Goodness, I was a little "sarky" yesterday in my review of Sandi Thom, wasn't I? Hopefully the fact that her songs have a terrific energy shone through my boredom with her less than sparkling on stage banter. Or perhaps I am just getting old and grumpy. Chalk it up to being woken at 4.30am with stomach pains and not being able to get back to sleep. Oh well, at least I got to watch some of my Gilmore Girls season 5 boxset. This was going to be a short post, but now will probably end up being quite long. Which is rubbish for most of you, but Rob(o)pop likes it long (and hard?) so at least his fancy will be tickled...PS! Bernice! LIKE A STONE... hahahahahahahaha.......
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THE REAL WAY TO DO GREATEST HITS:
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I'm all about fixing popstars careers and guiding them in the right direction. Often, singles choices and abandoned albums packed with potential smashes baffle me. Greatest Hits collections are often disappointing and a huge source of frustration to me... I still think Madonna, Kylie and Robbie have all had missed opportunities in releasing comprehensive, chronological hits collections (with accompanying dvds) that would sell by the "bucketload". To be fair Girls Aloud haven't done too badly... all of their singles are on there, including the ones I wouldn't have released myself. Personally, I would have chucked out a decent remix single of Some Kind of Miracle from the first album, released Deadlines and Diets as a AA single with Long Hot Summer (a la Steps When I Said Goodbye/Summer of Love) from the second/third albums and I definitely would have not released the dreadful See The Day, perhaps moving up the gorgeous Whole Lotta History and following that with a remix of Models... see my list below for what should've been the Girls Aloud greatest hits...
- Sound Of The Underground
- No Good Advice
- Life Got Cold
- Some Kind Of Miracle
- Jump
- The Show
- Love Machine
- I'll Stand By You
- Wake Me Up
- Deadlines and Diets
- Long Hot Summer
- Biology
- Whole Lotta History
- Models
- Something Kinda Ooh
- Money
- Hanging On The Telephone
- Sacred Trust (demo) (mp3)
- I Predict A Riot (live) (mp3)
I think it important that Sacred Trust be on the main album... the Girls' version is actually quite lovely and works much better as a sweeping ballad for a female vocal than it did for poor One True Voice (the most poorly managed of all the reality winners). One True Voice were truly robbed - they had the looks (sort of), the image (kind of) and the lovely harmonies (definitely). Sadly, they were not given relevant songs to make them count in the changing world of pop. Maybe something that eventually went to Phixx would have stood them in better stead? By Shakespeare's Way With Words, the damage was done and their laughing stock status was confirmed :(
It may seem a bit of a tenuous link, but in many ways McFly are to boybands what Girls Aloud are to girl bands. Both strive to be somewhat outside the mould of regular pop, trying to be somewhat cooler than they really are. Which is ok - i think it's good to always try and better yourself. McFly have provided some great moments of pop over the past 4 years, including some covers (one of which they share with Girls Aloud...) and their inevitable greatest hits album Christmas 07 will no doubt provide as many effervescent moment as Girls Aloud...
LINK: Buy the 2 disc Girls Aloud greatest hits
LINK: Pre-order McFly's bound to be excellent Motion In The Ocean
MP3: One True Voice - Sacred Trust
THE SHOULD HAVE BEENS (an occasional feature...):
Truth be known, the 4 girls in Play did have some chart success via the Disney Channel in America and their native Sweden... but much like A*Teens, they failed to capitalise on the UK pop market that they would have fit so well into at the time... Their first album proper (after a mini-LP) would've required some tweaking for a UK market, as it randomly pilfered number one songs from the British charts including Just A Little and Whole Again. However, there were other hidden gems on that set that were equally great - Hot was a Destiny's Child style rumpshaker, Let's Get To The Love Part a cutesy pop song and of course stomping first single I Must Not Chase The Boys all would've fared well here given the proper promotion. Their next (and final) album was a bit of a let down - the slightly heavyhanded "girl power" single Evergirl wasn't that great, but a straight forward dance cover of Hard Knock Life was and showed that you didn't have to sample or use a rapper to turn a musicals song into a great pop tune :).
