The Remix (Lady Gaga album) explained

The Remix
Type:Remix
Artist:Lady Gaga
Cover:Lady Gaga - The Remix 1.png
Border:yes
Alt:Lady Gaga naked with her right hand above her head and wearing a black glove on her left hand. Parts of her body are covered with thin strips of newspaper.
Recorded:2007–09
Genre:
Length:77:15
Label:
Prev Title:The Fame Monster
Prev Year:2009
Next Title:Born This Way
Next Year:2011

The Remix is a remix album by American singer Lady Gaga. Released in Japan on March 3, 2010, it contains remixes of the songs from her first studio album, The Fame (2008), and its reissue, The Fame Monster (2009). A revised version of the track list was prepared for release in additional markets, beginning with Mexico on May 4, 2010. Remixers on the album include Pet Shop Boys, Passion Pit and The Sound of Arrows.

The album received mixed reviews from contemporary critics. It reached the top of charts in Greece and the Dance/Electronic Albums chart of Billboard magazine in the United States. The Remix charted within the top ten in Belgium (Flanders and Wallonia region), Canada, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, the United Kingdom and the Billboard 200 chart of United States. It was certified platinum in Japan and Brazil and received gold certifications in Belgium and Russia. Worldwide the album has sold over 500,000 copies and it is among the best-selling remix albums of all time.

Background

On April 15, 2010, The Guardian reported that a number of artists, including Pet Shop Boys, Passion Pit and Marilyn Manson, would contribute to a remix album by Lady Gaga, titled The Remix. The remixes included in the package had been previously released alongside Gaga's single releases in the past years.[1] The album was originally released in Japan on March 3, 2010, containing sixteen of the remixes.[2] The revised version, consisting of seventeen remixes, was released on May 4, 2010, the first market being Mexico.[3] Manson features on the Chew Fu remix of "LoveGame", while Passion Pit remixed "Telephone" and Pet Shop Boys remixed "Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)". Other artists who remixed Gaga's songs included Alphabeat, Frankmusik, Stuart Price, Monarchy and Robots to Mars. The album was released in the United Kingdom on May 10, 2010 and featured a different artwork for that region.[4] The US release of the album was announced by Interscope Records in July 2010 and it was released on August 3, 2010.

Composition

Chuck Campbell from the California Chronicle felt that the main "trick" adopted by the producers behind The Remix, was to preserve the integrity of Gaga's nuances in her songs, at the same time bringing something new to her music.[5] The second song in the track list, the "LLG vs GLG Radio Mix" of "Poker Face", features a computerized chanting of the "mum-mum-mum-mah" hook of the song. Stuart Price remixed "Paparazzi" into an electronic version, changing the original mid-tempo composition of the song. New vocals were added on top of the song, giving it a jungle-like vibe, according to Nicki Escuerdo from Phoenix New Times. She also felt that the remix of "LoveGame" featuring Manson, changed the original composition by "giving the originally innocent and fun song an almost demonic quality".

According to Campbell, The Monarchy Stylites remix of "Dance in the Dark" "pump[ed] extra oomph" into the song, with addition of drum beats. Richard Vission's remix of "Just Dance" introduced an elastic rhythm in the song, while Frankmusik changed the soft composition of "Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)" to a more upbeat one, also manipulating Gaga's vocals in the process. Campbell also added that the Passion Pit remix of "Telephone" felt like a "theatrical set up for a song that feels like it's going somewhere, but never does"; the remix consists of synths, with a thumping beat accompanying the song. Sound of Arrows remixed "Alejandro", changing the dark nature of its music into a bright, summery jam while "Bad Romance" was remixed by Starsmith, making it a complete dance track.

Critical reception

Upon its release, the album was met with mixed reviews. At Metacritic it holds an aggregate score of 54 out of 100 points, indicating generally mixed or average reviews.[6] Simon Cage from the Daily Express gave the album three out of five stars and felt that although she "has a winning way with ostentatious hats", Gaga's true talent lies in selling the same album over and over again. "It’s great but... enough already!"[7] Music critic J. D. Considine, while reviewing the album for The Globe and Mail, complimented the piano and voice version of "Poker Face" adding that the latter was "the smartest track on her newest remix album". He felt that the song "brings out her inner Elton John. And yes, this move, too, is probably just another bit of calculated image management, but that doesn’t make it any less brilliant."[8] Robert Copsey from Digital Spy noted that the release of The Remix was a more natural progression than music labels trying to "cash-in" by releasing something not associated with the artist. He complimented the remixers featured in the album, calling them "as vital to keeping the singer's music fresh as her Haus Of GaGa designers are to her image."[9]

Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic gave the album three out of five stars, but felt that the track list could have been shortened. Erlewine complimented some of the remixes, including those by Pet Shop Boys and Space Cowboy, adding that The Remix "is not an essential addition to Gaga’s canon goes without saying... but there’s glitz and glamour to enjoy here." Mark Beech, reviewing the album for Bloomberg Television, noticed that the already familiar tracks from Gaga "are given a new sheen by the Pet Shop Boys and sometime Madonna producer Stuart Price."[10] Nicki Escudero from Phoenix New Times gave a positive review saying that the songs featured in The Remix can be a great addition during workouts, as well as staple dance floor music. She listed the Chew Fu remix of "LoveGame" as a highlight from the album.[11] Monica Herrera from Billboard complimented the album saying "Gaga has employed a collection of more-than-capable producers to make her dance-ready smashes from The Fame and The Fame Monster even more danceworthy." Giving it three out of five stars, Caryn Ganz from Rolling Stone noted an uneven sequencing among the tracks in The Remix. She felt that the Passion Pit remix of "Telephone" was the best remix on the album.

Commercial performance

Following the album's release in Japan, it debuted at number nine on the Oricon Albums Chart. On the issue dated May 17, 2010, the album moved to a new peak of number seven and has since been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) for shipments of 250,000 copies. In Australia, The Remix entered the ARIA Albums Chart at its peak position of number 12 on May 16, 2010, remaining on the chart for a total of five weeks. In the United Kingdom, the album debuted at number three on the official UK Albums Chart dated May 22, 2010, and has sold 166,440 copies according to the Official Charts Company, being certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).[12] Across Europe, the album debuted at seven on the European Top 100 Albums chart of Billboard.[13] The Remix also reached the top of the charts in Greece, while attaining top-ten positions in Belgium (Flanders and Wallonia), Czech Republic, Ireland, the Netherlands and New Zealand.

In the United States, The Remix charted at number six on the Billboard 200 dated August 21, 2010, with 39,000 copies sold.[14] It became Gaga's third top ten album on the Billboard 200. The record also debuted at number one on Billboards Dance/Electronic Albums making this Gaga's third number one entry on the chart. The same week, her other releases, The Fame and The Fame Monster were at positions two and three, respectively. Billboard chart manager Keith Caulfield noted that Gaga became the first act to occupy the chart's top three positions, in its nine-year history.[15] She additionally charted on the Billboard 200, with The Fame at number 12 and The Fame Monster at number 27, marking the first time an artist placed three concurrent titles in the top 30 since January 23, 1993, when Garth Brooks placed four sets in the top 30: The Chase at number two, Beyond the Season at number 23, Ropin' the Wind at number 26 and No Fences at number 29.[16] According to Nielsen SoundScan, The Remix has sold 315,000 copies in US as of February 2018.[17] In Canada, the album debuted at number five on the Canadian Albums Chart issue dated May 22, 2010, and remained on the chart for a total of ten weeks.[18] The Remix has sold more than 500,000 copies worldwide, and it is among the best-selling remix albums of all time.[19]

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of UK pressings of The Remix. Track numbers correspond to international (non-US and Japan) pressings.

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2010)Peak
position		+ Weekly chart performance for The Remix
Australian Dance Albums (ARIA)[20] 2
Europe (European Top 100 Albums)7
Russian Albums (NFPF)[21] 1

Year-end charts

Chart (2010)!scope="col"
Position
Australian Dance Albums (ARIA)[22] 11
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)[23] 56
Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)[24] 59
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[25] 47
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[26] 41
Mexican Albums (Top 100 Mexico)[27] 40
UK Albums (OCC)[28] 120
US Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)[29] 5
Chart (2011)!scope="col"
Position
US Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)[30] 9

Decade-end charts

Chart (2010–2019)! scope="col"
Position
US Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)[31] 32

Release history

Region! scope="col"
DateFormatLabel
Japan[32] March 3, 2010CD, digital downloadUniversal Music
Philippines[33]
Australia[34] April 30, 2010
Poland[35]
Canada[36] May 4, 2010
Colombia[37] CDUniversal Music, Interscope
Italy[38] CD, digital downloadUniversal Music
Mexico[39]
United Kingdom[40] Interscope
Brazil[41] May 5, 2010Universal Music
Germany[42] May 7, 2010
United States[43] [44] August 3, 2010CD, vinyl, digital downloadStreamline, KonLive, Cherrytree, Interscope

