Tangled Up (Girls Aloud album)

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The album opens with "Call the Shots", an "elegant" electropop ballad that incorporates elements of 1980s pop and 1990s house, and minor Europop sounds. [11] [13] Additionally, it was described as one of their softer–sounding singles in their career and features a solo bridge section by member Nicola Roberts. [10] [14] Furthermore, Cheryl highlighted it as her favourite track from the album and said it gave her goosebumps. [15] The second track, "Close to Love", was noted by commentators as the "kick-starter" to the album, singling out its "energetic" nature and dance–house music as a factor. During the verses, it features a "part rap, part singing" delivery by member Nadine Coyle. [13] [14] The third track of the album, "Sexy! No No No..."—which was released as the record's lead single—was described as one of their most "daring" single releases. [10] Incorporating instrumentation such as synthesizers, keyboards and vocoder pro-tools for Cheryl's vocals at the first part of the recording, it is an experimental Power pop anthem that emphasizes a rock-like sound over-top accompanying electronic music. [14] "Girl Overboard" was singled out as one of the better cuts from the album, with many critics praising its "clubby vibe" and 80s-inspired house and Eurodance music.[ citation needed ] Moreover, a Matt O'Leary from Virgin Media felt the song was one of the only "melodic" mentions on Tangled Up. [16]

"Can't Speak French", the fifth song on the record, is a "sultry" midtempo number that features electric guitars and synths, similar to what was used during the phase of smooth jazz music. [13] Likewise, "Black Jacks" is another midtempo recording that boasts 1960s-psychedelic music, and was compared to the work of Toni Basil and Sugababes. [13] Another melodic track to Tangled Up, it was selected by some critics as one of the "finest" moments from both the album and Girls Aloud's career. [13] "Black Jacks" was originally recorded for the group's previous studio album Chemistry but left out of the album for unknown reasons. [17] The seventh track, "Control of the Knife", is a reggae and ska-influenced tune that incorporates a variety of trumpets, drum machines and synthesizers. [11] During the song's chorus, an uncredited male singer performs the lines "Got sweet hassle, sweet talking me / Got cheap babble, cheap talking free," through vocoder effects. [9] "Fling" was described by DIY's Stuart McCaighy as a "trademark GA" track, signifying its "beefed-up dancefloor" sound and rap section as examples. [13] Similarly, Nick Levine at Digital Spy noticed that the track saw Girls Aloud on "full vamp-mode". [9]

The ninth song is "What You Crying For", first described by Cheryl as a "garage-sound track". However, critics refuted these comments by defining its sound as drum and bass, with influences of pop and two-step garage. Despite a negative remark by McCaighy, many other music editors highlighted the production as "forward-thinking" and believed the members "excelled themselves". [14] [16] The "futuristic" "I'm Falling" includes "squelchy sounds with a punky guitar", which was later compared to Girls Aloud's track "Graffiti My Soul" by BBC Music's Talia Kraines. [11] "Damn" was one of the only tracks that was not frequently discussed by critics in their reviews for Tangled Up, but the pop rock-number was criticized for not sonically "blending" with the rest of the material. [14] The album closer, "Crocodile Tears", is a mid-tempo pop rock song that focuses more on the members' "intelligent" vocal performances, an element to which was never highlighted in their previous work, as mentioned by AllMusic's John Lucas. [10]

Release and packaging

Tangled Up was first released in Ireland on 16 November 2007, and then throughout Europe on 19 November 2007. [6] [18] It was distributed by Fascination in two physical formats—a standard compact disc and a special jewelcase packaging— and was available for digital consumption through Polydor. [6] [19] The record was issued through the iTunes Store and Amazon Music worldwide the following year by Polydor, and on 7 October 2015, Tangled Up, along with various other musical releases by Girls Aloud, were released in North America. [20] The artwork has the group's name and the album title hung on several long black rods in front of a purple background. The lyrics for each song were not featured in the accompanying booklet. [6] The title of the album, Tangled Up, derives from a sentence of the album track "Close to Love". [6] It is the only Girls Aloud album cover art not to feature the members; it received negative remarks from commentators for its "boring" context and imagery. [21]

