this edition was released at the same time as the standard and deluxe edition of the album, as a limited release. it includes the standard album, along with a dvd of 'the making of loud', packaged in an oversized digipak, with oversized booklet and limited edition lithograph print. with rihanna's 'loud tour' just about to begin and the singles 'man down' and 'california king bed' doing well, i decided this would be the next limited edition i'd show to you all :) show click "Read More" to dive into the fiery-haired diva's 'loud (couture edition)' :
front (the edition is the size of a 12" vinyl, i didn't even realise until it arrive, all the pictures i had seen made it look like a CD case size!)
the whole oversized digipak is covered by a slipcase with the album's title (and riri's name of course) on, i love this feature, simple, original and really adds to the luxury feel of the edition.
back
side
make sure you check out my other "limited edition" posts by clicking the tag below :)
opening the digipak...
fully opened up, you can see the two discs nestled in nicely :)
the album's disc...
...and the DVD disc.
the booklet and lithograph are tucked behind the middle section of the digipak
kinda wish the lithograph was a never before seen image, as you end up with three copies of the album's cover...
the lithograph print
a close up shows how the image is made up, it is a really lovely way of printing, making the image up of the tiny sections, it also has a shimmer quality about it
the booklet opened up...
back of the booklet
as ever, nothing's perfect, one of the down points of the edition is that the tracklisting is a sticker (???) on the back of the digipak's cover, i really don't know what stopped them from simply printing it onto the actual image, especially as when sliding the see-through slipcase on and off, the sticker gets caught! odd...
also that one page is dedicated to the song's credits and album notes, seeing as this is the size of a 12" vinyl, there was space for including lyrics!! we all love singing along! you know it, i know it, why don't the designers of these artworks know it???
BUT, even with those few qualms, this edition is definitely one of my favourites! one, simply for it's size, expecting a CD case and getting this beauty was enough to make me want to score it a perfect 10! also coupled with it's high quality feel and well laid-out design it is a strong piece, for sure. another pat on the back needs to go to rihanna's team for keeping such a strong visual theme throughout all the singles' artworks too, well done ri ri!
originality : 7/10
materials : 9/10
design : 8/10
the music! : 8/10
overall : 8/10
rarity : moderate, only available via rihanna's website, but they are yet to sell out.
make sure you check out my other "limited edition" posts by clicking the tag below :)
You seem like an expert on the matter. Do you know whether Loud was released as a vinyl? My roommate found a copy at BestBuy, didn't buy it, is now kicking herself, and I can't find it, though I search high and low. Do you think perhaps the record she found was, in fact, this limited edition CD release, though it has a vinyl facade?
ReplyDeletethis limited edition release didn't include a vinyl copy of the 'LOUD' album...after some extensive research i don't think a vinyl release was put out majorly for the album...i know there are a few floating about on eBay (and some for the singles 'only girl in the world' and 'what's my name (ft. drake)'). hope this helps, thanks for checking out my blog, if you need any other help finding special releases/editions, i'll be happy to help :)
ReplyDeletecan you please scan the photos?
ReplyDelete