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Lady Gaga remix album to feature Pet Shop Boys and Marilyn Manson. Martin. Dan. April 15, 2010. The Guardian. April 22, 2010. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20140104053235/http://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/apr/15/lady-gaga-remix-pet-shop-boys. January 4, 2014. mdy-all.
  2. Web site: Lady Gaga: The Remix. Universal Music Japan. April 14, 2010. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20110222234254/http://www.universal-music.co.jp/u-pop/artist/lady_gaga/disco/uics1207.html. February 22, 2011. mdy-all.
  3. News: Lady GaGa Releases The Remix LP Track List. https://archive.today/20120907024936/http://www.mtv.co.uk/artists/lady-gaga/news/204236-lady-gaga. dead. September 7, 2012. Vena. Jocelyn. April 14, 2010. MTV News). April 22, 2010.
  4. News: Lady Gaga 'The Remix' – released in the UK next Monday. IGA. Team. May 4, 2010. Interscope Records. May 7, 2010.
  5. News: Lady Gaga prevails through makeovers. Campbell. Chuck. August 10, 2010. August 12, 2010. California Chronicle. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120312055828/http://www.californiachronicle.com/articles/yb/148477122. March 12, 2012. mdy-all.
  6. Web site: Lady Gaga – The Remix. Metacritic. August 26, 2010.
  7. News: Lady Gaga: The Remix. Cage. Simon. May 7, 2010. Daily Express. May 7, 2010.
  8. News: Essential Tracks: Lady Gaga. Considine. J. D.. May 3, 2010. The Globe and Mail. J. D. Considine. May 7, 2010.
  9. Web site: Music Review: Lady GaGa: 'The Remix'. May 16, 2010. May 17, 2010. Copsey. Robert. Digital Spy. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20100518120337/http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/albumreviews/a219734/lady-gaga-the-remix.html. May 18, 2010. mdy-all.
  10. Web site: Jack White Rages, Lady Gaga Remixes, Fleming Goes Rock: Review. June 2, 2010. June 3, 2010. Beech. Mark. Bloomberg Television. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20120506050834/http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-06-02/jack-white-rages-lady-gaga-remixes-renee-fleming-tries-rock-cd-review.html. May 6, 2012. mdy-all.
  11. News: Marilyn Manson Gives Lady Gaga's 'The Remix' a Boost. Escuerdo. Nicki. August 10, 2010. August 12, 2010. Phoenix New Times. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20120320045042/http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/uponsun/2010/08/marilyn_manson_gives_lady_gaga.php. March 20, 2012. mdy-all.
  12. News: Official Charts Analysis: alt-J's This Is All Yours secures No.1 album slot on 30,947 sales. Patkinson. Tom. September 29, 2014. September 29, 2014. Music Week. subscription.
  13. AC/DC Extends Run Atop Euro Albums Chart. Sexton. Paul. May 20, 2010. May 28, 2010. Billboard. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20140920133847/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/958182/acdc-extends-run-atop-euro-albums-chart. September 20, 2014. mdy-all.
  14. Arcade Fire and Taylor Swift Sweep in With New No. 1s. August 11, 2010. Keith. Caulfield. Billboard. August 11, 2010. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150124073132/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/956913/arcade-fire-and-taylor-swift-sweep-in-with-new-no-1s. January 24, 2015. mdy-all.
  15. Lady Gaga: Break Those Records, Baby. Trust. Gary. August 18, 2010. August 18, 2010. Billboard. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160505080841/http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/956810/lady-gaga-break-those-records-baby. May 5, 2016. mdy-all.
  16. Arcade Fires Up; Gaga Gets 'Remix' Treatment. August 21, 2010. September 7, 2010. Caulfield. Keith. Billboard. mdy-all.
  17. Ask Billboard: Lady Gaga's Career Sales, The Biggest No. 2 Hits & Ed Sheeran's Latest Chart Record. Andrew. Hampp. Billboard. February 25, 2018. February 25, 2018. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160417181749/http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/7334121/ask-billboard-lady-gagas-sales-whats-the-longest-streak-for. April 17, 2016. mdy-all.
  18. News: BSS, Godsmack battle for No. 1. Williams. John. May 12, 2010. May 17, 2010. Toronto Sun.
  19. News: Lady Gaga Remix Album Due In The U.S. Next Month. Ziegbe. Mawuse. July 8, 2010. July 9, 2010. MTV News.
  20. Web site: Issue #1055 ARIA Dance: Week Commencing 17th May 2010 . https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20100610140000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/23790/20100611-0000/Issue1055.pdf. dead. 2010-06-10. ARIA Report. Australian Web Archive. May 23, 2018.
  21. Web site: Russian Albums Chart: Weeku ziga 20 May 2011. Russian. May 20, 2010. 2M-Online.ru. National Federation of Phonogram Producers. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20131020094739/http://2m-online.ru/news/detail.php?ID=5634. October 20, 2013. mdy-all.
  22. Web site: ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 50 Dance Albums 2010 . ARIA Charts . January 9, 2013 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20130410110837/http://www.aria.com.au/pages/aria-charts-end-of-year-charts-dance-albums-2010.htm . April 10, 2013 . mdy-all .
