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Re: Obsessed (80,893) (80,895) by Edward from USA That "I don't give a flying F" about what my fans think or want to hear from me really pisses me off. Mariah was always known for having the most loyal fans, but she won that by acknowledging us, not in a fake way, but actually making us feel that what we thought and wanted from her mattered to her. As time progressed, Mariah started getting lost in her looks and maybe in her head, grounded she never stayed. She looks great and healthy now, and I'm happy for her, but she doesn't seem to have any real passion for music anymore. We, her fans, would devour any music she puts out if it's good, or even if she wrote, produced or did background for somebody else. When Mariah put her signature on something, it was quality. Her part on "Every Time I Close My Eyes" was epic, "Where Are You Christmas", even though she never sung it, we could all hear Mariah all over it. The Allure songs she produced/wrote and sung background vocals for were great. "All Cried Out" is a great ballad. The quality wasn't only on her voice. I guess we make excuses to justify mediocrity a lot these days. That obsession with having write anything she sings or lyrically modify any song she's presented with must've prevented her from having way more hits and great songs than she has in her catalog. I don't see the big deal in having a song written by somebody else and make it her own with her own production and vocal arrangements, that also counts, Whitney did it, and she's done it with remakes too. What pisses me off is all this waiting to get something not up to part. So many opportunities to collaborate with other artists without having to feel like "Oh, I put something out and I flopped again." (Sunday 11 February 2018; 16:20)

Re: Mariah Blue-Spec CDs (80,890) (80,894) by Billy from Greece Thank you for the barcode. That was really helpful as I've been able to find it on amazon.uk as well. (Let me also correct a typo I made previously: I meant Blu-spec, not Blue. ) (Sunday 11 February 2018; 14:51)

Re: Obsessed (80,883) (80,893) by TJ from Norway "Ben Margulies once said at the beginning of her career: the look, the voice, the charisma." As so many people has stated before on this board: You can't compare the 90's Mariah to the 2018 Mariah. Yes, she did have those qualities, but they fade away as time goes by and you don't take care of yourself. Yes, she still got the look (even tough it's much more plastic fantastic, than before), her voice has changed over the years and I'm not sure about the charisma lately. A press conference can turn into a conversation if the product doesn't keep the high standard and quality as the commercial said. Look at Nokia and Kodiak. Once on top, now forgotten. (Sunday 11 February 2018; 10:33)

Re: Obsessed (80,886) (80,892) by TJ from Norway I think it's about 9000 seats in that arena. Because of the low sales I was able to change my tickets to second row. There was almost no advertising and people I know like her didn't even know about the concert. Even if Madonna doesn't sell a lot of albums anymore, her concerts are very popular. The income has to be bigger then the outcome. I can't see how the record companies will support her in the future if she doesn't do any career changes. (Sunday 11 February 2018; 10:22)

Article: "Thank God I Found You" Mariah's 15th Number 1 hit (80,891) by Lainsky from Philippines I have to admit I miss Mariah doing a feat like this on the chart. However, believe she will do it again hopefully this year. (Sunday 11 February 2018; 06:04)

Re: Mariah Blue-Spec CDs (80,888) (80,890) by tadatorao from japan The one in Taobao is priced friendily at 168RMB, but I guess it is too complicated for non Chinese speakers to communicate there. But good news. I found it in Amazon Japan for you. Type 4988005723697 in search, and there it is. I bet Amazon Japan ships internationally. If not, then you may get it via Fromjapan or another agent. The price for a sealed copy is 5813 yen, second hand ones are available too. Good luck getting it. And Billy, try to communicate with the seller or via agent before purchasing and ask them to confirm whether it is the SHMCD version (catelogue number UICY-20360, release date 19 September 2012). While I never experienced receiving a wrong version as the Japanese are very detail-minded, there are just so many reissues and versions of CD now that it is always best to double check with them. (Sunday 11 February 2018; 05:13)

Article: Mariah Carey stops traffic with brazen braless display (80,889) by Betty from Canada Reading this ridiculous article was a waste of my time. (Sunday 11 February 2018; 01:00)

Re: Mariah Blue-Spec CDs (80,876) (80,888) by Billy from Greece Taobao does not have an English menu, right? So frustrating. (Sunday 11 February 2018; 00:31)

Re: Obsessed (80,884) (80,887) by MusicfanJ from Germany Sorry if I sounded too harsh. I do understand what "TJ" was saying about the venue. But imagine Mariah would sell 30,000 tickets, then still someone would say: Oh her latest album didn't sell so well. Of course the selling is not like it used to be for many reasons. But I would love to see her at a small, intimate venue. It's nothing bad. She did all the big concert halls around the world, why not try a smaller one? (Saturday 10 February 2018; 19:52)

Re: Obsessed (80,881) (80,886) by Andrew from UK However, there may be something not quite clear about this. Mariah couldn't sell half of 4000 or was 4000 the half of 8000 she sold? Irrispective: any arena of 4000 or 8000 people is a ridiculously small affair. People won't pay attention (it will be interesting to watch the Hotel concert in Au.). Conversely, a 50000 crowd must require a field and is a significantly bigger affair. It's an event. It's like British people joining a queue/line. The joke is that we often do it simply because it exists. The bigger the affair the bigger the attention. And, further, Mariah doesn't advertise save for a few photoshopped images randomly placed. You'd be hard placed to find a lazier artist than Mariah. (Saturday 10 February 2018; 17:04)

