Sugababes™

[HerSereneHighnessAnniFrid]

For me, the album is bit too DENSE and doesn’t have enough light or space in it? Flatline gets the balance perfectly and individually the songs are of a good quality but I feel like as a whole album it’s just quite HEAVY and it weighs itself down. I wanted a Promises Pt II!

 

[cwej]

I’m just pleased that now we can say that officially of the 6 Sugababes, Siobhan doesn’t have the fewest albums released:

Keisha - 7
Heidi - 6
Mutya - 5
Amelle - 3 (and a bit)
Siobhan - 2
Jade - 1

 

[syl]

I find "Boys" lacking on its own. But it perks up the tracklist. I miss "Love In Stereo" and "Only You" for the same reason (and the demo of "Summer of '99"), though I rate those higher as songs than "Boys."

 

[dUb]

Yeah Love In Stereo would have changed the vibe up nicely and given HerSerene a nice shimmery pop moment. Only You too, though I don’t think that was on the original tracklisting. I really miss Too In Love as well.

As much as I love them all, No Regrets, Today, Victory and I’m Alright are fairly similar thematically at least - defiant, I’m in a better place now, etc. And they’re all in a row!

Loon rate from me:

10 Drum
10 Flatline
10 Love Me Hard
08 Summer of ‘99
07 Boys
07 Metal Heart
10 Beat Is Gone
08 No Regrets
09 Today
09 Victory
10 I’m Alright
09 I Lay Down (was shocked funky didn’t go for this!)
09 Back In The Day

 

[dUb]

And a SIX FOR LOVE ME HARD FUNKY??

Gutted mate.

 

[straightorbroken]

I only just heard the good news. I'll be having a private sink/sync hopefully in the next few days. Well, a repeat, but how special.

 

[cwej]

And a SIX FOR LOVE ME HARD FUNKY??

Gutted mate.

It’s ok because it’s a 16 for me so it averages out to an 11.

 

[Pipo]

My rates

Drum 11

 

[Pipo]

oh and MNEK + Biffco? This album must have cost a pretty penny to end up shelved and then shoved onto streaming platforms a decade later!

 

[Pipo]

Boys is another 11, I loved that one since it leaked ages ago; I remember watching a video on P0Pjustice where they sang the chours in acapella and it was wonderful.

 

[OutSynk]

I love it when you beat that drum
Love it when you beat that drum
Love it when you, love it when you, love it when you bеat that drum
Love it when you beat that, bеat, beat
I love it when you beat that drum
Love it when you beat that drum
Love it when you, love it when you, love it when you beat that drum
Love it when you beat that drum

 

[dUb]

The Sun reporting they’re in the middle of another “bidding war” with labels, aiming to release a new album next year

S**N 2023 Edition let’s go!

 

[Berly]

Let’s hope they’re once bitten twice shy

 

[dUb]

This year has shown that they’re leagues beyond any other ‘legacy act’ and quite a viable proposition actually, hasn’t it

 

[octophone]

I think you're right. The tour proved the appetite for them. But new music is always a tricky proposition and I would almost wonder if this was a tester, a toe in the water to see if people wanted new songs.

 

[lolly]

It's quite interesting seeing it played out, in terms of where the industry is at right now.

Do we have any streaming stats?

 

[Jark]

every song has 20-36k streams on spotify, it's more than OK for 4 days of an unpromoted album dumped out during the christmas period. Summer of 99 and Boys seem quite a bit more popular than the rest.

 

[Berly]

I don’t know if that’s good or not in general but they’ve held up pretty well on iTunes since the release and like you say, the circumstances of release are to little fanfare. I’d expect a vast majority aren’t even aware of its existence, some of my friends who are generally interested in them had no idea

 

[VoR]

This year has shown that they’re leagues beyond any other ‘legacy act’ and quite a viable proposition actually, hasn’t it

They're just one top 40 single and four top 3 albums away from being on a par with STEPS

 

[dUb]

They're just one top 40 single and four top 3 albums away from being on a par with STEPS

Ok yes other than them!

 

[Penelope]

oh and MNEK + Biffco? This album must have cost a pretty penny to end up shelved and then shoved onto streaming platforms a decade later!

They'd have got MNEK when he was much newer on the scene and a lot cheaper, I suspect, if they recorded it c. 2013.

 

[Jark]

I'm sure he'd work with them again though. these alleged record labels who are at WAR had better SHELL OUT.

 

[dUb]

I'm sure he'd work with them again though.

He already is

 

[dUb]

Yes that could just be about the Run For Cover Remix but in 2022/2023 we are living in the moment of being positive!

Spoiler

 

[Logic?]

The harmonies on No Regrets are genuinely unfathomable.

07 Drum
10 Flatline
07 Love Me Hard
06 Summer of ‘99
07 Boys
05 Metal Heart
06 Beat Is Gone
10 No Regrets
08 Today
09 Victory
09 I’m Alright
09 I Lay Down
10 Back In The Day

 

[dUb]

monsta just informed me the DELUXE IS OUT AT MIDNIGHT

 

[dUb]

Breathe Me
Back to Life
ONLY YOU!!!

 

[COB]

I don't know these songs Is Breathe Me a Sia cover?

 

[Jark]

legendary behaviour

 

[dUb]

I don't know these songs Is Breathe Me a Sia cover?

Yes!! Only You is a big pop banger. Back to Life I definitely have an mp3 of but can’t bring to MIND

 

[dUb]

CLIPS

The Lost Tapes (Deluxe Edition), Sugababes - Qobuz

Listen to unlimited or download The Lost Tapes (Deluxe Edition) by Sugababes in Hi-Res quality on Qobuz. Subscription from $17.50/month.

www.qobuz.com

 

[lolly]

Can I ask something? Were these tracks originally conceived as an unreleased album, or is this release more of a compilation tracks from various sessions?

 

[COB]

Oh Back To Life sounds familiar! Definitely haven't heard Only You before but it sounds fantastic

 

[dUb]

Can I ask something? Were these tracks originally conceived as an unreleased album, or is this release more of a compilation tracks from various sessions?

I believe these last tracks were from later sessions, but the main album is pretty much what was intended to be the album, with a couple of substitutes due to songs being given to other artists

 

[COB]

Can I ask something? Were these tracks originally conceived as an unreleased album, or is this release more of a compilation tracks from various sessions?

I'm not sure anyone knows for sure, there were definitely more songs recorded at the time - it could be that these are the ones they feel work best as a set in 2022, but an album in 2012/13 could have been quite different.

 

[COB]

Did we ever find out what the Emeli Sandé-written song was? I remember the rumours about it being a big potential single and her taking it back from them to record it herself, but it sort of coincided with her commercial decline so I have no idea what the song was or if she even ended up releasing it

 

[dUb]

Did we ever find out what the Emeli Sandé-written song was? I remember the rumours about it being a big potential single and her taking it back from them to record it herself, but it sort of coincided with her commercial decline so I have no idea what the song was or if she even ended up releasing it

Not that I know of! I’ve often wondered about it as well

 

[cwej]

monsta just informed me the DELUXE IS OUT AT MIDNIGHT

Shut up This is the best end of year EVER.

 

[dUb]

FUCKING HELL Only You goes OFF on New Zealand YouTube via VPN

Anyone order a clunky/seductive spoken interlude???

 

[syl]

I'm sure Siobhan tweeted late Summer 2012 about the album being done. And "Flatline" wasn't recorded until early 2013, so the tracklist was likely revised numerous times. I think there were 8 songs done independently before they signed with Polydor in Spring 2012.