Madonna Ultiography LTD Diary

Welcome to the madonna Ultiography "LTD Diary". This area has been dedicated to everyone who I have been in contact with since I started collecting Madonna in 1985, and to all those people who recently went crazy in order to acquire the Limited Edition CD album for Music.

I have recently recieved some great stories from fellow collectors about how they obtained their copies of the LTD CD and I plan to place these here for all to see.

I also want to display any interesting facts about the LTD CD album's release as I get them.

PLEASE EMAIL ME YOUR STORIES, NO MATTER HOW CRAZY OR EASY IT WAS TO GRAB YOUR COPIES!

The UK apparently only recieved 1500 copies of the LTD CD album,, and HMV got nearly 800 copies, most of which were reserved long before it's release on Monday 18th September.

'WEA' have said that there was only about 5000 copies were released in Germany!, they kept 3500, with the rest sent outside Germany to other European countrie. Also All backorders had been cancelled, which is strange but I think they will be repressed to meet demands. (Dimitri - Germany)

Here in Europe, the rarest colours of the LTD CD packaging are black and beige colours. Most circulated editions are the rose and the bluegrey (olive) ones.

Some copies sold throughout the globe seem to have European track listing with American Pie as the last track on the actual CD and on the back outer promotional sticker (when sealed). These also have the European catalogue number (9362-47921-2). But they all have USA packaging and their inner insert carries USA track listing without American Pie.

Other copies, which include those issued for America have the USA NON American Pie track listing on their outer back promotional sticker, and the disc also carries the USA tracks with NO American Pie!!

Canadian LTD pressing have POSSIBLY now surfaced??? Canada had imported USA and possibly non USA copies but now has it's own catalogue prefix listed. But as yet no one has actually found a copy with Canadian disc inside.

The first 200 copies sold in HMV at London's Trocadero branch came with certificate, personally signed by Madonna! (Monday 18th Sept)

Warners here in UK cancelled a stagering 83% of the originally designated copies for Britain.

In LA California, USA, the album was released at midnight (September 19th) their time and copies could be bought by phone and were then delivered to the customers door!!! Pizza style!!!

In the LTD CD album booklet, where the regular release says "touches everying I'm in" - the limited edition version says "but she's everything I'm in", which seems really strange to me but funny too. Not sure if that's a mistake or not -- although that page of the booklet is otherwise identical, so the change must have been on purpose. (James Glasgow)

The booklet for the LTD is just a longer version of the regular one, with more pictures and the text laid out differently on some pages. The disc looks pretty much like the regular disc - brown & pink. It's held to the back inside cover of the booklet by a small black rubber disc - I've never seen one done like that before. (James Glasgow)

Virgin Megastore in USA gave out free to the first few people who bought the CD at midnight on Tuesday September 19, 2000, a rather nice metal MADONNA "MUSIC" promotional belt buckle. Measuresing 3 1/4" by 2". Funily enough this could also be bought by phone from here in UK complete with buckle!

Christophe from Paris's LUCKY REC/Spotlight Mag told a friend of mine (on Wedensday Sept 20th), that in France the LTD CDs are now sold out and VERY HARD to FIND!!!

There is one minor misprint on the label of the LP of Music - side two has a pink label with white horseshoe and writing and a large 'B' and in small print it says 'Madonna Music' "sdie two" instead of "side two". (Lisa)

STORY 1: A CRAZY SPANIARD Mr Miguel Vicens Ballesteros (miguelvicens@hotmail.com)

First of all I got my car to go to Valencia (at 120 km from here). This is the only place where I could get the ltd edn copies...

I have been there all the morning long going to all the big music stores that exists... three from the same company (a spanish one called El Corte Ingles) and in Fnac.

In El Corte Ingles (where I spoke yersterday with the Warner commercial person) there were no ltd edn. They have told me that there had only ten copies yerterday evening and only in grey and it was sold out and they are not going to receive more copies... only 10 copies for all Valencia in three very big music stores?! I still cannot believe that...