  23. Web site: Jaaroverzichten 2010 (Flanders). Hung Medien. Dutch. December 26, 2010. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20141008011739/http://www.ultratop.be/nl/annual.asp?year=2010&cat=a. October 8, 2014. mdy-all.
  24. Web site: Ultratop Belgian Charts. Hung Medien. December 26, 2010. December 26, 2010. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20121026033322/http://www.ultratop.be/fr/annual.asp?year=2010&cat=a. October 26, 2012. mdy-all.
  25. Charts Year End 2010: Canadian Albums Chart. December 11, 2009. Billboard. December 26, 2010. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150701053025/http://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2010/top-canadian-albums?begin=41&order=position. July 1, 2015. mdy-all.
  26. Web site: アルバム 年間ランキング-ORICON STYLE ランキング . . Japanese . December 10, 2010 . December 20, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20101228070701/http://www.oricon.co.jp/rank/ja/y/ . December 28, 2010 . dead . mdy-all .
  27. News: Charts Year End: AMPROFON. Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. February 17, 2011. Spanish. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20110304140720/http://www.amprofon.com.mx/Archivos/PDF/top_anual/Top_100_Album_2010.pdf. March 4, 2011. mdy-all.
  28. Web site: UK Year-End Charts 2010 . Official Charts Company. June 19, 2011 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20110724024537/http://www.ukchartsplus.co.uk/UKChartsPlusYE2010.pdf . July 24, 2011 . mdy-all .
  29. Best of 2010: Top Dance/Electronic Albums. Billboard. December 26, 2010. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20140907160533/http://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2010/top-dance-electronic-albums. September 7, 2014. mdy-all.
  30. 2011 Year End Charts – Dance/Electronic Albums . Billboard . December 9, 2011 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20120111215113/http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/charts/yearendcharts/2011/dance-electronic-albums . January 11, 2012 . mdy-all .
  31. 2010s Dance/Electronic Decade End Chart. Billboard. https://web.archive.org/web/20191115000946/https://www.billboard.com/#/charts-decade-end/dance-electronic-albums?year=2009. November 15, 2019. November 15, 2019. bot: unknown.
  32. Web site: Gaga Remixes. HMV Japan. April 14, 2010. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20100402183945/http://www.hmv.co.jp/en/product/detail/3743058. April 2, 2010. mdy-all.
  33. Web site: The Remix * (CD). Tower Records. June 5, 2010. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20100623001423/http://www.tower.com/remix-lady-gaga-cd/wapi/114644460. June 23, 2010. mdy-all.
  34. Web site: Lady GaGa – The Remix Australian release. Sanity music store. April 17, 2010. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20120318160047/http://www.sanity.com.au/products/2150699/The_Remix. March 18, 2012. mdy-all.
  35. Web site: Lady Gaga – The Remix Poland release. Universal Music Poland. May 6, 2010. April 30, 2010. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20100426124627/http://www.universalmusic.pl/?atype=item&view=1&id=6354. April 26, 2010. mdy-all.
  36. Web site: Lady Gaga – The Remix Canadian release. HMV Canada. April 14, 2010. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20100501151035/http://www.hmv.ca/Products/Detail/569154.aspx. May 1, 2010. mdy-all.
  37. Web site: Lady Gaga – The Remix Colombian release. Entertainment Store. September 10, 2010. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110707052557/http://www.prodiscos.com.co/msica-t1/the-remix-pr137732/. July 7, 2011. mdy-all.
  38. Web site: Lady Gaga – The Remix Italian release. IBS. April 16, 2010. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20100518202217/http://www.ibs.it/disco/0602527382807/lady-gaga/the-remix.html. May 18, 2010. mdy-all.
  39. Web site: Mixup Mexico: Lady GaGa The Remix. April 28, 2010. Mixup. April 28, 2010. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20100430202509/http://www.mixup.com.mx/mixup/Product.aspx?sku=602527382807. April 30, 2010. mdy-all.
  40. Web site: Lady Gaga – The Remix UK release. HMV UK. April 16, 2010. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20100501151035/http://www.hmv.ca/Products/Detail/569154.aspx. May 1, 2010. mdy-all.
  41. Web site: Lady Gaga – The Remix Brazil release. Livrariacultura.com.br. April 24, 2010. dead. https://archive.today/20240525223650/https://www.webcitation.org/678tikid4?url=http://www.livrariacultura.com.br/scripts/resenha/resenha.asp%3Fsid=97313111314423473877127953&nitem=22117032. May 25, 2024. mdy-all.
  42. Web site: Lady Gaga – The Remix German release. Amazon Germany . June 3, 2010.
  43. Lady Gaga preps 'Remix' album for U.S. release. Vozick-Levinson. Simon. July 8, 2010. Entertainment Weekly. July 8, 2010. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20100709195443/http://music-mix.ew.com/2010/07/08/lady-gaga-remix-album/. July 9, 2010. mdy-all.
  44. Web site: The Remix by Lady GaGa on amazon.com. August 11, 2010. Amazon.com. August 11, 2010.

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