"Dreamlover" (80,885) by Billy from Greece Why do I feel this song does not get much love over the last years? I adore the background "oooh baby" parts. Here's a lovely latter day performance. The arrangement here is so good. (Saturday 10 February 2018; 17:01)

Re: Obsessed (80,883) (80,884) by Andrew from UK The Norwegian poster was making an important point based in fact. You, on the other hand, just talked total rubbish (nicht seht Deutsch von dir). I dislike Eminem now for many reasons but there is a truth that he still sells incredibly well and it's hard to fathom him not having appeal in the future. MC's last release was 4 years ago and a tired rerun of her dated hits. Am I the only one of a seemingly very few that can love Mariah and her music whilst being honest about it? What's wrong with the truth? Lies are the fat of the land. Brutal honesty gets lambasted here but it is the very basis of enlightenment, for seeing the world as it really is. Would everyone please just drop the bullshit. For your own sake? (Saturday 10 February 2018; 16:55)

Re: Obsessed (80,881) (80,883) by MusicfanJ from Germany Compared to Eminem Mariah will always be a "press conference". He may be still hip and cool and selling tickets but a lot of adults don't even know him. I used to listen to him in the late 90ies when he was his prime and after the millenium years. I think he's become a hip-hop legend but Mariah was always on another level. Mariah has everything, the complete package, Ben Margulies once said at the beginning of her career: the look, the voice, the charisma. She's got it all. And it doesn't make sense to compare a male hip-hop artist with a female singer. So don't worry about the one and only MC. (Saturday 10 February 2018; 14:56)

Re: Stripped/acoustic (80,869) (80,882) by Stacey from USA Circles is one I've seen. Love that song from TEOM. (Friday 9 February 2018; 23:55)

Obsessed (80,881) by TJ from Norway I hope that Mariah bring something new to the table when she decides to release her next album. Mariah didn't sell more than half of her tickets in Oslo, back in 2016 (4000 tickets). Eminem sold between 45000-50000 tickets (to a concert this summer in Oslo) in just 6 minutes according to the newspapers. I'm afraid these lyrics don't do her justice anymore "I'm the press conference, you're a conversation". (Friday 9 February 2018; 22:32)

Re: Stripped/acoustic (80,869) (80,880) by Susana from USA I would like a list of that too please, if you don't mind. (Friday 9 February 2018; 21:39)

Re: If we take our blinders off for a minute (80,870) (80,879) by Andrew from UK Your argument is well constructed but rather misleading. Whilst a distinction between musical quotation and plagiarism is noteworthy, to even the untrained ear the Emotions singles and TGIFY sound so akin to carbon copies that "lifted" may be a suitable term. Whereas my intention is not to suggest Mariah a plagiarist, it would be much easier to not do so had she not paid people large sums to specifically state she had not acted dishonestly. Appropriation becomes misappropriation when dishonest - or theft. She didn't credit the plaintiffs. Given the absurd similarities, it is hard to believe that no dishonesty was involved. The truth may never be found so it is what it is. Hero is particularly confusing. The guy can obviously create a trail to whereby Mariah would have had access to the lyrics he alledges he wrote. But if he self-copyrighted and posted them to himself, why not just let a judge open the envelope? That Mariah's notebook shows the song written after the release of the movie for which she claimed it was is bizarre. Regardless, it's probably best not to try to justify Mariah's position and just accept that it is what it is and hope that no dishonesty was involved. (Friday 9 February 2018; 19:21)

Re: Mariah Blue-Spec CDs (80,876) (80,878) by Billy from Greece Once more, I appreciate your detailed response. Also, thanks for suggesting the other outlets. I thought Taobao was only for clothes, so I'll check that, as well as Fromjapan (though, I get what you mean about the "addictive" part of the whole situation ). I also agree about the difference when it comes to SHM-CD. I first became aware of it with Diana Ross's (wonderful) "Baby It's Me" album. I initially had an early 1990s CD, which had a thin and somehow metallic sound. The 2014 SHM-CD version, on the other hand, wow, what a difference. Everything was amplified, but not in a compressed way, and the sound was brighter (but not shrill). I also got a 2014 Japanese reissue of Teena Marie's (gorgeous) "Irons in the Fire," which is not a SHM-CD but compared to the early 1990s CD, it's like night and day. Amazing sound, there is so much more "depth" and clarity. Good to know that Janet's SHM-CD of "Control" shows improvement as I really want to get it for some time. Also, I've been totally mesmerized by "Charmbracelet" all over again lately but I've always felt some songs sounded somehow "compressed" ("Yours" for instance) or there was something going on with the mastering at some places, though this might as well be the way it was intended to be. So, I was hoping that the SHM-CD version would make it "shine" properly. Glad to know that there's at least some improvement. Once again, thanks for replying. (Friday 9 February 2018; 15:49)

