Okay, for some who are not aware, Tarja is going to release multiple versions of her album to different markets and in different parts of the world. The song "I Feel Immortal", which is her "International" song, is one of my biggest complaints. From what I heard, this song is not going to be released on the North American version of her new album. Why is that? Why make a music video of a song that you are not going to include on your release for the North American version, especially when pretty much every North American like me or Canuckfan have heard it (Internet anyone?)? Why make us suffer? Why not make every international release the same with every track on it? I think this may have been strictly a record label deal, but nonetheless, it is a very bad marketing scheme since people in North America are expecting that song to be on the album they will pay good money for! What a shame!
The other problem with What Lies Beneath is the different album art for each release. Here they are as follows:
Standard (or European) Edition:
Special (or North American) Edition:
The Non-Deluxe Edition (no 2nd disk):
The Falling Awake" single cover (This is my favorite one):
Okay, so why must there be different album covers for this release? Why not just have the same art like a normal album would? I don't know! I know I am nitpicking a little, but this is a bit ridiculous if you ask me! The label should have just stuck with one picture.
So yeah, I will be reviewing the new album once in comes out, so stay tuned for that as well as my review of Nightwish's From Wishes To Eternity DVD review! I just had to get this little rant off of my shoulder!
13 comments:
As I have said on this blog before, I'm a little miffed at the whole IFI thing. I can understand the Japanese version getting a bonus track - that is an industry standard and I know why they do that. But this isn't even that. I think we should all get the same release (except for Japan, who get the bonus track, of course). I do see that the NA deluxe version is getting 3 bonus tracks, so maybe it all comes out in the wash in the end. Still, the marketing strategy seems off, especially if a video was made for IFI only for a GAS release. Now I hear that UMLB is getting a second video made for it.
All the different but very similar covers are confusing, too. I'm not as concerned about that, though, but in this case it seems excessive to have three covers for three versions of the full CD.
Canuck, I agree! I think the marketing part of this album is that of complete disorganization. It should have been handled better in my opinion.
Definitely too much confusion. Now, The End Records, where I ordered my CD from, still has the release date as tomorrow, as does Amazon.ca. But Tarja's blog says the NA release date has been pushed back to Sept. 14 (same day as Liv Kristine's incidentally). Then someone I know said they contacted The End Records and they said it's still to be shipped tomorrow. So! We will see! But jeez...
@ Canuck
Yeah, things are so confusing now! I should have added this whole release date issue on this rant as well! Why not just have a couple release dates or release the damn album on the SAME DAY! I guess the labels will never understand that.
Releasing everything on the same day would be too easy!
Interesting that they put it back to the same day as Liv's though, eh?
Hello, even though IFI isn't on the album, the US still is getting a exclusive track that isn't available anywhere else so that's something positive. Also, the deluxe edition is pushed back to the 14th while the standard is available today digitally...could the reason for the delay be a late addition of IFI? I hope so!
Hi Steve! Thanks for commenting! Are you from The End Records?
Hi CanuckFan, no I'm not from the end records. I was just googling reviews for WLB and stumbled upon here. :)
Oh, OK! Thanks for clarifying. Where did you get the info about the release, though?
I believe it was a mistake in the first place to release IFI only in GAS (hehe, a new abbreviation) instead of making it the lead single for the whole world (especially after all the hassle for Tarja). Now there's a video for UMLB that seems to be derivative off IFI and almost universally criticised, while there will be a new (hopefully better) video, but again only for GAS! How is that supposed to help raise Tarja's profile outside her Central European core market? The whole strategy sounds totally backwards from what I'd consider logical!
@ Almagest: I totally agree. In the meantime, I anxiously await Sept. 14...Well, it'll take longer to get here as it's coming from the States, so perhaps I'm looking at the beginning of Oct.! :(
I hope for you that it doesn't really take that long!
The only up side for the North Americans is that they could buy the album through iTunes before anyone else.
I don't really see anything wrong with the several different covers, even though it's an unusual thing to do (I harbour the suspicion that it was Tarja's idea and she thought it was a nice thing to do), but I think I'd preferred a different art concept. Oh well.
By the way, the last one really is the Falling Awake single cover. However, given that there is no sign of a physical release so far, it is a bit futile. I actually like that picture quite a bit.
@ Almagest
Yeah, I think the "Fallen Awake" cover is the best as well. :D
I agree that a different art approach would have been better as well. I am not a big fan of putting the artist's photo as the cover of the album (though Tarja was able to be a little creative with it), as I prefer a more artistic direction involving abstract visuals or an artist's rendering or painting.
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