One copy is in grey and the other one in black. No more copies avaliable and don´t know if they are going to have more but they expect to have more... they say...

They were avaliable yesterday evening too and they got about 35 copies of this edition but a lot of people were waiting for this edition and not for the current one.

I finished working at 4 PM last monday, and I took the underground to downtown, because I had a date with a friend of mine to buy the new Madonna´s CD at FNAC, in Callao Square. At my arrival I noticed for the regural CD, but there were only 3 colours for the limited edition: grey, beige and red-brown (not pink). The price of each cd was 6.595 spanish pesetas (around 23.55 UKP). I asked for the black one, but they did not received, so I run to EL CORTE INGLES records at Puerta del Sol Square, and I found it at 6.500 pts, (23.21 UKP, cheaper).

I have to say that FNAC only received around 60 copies for the limited edition, and EL CORTE INGLES just a few, including only 3 black ones!

I notice that the disc for the four limited editions are brown, exactly the same to each other, and including AMERICAN PIE as track 11, but inside the booklet this track does not appear... misterious.
Full explanation here.

Well... In France, we just get the "pink" ltd.... Don't tell me about the other colours, I'd be in hell before I get 'em. So strange as I'm living in Paris so you can be sure I know where I have got to go to find items ...

So I went to my Virgin store where I found the USA ltd edition. I actually got a copy with USA tracks (no american pie) on the CD AND on the sticker. (Full explanation here) I must be a lucky one !!! I guess USA get the European issue as well. I do not know yet when France will get Europeen Copies.

I didn't have a problem getting my ltd CD as I had pre ordered it from HMV BUT I had my hopes dashed early on Saturday prior to UK Release on Monday. I finished work at 12pm and my father phoned me on my mobile to tell me that HMV had phoned today to tell me my Ltd Madonna CD was ready for pick up?????

I asked are you sure and thought oh well maybe they don't realise it's the album and think it's some kind of import? I went to the shop and explained I had been phoned to collect my order. The HMV staff started to panic as they discovered it was the album and of course they couldn't sell me it before the release date - I tried to play on the fact that they had phoned me and I had trailed in to get it blah blah blah..... They said they couldn't - The laugh is they let me look at it - which only made me want it more - I was looking forward to it but now I couldn't wait!!! They gave me one of their promo music T-shirts for my trouble - that's how I got my T-shirt from HMV by the way.

It later transpired that a Saturday worker in HMV had phoned me by mistake of course and they were relieved I had come in as they had not been aware that the Saturday worker had phoned and luckily by the time I got there mine was the only one phoned and there was a pile of them about to be phoned - Christmas very nearly came 2 days early but never mind at least I got there in the end, some guys haven't been lucky enough to even get it never mind early - so I'm not complaining.

I AM DESPERATE !!!! I visited myself 10 big record stores in Paris: in 2 hours every single limited CD was gone (each store got 20-25 cds only!)

I recieved the unofficial box set from E**r*t today and what i pile of shit!!! £37 for a shitty plasticy unfolded box with no picture of madonna just her name with swirly bits and a hat that looks like it belongs to Woody from Toy Story!!!

Avoid these like the plague,i'm sending it back with a nasty letter to tell them how shit it is and how shit they are for charging £35 for it,just thought i'd share that with you!!

I had just visited friend's of ours in UK, before we went to London!. In London (Sunday the 17th) in the afternoon I tried to reserve my limited copy, the guy at Virgin Megastore said to me that he not reserve copies of Madonna cd's but it will be on sale at midnight at the same time as Green Day ( a British hard rock group??) I didn't hear about them ( this was the first time) Peter is my partner and likes Madonna ,but not that much I do!

