Taylor Swift’s re-mastered, re-released, re-Taylored version of her landmark album from 2012 Red has finally arrived, and will be released tonight in a host of downloads, album streams and attempts to see through the odyssey with 30 songs within a reasonable amount of time.
Second episode in Swift’s set of (Taylor’s version) publications, the new Red contains re-recordings of all the songs on Red‘s original and deluxe editions, along with “From The Vault” tracks that were originally intended for the album. It includes a 10-minute version of “All Too Well,” a fan favorite that was famously cut down from its much longer version to fit the original album. (There is also a short film “All Too Well” with Sadie Sink and Dylan O’Brien in the lead roles, which will be released soon.)
Swift announced the release by appearing on both NBC shows late tonight and hanging out with Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show, and then skip to chat with Seth Meyers, talk about the project and of course play one of Jimmy Fallon’s endless bag of games.
In the meantime Red will probably serve as a test for how much of Taylor’s version the world is actually interested in; her first such project, Fearless (Taylor’s version), released to strong reviews back in April, encouraged by that was not it just a retreaded one. Swift is a different, more confident artist in 2021, and hearing her revisit her older material reveals significant changes in her views and talents. (The gap between Red‘s release in 2012 is much shorter than the one being spanned Fearless, but it’s still interesting to hear her figure out how she appeals to her younger self.)
ISLANDf of course there is also something delicious injury joy of knowing that every stream of (Taylor’s version) of these songs is a conscious thumbs up to Scooter Braun and her previous label Large machine, of which the latter sold the masters of the Swift song to the former a few years back. Swift’s ability to not only find a way to reclaim his work – but also to make it a very hyped celebration of said music – may be the most Taylor Swift thing in this whole endeavor.
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