A fan edition of Tangled Up was also available through Girls Aloud's official website; the artwork incorporates each of the members holding onto long thick metal wires covered in rubber, while the original photos were placed inside the booklet. Additionally, the CD came with the lyrics and signed postcards. [11] [22] Despite the change, which was positively received, the artwork was noted by critics for its slightly uneven display of member Nicola Roberts, whose photo occupies marginally less space than those of the remaining four members, as described by Fraser McAlphine of BBC Music. [11]

Mixed Up

In addition to the album, Girls Aloud and Fascination teamed up with Julian Gingell and Barry Stone—under the pseudonym Jewels & Stone—to produce a limited edition remix album. Mixed Up, the group's first and only remix collection, was available to purchase only from British retail store Woolworths and was available at a discounted price when bought together with Tangled Up. [23] [24] The artwork is similar to that of the parent album, but the Girls Aloud text is altered to have a multi-colored font. Despite the collection featuring eight remixed tracks, Mixed Up only features one recording from Tangled Up; this was "Sexy! No No No...", which was edited and remixed by Tony Lamezma, whilst the remaining content comes from the group's previous singles. [25] For digital deluxe editions of Tangled Up, the remix album was condensed down into a 38-long minute track and included as the final appearing number; it was made for an "album only" purchase on digital stores. [26]

Tangled Up
Girls Aloud - Tangled Up.png
Studio album by
Released16 November 2007 (2007-11-16)
Recorded2005; April–October 2007
Studio London, England
Los Angeles, California
Genre
Length47:26
Label
Producer
Girls Aloud chronology
The Sound of Girls Aloud: The Greatest Hits
(2006)
Tangled Up
(2007)
Out of Control
(2008)
Singles from Tangled Up
  1. "Sexy! No No No..."
    Released: 31 August 2007
  2. "Call the Shots"
    Released: 26 November 2007
  3. "Can't Speak French"
    Released: 17 March 2008
Mixed Up: CD only [25]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Show" (Tony Lamezma club mix)
3:43
2."No Good Advice" (Doublefunk clean vocal mix)
5:19
3."I Think We're Alone Now" (Tony Lamezma Baubletastic remix)
  • Ritchie Cordell
  • Tommy James
5:10
4."Sexy! No No No..." (Tony Lamezma's "Yes Yes Yes" mix)
5:53
5."Something Kinda Ooooh" (Tony Lamezma remix)
  • Cooper
  • Higgins
  • Powell
  • Coler
  • Jody Lei
  • Giselle Sommerville
4:40
6."Wake Me Up" (Tony Lamezma's Love Affair)
  • Cooper
  • Higgins
  • Powell
  • Cowling
  • Shawn Lee
  • Paul Woods
  • Yusra Maru'e
5:09
7."Jump" (Almighty vocal mix)
  • Steve Mitchell
  • Marti Sharron
  • Gary Skardina
4:09
8."Biology" (Tony Lamezma remix)
  • Cooper
  • Higgins
  • Cowling
  • Sommerville
4:23

Singles

The first single from Tangled Up was "Sexy! No No No...", which was released on 3 September 2007. [27] [28] A critical success, the single reached number five on the UK singles chart and number 11 on both the Billboard Euro Digital Songs Chart and Irish Singles Chart. [29] [30] [31] The accompanying music video was directed by Trudy Bellinger and features the group sporting futuristic-looking skintight PVC catsuits with peep-toe high heels as they dance through wires stretched across the set.[ citation needed ] "Call the Shots", the second single from the album, was released on 26 November. [32] [33] It achieved critical acclaim from critics and was awarded the Popjustice £20 Music Prize, Girls Aloud's fourth win in that category. [34] It was also a commercial success, peaking at number three in the UK and number nine in Ireland. [29] [35] The accompanying music video was directed by Sean de Sparengo, and features the members in purple dresses performing on Malibu Beach at night with flames and white fabric surrounding them. Each member of the band is also shown in other locations, following several story lines. [36] Although they were in discussion, "Control of the Knife" and "Close to Love" were scrapped from being the third single in favour of "Can't Speak French", which was released 17 March 2008. This was during the same time Girls Aloud were working on the material to their fifth studio album Out of Control (2008). [37] [38] Critically and commercially successful, [29] a music video was shot by Petro that features Girls Aloud in elaborate costumes inspired by Marie Antoinette and 18th century French fashions. [39]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [10]
BBC Music (positive) [40]
Digital Spy Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [9]
DIY 8/10 [13]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [8]
The List Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [41]
MusicOMH Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [1]
NME 7/10 [18]
Virgin Media Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [16]

