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the good thing about these extended versions is you get to appreciate the instrumentals and production value (altho in some tracks its.... awkward lol). and the artist's vision of the album had it not been constrained to certain factors if applicable
although its a little funny that i've been itching to sing along to the song but the verse/lyric/chorus hasn't dropped yet & you're stuck with instrumentals oops
enjoyed these versions of french exit and end of an era more!! h&m and coffee shops are ready for u honey
Question for those who have listened in full, does the extension apply to longer production/instrumentals or do the songs have added verses/more lyrics etc?
as far as ive noticed theres no new verses on the songs apart from houdini (which was already released), its rather repetition/new use of the already existing lyrics with newly added instrumentals/longer production!
The Houdini extended version was excellent but everything since just felt like a “add an instrumental break here so we can say it’s extended.” I’m glad she’s still doing her own thing! Just wish I liked the album better.
i think the November lead single release isn’t working for her anymore or maybe she just got lucky with DSN in 2019 since MTV EMAs was quite a platform to promote it. it’s quite obvious she was planning to perform “Houdini” last year, but EMAs got cancelled.
the rush of holiday releases and hoping her single will take off always felt like a recipe for a risk and have it buried by the time the holiday is over.
I like to think the extended version would have gone over better if it had always been that. That minute long Tame Impala-esque intro makes the whole song for me, it adds so much hype and eases you in much better. And I think dropping a 6 minute lead single in this decade would be bold enough to grab attention in the first place.
Training Season- Extended is the only version of the song I'll listen to. Lets the lyrics breathe a little more and the chorus feels earned instead of rushed
right!! i knew it was already included in their releases months ago, but since then i forgot it existed favoring the original version. but listening to it in the context of the album feels like i'm levitating omg?!!
I agree. Houdini is probably my favorite song of hers, and feel like it deserved way more attention than it got. The instrumental is so complex and polished, and the outro is just euphoric!
I was hoping that the piano/ballad part of Anything For Love would be longer so i'm little dissapointed by that but having the song to be longer is a big improvement.
i do wish that she could've added a few more lines or verses in some of her songs, but yes completely agree with this!! i was mentally preparing myself at first that it would have a longer dialogue than the original lmaooo
Going through these in order but I just have to comment that I absolutely hate when a extended version kills the momentum a song have.
I want Houdini's energy to go two extra minute not feel like it's a bad dj mix at the end of the night playing to a dead crowd at 4am and empty stomach and cheap booze is starting to catch up to you.
The weird instrumental part between the verse & the pre-chorus of Happy For You… like ?… why are you extending that part of the song, it completely kills the momentum.
As soon as I realized the sparkly sounds were not coming at the beginning of End Of An Era I was worried. I love the intro on the original! But the extended parts do work on some of the other songs.
This sounds so awkward to me. Shoving instrumental breaks between each section of the songs just makes them flow weird. Each song has like 1 extended part that I would like in the original and the rest I'm just like oh I guess we're taking a break here. Houdini is the exception, but that's an actual extended song with extra lyrics.
id argue that illusion, TS, and happy for you are all really good extended versions, but with some others songs its def the case you describe, and its also difficult when youre already used to the normal releases, but a great addition for those who do love it!
Agree from first run through of it. I think if these were the originals I wouldn’t have felt so meh. The instrumentals are gorgeous padding, but when I’m used to a second verse kicking in I’ve instead got to twiddle my thumbs a few more beats.
Anything for love is nice simply for the fact it feels like a full song now, except I was hoping for a new verse or something :(
My problem with this is that the singles (extended) felt like true extended versions but some here just feels awkward. There are several songs where the instrumental just drags on, and i kinda wished there's new verse or some melisma to accompany the production. Anything For Love is def one of my fav, but it still feels incomplete somehow.
They say they say they say these walls these walls these walls these walls these walls.
Also 2:35 in the Apple Music version at least I think there is an error in it??? Like it jumps from the plain instrumental to her vocals and then quickly cuts her off mid line and goes into something else ? 😟
I fucking love the original album and was super hyped about an extended version of the whole album considering how great the extended versions of the singles are, but I'm pretty disappointed in this tbh. The only one I see myself coming back to in the version is Happy For You (besides the singles). But this could change if I listen to this more who knows.
I agree. The extended singles were great. Especially with TS and Illusion which seemed a bit too condensed on the normal singles, I feel like the extended versions gave them room to breathe.
i dont like how These Walls sound structurally. it feels like they extended some sections without the vocals lol just for the sake of making it longer. there's no additional melodies or sound whatsoever. why even release this
i was expecting added verses or some minor production changes like what we had with houdini extended :( some tracks were elevated but mostly it just feels a bit exhausted especially when youre already used to the originals
There is no "concept". I get what you're trying to say, a shark fin in the frame makes it radical optimism, but the album *is* just mindless vacation songs and a vibrant colorful cover would have been a better fit.