LINK: Buy Play's Replay album
LINK: Buy Play's Don't Stop The Music album
MP3: Play - I Must Not Chase The Boys
MP3: Play - Honey To The Bee
MP3: Play - It's A Hard Knock Life
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THE SECOND OPINION:
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When i originally wrote about 365, i think i was more than a little harsh. But i'm all for songs winning me over and giving them a second chance. Having heard a handful of songs that are destined for their debut album, i can rest safe in the knowledge that 365 will either become the new hope for British pop (along with Lockdown, Billiam, Switch-22, Conor, Sanderson and Pacific Avenue) or break my heart much like V did... hopefully it will be the former. One Touch - out in a couple of weeks is a great singalong pop song in the vein of 5ive or the aforementioned V. We Could Be Dancing has more of a Blue-tinged r'n'b vibe. However, 365 manage to stamp their own personality onto the music so while it's instantly accessible, it still sounds fresh and interesting. Plus their myspace bulletins are always so cheeky and irrevent, it's hard not to get sucked into their world...
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LINK: Pre-order 365's One Touch single
LINK: 365's myspace site
MP3: 365 - One Touch Bimbo Jones Radio Edit
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THE NEWBIES:
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Kaden is a singer based in Los Angeles who has been fortunate enough to work with Eddie Galen (whose magic touch took High School Musical to number one across the world) and fuse his world views with sparse percussive electro beats and club vibes, that create a singularly unique sound. UndeRage is a terrific tune that tackles the issue of the drinking age in the USA (which i have always thought was crazy!) while Live Fearless would make a great first single in England - and is exactly the sort of track that the X-Factor producers should be trying to get for the winner of the show: memorable, catchy, thoughtful lyrics, and quite different to anything else in the charts at the moment. It's hard to judge on just the two songs on his myspace site, but from what i've heard, i'm excited to add Kaden to the list of singers I want to see become huge. Be sure to check out his myspace blogs too - he has a great positive perspective on life...Plus the boy is quite the looker with great popstar hair and that only adds to the allround package...
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LINK: Kaden's personal myspace site
LINK: Kaden's music myspace site
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John Sutherland is a total "kettle of fish" (whatever that means) to Kaden... but that's not to say he doesn't belong in the charts. In fact he's already had a taste of chart success with boyband B3 who were pretty big in Germany. John has now chosen the solo route of power - pop, slightly punky guitar anthems. His debut single Love Is Crazy shows off his white soul voice and has very anthemic chorus that you can imagine thousands of tweeners singing along to... It reminds me of Nick Carter's underrated debut album and other tracks from his debut album, such as a fairly faithful cover of Rocket Man and the peppy Keep Talking are just great pop songs waiting to explode. It seems, that John is busy with acting in New York at the moment, but for a brief glimpse into his career and some fun pop, you can't go wrong with checking out his myspace site...
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LINK: John Sutherland's Myspace site
MP3: John Sutherland - Love Is Crazy
MP3: John Sutherland - Rocket Man
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QUICK BITZ:
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~ Nice to see a pic of our favourite superheroes of pop (and one of 7 in 07 campaign) performing live in London last week. Viva Switch-22 :)
~ OH MY GOD! Check out this video of The Feeling covering Video Killed The Radio Star over at AOL... if anyone can rip this as an mp3, pleeeeaaasssseeee send it to me. Cheers guyz!
~ Magazine news: The new look 'Q' is pretty fine and has a great readers questions session with Take That & Andy Scott Lee marries that Liberty X bird in this week's OK Magazine...
~ TV News: The end of The Royle Family was just perfect - it wasn't the funniest episode in the world, but it showed a family at peace with life and with each other with just the right amount of humour and pathos. And you know it was coming, but the final ten minutes had me weeping like a baby. RIP Nana...
~ Anthony Callea has gone a bit "street" but not very much. You can check out the quite good actually remixes of his new single Live For Love here and here...
~ Veto Silver have a great new track for your listening pleasure on their myspace page...
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Coming soon: something hallowe'en-y tomorrow, though i'm not sure what yet; The Zapping Directory; The rest of my top 20 boybands of all time! My top 20 girl bands of all time! My top 20 pop groups of all time! My top ten female singers! Books! The popstars that charts forgot; Lois and Clark; more new acts for your viewing pleasure; and cos reader Rose pointed out to me that there is a new Dark Crystal movie coming out, something on that and whatever else comes up in the meantime...
