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About tadatorao from japan: Lamb since vision of love.

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: Mariah Blue-Spec CDs (80,820) (80,865) by tadatorao from japan Hi Billy, or any lamb interested in the various versions of Mariah's CDs, I have just collected the Blu-spec CDs these days. Sony Music Japan released #1's in "Blu-spec CD" format early on 22 July 2009, and then all other albums except Merry Christmas in "Blu-spec CD2" format on 15 June 2015, exactly the same day #1 to Infinity was released. To answer the question whether there is any improvement in audio quality, well, most audiophiles will tell you that there is no difference as the data stored in the disc is the same as the original release. The difference only lies in the laser cutting method. I bet you can easily find all these technical information online. Indeed, Sony explicitly stated on the CD obi that the original masters are being used (that means 92-99 of the respective year in which the album was released). That means no new or extra data are stored in the Blu-spec CD. Personally, I don't find there is much difference. Anyway, there is an update on the Japanese liner notes and I myself is an obi fetch. I am willing to collect the Blu-Spec version nonetheless. That being said, #1's Blu-spec has already become a prestige item and you gotta pay a steep price to get one these days. Now, what I wanna tell is, CB, TEOM and E=MC2 have been re-released by Universal Music Japan in SHM-CD format on 19 September 2012. MCIIY was also available in SHM-CD format when first released on 1 December 2010. While most audiophiles claim that it would not be possible to have any improvement in this format either, I can assure you that I always can tell a SHM-CD from an ordinary one. The difference lies on the material being used. That means no extra data is stored on the disc, but the manufacturer claims that the material enhances more correct reading of data by CD players or computers. If I have to describe, I always find SHM-CD has a more "airy" quality. The ordinary CD has a more "solid" feel. The difference is more obvious in re-release of older albums, but I can still tell the subtle difference on CB, TEOM, E=MC2 which didn't require much improvement as they are released comparatively later. I also have the SACD of #1's. It is universally agreed that SACD is the best format as it does have increase in stored data. I might tell more when I have time to do the haunting task of transferring the SACD to digital data. Happy collecting. (Thursday 8 February 2018; 15:31)

Re: Can't Let Go (80,788) (80,800) by tadatorao from japan I have said million times that this song should've been a number one instead of I'll Be There. It was a crime Sony pulled this single off the store. (Sunday 4 February 2018; 17:28)

Queen of Christmas (79,814) by tadatorao from japan Just realised every single alphabet in Mariah Carey appears in Merry Christmas. No wonder. (Tuesday 12 December 2017; 06:53)

Re: Songs that you love that aren't fan favorites (75,089) (75,139) by tadatorao from japan I always prefer the version of Fantasy (Bad Boy Mix) without the featuring of ODB, though I know most fans and Mariah herself always stick to the ODB version. Yes, the ODB version gave her many credits to bring Hip Hop to Pop, but it's somehow annoying to me right from the start. (Thursday 11 May 2017; 08:26)

Re: Songs you don't like that are fan favourites (75,056) (75,072) by tadatorao from japan I'll Be There (overrated) Vanishing (boring) Crybaby (annoying) Bye Bye (guilty of ending her #1 streak) I Want To Know What Love Is (pretentious video) That being said, I love all the other few hundred songs in her catalog. (Monday 8 May 2017; 14:37)

Re: Me I Am Mariah sequencing (73,314) (73,331) by tadatorao from japan The album should start with Meteorite. Try it. Skip to that track and listen to it as the first track. Indeed it could even be the album title as it matches the artwork. Much better than the clumsy and stupid title that is MIAMTEC. Meteorite goes well with Daydream, Butterfly and Rainbow too. (Friday 3 March 2017; 21:18)

Tommy vs Stella (70,887) by tadatorao from japan Mariah has claimed for years that Tommy has controlled and imprisoned her. I hope she would soon realize Stella is doing the same to her, just on a more abusive, hyprocritic and devastating level. (Friday 6 January 2017; 5:53)

Re: Mariah's only saving grace (70,688) (70,691) by tadatorao from japan After the year end disaster, there is no way any other TV producer would invite her to sing live. Let alone Grammy. (Tuesday 3 January 2017; 10:23)

Re: My Mariah bucket list (68,210) (68,239) by tadatorao from japan I have only 3 and I mean it: 1. Get her 19th #1 2. Get her 20th #1 3. Get her 21st #1 That's it. (Friday 11 November 2016; 18:07)