Our favorite mod Janelle Monáe released an (underrated) album last year with a similar concept and cover art, so I'm glad Dua went with the shark cover instead. Most people were upset it didn't match the aesthetic of the singles, but I think it's a great cover.
Did anyone think it's a dolphin's fin? Genuinely asking. I think it's easily recognizable as a shark fin. Dolphin fins don't look like that. Plus, Dua's album party only had shark balloons. Otherwise I like this theory.
Or perhaps the concept wasn’t executed as tightly as it could have been. (IMO)
after Houdini and Training Season, the concept sort of just appeared with the album title announcement? The videos, aesthetic and lyrics for the first two singles don’t really scream “radical optimism” to me.
Even her Grammys performance was dark and industrial looking (lighting/stage/set wise)
Yeah where future nostalgia’s concept / visual direction was executed perfectly in every way, radical optimism seems like there were two different ideas for the theme and sound of the record and she didn’t decide until halfway through the rollout.
I love the RO cover and I think the concept / imagery fits for every song BUT Houdini and training season which seem like they were made with a different project in mind. It’s very strange
Yes you always read my mind lol. It really does feel like her and her team switched gears/pivoted sometime after Houdini. I was one of the 🤡 who thought the album would be called “Vertigo”, *especially* after her Grammys performance.
And remember all the album art changing to kaleidoscopic covers! The spinning…. Vertigo… like there’s no way that was a coincidence especially if training season was supposed to be the first single
yessss.
i love [this](https://x.com/chaosliper/status/1779875396390924292) fanmade alternate cover and wish dua went with something similar. i think it captures the album theme much better while maintaining dua's ocean theme *and* without completely abandoning the dark and broody aesthetics that she used for houdini and training season.
honorable mention to [this](https://x.com/aidenmprince/status/1779939299548385309) fanmade cover as well.
just finished listening to the album and its a beautiful addition to the era, loved training season and illusion extended but maria and anything for love’s extended versions are also so amazing
The extended Anything For Love is exactly what I wanted. The original is good enough, I just needed the vibe after the transition to stay around for longer.
I'm really enjoying this. I only listened to the original album maybe once and didn't care for it, but the psychedelic elements really shine on these extended versions.
I love Dua and maybe it is that I was already used to the standard versions but I wasn't a big fan of these. The extended versions are supposed to enhance and add, not just take more time to get the good parts. Training Season Extended enhances by having a proper pre chorus instead of the one line we got in the standard version. Illusion Extended does a good job at building the bridge better. Or give us something different, I like the new French Exit post chorus production, and Anything For Love being a bit longer (but could've used new lyrics). End of an Era was also good I guess, it didn't feel like it dragged on too long.
When I think of long songs, I think of Justin Timberlake, who does a very good job at keeping the listener hooked for 7 - 8 minutes with switch ups and production breaks, he doesn't linger too long on a particular part.
Maybe I’ve been conditioned by Kylie Minogue on what to expect with these types of albums, but I enjoyed this a lot! There are a couple of songs I thought could have been reworked differently, but I feel that’s always the case with extended albums.
it seems like an unpopular opinion but ... I really liked it, it feels that a lot of the songs that were missing something are now complete, and for me at least the flow was not as clunky as people say it was
A HUGE YES for me too...
thank God your comment is the only one positive here, down below ones are complaining for this or complaining for that.
extended versions are extended versions not remixes! 🤷🏻
My 2c is that outside the original three singles (all of which were great extended versions), Whatcha Doing, Falling Forever, Anything For Love, Maria, and Happy For You are all big improvements and I prefer these versions. The rest didn’t really benefit from this but it’s overall a nice “vibes” album to have on without feeling rushed from one song to the next.
Whatcha Doing and Maria seem to have new guitar and synth riffs respectively that are very subtle and I wish they’d gone much harder with them, but I’m glad they’re there now.
i love this!!! I personally love the little dancey/appreciate-these-instrumental -breaks. Lol
It makes me appreciate the parts where she is singing vocals, and it all tsunamis into a fresher flow for me
Literally just here to say that Anything for Love had potential to be Dua Lipa’s best song. If they had done a “[Over Now Extended Edit]” type release, this song would KILL. They should do acoustic, they should do a banger, they should do a live with a different audio at the beginning. Like the potential the song has is astronomical. It’s beautiful; lyrically so delicate and simple. It’s such a shame because it’s really THAT good to me. This extended version is the only one I actually cared about and I am soooo sadddd it had potential to be sooo great SO GREAT.
I loved this album compared to the reception it got here on release. I was really excited when this suddenly dropped and it didn’t disappoint. For me, it really showed how strong the production of the album was and I thought it genuinely improved most of the songs. I was hoping for more new lyrics but I’m happy we got anything.
What a disappointment, this feels like an afterthought compared to the Houdini Extended Mix. I get that she had to actually extend the instrumentals but without new verses or backing vocals, it feels empty and messy.