We were there about 23.00 we started queuing in the wrong Que. (after 30 minutes they said we had to stand on the side of Oxford street) So Peter and I went to the other side and not many people were waiting, but not for Madonna but for Green Day! ( they gave a concert at 23.30 in Virgin) Well I didn't knew Green Day, but after Sunday I knew everything about it! What a crap, disgusting and awful music. Well it became midnight , 0.15 ,0,30 but nothing happened outside no one was getting in the store!! so Peter went to one of the people of Virgin and asked when we may go inside to buy just the limed edition of Madonna! "NO MADONNA TODAY!!!!!" ONLY GREEN DAY CD's TODAY!!

Peter said to me come out of this Que. no Madonna on sale now!, Well I was really pissed about it,!

We decided that we came back tomorrow and I had to tell to Peter with Person helped me at Virgin..

The Next morning we got tickets to get into Buckingham Palace so we had to go at 10.00 am there so there was no time left to go earlier to Virgin because they would be open at 9.30. so I had to be patient...... (me and patient that's not posseble) LOL!

After Buckingham Palace (witch was wonderful and lovely to see) The raining started!!!! and didn't stopped till the late afternoon. We went back to Virgin, I asked for the Limited edition of Madonna. SOLD OUT!!!!

You had to reserve for it! Well What I thought than in Virgin I will not repeat, because it wasn't great for the person who was standing there.

I went (with Peter behind me) in a very quick tempo to HMV (also on Oxford street) And asked again for the Limited, the guy there said, "Well it was the meaning to have it already, but it is delayed and it will be probably this afternoon when I get it!" Could I reserve a copy? No he said because it wasn't quite sure if he will get them, so I had to try it before 16.00 ( well you know me I was there earlier) but we went to Piccadilly circus asked at Tower records ( No Tomorrow) another Virgin ( where I bought I bought the first edition of Music 12" vinyl) first they said down stairs, downstairs they said it was upstairs again asking at the info desk! No I will get it next week! I didn't believe Virgin anymore after so much lies they told me, I said to myself I don't buy anything anymore at Virgin Megastore in London.

I think it was 14.30 that I said to Peter if you are going back to the hotel then I'm going to HMV when you pick me up at 16.00 and I found the limited than I will survive this another hour!! , so I went into HMV, the boy was just finishing his job (to clean up his boxes) and there they where The limited editions of Music but not one but all four and If I'm telling you that I was expecting one (read your Hot news on the Internet HANS!!!!!) I got them all four and I was soooooooo Happy! buying also the LP ,the tape and the regular cd. My day was more then perfect, I got all four ,but had to go on for another hour to wait for Peter ( he's got the credit card) Just looking for other cd's (just looking) LOL! I went back into the front in a half a hour all limited editions where gone! and they were quite expensive ( 29.99 U.K. pounds each) Peter came at 16.00 and he saw me very happy, but he wasn't that happy seeing all this limited cd's. Well we made an arrangement that I will pay him back later when we are come, so he agree with this limited cd's! but he wasn't happy he thought that this wasn't fair for the fans, because very expensive cd's and four different ones!! I was to happy to go in discussion with him . No when we are home he is glad for me and he found them also great to have now! Don't worry about That!

Here in italy only 900 copies arrived and only 10 shops in Rome had them, but all the copies are now impossible to find due to the fact that every shop recived only 4 or 5 copies.i found my copy (that is the grey one) in a second-hand store but i oredered it a long time ago and the owner is one of my oldest friend.

Well I thought it would be like the Ray Of Light Ltd Edition and within a week it would be everywhere...was I wrong! I manageed to find a rose copy in HMV on Henry Street (they only had two) but it cost me £32.99 Irish punts, that's about £42.99 sterling so all you who paid £23 stirling stop complaining now!!!

So I'm just waiting till the shops open at 2pm (It's Sunday) so I can rush out and check the rest of the town.

My story about the Euro limited CD. I was in Ireland on business. I happened upon an HMV store in Limerick. I looked at the MADONNA area, and there were two copies of this strange looking beige booklet version of MUSIC. It was sealed. Nothing in HMV is shrink-rapped. This really had my interest. So I bought one of the two. 32 Irish Punts, that's alot! But I couldn't pass on this strange item that I had never seen before. I went directly to the internet cafe and looked up this item on every US website store. No one had it listed.

I logged on Amazon.com.uk, and I found it. It was listed as an Import????? From where, I thought? Not the US. I looked at the back of my copy and it said "made in US". I was really confused, but I ordered another copy since it was a lot cheaper. However, it was in British Pounds Sterling, so I don't know, cause I can't think in anything but American dollars. I haven't received the other one from Amazon.com.uk, but I am not worried. I can't wait to see what color it is.

Every hat I have seen, even Kev's, does not look like the one Madonna is wearing. Her's is made out of tightly woven straw, like in Texas. Not felt. I am very confused by all the hats for sale. I think every major hat maker has tried to imitate this hat and sell it on the internet. I want one that is signed by Madonna and certified by Maverick. Probably 1,000 American bucks.

So to get back to the Euro limited CD, Kev wrote me an email to remind me to look at his website at the new MUSIC items. I was blown away when I saw that the strange looking booklet version had its own webpage. It certainly was not a hot item in Limerick. There were two copies when I bought my copy in HMV, and when I went back there four days later, the one copy was still sitting there. Strange, but I think Limerick is an Anti-Madonna town.

Now everyone will be driving to Limerick to pick up that last copy. It is probably still there, and it is beige!!!

well, only a few words about the ltd edition, the fan who mentioned that you can find this item in Italy only in Rome, was incorrect, I bought it last week in a shop near Bologna and they had about 15 copies (all grey) at a very good price... 55.000 lire... I found out that even in my hometown the limited edition arrived... sold at a higher price, I saw the grey and the black one...

I started to panic the week before the album was released that I wouldn't get a copy. The Ray of Light ltd. edition wasn't even released in the UK, and you could still get US and Euro imports within the 1st week of release, so I figured that seeing as the ltd edition of Music was getting a UK release I'd have no problem getting a copy!!!

The Thursday before it was released the HMV UK website that had been selling the album on pre-order, suddenly announced that the ltd. version had been rendered severely limited and that they wouldn't get any more copies!!!

So I clicked over to amazon.co.uk, and they were still offering it for sale, so at 3 in the morning (!) I placed my order and felt a bit more relaxed (sort of).

The next morning I checked amazon again to see how my order was doing and to my absolute HORROR the ltd. edition had gone from their site, with no explanation at all!

I sent them some emails asking if I'd still get a copy and had no reply, so I was resigning myself to the possibility that I wouldn't get a copy after all.

On the 18th September I got to HMV in Manchester at 8am waiting for them to open at 8.30am and there at the front of the shop on the top row of the massive Music display were the ltd editions!!

I was dying for them to open the store so I could get my copy, so I stood there in the pouring rain and finally got in at 8.25!! They had about 20 copies on display - they were the rose and grey ones, and also in the Madonna section further down the store they had one of each 4 colours too!

I got the rose one as it looked the nicest of the lot - I know black is the rarest but it looked horrible compared to the other colours!! And at £29.99 I wanted one that I actually liked! Of course i got the regular CD as well!

None of the other record stores in Manchester - including a 2nd HMV, Virgin Megastore and Our Price had the ltd. editions.

I went back to HMV at lunchtime and they had completely sold out of all the ltd. editions by then, so I was absolutely chuffed that I got mine!! My partner also got a copy (the greyish one) so we've got 2 ltd edition copies in our home!

I went into Plymouth on the day of release, I went into Virgin and they had one grey one and didnt have a price on it, so I guessed it would be around £30, I hid it at the back and went into HMV who didnt have any, so I asked at the counter and was told that they only had the amount that was pre-ordered by customers (I hadn't bothered to order one as I thought they would have a few) and didn't think they would be able to order any more.

I raced into MVC who had one Rose one for £26.99, so I quickly snapped it up and raced back into Virgin to buy the Grey one as I knew now that these were rare, luckily when I got there it was still there so I go up to the counter and to my surprise was only charged £13.99 the same as the regular CD,Bargain!!