Upon its release, Tangled Up received universal acclaim from music critics. In an article from The List , Camilla Pia awarded the album a five-star rating, praising the mixture of genres, "witty lyrics, insanely infectious melodies and soaring choruses that explode out of nowhere". However, Pia noted Xenomania's "genius" production and concluded that Tangled Up "is a standout example of some of the best British songwriting in years". [41] Talia Kraines of BBC Music agreed, labelling it another "unrelenting pop masterpiece" by the group, made "without ever losing their sense of fun", while complimenting the "challenging" production. [40] AllMusic writer John Lucas awarded the album four stars, considering it a "short, sharp and tight collection of some of the most exciting music in a particularly exciting career". Lucas also commended the album's maturity and its heavy use of electropop music. [10] Similarly, Matt O'Leary of Virgin Media rated Tangled Up four and a half stars out of five, describing the album as "ballsy pop with moments of eclecticism which [...] results in hair-curlingly exciting music" and enjoyed the group's ability to grow creatively. [16]

Although Alexis Petridis, a contributor to The Guardian , felt that the opening half of Tangled Up was "disappointing", he commended the melodies, songwriting and variety of music elements; for that, he awarded the record four stars. [8] Nick Levine from Digital Spy found the songs to be "fun, frivolous, catchy, sexy and innovative" and called it their most "danceable album to date". [9] John Murphy of MusicOMH examined how Tangled Up proved to show how Girls Aloud had managed to move on creatively since their time on reality TV and commended the album's pop and electronic aspects. He called the album "original, inventive and sometimes exhilarating", and the only aspect of criticism in his review was aimed towards the album cover. [1] A reviewer for NME rated the album 7 out of 10, saying that the group's career "has been marked by genre-hopping," and felt that Tangled Up "will continue the trend". [18] The reviewer also highlighted the songs "Fling" and "Can't Speak French" as "unbeatable future pop hits". [18] Although criticizing the choices of certain songs and member Nadine Coyle's overemphasized vocal deliveries, Stuart McCaighy from DIY awarded it 8 points and commended the production and quality of songs. [13]

Conversely, Tangled Up received mixed opinions by commentators who felt divided by the content and production. Nick Butler from Sputnikmusic gave it two and a half points out of five, labelling it "average". Butler criticized Xenomania's input for making the record sound inconsistent and "wild", whilst also noting that the production overlapped the girl group. Citing the album track "What You Waiting For" as the album's only "tuneful thing here", he went on to conclude it as "Girls Aloud's worst album yet". [14] The Times writer Steve Jelbert awarded the album three stars and gave it a mixed review, calling it as "predictable as a motorway, but fun". [42] Similarly, Dom Passantino at Drowned in Sound awarded it four points out of ten, highlighting the lack of originality and "stupid" themes as core reasons for the rating. He also criticized the "boring" vocal performances and only recommended "Black Jacks" for its "acceptable" quality. [7]

Commercial performance

Commercially, Tangled Up experienced success in the United Kingdom. The record debut at number four and five on the UK Albums Chart and the physical component chart, making it the group's first studio album to enter the top ten since What Will the Neighbours Say? (2004) and their highest record since their debut in 2003. [43] [44] That same week—dated 25 November 2007—it managed to peak one position higher on the downloads chart, their highest peak since its establishment. [45] Tangled Up appeared only once inside the top ten of the album chart, descending to number 12 the following week. [46] The record stayed inside the top 40 for another 17 weeks, tallying it up to 36 appearances. [29] After the release of Girls Aloud's fifth and final studio album, Out of Control (2008), Tangled Up re-entered the top 100 chart at number 79 and spent eight weeks outside the top 70. [47] Then in November 2008, the album re-charted at number 53 while Out of Control was still inside the top 100 and charted for a total of three weeks. [48]

