who knows...

And from the right, you see the Confection version of the cover which I simply adore~ In fact, I think this looks better than the original cover. Initially, when I read about the release of this album, I thought it would come in a box set form of packaging because the word "Complete" make it sound so grand. Was slightly disappointed that they chose to release this album in a regular CD case but I think the lenticular cover kinda made up for it. By the way, this is my first album with a lenticular cover~~

To attract people who actually bought the previous album, they threw in new tracks to bait us in and I had obviously fell for it willingly. Here's the updated track list - they added 7 new tracks into this album for the same price as the older version so I think it's justified. In fact, I got mine at a 20% discount at CD-Rama. That means I paid less for more! By the way, acoustic versions of songs always appeal to me. :)

This is what you see when you open the album. Instead of the red, swirly CD this time round, we get a blue one. (Visit my tumblr blog ~link above~ for the unbox/review of the previous version). Katy also look slightly different as compared to the previous version but I ain't complaining.

Swirly swirly candy. Thank goodness I can't see my laptop read the disc because this patterned design is sure to make me sea sick.

The lyric insert is found behind the lenticular cover and it looks just like the regular version's - minus the name of the album.

If there's anything similar between the lyric insert of this version and the previous one, it's this photo found in the middle of the booklet. Exact same photo. Well, I supposed they recycled a lot of materials for packaging of the new version, no? I would actually love to see her do something different - there are so many things she can do to celebrate this "new" album, yes?

Well at least they included the lyrics of the new songs into this booklet. I still find the candy cane border very cheesy though... That reminds me~ Remember Madonna's "Hard Candy" album (which I don't have), they gave candies along with the album, yes? Perhaps Katy should release a version with candies since the whole album revolves around that creative anyway.

This time round, I got a poster with the purchase of this album from CD-Rama. It's been a long long time since I've got a poster from any albums at all (Are posters phasing out? I hope not!) and I was elated to get this poster even though I have no place to display in on my wall anyway. Who doesn't love freebies, yes? :)


So... You want to know my verdict for this album? I think it's definitely worth getting this copy even if you had the previous album because there are new songs included in this one. If you are after Miss Perry's full discography, then this is something that you cannot miss. The new songs are pretty good as well - like "Part of Me". Furthermore, "The One That Got Away" is done acoustically and it sounds great as well!

If you have not gotten your hands on her previous version, then stop dawdling and get this one because it's so justified! If you live in Singapore, be sure to drop by CD-Rama to get it at a 20% discount (at least the Jurong Point outlet is on 20% discount) and you also stand to get the free poster! Yessi yessi~

Well that's all the fan boy has for tonight. I hope you enjoyed the photos as much as I had enjoyed shooting them and listening to the new songs (bitch please~). Stay tuned for my upcoming posts of some Japanese music, yes? :)

Koda Kumi and ayu, anyone? :D

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One Direction - Up All Night (Limited Yearbook Edition)

I normally do not buy male albums or singles because I don't know... Female singers are more appealing to me? But this time round, while walking around hmv with my 20 dollar rewards card, I was searching high and low for something to buy and it didn't take me long to stop at the shelf with this...

One Direction's debut album released last year - Up All Night. Well, I honestly have no idea whether this new boy band is good or not but I kinda like their song "What Makes You Beautiful". That energy reminds me of the reason why I bought my first AAA album and this is one of those albums that made me go "I want to get that song!" Well, I saw the single on sale for $7.90 but the packaging wasn't as interesting as this one.

The album is packaged in this hard cover book - almost like how P!NK did her latest compilation but this one is the size of one of those poetry books my literature teacher gave me when I was in secondary school for scoring an A. The unique packaging is also another drawing factor for me to get this album - just to try their music out.

The reason why I went for the Yearbook edition is also because, like the sucker for freebies and bonuses that I am, this version their album comes with 2 bonus tracks and one of it is "Moments", one of my favorite ayu songs. Wonder how a same titled track would fare in a different language. Call me crazy (everybody does~) for spending that little bit more on cheap (or rather pricey) thrills like that.

The CD is stored in the first page inside a sleeve. On the opposite, you're greeted with a pretty cool handwritten message from the boys themselves. You don't see boys with this good handwriting nowadays, do you? I have not heard the album yet other than the first track so I can't really judge whether this album is good in terms of its music but the packaging is pretty attractive.

Look~ They even have a content page for their yearbook!! Coolness~ I hope the Japanese artistes would one day adopt this style of presenting their album because their packaging is getting a bit predictable these days.

For people like myself who have no idea who the heck One Direction is, this yearbook is pretty useful in introducing the band members to you. I think it's more useful for those fan girls because I'm honestly not very interested in what the guys like or anything. But~ That aside, the book is well laid out and is inspiring to look at visually with the tonnes of images inside.

Or, if you're lazy to read like myself, you could do the Wiki search. According to the search, these boys were the second runner up to the show "The X-Factor" and even though they lost, they managed to sign to a music label in which they released their debut album which did so well on the charts it became the 16th biggest album in the UK in year 2011. Amazing for starters no? But would they be just a band of Biebers like what my brother said? Only time can tell... The book also include trivia and backstage photos like what you see here.

What's good if you have a beautiful book without lyrics inside? The band featured lyrics in the book like what you see above and to make the lyrics even more special, they did it handwritten. Well, at least some of them are... The little drawings on the side may seem a bit cheesy but hey~ They are barely legal yet so I guess that's excusable. Besides, you doodle on your textbooks too, no? Don't be lyin'~

And if the whole book isn't "school" enough for you, they included 6 stickers for you to stick all over the place with. More freebies!! Who would complain?

Overall, I say this album (at least this Yearbook Edition) is packed with more than just music (which until now, I have no clue whether it's good or bad but it should be reasonable considering that they did do well on the charts). It's packed with a lot of fun in terms of the content as well as interesting and fun photos to look at. The packaging is definitely inspiring and not something you get every other day and is worthy of collecting.

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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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