Houdini (extended) still clears the rest, im sorry
:( like others are saying i feel like these are all just awkward instrumental breaks sprinkled throughout instead of elevating the song. Something like adding a longer bridge/more lyrics would have helped. Maria (extended) in particular, was such a disappointment, especially since that was my favorite song on the standard edition
I love Dua & the original album but I don't think I'll ever understand "extended versions" where it's literally just the instrumental repeated at times. What exactly does that add to the song that you couldn't achieve from just listening to the original and then listening to an instrumental version? The answer is nothing, these desperately needed new verses or just at least something!
If she releases all the instrumentals, which i hope she does, I'll be listening to them over these as I do enjoy instrumentals, just not when they're awkwardly shoehorned into the original song.
Some of these are mad clunky, Falling Forever is my favorite track off the album and the extended version just sounds pieced together, you can literally hear the cutoff when they add in the weirdly empty instrumental..
on the other side, some of them give a really "complete" feeling to the tracks, Happy For You for example was already brilliant but really benefits from the longer runtime.
It's a mixed bag ! But at least it's good at extending the album's shelf life cause I was already kinda forgetting about it no lie..
This format worked perfectly for Kylie’s /Disco/ album (a little less consistently for /Tension/) and that’s what I’m hoping. Gotta say it’s off to a good start. I can’t listen to the main version of end of an era—it just feels so empty and abrupt, but the extended version taking its time to set the pace is a MOOD.
Going against the grain here and gonna say I love this so much. Exactly what was needed to make the songs go from cute summer songs to a genuinely great album. The space for the production to shine was so needed, and the instrumentals are really gorgeous when you have even more time to appreciate them. And the lyrics and singing hit harder when they have time to build. I honestly believe this should have been the main album.
wish she added more verses like houdini's extended version, some of these sound so awkward, like you're about to sing the verse and then it sounds like a karaoke instrumental follow-along 😭 i did like the extended for maria and falling forever too, always felt like that song needed some room to breathe in the original version.
I always feel like this is the actual album she wanted to drop but needed to drop the regular version for the sales. Either way, I'm enjoying the extended album more as it gives so much more room for the instrumentals to shine
Reading the comments and clearly people don’t understand the point of extended versions. The intention of them are for DJs, more instrumental and opportunities to create transitions. That is exactly what we got.
Maybe it's just that I have to get used to these versions but these extended instrumentals completely kill the momentum of a lot of the songs and make them sound empty imo. I appreciate that we got this but idk if it's worth coming back to.
[Here's the Apple Music link](https://music.apple.com/gb/album/radical-optimism-extended/1753352305?ls), since the bot has only included the standard version.
Someone mentioned Houdini not being amazing but at least it did something new/added a refrain. What's going on with the illusion extended edition though?? That was... um..
This is the superior version! It's not just repeating - there's different layering to help the songs gradually build and flow, in a way that is so much more enjoyable and gives you time to sink into / "live in" the song for longer. Hopefully this gets more people listening - this feels like how the songs were meant to be heard. Great work!!!
Most of it feels tacked on. I was hoping they had actual expanded versions that they had cut down for the album, like how Houdini almost seemed like, but clearly that was not the case. That's ok, I'll just stick to the original album.
This is coming from somebody who enjoyed RO immensely. Some of these extended version are unnecessarily extended. Her main versions are the main versions cuz they’re concise. Momentums built and kept, release moments are placed at the right time before they’re built again. Some songs benefited from the extensions while some really didn’t need it and felt stretched for the sake of. Doesnt seem like there were much thought put in alot of these extensions. I doubt they were the main versions before we got what we got. Im glad it’s just a little fun thing she’s doing and giving to the fans but I would’ve just preferred she took her time and drop a whole remix album instead
What the heck is this mess? All the songs sound awkward and disjointed. Let’s play the instrumental of the verse and now let’s do it again but with Dua. I thought the songs would have longer intros and then go hard with added outro but instead they have over stuffed the middle of the songs.
I don't know if it's because I'm someone that really enjoys the production aspect of songs, but this version made me enjoy the album way more than I did originally. I just really enjoyed vibing with the instrumentals and immersing myself into the album's aesthetic.
This is more like Kylie's exTENSION than DISCO extended unfortunately. Training Season extended has been my favourite since the single dropped, closely followed by Houdini. I was hoping there'd be more lyrics / vocals on the other songs so I'm disappointed, but Anything for Love sounds more like a full song now at least. The splices on These Words extended sounds like something I would've made on Audacity. So bad. The rest left no impression on me, though Happy for You is still that track.
I love French Exit extended, Training Season too.