To date, Tangled Up has spent 47 weeks in the UK Albums Chart, making it their longest-charting studio album. [29] It was certified Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for shipments of 300,000 units, and has sold 505,000 copies as of March 2013. [49] [50] In Ireland, Tangled Up experienced moderate success and entered at number 25, their second record after Chemistry (2005) not to enter the top 20. [51] It dropped to number 33 in the following chart, but spent another ten weeks steadily inside the top 60. [52] [53] Nevertheless, Tangled Up was certified Gold by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) for shipments of 7,500 units. [54] The album entered at number four on the Scottish Albums Chart, and experienced a similar run as on the UK Albums Chart. [55]

Promotion

Commercial and televised appearances

In order to promote Tangled Up, Girls Aloud conducted a series of promotional activities such as television, commercial and magazine appearances. One of the earlier promotion schedules was an appearance by Nadine Coyle on RTÉ One's Saturday Night with Miriam on 14 July 2007, where she briefly commented on the work of Tangled Up and "Sexy! No No No...". [56] Subsequently, the group began promotion of the album by performing the single at the T4 on the Beach special on 22 July 2007, and sang the track on further TV show specials. [57] In November that year, the band performed their single "Call the Shots" on various charity and television shows, such as UNICEF and The X Factor , and performed a Christmas special for Top of the Pops in December. [58] [59] [60] The following year, Girls Aloud performed "Can't Speak French" on various shows such as the 2008 V Festival. [61]

Through 2007 and 2008, Girls Aloud had also recorded several television specials and shows that promoted themselves and the work from Tangled Up. The group performed and made a cameo appearance in the British teen film St Trinian's ; they also provided vocals to the soundtrack, whilst member Sarah Harding made another appearance in its sequel. [62] Furthermore, Girls Aloud released a fashion-inspired DVD titled Get Girls Aloud's Style (2007), which also contained music video commentary up to "Sexy! No No No...". [63] The band hosted a four-part special with ITV2, titled The Passions of Girls Aloud (2008), which showed each member doing activities in different countries. Coyle, who was scheduled to take part, decided to pull out of the project, which courted controversy from fans and commentators. [64]

Concert tour

Girls Aloud performing during the Tangled Up Tour, 2008. Girls Aloud in Glasgow.jpg
Girls Aloud performing during the Tangled Up Tour, 2008.

To further promote the record, Girls Aloud embarked on the Tangled Up Tour in 2008. Prior to its announcement, several publications had reported a split of the band, after Nadine Coyle withdrew from two reality shows that the group participated in. [65] The show reportedly cost an estimated £3 million to stage, with £250,000 worth of pyrotechnics. [66] The band called the show their most "extravagant and rewarding" tour year, while Sarah Harding said that "over the years it gets bigger and more elaborate". [67] The stage outfits were designed by Welsh designer Julien MacDonald, London-based Norwegian designer Kristian Aadnevik, and Liza Bruce. [68] The tour spanned between May and mid-August 2008 and was recorded on 17 May 2008 at the O2 Arena in London, airing live across 50 Vue cinemas throughout United Kingdom. [69] The recording was released on DVD through Polydor Records on 27 October 2008, and it was later certified Gold by the BPI. [49]