When I got home that evening I was on the Net and saw that at Midnight,IVirgin megastore in New York were giving away a free buckle with each CD while stocks last. So I got straight on the phone and rang them, they had all four colours, and they were only $27 (£18 over here) so I ordered the Black and Beige, which in my eyes are by far the best colours, and got 2 cool buckles to go with them.

But unfotunately I ended up paying $43 (£30) extra to get them shipped over her and then was stung by customs for another £22 so I paid a grand total of £92 for 2 CD's!!!!

Around in August, when Wanner release the press statement about the whole Music promotion project, is when I started to save up for the Music CD singles, Music Album, and of course, the Music Limited Edition. I was in luck, My 17 birthday was on August 20, and with all the Money that I got, I had enough to buy the Music limited edition.

School stared in the last week of August (I go to a catholic school). And at Amazon.Com they (not anymore) had the listening of the Music Limited edition CD for $19.95, but when I ordered it, I ended up paying about $30.00. (The price change to $25.00 and the shipping was $3.95 so that is really $29 bucks.) I order it the weekend before the Music album release, to make sure that I would get my copy.

I came home from school, check my e-mail to see if they had send it out. About 3 days went to amazon.com and I check their website, and they took down the listing for the limited edition. So I wrote them, and they said, that they cannot located it for me, At this time I got piss, and I was really mad. They told me that they are trying to find a Limited edition for me.

I kept on e-mailing then, expressing my anger and my dislike for them for listing a product on their site, saying that it was available, and now its not. That's just the ice breaker, later that night, a friend of mines said that she order the CD from them, and she only paid $9.00 lest than I did, I ask her where. and she said. "Amazon." In a rage of anger, I wrote Amazon.com, and ask "Why do I have to pay more, than she did"???

On Thursday the 5th of October, I came home from school, and My mother said "Mike, did you still order the Madonna CD from Amazon?" "Yes, Mom, but they have not found it, so it looks like that I might need to look else where. Why?". She took her check book and said "Well how much did you paid?" "Like $30 bucks why?" "Well they only took out $22.95 and so I guest that they are going to send it out"

That's when I got online, and saw the e-mail saying sorry for the long waiting period, and they felt that they should lower the price for me, not only because my friend order the same CD from them, but because they took so long to find it.

Today is the seventh (Today) I got my CD, They send me the rose color one, and I'm so surprise that Amazon. Com came there for me.

I think of this story of hope, so never lose hope, keep trying, and you will get what you want.

I went to two stores on Sept. 19, 2000, HMV and Music World. HMV didn't have any. So I went to the other store, and there I see a nice section in the New Music section, a chunk saved for Madonna!! So I bought my album and 3 limiteds (black, grey, tan) funny they didn't have rose as it's the most common copy.

When I got home that day I wanted to open a copy so I decided to open the black copy cause I thought it was the least "attractive," I feel "pretty" ugly now that I know it's the damn rarest!!!!!!! And to add to that I got a Canadian-only special limited edition poster, but not 1 but 4!!

Back to HMV they said 8 were on order so I said oh well (I had just shelled out 150 bucks at the other store so I wasn't ready to get more!). I went back to HMV again a couple of days later to ask about the limited CD. A very nice girl checked the computer there and then offered to check another store for me and even better offered to have their courier bring them to that store for me to pick up, so I got a rose and grey copy! I wonder if HMV does that in the UK or US?

A couple days before that I got more than that when I ordered over the internet for the best price yet, and possibly in the whole world, $36.98 CAD, NOT US. And I got all three I ordered. And another thing I requested red, black and tan or some combo like that. Well I got an email saying there's no black or tan so I settled for two red and grey, BUT when they were shipped I got one each of rose, tan, and grey! Now I'm gonna try to order four more at the same price, but will probably be disappointed like so many of you, but it's okay I've got 8 already!!! The last thing I got was a cassette album for $10 something from Walmart, a really low price.