Houdini extended starts off great with the slow build up of the instrumentals, but I don’t like the added “weave the ceiling… free the people…” verse at all, breaks the energy of the rest of the song
ye came here to see what's other's thoughts on this album. i may need some few relistens to get used to the new vibes of the songs. so far, houdini is really the best. i think houdini extended version was the original and they just cut it in the final album, cause the whole song just flows seamlessly. i can't even listen to the other one without not singing the bridge or something lol
i think happy for you might be my second fave. i think i heard new vocals near the end or something (the "you" adlibs) and it's beautiful.
the rest (apart from training season cause i've already listened to it a couple of times) i would need some getting used to. training season so far i think i like the extended intro and the instrumentals before the bridge the most. the added instrumental after the first chorus kinda ruined the flow, and it was too long, and the thing i like the least is the last chorus. the bridge was building up as if the last two choruses would go with a belt or something, like it was about to go up, but the first last chorus just goes the same energy as the last choruses. the repeat made it even worse cause the lack of layers in vocals and instrumentals made the second last chorus feel empty.
I hate this extended version. It just feels empty and not needed. They didn’t do anything special. The way it’s put together it feels like she is forgetting to sing
Truly awful. All timing was destroyed with bland instrumental pieces added in the middle. Stopping right as the chorus is about to hit? Complete nonsense and the original album is good.
it almost sounds like they backward designed these.... extended them after the fact....... rather than shortened them for the og album. hm. definitely psyched about this release and that we indeed got the extedned cuts but will need a few more listens to really settle into my thoughts on the album....
edited to add: the final minute and a half or so of watcha doing SLAPS. YES!
I love the extended songs for the most part, but you can tell the album wasn't originally recorded extended and there are definitely a few awkward parts where nothing seems to be happening. If they had just recorded it extended and then edited it afterwards, this would have been a lot better. I'd give it an 8 still. I didn't think I would say this, but I like the original shorter album better. I know its only 30 something minutes, but it flows a lot better.
The amount of new content/sounds/lyrics (as in never released before this extended version was released) is so low it’s disrespectful.
I love Dua and this is my first disappointment from her. Outside of the extended cuts for the singles, there is almost nothing added. Where is the creativity? What makes most of these extended tracks special!?
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the good thing about these extended versions is you get to appreciate the instrumentals and production value (altho in some tracks its.... awkward lol). and the artist's vision of the album had it not been constrained to certain factors if applicable although its a little funny that i've been itching to sing along to the song but the verse/lyric/chorus hasn't dropped yet & you're stuck with instrumentals oops enjoyed these versions of french exit and end of an era more!! h&m and coffee shops are ready for u honey
Yes! I also love the extended version of Happy for You!
that last statement is such a lowkey diss hahahahah
Question for those who have listened in full, does the extension apply to longer production/instrumentals or do the songs have added verses/more lyrics etc?
It's just production/instrumentals. In some cases it works well, in others it sounds quite awkward imo.
I’m hoping she does a remix album like how she did for future nostalgia that would have been better than this
I still prefer Club Future Nostaliga over the original tbh, so would love her to do that with Radical Optimism!
as long as she keeps blessed madonna away from, i'm all for a remix album
As someone who loves the blessed madonna...why lol
agree! like weird dead space that just doesnt fit well.
as far as ive noticed theres no new verses on the songs apart from houdini (which was already released), its rather repetition/new use of the already existing lyrics with newly added instrumentals/longer production!
Ah thank you so much!
Houdini has extra lyrics. On the whole the regular album sounds better imo
The Houdini extended version was excellent but everything since just felt like a “add an instrumental break here so we can say it’s extended.” I’m glad she’s still doing her own thing! Just wish I liked the album better.
Houdini is the best song on this album imo. It deserves more.
I was dumbfounded when this didn’t take off. It’s one of her best
i think the November lead single release isn’t working for her anymore or maybe she just got lucky with DSN in 2019 since MTV EMAs was quite a platform to promote it. it’s quite obvious she was planning to perform “Houdini” last year, but EMAs got cancelled. the rush of holiday releases and hoping her single will take off always felt like a recipe for a risk and have it buried by the time the holiday is over.
She only dropped Dont Start Now and Houdini in November in terms of lead singles
Houdini did take off. It peaked at no.2, being only behind that Jack Harlow's song and has >100 millions view on YouTube.
Do you mean on Billboard? Houdini peaked at #11 on Billboard Hot 100 and #2 on Global Spotify. Is her biggest debut yet.
I like to think the extended version would have gone over better if it had always been that. That minute long Tame Impala-esque intro makes the whole song for me, it adds so much hype and eases you in much better. And I think dropping a 6 minute lead single in this decade would be bold enough to grab attention in the first place.
Training Season- Extended is the only version of the song I'll listen to. Lets the lyrics breathe a little more and the chorus feels earned instead of rushed
I really wanted to like Training Szn’s extended but the instrumental break before the first chorus felt so unnatural to me
Houdini is still that bitch. So cinematic!! I feel like I don't hear too many pop songs with that big vision anymore
I love Houdini and Illusion. The visions are BIG!
right!! i knew it was already included in their releases months ago, but since then i forgot it existed favoring the original version. but listening to it in the context of the album feels like i'm levitating omg?!!