Cultural impact

Tangled Up and its songs have earned several mentions by commentators and critics as the group's best works. [70] In a readers' column at The Guardian, Laurence Green and Patrick Devine openly commended the appeal of the singles "Sexy! No No No..." and "Call the Shots", identifying it amongst the group's best work. On their poll, the former and latter track placed second and third on their "Girls Aloud's finest moments"—behind 2005's "Biology"—, and were the only inclusions that featured more than one single over 10% of the votes from a single studio album. [71] Similarly, an editor at Metro valued both singles as some of their most "daring" and "critically acclaimed" singles, and some of the "best work in the 21st century". [72] "Call the Shots", in particular, has been cited as one of the greatest songs in pop history, as claimed by publications such as AllMusic, Popjustice, amongst others. Furthermore, the single won the Popjustice £20 Music Prize, Girls Aloud's fourth consecutive win in that category, of eight nominations in total. [10] [34] Kathy Iandoli from Billboard cited "Can't Speak French" and "Call the Shots" as the 10th and top underrated tracks by underrated girl groups in North America, stating that the final song was an "incredible" number". [73] Andy Kellman of AllMusic highlighted Tangled Up as one of their best albums, the others being What Will The Neighbours Say? (2004) and The Sound of Girls Aloud (2006); while an editor at Capital FM labelled it one of the best releases in their career. [70]

The success of Tangled Up brought several nominations and accolades to Girls Aloud. In 2007, the group were nominated for five categories, eventually winning Album of the Year, Video of the Year for "Sexy! No No No..." and an individual record for member Cheryl. [74] The group were also nominated at the 2008 Brit Awards for Best Group, which was the group's first nomination since 2005 in that category, and were recognized by the Capital FM Awards as the favorite London-based group, and by the News of the World Fabulous award. [75] [76] Glamour magazine voted them the best band in the UK, marking their second consecutive accolade. [76] In 2009, Tangled Up won the Best Live Album of the Year award at the Music Producers Guild Awards, their first and only win from the organization. [77]

Track listing

All tracks were produced by Brian Higgins and Xenomania. Credits adapted from the liner notes.

Standard edition [6] [19]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Call the Shots"
3:45
2."Close to Love"
3:53
3."Sexy! No No No..."
3:18
4."Girl Overboard"
  • Cooper
  • Higgins
  • Powell
  • Coler
  • Lei
4:11
5."Can't Speak French"
  • Cooper
  • Higgins
  • Powell
  • Coler
  • Lei
  • Williams
4:04
6."Black Jacks"
  • Cooper
  • Higgins
  • Powell
  • Coler
  • Cowling
4:20
7."Control of the Knife"
  • Cooper
  • Higgins
  • Sommerville
  • Jon Shave
3:51
8."Fling"
  • Cooper
  • Higgins
  • Powell
  • Coler
  • Williams
  • Moguai
4:13
9."What You Crying For"
  • Cooper
  • Higgins
  • Cowling
  • Tim "Rolf" Larcombe
  • Boyle
3:44
10."I'm Falling"
4:01
11."Damn"
  • Cooper
  • Higgins
  • Powell
  • Coler
  • Cowling
3:46
12."Crocodile Tears"
  • Girls Aloud
  • Cooper
  • Higgins
  • Powell
  • Coler
  • Sommerville
  • Larcombe
4:18
Total length:47:26
Digital deluxe edition bonus track [26]
No.TitleLength
13."Mixed-Up [a] "38:22

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Tangled Up. [6]

Recording

Music credits

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Ireland (IRMA) [54] Gold7,500^
United Kingdom (BPI) [49] Platinum505,000 [50]

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

RegionDateFormatLabel
Ireland [6] 16 November 2007CD Fascination
United Kingdom [6] [19] [22] Limited edition CD
19 November 2007CD
digital download
Australia [81] 2008 Polydor
New Zealand [82]
Ireland [83]
Germany [84]
France [85]
Spain [86]
Japan [87]
Taiwan [88]
United States [89] 7 October 2015
Canada [90]

Notes

  1. "Mixed-Up" comprises "The Show" (Tony Lamezma Club Mix), "No Good Advice" (Doublefunk Clean Vocal Mix), "I Think We're Alone Now" (Tony Lamezma's Baubletastic Remix), "Sexy! No No No..." (Tony Lamezma's "Yes Yes Yes" Remix), "Something Kinda Ooooh" (Tube City Remix), "Wake Me Up" (Tony Lamezma's "Love Affair"), "Jump" (Almighty Vocal Mix) and "Biology" (Tony Lamezma Remix).

