Pop Toilet Flop Album Listen #2: Sugababes - Catfights And Spotlights (WED @ 8pm)

[SDF]

Not really sure how You On A Good Day wasn't a single. It's effortlessly retro, and bigger hit potential than Girls

 

[Pipo]

Yet for once I never had any desire to ever get the album or ever to really investigate it, despite loving their previous ones. I think just a whole album of 60's esque tunes was not what I needed in oh-eight.

Same! I sampled it beforehand because 1) Girls really put me right off them, it was the first single in ages from them that I just didn't like and 2) I truly did love the Babes and thought well perhaps it might turn out to be some watered down Amy Winehouse-esque collection of pop songs but in the end it didn't do anything for me; it wasn't even released domestically here and the import versions were kind of expensive so I skipped it altogether.

oh and the fact they ditched Xenomania didn't help a bit, I loved my basic bops

 

[SDF]

No Can Do is a bit generic, innit?

 

[SDF]

6.5 Girls
09 You On A Good Day
06 No Can Do

 

[Pipo]

I'll listen to Three today I think. It's their best album.

Mine too Jark but I've no idea why it's not on my Spotify, must be a UK exclusive? I'll pop in the CD as a nice throwback experience.

 

[SDF]

"don't try and call me on a telephone..." is quite good though.

 

[SDF]

Hanging On A Star

The vocals seem a bit IFFY on this one.

 

[SDF]

6.5 Girls
09 You On A Good Day
06 No Can Do
05 Hanging On A Star (this would have been much better in the hands of Girls Aloud)

 

[SDF]

Side Chick is very Shaznay Lewis

 

[Jark]

Keisha's solo track on Three (Whatever Makes You Happy) was SENSATIONAL.

Heidi's (Sometimes) was excellent too - the best she's ever sounded if memory serves. I'll listen to Three today I think. It's their best album.

I DID do this and it was excellent start to finish. Definitely their most mature set.

The "big three" all brought something distinctive though - Angels was gritty and had a youthful rebellion energy, Three was sophisticated and introspective, Taller was more overtly poppy and super melancholic in places.

The problem was they lost their identity after this / abandoned any growth in terms of their songwriting or sound. Catfights actually got some of that BACK, but I think they'd really pushed it a bit too far with the line-ups at that point, and Girls was the kiss of death.

I must say though, a large chunk of their back cat has held up REALLY well. They were the pinnacle of British pop for quite a while, at a time when it felt like a fresh alternative to American/Swedish stuff with its own ATTITUDE.

 

[Jark]

Oh, and the spotty teenage gay in me who shrieked "YOU'RE BETTER THAN GIRLS ALOUD" to general GLARES at a Change era concert (I think Amelle appreciated it?) is secretly pleased to see they have 2.5m Spotify listeners vs 1.1m for GA (@dUb)

 

[SDF]

6.5 Girls
09 You On A Good Day
06 No Can Do
05 Hanging On A Star
07 Side Chick

 

[SDF]

Unbreakable Heart is really Sugababes at their best. LOVE LOVE LOVE the vocals on the chorus.

 

[Pipo]

Unpopular opinion but

Girls >>> Hanging On A Star

Like @SDF , HOAS would have fared better with Girls Aloud because of that particular chorus. It didn't click with the Sugas brand of aloofness.

 

[SDF]

6.5 Girls
09 You On A Good Day
06 No Can Do
05 Hanging On A Star
07 Side Chick
10 Unbreakable Heart

 

[SDF]

Got a zoom, I'll resume shortly x

 

[Jark]

6.5 Girls
09 You On A Good Day
06 No Can Do
05 Hanging On A Star
07 Side Chick
10 Unbreakable Heart

SEVEN?????

I think you missed the "1" in front hun.

Correct on Unbreakable Heart though.

 

[Jark]

Did @SDF get bored and give up?

 

[SDF]

No I had work to do

 

[SDF]

Sunday Rain has a good chorus, but I'm not sure about the verses.

 

[SDF]

6.5 Girls
09 You On A Good Day
06 No Can Do
05 Hanging On A Star
07 Side Chick
10 Unbreakable Heart
07 Sunday Rain

 

[SDF]

Every Heart Broken is really fantastic, and would have been huge during their hey day

 

[SDF]

6.5 Girls
09 You On A Good Day
06 No Can Do
05 Hanging On A Star
07 Side Chick
10 Unbreakable Heart
07 Sunday Rain
09 Every Heart Broken

 

[SDF]

I don't really remember Beware but it's also pretty strong, justice 4 @Jark

6.5 Girls
09 You On A Good Day
06 No Can Do
05 Hanging On A Star
07 Side Chick
10 Unbreakable Heart
07 Sunday Rain
09 Every Heart Broken
08 Beware

 

[SDF]

Nothing's As Good As You is pretty generic, and doesn't really suit them

6.5 Girls
09 You On A Good Day
06 No Can Do
05 Hanging On A Star
07 Side Chick
10 Unbreakable Heart
07 Sunday Rain
09 Every Heart Broken
08 Beware
05 Nothing's As Good As You

 

[SDF]

Sound of Goodbye is stun gorge. LOVE IT.

 

[SDF]

6.5 Girls
09 You On A Good Day
06 No Can Do
05 Hanging On A Star
07 Side Chick
10 Unbreakable Heart
07 Sunday Rain
09 Every Heart Broken
08 Beware
05 Nothing's As Good As You
11 Sound of Goodbye

 

[SDF]

Their voices on Sound of Goodbye are amazing, truly one of the best vocals Keisha delivered on record. Amazing.

 

[SDF]

Can We Call A Truce again is so much more subdued than the other ballads on this album, it's a nice closer.

6.5 Girls
09 You On A Good Day
06 No Can Do
05 Hanging On A Star
07 Side Chick
10 Unbreakable Heart
07 Sunday Rain
09 Every Heart Broken
08 Beware
05 Nothing's As Good As You
11 Sound of Goodbye
08 Can We Call A Truce

 

[SDF]

So did this deserve to flop? No, it did not.

But I can see why it did. Girls really wasn't a lead single, there was much better on the album they should have went with. It's a shame because I think they’re some songs on this record that are classic Sugababes.

 

[SDF]

In hindsight it's probably one of their stronger albums. Definitely above Change, Sweet 7, and I'd say Taller In More Ways too, although it lacks something as punchy as Push The Button.