Webmaster (80,877) by Betty from Canada Please update this day in history, thanks. (Friday 9 February 2018; 13:49)

Re: Mariah Blue-Spec CDs (80,872) (80,876) by tadatorao from japan This is long and is perhaps for Billy only. Others are of course welcome. Wow as you can tell that Charmbracelet is the one most sought-after SHM-CD among the Def Jam trilogy, I am sure you have known most everything in this niche market. I totally understand the regretful feeling of letting go of a rare item in eBay or any another site. I have done a quick search for you, there is still a factory-sealed copy in Taobao. Now, this Chinese website is never user-friendly for foreigners in terms of registration and payment. But that seller does accept credit card, most other only accept payment via local system (like prepayment in convenient stores which is very clumsy). You may try this seller. On the other hand, I still believe there is brand-new copies here and there in Japan. Occasionally they are available in Japan Yahoo Auction or online music stores. You can get the item via an online Japanese agent. I use Fromjapan. It takes a little getting-used-to. But once you are familiar with the system, what I worry most is that you might lose control in getting many items from there. To talk about the worthiness of the CDs themselves, well, I am not an audiophile, I listen with my cellphone mostly. But for Ms Mariah Carey, I am willing to listen and learn and pay for anything she releases. I still remember I paid USD12 for the Emotions maxi single when I was a poor high-school kid (age exposed.). As it takes so many years for Mariah to release an album or single nowadays, it actually gives my wallet a time to breath and I can now chase back for all those SACD, Blu-Spec and SHM-CD. Now, many say that these CDs are gimmicks only for record company to sell more. But the truth is, Japan reissue CDs regularly mostly for new buyers and they simply want to use the latest technology available. The re-release are set in affordable price, much lower than the originals. As all other craftsmanship in Japan, they are willing to try and fine-tune everything until they get the best result. The Japanese buyers themselves can absorb the reissues, the industry never rely on export. That's why I see that they are not necessarily milking the old fans, but just put out the records mainly for those who want to find albums that have been out of print, while taking the advantage of the latest technology. The audiophiles in most forums insist that there could not be any difference as long as the CD is manufactured with the same master. They claim a 1 is 1 and 0 is 0 in digital format, no matter what cutting method or material is used. But that could be an over-simplification, as it is not the "up or down of pits" that determine the 0 or 1; it is actually the "transition of pits" that matters. That means, up-up or down-down denotes a 0, up-down or down-up denotes a 1. That's why I believe the accuracy of data-reading does affect the sound quality, no matter how small the difference is. So, at the end of the day, I think it is our ears that matter most. I myself can always tell if it is a SHM-CD, even for those CD (such as Natalie Cole's Spanish album) which has not been released in regular format for comparison. Janet Jackson's RN1814 and Control were first released in the 80s, I can tell significant difference in these two re-releases. For Mariah's, the difference is very very subtle, almost non-existence for E=MC2. Charmbracelet being an earlier release does benefit a bit from the format improvement. As we are talking about the feel of hearing and not comparing the 0s and 1s, I think it is bound to use subjective terms to describe the quality. While some uses "clear", "crystal", "deep" or "warm" to express, "airy" is always the term I can best describe my hearing experience. To elaborate a bit, it feels like all the instruments and the vocal are placed in a more spacious world and everything has more room to stretch. Yes I hear things I never heard before especially when played in my computer too. I bet they are always there, but I just never noticed. Collecting the different versions have given me an ease of mind. I don't have to wonder if there is anything better out there anymore. This is only my personal thinking, and a voice like Mariah's totally deserves this. (Friday 9 February 2018; 03:42)

Re: If we take our blinders off for a minute (80,870) (80,875) by Special K from USA Well damn. Drops mic. (Friday 9 February 2018; 00:55)

Emotions (80,874) by Billy from Greece I listened to the whole album the other day after a while and realized that, while I love it, there is a feeling of "echo" throughout the whole album that I don't think is present on other MC albums and creates a sort of strange vibe. Has anyone else noticed that? (Thursday 8 February 2018; 23:32)

Re: If we take our blinders off for a minute (80,866) (80,873) by Hilton from USA Lol. (Thursday 8 February 2018; 19:59)

Re: Mariah Blue-Spec CDs (80,865) (80,872) by Billy from Greece Dear tadatorao, thank you so much for such a detailed reply. In fact, you've answered to a couple more questions that I've had in mind for a while. I have to day that I agree as far as SHM-CDs are concerned. I remember coming across a SHM-CD of "Charmbracelet" on eBay a while back and I regret not getting it as I cannot find any available copied anywhere, contrary to SHM-CD copies of Mariah's subsequent Universal albums. I've always wondered whether the SHM-CD format would do "Charmbracelet" more justice sonically. I also get what you mean with the "airy" quality. I'm not a huge audiophile connoisseur or get as deep as some people do, but lately I've been trying to locate the best sounding versions of CDs I love, as several times you can tell the difference. (Thursday 8 February 2018; 19:57)

Charmbracelet (80,871) by Billy from Greece This album has aged really, really well. Very artistic album. (Thursday 8 February 2018; 19:39)

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