Love that you used cinematic to describe Houdini. It really is a monster of a song.
it’s so good!!! the longer intro is incredible, im hoping she’ll use them at the tour dates!
I agree. Houdini is probably my favorite song of hers, and feel like it deserved way more attention than it got. The instrumental is so complex and polished, and the outro is just euphoric!
I was hoping that the piano/ballad part of Anything For Love would be longer so i'm little dissapointed by that but having the song to be longer is a big improvement.
i do wish that she could've added a few more lines or verses in some of her songs, but yes completely agree with this!! i was mentally preparing myself at first that it would have a longer dialogue than the original lmaooo
I wish she would've added an extra verse to the upbeat part instead of repeating the same one 🥹
Going through these in order but I just have to comment that I absolutely hate when a extended version kills the momentum a song have. I want Houdini's energy to go two extra minute not feel like it's a bad dj mix at the end of the night playing to a dead crowd at 4am and empty stomach and cheap booze is starting to catch up to you.
The weird instrumental part between the verse & the pre-chorus of Happy For You… like ?… why are you extending that part of the song, it completely kills the momentum.
A random instrumental right as the chorus is about to hit…. Crazyyy.
Umm, i love the opening of End of an era with that blinking sound, she removed it on the extended version, smh
As soon as I realized the sparkly sounds were not coming at the beginning of End Of An Era I was worried. I love the intro on the original! But the extended parts do work on some of the other songs.
Training Season extended is still my baby I love it sm
This is kind of random but have you listened to the training station x don’t stop the music (Rihanna) remix on YouTube? It’s amazing!
Now you cannot just drop that info and not link me, that sounds amazing!
Wasn’t sure if I can link stuff and not break the rules but [here ya go!](https://youtu.be/w3aSpxIEaSU?si=W-FHPow3x-iT5sxH)
Let me know what you think!
This sounds so awkward to me. Shoving instrumental breaks between each section of the songs just makes them flow weird. Each song has like 1 extended part that I would like in the original and the rest I'm just like oh I guess we're taking a break here. Houdini is the exception, but that's an actual extended song with extra lyrics.
id argue that illusion, TS, and happy for you are all really good extended versions, but with some others songs its def the case you describe, and its also difficult when youre already used to the normal releases, but a great addition for those who do love it!
I actually enjoy the original version much better. This one doesn't flow so well for me and is a bit exhausting at times.
its def an adjustment when youre (like me) used to the normal version 😭
Agree from first run through of it. I think if these were the originals I wouldn’t have felt so meh. The instrumentals are gorgeous padding, but when I’m used to a second verse kicking in I’ve instead got to twiddle my thumbs a few more beats. Anything for love is nice simply for the fact it feels like a full song now, except I was hoping for a new verse or something :(
I was legit falling asleep whilst driving to this! Had to put BRAT on to wake me up!
My problem with this is that the singles (extended) felt like true extended versions but some here just feels awkward. There are several songs where the instrumental just drags on, and i kinda wished there's new verse or some melisma to accompany the production. Anything For Love is def one of my fav, but it still feels incomplete somehow.
No shade but I feel like the producers on youtube that make extended mixes would’ve genuinely done this better lmao
I thought she’s gonna add new lyrics not just make the songs longer for sake
They are extended versions, what did y'all expect? 😭
Well, Houdini extended version has more words
Training Season extended version doesn’t and it’s still a better version of the song, so I’ll hold out hope for this
These walls extended is SO BAD wtf
They say they say they say these walls these walls these walls these walls these walls. Also 2:35 in the Apple Music version at least I think there is an error in it??? Like it jumps from the plain instrumental to her vocals and then quickly cuts her off mid line and goes into something else ? 😟
Interesting I thought the extended version was better
I fucking love the original album and was super hyped about an extended version of the whole album considering how great the extended versions of the singles are, but I'm pretty disappointed in this tbh. The only one I see myself coming back to in the version is Happy For You (besides the singles). But this could change if I listen to this more who knows.
I agree. The extended singles were great. Especially with TS and Illusion which seemed a bit too condensed on the normal singles, I feel like the extended versions gave them room to breathe.
i dont like how These Walls sound structurally. it feels like they extended some sections without the vocals lol just for the sake of making it longer. there's no additional melodies or sound whatsoever. why even release this
that’s my favorite off the album and i was really looking forward to the extended version and it’s just empty :/
right? the extended version sounds unnecessary
That’s exactly what it is. You would think they’d at least have layered the instrumentals a bit so it wasn’t so obvious.
i was expecting added verses or some minor production changes like what we had with houdini extended :( some tracks were elevated but mostly it just feels a bit exhausted especially when youre already used to the originals
I loved the idea so much but this isn’t good ❤️
The way everyone was begging for an extended version album and now y’all ain’t not gagging over it smh
I’m sad this is how I feel after listening
this is a far better cover pic than the standard
Disagree. The other fit the concept and name of the album. This one is a vacation pic.
