I have a different special ed. version of the album, the bonus disc is a DVD with the Wind It Up video from Harajuku Lover's DVD, and some behind the scenes of making 2 songs from the new album (one song with Tony from No Doubt the other with Pharell), and the AOL interviews from like 2004. Also there are the making the tour clips also on the Harajuku Lovers tour DVD. This bonus DVD is kinda neat.

Is it just me, or, these days... basically, I've noticed, a lot of albums... their single covers are just pictures from the album's photoshoot, so those pictures show up in the album as well. Anyone else noticed that? Gwen didn't do that before, but with this album, definitely. And... I dunno. It kind of ruins things. I know physical singles aren't a big thing outside of Japan, and so covers aren't as big a deal either. But I wish they'd just... try something different, give us new pictures.

I realized that, but I kinda like it. It's like chapters ripped off from a book, has this whole "family" feel to the albums and singles. Look at Fergie. That wench didn't use the mock Fergalicious cover in her booklet and went with a worse one instead.

But the Japanese ones are cool, still. I love the elaborate photoshoots and designs for each single and album, it's so varied and individualistic. But the single designs often have nothing to do whatsoever with the album's art concept.

Unless you're Gwen Stefani and can somehow have a set of singles and album covers that are all different and unpredictable and still maintain cohesion and prettiness. Speaking of L.A.M.B of course.

I don't think Gwen will use more pictures from her album for the next single since the others are all similar to the cover. Which would be a mess, since she already used something from the album. She might as well used the crying picture for Wind It Up.

I think there's more other sampled beats other than that. I don't really recognize though, but HG is a really familiar song. o_O

It has been done since like...long time ago, AFAIK.
On a random note, Angela Aki also did the same thing with her singles & album. The standing pose. The big font on the center.



And yeah, I doubt if she's going to use the 'album' promo pic as the next single's cover. Or maybe, the single cover is going to be her boobs & the key necklace.

Maybe she'll use this one:

http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/3204/gwense3lp2.jpg

God I hope not!

I like it, but her hand seems like it came from someone else. And why does she have to expose her teeth in photos? It makes her face look longer and more manly.

The oily palm is scaring me.

















Anyway....
how cute is these kids?
http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/8840/efefks3.jpg
http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/5381/hdbiwjo4.jpg
found here. :laugh

^ Genius. Seems like the blogger has no idea too.

Gwen's got a greasy hand. Ew. And she looks ANGRYYYYYYYY.

And she kind of has Mariah Face going on there.

Damn, I'm SO NERVOUS. Ciara and the Dreamgirls are releasing on the same day, I hope Gwen does well! I saw Wiki, somebody added the chart position for The Sweet Escape that states #3 and I really hope that's false false false.

Ciara did 340,000 or so I've heard. Can Gwen really beat that? I hope hope hope so! OMG, anticipation! I'm more psyched up now than Secret (as Ayu never fails getting #1). SOMEONE TELL ME!! How did the album do? Shouldn't we all know by now?!

From what I understand, it's expected to hit #3 at around 250K. It was a pretty weak release week anyway, and I don't mind, since the album wasn't that great anyway. We should know for sure tomorrow, though.

OMG! it has to better than that, even Janet managed to debut at number 2.

But for Ciara to beat that by 90,000 copies is... moronic. Her album was a lot weaker, IMO. Yeah, initial reviews have been a little better than The Sweet Escape, but I'm sure the negative ones will crop up by next week.

Gwen debuted at #5 last year with 309,000 copies I think. I don't mind if she debuted outside the Top 50, but she should be able to beat Ciara shouldn't she? Her singles have all been doing better than Ciara. Even with the dismal chart positions for What You Waiting For in the US enabled it to debut with over 300,000 copies, Wind It Up got #6 this time! I was expecting 600,000 y'know. :weep Justin Timberlake can, why not Gwen?

Am I the only one who thinks that this album is another masterpiece? :bshake It's so awesome.

OH MY GOD. Now this sucks.

Curse them who leaked the CD! :gnash

I think it's a masterpiece too, there is not a single song on the album that I hate and so many that I love. There were a few I disliked at the start but they grew on me. ATM i'm liking it more than L.A.M.B

Yep, I felt the same way at first. "OMG LAMB IS BETTER" etc. Now I like this CD a little more, but they're both awesome.

Ciara's The Evolution leaked 2 weeks ago, according to isohunt.
Gwen's The Sweet Escape leaked 3.3 weeks ago.

Damn it's so annoying. First Ayu debuts with terrible sales, now Gwen. Why are all the good guys getting the bad sales? :cry I want 300,000 copies taken off from FutureSex/LoveSounds and added to The Sweet Escape. And I want Koda's Black Cherry to leak NOW.

4 in the morning is my only favorite...

Ehh, a lot of people think the album was mediocre. That's all there is to it. People like different music for different reasons.

And leaking really has nothing to do with sales. Mariah Carey's album got leaked a couple of weeks early and look how it did. Justin Timberlake? His new album leaked like... a month before the release date, I believe. It was very early in any case. People bought it because they liked what they heard.

A bunch of different things factor into why things sell the way they do, but why make a big fuss over it? Won't change the sales.

WOOHOO, got my copy. Not a special edition (heard that was an exclusive for Australia) but mine's good enough. Wish it didn't have that live track tacked on the end. Anyway, yep, confirmed, all tracks brilliant. Except the live track, I hate live tracks. I even avoid the mp3's, but this one is tacked on the CD. Damn.

Akon's appearance is extremely limited. He has like two lines in total, and even those are drowned out by the WOOOOs. Pharell is more audible in the other tracks but he's way better when he's not doing his solo crap.

The icy, ballady like tracks are simply beautiful. It's like being in a whole new world. Wonderful Life especially. And Yummy is just plain crazy frickin awesome it should have been the first single.

I want the singles to be:
1) Wind It Up
2) The Sweet Escape
3) Now That You Got It
4) Yummy
5) Wonderful Life

and if possible...
6) Orange County Girl
7) Breakin' Up

Swizz Beatz contribution was obvious from the "HEY! HEY! HEY! HEY!" in the background. Identical to his contribution to B'Day, Get Me Bodied.

Hehe.

I want the singles to be:

Wind it up
Yummy
Wonderful life
Breakin' Up
Don't get it twisted