Re: The most overrated MC song and what's better (62,470) (62,479) by tadatorao from japan I'll Be There. It wasn't even meant to be a single. I always want it to be omitted in #1 to Infinity. Without it, Mariah can always claim she writes all of her number ones. I wish it could've been replaced by Can't Let Go, Underneath The Stars or Forever. (Saturday 21 May 2016; 17:44)

Make It Last Remix (52,671) by tadatorao from japan Antonio, I felt exactly the same when I first heard the remix. (Friday 1 May 2015; 14:33)

Japanese edition (52,478) by tadatorao from japan The Japanese version of #1 To Infinity omits TGIFY and includes AIWFCIY. If disc space is an issue, they should have omitted I'll Be There instead. After all that is the only No.1 song not self-penned by Mariah and it is not even a studio track. Good news is that the original version but not the unplugged version of Someday is selected. (Tuesday 28 April 2015; 17:39)

Emotions instrumental (50,737) by tadatorao from japan Does anybody know whether the instrumental version of Emotions in the Australian card sleeve single CD is the original or remix? (Item 0856 in the discography of this website.) (Monday 9 March 2015; 13:03)

Skydiving and Misty Moon for next compilation album (46,657) by tadatorao from japan Mariah is asking her lambs to choose the songs for her to sing in the coming concert. She is really willing to listen to her fans' request. Could we all leave her messages to include Skydiving in her next compilation album as a bonus track? And Misty Moon at least in the Japanese edition? I know many of us are hoping to get the full version of these songs in CD quality. (Saturday 6 September 2014; 22:13)

Tour (45,740) by tadatorao from japan She has three albums to catch up with for the next tour, namely E=MC2, MOAIA, MIAMTEC. Just wondering which song she will choose to be the opening track for the next tour. Meteorite? (Saturday 2 August 2014; 9:22)

Favourite video (45,275) by tadatorao from japan My favorite video is Honey. Needless to explain why. Heartbreaker comes close. Even Madonna copies the animation concept in Music and the catfight scene in Die Another Day. I was amazed that an innovative artist like Madonna had to copy from Mariah who wasn't that well known for her creativity in the video department. My least favourite is I Wanna Know What Love Is. It's just so pretentious. Other honourable mentions are Love Takes Time, Can't Let Go and Touch My Body. (Tuesday 8 July 2014; 17:51)

One More Try Casio keyboard (44,032) by tadatorao from japan Joyce, exactly. Mariah once said that she likes the sound of a song by George Michael so much that she deliberately spent time in finding the particular Casio keyboard to play in Can't Let Go. It is her intention to make it sound low-end. You should be proud in being able to tell that. (Friday 23 May 2014; 10:45)

Treasure this moment (43,953) by tadatorao from japan I don't know about those who still criticize this and complain about that, I'm so gonna enjoy this moment because, you know what, it might take another 5 years for us to have a new album again, I mean, if we are lucky enough that Mariah still spare some time from her kids to feed us. Treasure this moment, lambs. (Wednesday 21 May 2014; 16:03)

Sequencing (43,743) by tadatorao from japan Mariah must have put a lot of effort in sequencing the tracks in the album. Just imagine the uplifting power of You Don't Know What To Do after You're Mine (Eternal). It's like playing I'll Be Loving You Long Time right after We Belong Together. I got goosebump just imagining that. (Saturday 17 May 2014; 4:35)

She does know what to do (43,690) by tadatorao from japan It reminds me a bit of Now That I Know and would have fitted in Music Box perfectly. Haven't tasted this Mariah magic for years. (Friday 16 May 2014; 16:44)

Cover of Thirsty (43,585) by tadatorao from japan First off, I like the cover of Thirsty. Its color scheme, the signature font, the layout. Yet the photoshopping really needs to be done better next time. Her left eye spans from the nose to the edge of her face. Her forehead looks two inches higher than usual. Don't even get me started on the left arm. I am not being picky but I can foresee that her album and single covers will be more and more android like. The natural Mariah is goodlooking enough. (Wednesday 14 May 2014; 6:42)

Lambs, vote for Mariah (43,489) by tadatorao from japan Lambs, vote for Mariah. (Monday 12 May 2014; 19:47)

Here comes the copycat, again (43,487) by tadatorao from japan Mariah hasn't put out a new album for five years and when she finally does, someone called jlo releases her own. Coincidence or stealing thunder, you decide. (Monday 12 May 2014; 19:30)

Japanese edition (43,466) by tadatorao from japan Nick, you can order the Japanese edition from HMV Japan. They ship internationally. Be sure to pick the right edition as they often list US and EU editions as well. (Sunday 11 May 2014; 19:19)

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