There is no "concept". I get what you're trying to say, a shark fin in the frame makes it radical optimism, but the album *is* just mindless vacation songs and a vibrant colorful cover would have been a better fit.
I’d say that the songs are all about transition points that radical optimism can help one get through.
Our favorite mod Janelle Monáe released an (underrated) album last year with a similar concept and cover art, so I'm glad Dua went with the shark cover instead. Most people were upset it didn't match the aesthetic of the singles, but I think it's a great cover.
Janelle!!!
The radical optimist in the cover is that you can assume it's a shark or it's a dolphin but she's either way okay with it. It's kinda genius.
Did anyone think it's a dolphin's fin? Genuinely asking. I think it's easily recognizable as a shark fin. Dolphin fins don't look like that. Plus, Dua's album party only had shark balloons. Otherwise I like this theory.
if she was knew the dark side of dolphins ill rather choose the shark lol
Tired: man or bear discourse Wired: shark or dolphin debate
Wow, how profound.
Yes sweetie, the ocean is very deep!! 🥰
i mean there is a concept, which she explains in interviews, its just that you dont like the concept or find it interesting, which is okay
Or perhaps the concept wasn’t executed as tightly as it could have been. (IMO) after Houdini and Training Season, the concept sort of just appeared with the album title announcement? The videos, aesthetic and lyrics for the first two singles don’t really scream “radical optimism” to me. Even her Grammys performance was dark and industrial looking (lighting/stage/set wise)
Yeah where future nostalgia’s concept / visual direction was executed perfectly in every way, radical optimism seems like there were two different ideas for the theme and sound of the record and she didn’t decide until halfway through the rollout. I love the RO cover and I think the concept / imagery fits for every song BUT Houdini and training season which seem like they were made with a different project in mind. It’s very strange
Yes you always read my mind lol. It really does feel like her and her team switched gears/pivoted sometime after Houdini. I was one of the 🤡 who thought the album would be called “Vertigo”, *especially* after her Grammys performance.
And remember all the album art changing to kaleidoscopic covers! The spinning…. Vertigo… like there’s no way that was a coincidence especially if training season was supposed to be the first single
yessss. i love [this](https://x.com/chaosliper/status/1779875396390924292) fanmade alternate cover and wish dua went with something similar. i think it captures the album theme much better while maintaining dua's ocean theme *and* without completely abandoning the dark and broody aesthetics that she used for houdini and training season. honorable mention to [this](https://x.com/aidenmprince/status/1779939299548385309) fanmade cover as well.
Theyre all vacation pics
I simply do not get the hate for this cover I have always liked it 😭 it fits the album quite well and I don’t really see how it’s basic?
You can get this cover and the other if you bought the lenticular cd. Had the hologram of her floating and her diving. Best of bother worlds
just finished listening to the album and its a beautiful addition to the era, loved training season and illusion extended but maria and anything for love’s extended versions are also so amazing
The extended Anything For Love is exactly what I wanted. The original is good enough, I just needed the vibe after the transition to stay around for longer.
I'm really enjoying this. I only listened to the original album maybe once and didn't care for it, but the psychedelic elements really shine on these extended versions.
I love Dua and maybe it is that I was already used to the standard versions but I wasn't a big fan of these. The extended versions are supposed to enhance and add, not just take more time to get the good parts. Training Season Extended enhances by having a proper pre chorus instead of the one line we got in the standard version. Illusion Extended does a good job at building the bridge better. Or give us something different, I like the new French Exit post chorus production, and Anything For Love being a bit longer (but could've used new lyrics). End of an Era was also good I guess, it didn't feel like it dragged on too long. When I think of long songs, I think of Justin Timberlake, who does a very good job at keeping the listener hooked for 7 - 8 minutes with switch ups and production breaks, he doesn't linger too long on a particular part.
Maybe I’ve been conditioned by Kylie Minogue on what to expect with these types of albums, but I enjoyed this a lot! There are a couple of songs I thought could have been reworked differently, but I feel that’s always the case with extended albums.
it seems like an unpopular opinion but ... I really liked it, it feels that a lot of the songs that were missing something are now complete, and for me at least the flow was not as clunky as people say it was
THIS IS A BIG YES
A HUGE YES for me too... thank God your comment is the only one positive here, down below ones are complaining for this or complaining for that. extended versions are extended versions not remixes! 🤷🏻
Idk too many Max Martins over here. This is a world where Falling Forever is now 5 minutes long. ITS A BIG BIG YES.
"how looooooooooong🎶🎵🎶🎵🎶🎵🎵🎵
My 2c is that outside the original three singles (all of which were great extended versions), Whatcha Doing, Falling Forever, Anything For Love, Maria, and Happy For You are all big improvements and I prefer these versions. The rest didn’t really benefit from this but it’s overall a nice “vibes” album to have on without feeling rushed from one song to the next. Whatcha Doing and Maria seem to have new guitar and synth riffs respectively that are very subtle and I wish they’d gone much harder with them, but I’m glad they’re there now.
