Swifties, who would like to join me in the countdown to Life of a Showgirl?

[Everlore]

I woke up this morning to a slew of messages from excited Swiftie friends telling me about the new album, I hadn't dared to hope it would be here so soon and now I am ridiculously excited and have my vinyl copy pre-ordered already!
My husband, also a Swiftie, had warned me not to get my hopes up ahead of the release of TTPD last year as he couldn't see how it could possibly live up to her previous albums, fortunately he was completely wrong and I consider it to be among her finest work, one of the best albums I've ever heard! I therefore have no reservations about getting excited about the new album. It will also be the first album since our baby was born, though I THINK she's more of a folklore and evermore girl so she may not be quite as enthused by the possibility of more Max Martin and Shellback collaborations as we are.
Even though we won't be getting Reputation TV now, I hope the vault tracks still see the light of day, when you consider the quality of the 1989 vault tracks just imagine what the Reputations ones must be like! I have high hopes that this new album might have been inspired from work that had already begun on Reputation TV.
Anyway, just wanted to come on here and share my excitement with other Swifties. What are you hoping or expecting from TS12?

Just a small reminder that the Eras Tour raised appx #1bn for the UK economy. That's more tax than all of our millionaires and billionaires combined paid in the year. 💋

Yodel are in a total mess currently as they have merged with InPost. I sold something on vinted at the start of Sept. Yodel collected it from my house. Last week the buyer told me it never arrived. Yodel have told the
buyer they don’t know where it is, and have told me it is being returned to me. It hasn’t arrived here so clearly it’s lost and apparently there are thousands of parcels like this. My seller will eventually get a refund and I’ll be left with nothing I expect.

Ummm well my spiralling has worked! Status just changed, delivery tomorrow!

anyone else feeling exceptionally jaded by Taylors desperation to take Adeles week 1 sales record at all costs? Her comment on the podcast about how there were no bonus tracks wasn't an outright lie but is feeling deceitful now.

We are at a point where to have the all the bonus content you would have to have purchased 4 different versions of the album - 3 of the 4 CDs that dropped Saturday and the digital one she just released. Though of course on Saturday you wouldn't have known that one of the limited run CD would be released in digital form + 2 voice memos only a few days later, after the purchase window closed, so you would probably have bought that one too.

(disclaimer: I've bought none of these extra versions I just find it a gross marketing strategy and deserves to be called out)

Honesty… no 🤷‍♀️

I’ve never been fussed about all the variants and extra releases, possibly because I’d never buy them. I buy a cd to play on my ancient car and stream the rest of the time - I’ve still heard all songs from special editions of previous albums and things like voice notes about writing them…and she did similar then too.

Can I say I love it, saw the film. Rewatched a few times over the weekend. In the background while doing stuff.
just love it. I was never a swifty

Got to be honest, I agree. I've never bought any of the variants because everything always makes it's way online within days anyway. I heard a load of the acoustic versions yesterday - love them but don't feel even slightly inclined to put my hand in my pocket for them.

If you race to buy everything that drops just because it's got Taylor's name on it, well, more fool you imo. Alternatively, some people do just like like to own the physical thing and that's between them and their bank account!

I do think this is one of the (many) areas where TS gets shit for doing something that many other artists do too. At the end of the day, no one is making anyone buy anything.

I mean, there were 12 variants of Brat and the same again for Man's Best Friend, so...

About 12 for Guts as well. Different vinyl variants with different bonus tracks. Fine to criticise but no point pretending Taylor Swift is unique in it.

I don’t buy any of them either, and find people who say things like “why does she keep releasing things, I can’t afford it!!” a bit annoying. Just don’t buy it. It’s all on Spotify anyway, or just buy one digital version.

Just watching some tiktok clips of last night's (?this morning's) Jimmy Fallon - it's a completely new format where they go through the whole album. Lots of fun!

