‘The Party’s Right Here’ Unauthorized CD Review

As a Madonna collector, I never buy bootlegs and I rarely buy unauthorized releases, but when I heard about this CD, I had to get it. This was released last month in Europe. It’s a 2-CD set of the Blond Ambition Tour concert recorded live in Dallas, Texas. The reason I had to get it was because I listened to the preview clips and they sounded pretty damn good. Apparently, this recording has been making the rounds among collectors for many years across bootleg releases. This version seems like it’s semi legit (kind of like those horrible Otto Von Wernherr releases). This company (Goldfish Records) seems to own the license to this recording which is why they released it.

This recording was originally broadcast on FM radio back in 1990. I’m not sure if it’s the exact same broadcast, but this CD version does sound a bit enhanced (mostly the audience feedback). Madonna’s vocals are definitely live though. For something that is not 100% official, the sound quality is pretty great. I did notice a few pops and clicks throughout which make me think the original source used was a vinyl record. I can deal with that though. The only other drawback is that they omitted most of Madonna’s in-between songs talk. I recommend this CD if not only for the fact that it’s really a great audio time capsule of the greatest pop tour of all time! Now if only they’d give us a damn Blu-Ray of the concert…

Japanese ‘Mini-LP’ CD’s Review

I received my Japanese ‘Mini-LP’ replica CD’s yesterday and I have to say that whoever was in charge of this project hit it out of the ball park. Unlike the 2012 re-issues, these Japanese releases had SO much care and detail put into them. The graphics are clear and sharp and not blurry or fuzzy at all. Even the tiniest writing on the sleeves and obi strips is completely legible. They really did everything they could to make these look like miniature versions of the original LPs. Someone correct me if I’m wrong but I even think they matched the textures of the cardstock/paper of the outer and inner sleeves of the original releases (for example, Like A Prayer and True Blue have glossy outers while the rest are more matte).

All the little extras are there: the extra banner obi for You Can Dance, the fold-out poster for True Blue, the sticker and AIDS sheet for Like A Prayer, the 2 inner pictures sleeves for The Immaculate Collection. Immaculate was not originally released in Japan on vinyl format but I am so glad they used the USA LP release as a reference and included it in this set anyway. I think it’s my favorite! In my opinion, not only are these the best Japanese reissues for Madonna, they are overall the best Madonna collectibles in quite some time (as far as CD’s go). I can’t recommend these enough. If you haven’t bought them yet, get them now!

Japanese ‘Mini LP’ Re-Issues

I CANNOT WAIT to get these! I pre-ordered them when they were announced as they are supposedly limited. How cute are they?? They did a great job with the replication process. Like A Prayer even has the AIDS insert and the bonus sticker! I also love that Immaculate is a gatefold sleeve with the 2 inserts! The disc graphics also look like the record labels! Well done, Japan, WELL DONE. If you haven’t ordered yours yet, I would suggest that you do it sooner than later. You can get them via the HMV Japan or CDJapan websites.