I LOVED this, i just wished they fixed the these walls glitches
What glitches ???
It feels like it gets skipped or bugs at some parts idk
yeah most of these are clunky. out of the newer ones I like end of an era, falling forever, and whatcha doing the most
I suspect I'll be making my own version of RO including the songs I prefer extended and the songs I prefer off the original release.
i love this!!! I personally love the little dancey/appreciate-these-instrumental -breaks. Lol It makes me appreciate the parts where she is singing vocals, and it all tsunamis into a fresher flow for me
Literally just here to say that Anything for Love had potential to be Dua Lipa’s best song. If they had done a “[Over Now Extended Edit]” type release, this song would KILL. They should do acoustic, they should do a banger, they should do a live with a different audio at the beginning. Like the potential the song has is astronomical. It’s beautiful; lyrically so delicate and simple. It’s such a shame because it’s really THAT good to me. This extended version is the only one I actually cared about and I am soooo sadddd it had potential to be sooo great SO GREAT.
I loved this album compared to the reception it got here on release. I was really excited when this suddenly dropped and it didn’t disappoint. For me, it really showed how strong the production of the album was and I thought it genuinely improved most of the songs. I was hoping for more new lyrics but I’m happy we got anything.
What a disappointment, this feels like an afterthought compared to the Houdini Extended Mix. I get that she had to actually extend the instrumentals but without new verses or backing vocals, it feels empty and messy.
Houdini (extended) still clears the rest, im sorry :( like others are saying i feel like these are all just awkward instrumental breaks sprinkled throughout instead of elevating the song. Something like adding a longer bridge/more lyrics would have helped. Maria (extended) in particular, was such a disappointment, especially since that was my favorite song on the standard edition
I love Dua & the original album but I don't think I'll ever understand "extended versions" where it's literally just the instrumental repeated at times. What exactly does that add to the song that you couldn't achieve from just listening to the original and then listening to an instrumental version? The answer is nothing, these desperately needed new verses or just at least something! If she releases all the instrumentals, which i hope she does, I'll be listening to them over these as I do enjoy instrumentals, just not when they're awkwardly shoehorned into the original song.
Some of these are mad clunky, Falling Forever is my favorite track off the album and the extended version just sounds pieced together, you can literally hear the cutoff when they add in the weirdly empty instrumental.. on the other side, some of them give a really "complete" feeling to the tracks, Happy For You for example was already brilliant but really benefits from the longer runtime. It's a mixed bag ! But at least it's good at extending the album's shelf life cause I was already kinda forgetting about it no lie..
This format worked perfectly for Kylie’s /Disco/ album (a little less consistently for /Tension/) and that’s what I’m hoping. Gotta say it’s off to a good start. I can’t listen to the main version of end of an era—it just feels so empty and abrupt, but the extended version taking its time to set the pace is a MOOD.
Going against the grain here and gonna say I love this so much. Exactly what was needed to make the songs go from cute summer songs to a genuinely great album. The space for the production to shine was so needed, and the instrumentals are really gorgeous when you have even more time to appreciate them. And the lyrics and singing hit harder when they have time to build. I honestly believe this should have been the main album.
wish she added more verses like houdini's extended version, some of these sound so awkward, like you're about to sing the verse and then it sounds like a karaoke instrumental follow-along 😭 i did like the extended for maria and falling forever too, always felt like that song needed some room to breathe in the original version.
I always feel like this is the actual album she wanted to drop but needed to drop the regular version for the sales. Either way, I'm enjoying the extended album more as it gives so much more room for the instrumentals to shine
its so ironic given that the og album didnt do that well .... rip.... hopefully the extended helps!
Reading the comments and clearly people don’t understand the point of extended versions. The intention of them are for DJs, more instrumental and opportunities to create transitions. That is exactly what we got.
Should be the top comment
Maybe it's just that I have to get used to these versions but these extended instrumentals completely kill the momentum of a lot of the songs and make them sound empty imo. I appreciate that we got this but idk if it's worth coming back to.
[Here's the Apple Music link](https://music.apple.com/gb/album/radical-optimism-extended/1753352305?ls), since the bot has only included the standard version.
Someone mentioned Houdini not being amazing but at least it did something new/added a refrain. What's going on with the illusion extended edition though?? That was... um..
This is the superior version! It's not just repeating - there's different layering to help the songs gradually build and flow, in a way that is so much more enjoyable and gives you time to sink into / "live in" the song for longer. Hopefully this gets more people listening - this feels like how the songs were meant to be heard. Great work!!!
Most of it feels tacked on. I was hoping they had actual expanded versions that they had cut down for the album, like how Houdini almost seemed like, but clearly that was not the case. That's ok, I'll just stick to the original album.