Also, she looks utterly beautiful. I don't usually comment on stuff like this, but I did think she looked a little tired, puffy and, well, odd on Graham Norton's show. She is back to glowing goddess mode now 😁

Fine to criticise but no point pretending Taylor Swift is unique in it.
Never suggested this was unique to Taylor, I said I was jaded by her using it as a way to get her sales numbers up. As it stands she has 16 unique variants of TLOAS across digital, vinyl, and CD - 20 if you count the 4 different signed ones as different to the standard. Lets also not pretend that she hasn’t risen above and rejected industry practices that she disagreed with in the past - Apple Music & Spotify not fairly remunerating artists, refusing to use dynamic pricing, bringing to issue of masters ownership to light…

It’s all on Spotify anyway, or just buy one digital version.
It’s not all on Spotify, nor is it in one single digital album. That’s sort of my point. I have no issue with multiple versions that simply look different (she did this very successfully with Folklore). To access the bonus material this time you would have needed to make 4 purchases of the album.

special editions of previous albums and things like voice notes about writing them…and she did similar then too.
I think you might be referring to 1989? The way that album was marketed as having two versions from the pre-order stage: a standard version (with tracks 1-13) and a deluxe version (tracks 1-13 + 3 bonus songs + 3 voice memos). I have no issue with that as it’s upfront and you only had to pay once to get everything. What I don’t like here is that days after release she is putting out a new versions with material you miss out on if you pre-ordered - especially given she said in the podcast that there wouldn’t be bonus tracks. They aren’t bonus tracks in the sense that they are new songs, but it’s the biggest fans who were most likely to pre-order who are going to be interested in demos, acoustic versions, voice memos, and songs with alternative production.

For this album, the only things not available now are some voice notes, and acoustic versions of songs that are available as standard versions.

I’d agree about the tortured poets where there were four different variants, each with a completely new song - and then the anthology version being released a couple of hours after the main release, and that included all the bonus songs that people had already bought separately. I actually did think that was a bit shitty. But for this album, if people are willing to buy multiple vinyls just because they are a different colour and have a different cover - more fool them to be honest.

She did it with a bit with midnights and the fully with TTPD as well …and I’m a big enough fan that I didn’t just pre-order the CD, I pre-pre ordered it 😂 didn’t have a clue what direction it was going in, nevermind the title or track list. Eventually everything usually ends up on Spotify.

Twenty one pilots have 21 physical album variants on their last album

Adele didn’t let 25 be on streaming for months because she wanted people to buy it instead

They're all marketing a product - it doesn’t mean I have to buy it.

I’m not saying you’re wrong to feel otherwise, but personally, no, it doesn’t bother me.

Our cardigans came! (I know you were all invested)

How are they @nhsmanagersanonymous? I've often been tempted by them...

No sign of my CDs
Still showing "parcel advised". They could at least tell me what advice the parcel has been given! 😂

Has anyone seen Jan Ravnik's Insta post for "wish list"? No spoilers, but it is fantastic! If you know about that whole thing, it is. Never seen so many replies.

I can't link because MN crashes all the time. I barely know if I can post at the moment.

@SoScarletItWas I think that might have your personal info on it? You should probably get that deleted?

I’ve got a lover one - it’s the only one there’s been in a colour I’d probably wear

It’s about how you’d expect, not as good quality as they should be at that price, but fine.

@EmeraldRoulette yes 😂

I like them, very cosy @TheAlcott I agree it’s not amazing quality but they are thick and soft and cardiganesque. I like them as a bit of a fan treat

I don't normally say much about anyone's appearance

I've caught up with some of the Jimmy Fallon interview. Taylor looks like an absolute goddess. The outfit, the jewellery, the make up, the hair - like a perfectly curated work of art! And she's naturally beautiful anyway, but that look is something else!

I will chase up with UMG tomorrow if there's no update on the delivery status. It's actually now linking to a page of gobbledygook which is worrying. I've still got the tracking number and that still tells me the parcel has been "advised". To hide in a store cupboard, presumably.

It’s an ok cardigan like, because it’s the lover one it has hearts on it, they’re embroidered on, the stripe is knitted in… it’s not printed stuff, the stitching and things are all fine, totally works as a cardigan

But it is 50% acrylic and 50% polyester and the heart shaped buttons are a wee bit impractical

I like it, I wear it, but I wouldn’t have paid £70 for it in a shop if it was “just” a cardigan

Agree she looked absolutely incredibly, and very relaxed and happy on Jimmy’s show!

Elizabeth Taylor = A little bit Taylor!!

Have you been listening to the Sentimental Garbage episode as they pointed that out? I very much enjoyed listening to it and all the episodes about TS. The film is totally just like watching a zoom video and someone who has been messing around with a kaleidoscope effect.

Well worth checking out Sentimental Garbage for this plus the amazing Taffy Brodesser-Akner episode https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/12/magazine/taylor-swift-eras-tour.html