LIMITED EDITION : laroux - trouble in paradise (deluxe box set)

When Laroux first announced a comeback after multiple years silence, I was very happy. I was even happier when the 'Trouble In Paradise' album was announced and EVEN HAPPIER when the cover art was unveiled (stay tuned for that, if you still haven't feasted your eyes). The cherry on top of this already multi-layered feast was that the album would also be released a deluxe box set...so let's go In For The Kill and dive in...

One major selling point of this edition was the fact it has it's own exclusive cover, very much in the vein of it's Pop Art, collagey original artwork - this one elaborates more on the lazy, sun soaked Americana imagery we had already seen glimpses of.

And what says Americana better than a nice glossy glaze! Certain elements of the matte cover have been stencilled out in a shiny coating which adds to the texture and look of the piece. Stunning :)

This is a limited edition boxset - only 3000 were produced - each one is individually stamped.

I love that the outside box feels quite understated, glossy and white. It makes the insides pop even more so...

Click "Read More" to see the rest of the review and my score for this piece! :) 

LIMITED EDITION: girls aloud - ten (limited edition boxset)

 

Continuing the girl group theme (see my last post on All Saints' 90s-licious deluxe edition), we're now moving to Girls Aloud and their greatest hits collection 'Ten'. Celebrating a decade in the spotlight, this was a celebration of their biggest songs and the impact on pop they has achieved. Keep reading to see my cover-to-cover look into this Whole Lott History...

 

Quite a subtle start to the edition, for a band usually known for the Xenomania off the wall pop moments (a la 'Biology') and iconic, eye popping artwork (a la 'What Will The Neighbours Say?') this seemed a surprise to me - where's the colour? Where's the girls? It's sleek...but doesn't feel very Aloud to me...

 

OK! Here we go, shocking pink lining - now we're talking. Sleek black outside, bright pink inside: the embodiment of a grown up girl group? Love the cover art to the album, which we'll inspect more later.

 

Click "Read More" to see the rest of the review and my score for this piece! :) 

LIMITED EDITION: all saints - all saints (deluxe edition boxset)

Now, I'm going to take us on a trip down memory lane...back to 1997 and girl groups were ruling the charts. There was of course (my favourite) the Spice Girls and their slightly cooler, lil bit more urban sisters All Saints. All Saints debut album 'All Saints' was a collection of slow burning downbeat pop with flavours of R&B and I loved it! This deluxe edition is special to me as I had no idea it existed (no mention of it on most of the internet or wikipedia pages) until a year or so ago, when I was browsing eBay and this appeared in my recommended! So lets pour a cup of Black Coffee and take a trip back to the 90s...
there's gunna be a lot of khaki so hold tight...

The front of the boxset, I think, is pretty strong graphically - that stencil type the band used as their logo was bold and felt a little grungy too. Their first album seemed to have this cammo green palette throughout, which is used for this also.

Close up on the sticker, also you can see there is an almost faux-leather texture to the box.

The lid's off and you are greeted with a big A and S :) (also this kind of constellation motif on the letters used throughout the album art later also). This is an oversized photo booklet, which we'll explore more in a moment, but first, underneath that...

 ...We see the rest of the contents! The original album, a remix album (one of the first remix exclusive albums to be released and chart, fun fact) and - as it's the 90s - a VHS of the band's music videos. *swoon*

Click "Read More" to see the rest of the review and my score for this piece! :)

LIMITED EDITION : kylie minogue - kiss me once (limited edition vinyl box set)

So, I felt it was high time for another round of "My Editions" - where I post about a limited edition piece from my personal collection. This time I'll be diving 'Into The Blue' with Kylie Minogue's 'Kiss Me Once (Limited Edition Vinyl Box Set)'. It's a gorgeously kissable, silk cloth-bound box set filled to the brim with sass. So let's get going!

First stop, what's included:

- 12" double vinyl of the standard version of the album 

- Deluxe edition of the album on CD (With exclusive artwork featuring handwritten lipstick text by Kylie herself)

- Card featuring digital download code for the album

- 5 x 12" art prints on heavy paper stock, featuring an exclusive image only in this box set and a hand numbered life size kiss from Kylie

- 12" vinyl sticker sheet with 'Kiss Me Once' lips graphic

- 12" "faux window" featuring raindrops and the album title, so you can recreate the album artwork!

All is contained in a silk cloth-bound 12" vinyl box. 100 copies were signed by Kylie at random.

Next stop...some beautiful images and commentary of this dee-lightful box set:

A close up on that loverly, shimmering silk cloth-bound box. It simply features the 'Kiss Me Once' lips graphic stitched in the middle of the lid and it's hard to get the full effect without holding it in your hands. I spent a solid twenty minutes just stroking it... (in honour of 'Les Sex' and 'Sexercise' of course!). A simple touch, but it really adds to a sense of elegance about the piece.

It's a very slimline box, I was actually quite surprised when it arrived. At first glance it looks like it could only fit in a couple of vinyl - but keep reading to see what else is included.