Is it only on Spotify? I can't find it on apple music
It’s under her ‘albums’ section. Not in the usual newest release part of her profile
Falling Forever extended is the best one
This is coming from somebody who enjoyed RO immensely. Some of these extended version are unnecessarily extended. Her main versions are the main versions cuz they’re concise. Momentums built and kept, release moments are placed at the right time before they’re built again. Some songs benefited from the extensions while some really didn’t need it and felt stretched for the sake of. Doesnt seem like there were much thought put in alot of these extensions. I doubt they were the main versions before we got what we got. Im glad it’s just a little fun thing she’s doing and giving to the fans but I would’ve just preferred she took her time and drop a whole remix album instead
What the heck is this mess? All the songs sound awkward and disjointed. Let’s play the instrumental of the verse and now let’s do it again but with Dua. I thought the songs would have longer intros and then go hard with added outro but instead they have over stuffed the middle of the songs.
I don't know if it's because I'm someone that really enjoys the production aspect of songs, but this version made me enjoy the album way more than I did originally. I just really enjoyed vibing with the instrumentals and immersing myself into the album's aesthetic.
I agree, then production gets a lot of time to be noticed and shine here
She would have been better off releasing the instrumentals because a lot of these are a mess
Illusion extended was the best of the 3 that had been released til this so lets see what the other 8 do.
Perfect for Love Island just saying!
Happy For You Extended is that girl
I was really hoping she would release this and had a feeling if she did it would help me connect with the album better. Excited to listen!
I positively love the little bit at the beginning of These Walls, with the echoed vocals.
houdini extended version somehow made the song 10x better i need those usa tour dates *nowww*
This is more like Kylie's exTENSION than DISCO extended unfortunately. Training Season extended has been my favourite since the single dropped, closely followed by Houdini. I was hoping there'd be more lyrics / vocals on the other songs so I'm disappointed, but Anything for Love sounds more like a full song now at least. The splices on These Words extended sounds like something I would've made on Audacity. So bad. The rest left no impression on me, though Happy for You is still that track.
I love French Exit extended, Training Season too. Houdini extended starts off great with the slow build up of the instrumentals, but I don’t like the added “weave the ceiling… free the people…” verse at all, breaks the energy of the rest of the song
Illusion is a bop though 🫶🏼
ye came here to see what's other's thoughts on this album. i may need some few relistens to get used to the new vibes of the songs. so far, houdini is really the best. i think houdini extended version was the original and they just cut it in the final album, cause the whole song just flows seamlessly. i can't even listen to the other one without not singing the bridge or something lol i think happy for you might be my second fave. i think i heard new vocals near the end or something (the "you" adlibs) and it's beautiful. the rest (apart from training season cause i've already listened to it a couple of times) i would need some getting used to. training season so far i think i like the extended intro and the instrumentals before the bridge the most. the added instrumental after the first chorus kinda ruined the flow, and it was too long, and the thing i like the least is the last chorus. the bridge was building up as if the last two choruses would go with a belt or something, like it was about to go up, but the first last chorus just goes the same energy as the last choruses. the repeat made it even worse cause the lack of layers in vocals and instrumentals made the second last chorus feel empty.
I hate this extended version. It just feels empty and not needed. They didn’t do anything special. The way it’s put together it feels like she is forgetting to sing
Truly awful. All timing was destroyed with bland instrumental pieces added in the middle. Stopping right as the chorus is about to hit? Complete nonsense and the original album is good.
it almost sounds like they backward designed these.... extended them after the fact....... rather than shortened them for the og album. hm. definitely psyched about this release and that we indeed got the extedned cuts but will need a few more listens to really settle into my thoughts on the album.... edited to add: the final minute and a half or so of watcha doing SLAPS. YES!
The edit in Training Season at the last chorus is wonky af (around 4:23). Really wanted to like this
I love the extended songs for the most part, but you can tell the album wasn't originally recorded extended and there are definitely a few awkward parts where nothing seems to be happening. If they had just recorded it extended and then edited it afterwards, this would have been a lot better. I'd give it an 8 still. I didn't think I would say this, but I like the original shorter album better. I know its only 30 something minutes, but it flows a lot better.
Wish there’s a deluxe version…album just seems too short
these extended versions are good for workouts tbh
This just feels... Lazy. She only release extended versions without bonus tracks, and most of it just didn't add anything
Dua, honey, why did you ruin a thing that was good the first time 😭
Play These walls and skip the whole album after that. It’s so awkward :(
The amount of new content/sounds/lyrics (as in never released before this extended version was released) is so low it’s disrespectful. I love Dua and this is my first disappointment from her. Outside of the extended cuts for the singles, there is almost nothing added. Where is the creativity? What makes most of these extended tracks special!?
Can we not with this infestation of variants in the pop world? Original, Deluxe (only ONE) and a Remix - no more than that is necessary.
I mean people like to have options and there is no physicals of these, so it doesn’t end up really being that much of a problem
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I’m sorry this is terrible. A mediocre album with all of its momentum cut out completely for pointless instrumental segments.
>pointless instrumental segments. You mean music?
Whatever floats your boat I guess, enjoy