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Disclaimer: This site is dedicated to getting quality pop music back into the charts. Any songs posted here are to encourage people to go out and buy the music from an online source or high street store. That's what the links are there for. If any artist or management want a link removed, please email me and i will do it straight away. We love the guys featured here and want them to succeed!
I agree about McFly striving to be cooler than they are--for some reason, I have this image in my head that Danny especially is desperate to someday be seen as a classic musician. Is it too crazy to predict that Motion In The Ocean might some day be looked back on as a classic? Some clips are making me think it could be...but probably not soon enough to make them happy.
(Side note: Tom's gotten rather tiny for the promo of this third album, hasn't he? Or did that happen earlier and I missed it?)
I'd seen the video for John Sutherland's My Love Is Crazy on the blog Digital Technique and wanted the song--thanks!
Great pic of Switch 22! I still want an Andy Scott-Lee solo career. And thanks for the Anthony Callea remixes :) They are..."interesting." I keep hoping he's going to get some great dance remixes like the Jewels & Stones Mix of Stephanie McIntosh's "Mistake" or the Reactor Mix of Kate DeAraugo's "Faded," but the likelihood of that isn't all that great, I suppose--still, I hold out hope :)
(Another side note: I would have ripped the Feeling song for you, if no one else has, but my computer doesn't seem to want to stream anything Windows Media Player-related at the moment :( )
It was Danny that made me a McFly fan. At first I didn't want to know anything about them coz I didn't like Busted lol but I heard 'All About You' and I fancied Danny but I still wasn't interested. Then one day in June I seen, erm I mean heard 'Please Please' so I decided to give them another chance. I heard their cover of 'I Predict A Riot', Toms bit was ok but then I heard the 'Uuuhhhh' from Danny (can you tell who's my favourite lol) and that made me a fan, lol. I'm thrilled the guys got a 6th #1.
I've heard of Play, a friend sent me a few songs last year. I love 'I Must Not Chase The Boys' & 'Us Against the World' I don't like what they did to 'Whole Again'. Thanks for 'Honey To The Bee'.
Rose ~ I take it you like Danny then. If i had to choose, i would go for harry ;) He looks like a bit of a monster in the bedroom...Play had some GREAT songs hidden among the mediocre ones :)
In conclusion, I think the best version has to be the "new" Girls Aloud version.
As for your take on Greatest Hits. Kylie's back catalogue has been been rightfully used like a Kings Cross 90 year old whore.(I'm all metaphores today). You've got ya Singles Collection released in 1991, The Greatest Hits in 1992, the Greatest Remix Hits Vol 1 to 4, the Hits+ collection, Confide In Me, The Greatest Hits 87-97 and most recently the EMI product Ultimate Kylie(which is being re-released this november!!!!). This is not to mention 1998's Impossible Remixes and The Mixes. Also coming up is the singles box set released next year. All of them are shite and totally not for the fans. Unlike, of course, the Girls Aloud cd which comes with lots of rather lovely unreleased, live or rare stuff.
None of the Kylie or Madonna greatest hits have EVER included every single they've released. Immaculate Collection came without the classic True Blue whilst the recent Kylie hits cd did not include Your Disco Needs You, Where Is The Feeling and so on...
Me thinks the only time we're ever gonna get a full-blown Kylie or Madge cd is when the divas kick the bucket. So I suppose theres a silverlining when their day arrives.
This Kaden boy certainly loves himself. As for 365, their new single sounds really similar to something else. I can't put my fingers to it but know i've heard their song before. Is there a sample I'm not aware of? I do hope they get to the album stage. They seem interesting.
As for Play. Bless the Play. The girls are all models now. Well some of them are. The others are at university. DontStopthePop covered their take on Don't Stop The Music which was originally a hit for Robyn back in 2002(or so). I love em. Most of their material on their Dont Stop The Music LP are tracks(the 1's that are not covers) that were written for/by Robyn for Robyns Dont Stop the music LP released a year beforehand in Sweden.
To return to OTV however. Compare and contrast the image u used for them and the other bands on your blog. They, as a band, dont look right together. It reminds me of the oddness of my HearSay album sleeves. It just dont add up imagewise. Girls aloud/McFly on the otherhand really do. Same can be said for all your bands on ya sister site. They match. OTV look like extras from Angelas Ashes.
I think I've said all there is to say......keep up the good work.
Robpop out
FYI folks - the filexoom links are currently screwed up but should hopefully be working again soon. GAH!