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"Sexy! No No No..." is a song by British-Irish girl group Girls Aloud from their fourth studio album, Tangled Up (2007). In April 2007, the group announced that they would release a new album, due in November of that year. In July 2007, it was announced that "Sexy! No No No...", due to be released in September, would be as the first single from Tangled Up, with a radio premiere scheduled for 20 July. The track leaked a few hours prior to the premiere. "Sexy! No No No..." was written by Girls Aloud and Xenomania, and is an electropunk song that incorporates a sample of Nazareth's 1975 song "Hair of the Dog", for which they received a writing credit. Composed of three songs welded together, the song avoids the verse-chorus form present in most contemporary pop music, similar to their previous single "Biology" (2005).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Call the Shots</span> 2007 single by Girls Aloud

"Call the Shots" is a song by British-Irish girl group Girls Aloud from their fourth studio album, Tangled Up (2007). The song was written by Miranda Cooper, with inspiration from an article about the advance of women in business, and Brian Higgins, Tim Powell, Lisa Cowling, and Giselle Somerville also received songwriting credits. Polydor Records originally intended to release it the lead single for The Sound of Girls Aloud: The Greatest Hits (2006); however, "Something Kinda Ooooh" was selected instead. In September 2007, "Call the Shots" leaked online, and on 26 November of the same year, it was released as the second single from Tangled Up through Fascination Records, a week after the album's release.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Can't Speak French</span> 2008 single by Girls Aloud

"Can't Speak French" is a song performed by British-Irish all-female pop group Girls Aloud, taken from their fourth studio album and serving as the third and final single from the album Tangled Up (2007). The song was written by Miranda Cooper, Brian Higgins and his production team Xenomania, and produced by Higgins and Xenomania. Described as "a swirling, slower cut with great jazzy guitar changes," Higgins said it was "the easiest Girls Aloud single they made." Upon its release in March 2008, "Can't Speak French" charted within the top ten on the UK Singles Chart, continuing their five-year streak of top ten hits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">My Love Is Pink</span> 2007 promotional single by Sugababes

"My Love Is Pink" is a song by English girl group Sugababes from their fifth studio album, Change (2007). It was written by band members Keisha Buchanan and Heidi Range in collaboration with the songwriting and production team Xenomania, who produced the song. "My Love Is Pink" is an uptempo dance-pop and electropop song, reminiscent of those performed by British girl group, Girls Aloud. The song was released on 10 December 2007 in the United Kingdom and Ireland as the second single from Change. It received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the composition and sound, but criticised its lyrical content. The song peaked at number five on the UK Commercial Pop Club chart and number 51 on the Slovakian Singles Chart.

"Theme to St Trinian's" is a promotional single recorded by British all-female pop group Girls Aloud for the album St. Trinian's: The Soundtrack (2007), released to promote the film of the same name. The song was written by the film's score composer Charlie Mole and Ali Thompson, while Girls Aloud's recurring collaborators Xenomania provided production.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Loving Kind</span> 2009 single by Girls Aloud

"The Loving Kind" is a song by English-Irish girl group Girls Aloud, taken from their fifth studio album Out of Control (2008). The song was written by Pet Shop Boys, Miranda Cooper, Brian Higgins and his production team Xenomania, and produced by Higgins and Xenomania. Described as a "synth-pop ballad", "The Loving Kind" was originally written for inclusion on Pet Shop Boys' Yes (2009) before being given to Girls Aloud. Upon its release in January 2009, "The Loving Kind" peaked at number ten on the UK Singles Chart, thereby continuing their six-year streak of top-ten hits.

<i>Ten</i> (Girls Aloud album) 2012 greatest hits album by Girls Aloud

Ten is the second greatest hits and final album released by English-Irish girl group Girls Aloud, released in commemoration of the group's tenth anniversary. It was released in the United Kingdom on 26 November 2012 through Polydor Records. The album consists of fourteen of Girls Aloud's singles, including the number-one singles "Sound of the Underground", "I'll Stand by You" and "The Promise", and four new tracks.

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  81. Australian releases:
  82. New Zealand releases:
  83. Ireland releases:
  84. German releases:
  85. French releases:
  86. Spanish releases:
  87. Japanese releases:
  88. Taiwanese releases:
  89. American releases:
  90. Canadian releases: