Album Guide: 5SOS' Crazy Tracklistings

If you've been a long time reader here at CDS Music Chart, you're likely to know that I don't typically enjoy boy bands. Despite this, there have been several limited occasions where some tracks are acceptable. For example: The Wanted scored a 1 week #1 with "Glad You Came", One Direction scored the #17 peaking "What Makes You Beautiful" and 5 Seconds of Summer (most recently) scored the #43 peaking "She Looks So Perfect" (based on fan votes alone). Additionally, their follow up single, "Don't Stop", reached #51 and barely missed inclusion on the chart a few weeks ago.

Despite the fact that these boy bands reached the CDS Music Chart Hot 50, I have never considered purchasing any of the associated albums, and the release of the latest major boy band release (5SOS' self titled debut set on June 27th) will be no exception. I will not be doing an album review for the new 5SOS album either, but for those readers who do enjoy 5 Seconds of Summer, I decided to give you a bonus post just because I don't want you to feel left out (and maybe I can't think of anything else to write about).

As most of you know, the way the new 5 Seconds of Summer album is being packaged is both confusing and varied. The whole concept of offering limited tracks to certain markets is so interesting to me, that it doesn't even matter that I don't enjoy the band itself. Let's start unraveling this sticky situation.

Those of you in or purchasing from Australia*, Austria, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Netherlands, Slovakia, South Africa, Sweden or Switzerland will get one of the two album covers below. The standard version (non-graffiti) is on the right, while the deluxe is on the left. You'll be able to purchase the album starting June 27th.

Those of you in or purchasing from France, Malaysia, Portugal, Spain or Israel will get the same exact thing (below), but you'll have to wait until June 30th to purchase it. Fans in Mexico will also get the same exact track list, but the album won't be released there until July 22nd.

You'll end up getting 12 or 15 tracks (standard and deluxe respectively), all of which are listed below. Released singles are bolded, and promotional iTunes countdown singles are italicized.

** "Green Light" is an iTunes exclusive but will be available for fans from all countries listed above.

Standard

1. She Looks So Perfect

2. Don't Stop

3. Good Girls

4. Kiss Me Kiss Me

5. 18

6. Everything I Didn't Say

7. Beside You

8. End Up Here

9. Long Way Home

10. Heartbreak Girl

11. Lost Boy

12. Amnesia

Deluxe (Plus all Standard edition tracks)

13. Social Casualty

14. Never Be

15. Voodoo Doll

16. Green Light**

For fans in the United Kingdom, "Lost Boy" will be swapped out for a new track called "English Love Affair" on all editions (standard and deluxe). All other songs are the same, and the covers are still the ones shown above. "English Love Affair" will not feature as a track on any other version except at Sanity, an Australian movie/CD retailer (where it will replace "Lost Boy"). "English Love Affair" won't be on any other versions of the album at any other store in Australia.

The Japanese versions of the album features the same album covers above, but the deluxe edition is completely reworked (all standard edition tracks are the same) and includes the music videos for "Don't Stop" and "She Looks So Perfect" on a bonus DVD. 5 Japanese exclusive tracks will be released on the deluxe version. They won't feature on any other versions in any part of the world. "Green Light" still features as an iTunes only bonus track on the digital Japanese version as well. The album will be released in Japan on July 16th, 2014. Here's the Japanese track list (bolded tracks are the exclusives):

Standard

1. She Looks So Perfect

2. Don't Stop

3. Good Girls

4. Kiss Me Kiss Me

5. 18

6. Everything I Didn't Say

7. Beside You

8. End Up Here

9. Long Way Home

10. Heartbreak Girl

11. Lost Boy

12. Amnesia

Japan Deluxe (Plus all Standard edition tracks)

13. "Heartache On the Big Screen"

14. "The Only Reason"

15. "What I Like About You"

16. "Rejects"

17. "Try Hard"

18. Social Casualty

19. Never Be

20. Voodoo Doll

21. Green Light**

Now it gets even more tricky with the North American versions. The United States and Canada will receive the album on July 22nd. The regular edition of the album will be sold at all retailers (except for Target; we'll get to that soon). The deluxe will be only on iTunes. They will feature new covers shown below (they're almost identical save for the blue "x"). Everything is the same, except the covers (as previously noted) have been slightly altered and feature a blue "x" and the track "Lost Boy" has been replaced by a new song called "Mrs. All American". "Mrs. All American" won't be released in any other part of the world on any edition. The deluxe is on the left and the standard is on the right.

And finally, there's the Target version(s). The Target version features "Mrs. All American" (like all other US editions), but completely wipes the 3 bonus tracks from the deluxe edition (4 if you count th iTunes exclusive track) and replaces them with 4 Target exclusives. They won't feature on any other versions in any part of the world. Here's the Target exclusive deluxe edition track list (bolded tracks are the exclusives):

Standard

1. She Looks So Perfect

2. Don't Stop

3. Good Girls

4. Kiss Me Kiss Me

5. 18

6. Everything I Didn't Say

7. Beside You

8. End Up Here

9. Long Way Home

10. Heartbreak Girl

11. Mrs. All American

12. Amnesia

Target Deluxe (Plus all Standard edition tracks)

13. Tomorrow Never Dies

14. Independence Day

15. Close As Strangers

16. Out of My Limit

Most importantly, the album's cover(s) has been changed again. If you purchase the album at Target, you'll get one of the 4 following albums (online pre-orders ship random colored covers). They all have the same track list.

There are 27 different tracks all spread out on various versions of the album, and I've complied a short list of versions to get if you want...

The most tracks - Japanese iTunes Deluxe (21/27)

The most exclusive cover - Target deluxe edition (4 choices only at Target)

A version with a DVD - Japanese Physical Deluxe (music videos of "Don't Stop" and "She Looks So Perfect")

The song "Lost Boy" - Any version not from UK, US, Canada or Australia (Sanity is the only Australian retailer without it)

The song "Green Light" - iTunes version in any country

The song "English Love Affair" - Any version from UK, Japan or from Sanity in Australia

The song "Mrs. All American" - Any version from US or Canada

The song "Voodoo Doll", "Social Casualty" and/or "Never Be" - Any version from anywhere except Target exclusive

The song "Tomorrow Never Dies", "Independence Day", "Close As Strangers" and/or "Out of My Limit" - Target exclusive

The song "Heartache On the Big Screen", "The Only Reason", "What I Like About You", "Rejects", and/or Try Hard" - Japanese Deluxe 

The Cheapest Way to All Tracks Legally - BUY: Japanese deluxe edition, Worldwide standard edition, and UK/Sanity Australia standard edition (one must be an iTunes deluxe edition. They all work, but Japanese version is the best one to pick). You'll also need to buy the Target exclusive edition.

1. Japanese digital deluxe edition ($20.61)

2. Worldwide standard edition ($16.99)

3. UK/Sanity Australia edition ($16.99)

4. Target deluxe edition ($14.99)

Total: $69.58 (27/27)

Okay, hope that helps you if you're considering buying 5SOS' debut studio album. The funny thing is, they could have avoided this whole mess by making their debut album only 12 tracks, with no deluxe edition so that everything was fair to fans worldwide. They could've held the next 15 tracks for their 2nd studio album and released it at the end of 2014. It's a little bit of poor planning in my opinion. I mean, they could have made double the money, faster.