Lid off and you're greeted by more lips and lipstick...I'm sensing a theme... It really does remind me of Christina Aguilera's 'Bionic', but it's so gorgeous I'm willing to overlook it

Click "Read More" to see the rest of the review and my score for this piece! :)

LIMITED EDITION : madonna - the immaculate collection (the royal box edition)

so i asked simonsez-CD readers (some time ago, sorry for the delay!) which limited edition piece they wanted a cover-to-cover review of next and y'all chose....madonna's 'the immaculate collection (the royal box edition'. enjoyyyyyy:

so this 1990 release was to celebrate madge's first compilation album, which included all her hits from her debut in 1984 right up through to the 90s. it was also used to commemorate her highly successful appearance at the 1990 mtv video music awards - where she performed a marie antoinette-inspired performance of 'vogue'. so let's dive in...

the front cover of 'the royal box', one of the first deluxe editions that used the vinyl sized shape that many of the modern limited releases use.

the back of the edition shows the first use of the vma 1990 performance:

inside of the lid of the box

click "Read More" to see the rest of the review and my score for this piece! :)

! updated ! NEW LIMITED EDITION ARTWORK : rihanna - talk that talk (the rihanna navy box & navy officer's chest) (collectible charms pin)

so the other day i posted my cover-to-cover review of riri's 'talk that talk (navy officer's chest)' set and one beady eyed reader noticed that the charms pin (see above) i had in my version of the edition, differed to their own (see below). it appears that the "R" logo charm is on all the pins, but the ones either side differ (a bleeding heart, a skull and crossbones, a navy anchor and a revolver). which led me to think, how many other charms are there? (the collector in me is raging haha!) has anyone else out there got a copy of the package, do they have any other kind of charms? get in touch, simonsez would LOVE to know :)

(thanks to Emmily!)

another reader has sent in a picture of their navy chest's charms, showing that you could receive a lock or a rose charm!

(thanks to @ssRIHmix)

LIMITED EDITION : rihanna - talk that talk (navy officer's chest)

so i asked the faithful readers of simonsez-CD to vote for which LIMITED EDITION piece they'd like to be reviewed next and the winner was....rihanna's 'talk that talk (navy officer's chest)'! so let's dive into the sea of navy goodness...

so, the back story! this delightful piece was released as a strictly limited edition run (only 500 being made), along side the less opulent 'rihanna navy box' (also only 500 copies), to celebrate the release of riri's 6th album. not only were the pieces visually based around the original 'talk that talk' artwork and logo, but also inspired by the idea of 'the rihanna navy', the loyal fans of the bajan beauty. take a look at the outcome below:

the chest is truly a thing of beauty, the feel of it is pure quality and feels so solidly made.

the first (of mannnny) navy logos throughout the edition...

the details are delightful :)

each one is individually numbered...

and herrre we go...everything has it's place and is so well packaged and protected :)

even more purdy details, the hinge and tabs are made of ribbon.

the piece includes the deluxe edition of the album...

click "Read More" to see the rest of the review and my score for this piece! :)

RANDOM : simonsez wants you to decide what to review next...

UPDATE : well, you've chosen your winner...check out the post here to see who came out on top!

you get to decide which limited edition piece appears next on simonsez-CD! just look to the right and see the poll where you can select from the following choices:

1. rihanna - 'talk that talk (navy officer's chest)'

2. alicia keys - 'songs in a minor (10th anniversary collector's edition)'

3. lady gaga - 'born this way : the collection (featuring the 'mosterball tour' DVD)'

4. girls aloud - 'you can't mistake our anthology (singles collection box set)'

so get voting and look out for the full, cover-to-cover review of the winning piece next week!

LIMITED EDITION : kylie minogue - aphrodite (the goddess edition)

so after months of waiting and anticipating, the goddess has finally emerged from the depths. so let's cast our minds back to early may... "warner music australia" announced up coming special releases to celebrate kylie's latest album 'aphrodite' and the smash hit tour 'aphrodite : les folies tour'. one of the releases was announced as being a hand made, specially packaged pop-up book, which would showcase behind the scenes photographs and interviews with the key players in kylie's team, who helped put the 'les folies' tour together... and it would be named 'the goddess edition'.

"alleluia!"

due to multiple production problems, put down to the fact that a piece of this kind and quality has not been created on this scale before, it had pushed the eventual release date back several times. regular followers of simonsez-CD will know that i have been sat patiently, twiddling my graphic-design addicted thumbs, waiting until the day that my hands lay upon my very own copy. that day arrived...and now i will open it up and show you all the wonder that is 'the goddess edition'. enjoy :)

as a way of sweetening up the more impatient kylie fans (who felt slightly cheated that it took so long for the piece to be released), the designers decided to include a few extra items. the first: a book carry bag, to keep the deluxe edition safe and sound. it has a john zhu (the designer who provided the amazing illustrations inside the book) illustration printed onto it, so it adds a really lovely element to the edition.

the second: specially printed "K" logo wrapping paper surrounding the book...

and the third (one last layer...): a slipcase to house the book in even more luxury!

following on from the wrapping paper, the "K" logo has been embossed onto the front...

...and the side. delicious!

nearly there...

and here it is! covered in a fine hessian cloth, you can really feel the hand-made quality to the piece.

a close up of the simple, but absolutely delightful, embossed cover.

back.

side.

:D

a personally written message from kylie herself...

and now, what you've all been waiting for...THE MOTHER FUDGING POP UPS!! starting with: the dress.

click "Read More" to see more images and my scoring of the limited edition piece :)