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Girls Aloud • Sound of the Underground, 1st album | 26.05.2003 | 2023: Deluxe 3CD + Vinyl Formats |
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2nd April 2021, 09:49 AM
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#41
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Break the tension
Joined: 7 March 2006
Posts: 91,022 User: 51 |
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2nd April 2021, 09:57 AM
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#42
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Hello?
Joined: 8 March 2006
Posts: 83,809 User: 116 |
I adore the first three singles from this album - I really enjoyed the moody tempo change for Life Got Cold and it always takes me right back to summer 2003 <3 It’s Jump I’ve never been mad on personally, it’s decent for a cover but I never listen to it out of choice.
The other songs I really fondly remember from this era are Forever And A Night (lovely early 00s ballad) and Some Kind Of Miracle, which I think would have turned out to be a solid enough single choice. Not #2 like Jump but a top five at least with the radio mix. Don’t Want You Back was really good too. This post has been edited by gooddelta: 2nd April 2021, 09:59 AM |
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2nd April 2021, 05:21 PM
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#43
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BuzzJack Idol
Joined: 29 June 2006
Posts: 130,084 User: 845 |
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5th April 2021, 02:48 AM
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#44
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"Jayrusaleminians" - Umi.
Pronouns: he/him
Joined: 4 April 2007 Posts: 42,513 User: 3,217 |
Sound of the Underground reissue reached #42 on 7th December 2003, and it sold 26,000 copies to place there. Mis-Teeq’s Eye Candy reissue (released on the same date) didn’t make the Top 100, so it was a very competitive time in the album chart!
On Sunday 30th November 2003, which was the day before the reissue came out, Sound of the Underground’s total sales were 143,000. At the end of 2003 its total stood at 245,000, meaning it sold 102,000 copies in December 2003. 245k was enough to make it the 71st best selling album of the year. It ended up being a fairly decent trickle seller for them. 4 years later, at the end of December 2007, Sound of the Underground was on sales of just under 355,000 - an increase of 110k. At the end of 2006 it actually re-entered the Top 100 for two weeks - #67 on 31st Dec ‘06 (it sold over 9,000 copies in that week) and #70 on 7th Jan ‘07. I don’t think the performance of the Sound of the Underground reissue was a reason for their future albums not having reissues - it’s more that the future albums didn’t really require them. Their other albums went Platinum a lot more quickly, and these eras weren’t dragged out long enough for reissues to be viable. They had new Q4 targeted releases in 6 consecutive years - a pretty hectic schedule! December 2003 - Sound of the Underground (reissue) November 2004 - What Will the Neighbours Say? December 2005 - Chemistry October 2006 - The Sound of Girls Aloud November 2007 - Tangled Up November 2008 - Out of Control |
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5th April 2021, 02:51 AM
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#45
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BuzzJack Idol
Joined: 29 June 2006
Posts: 130,084 User: 845 |
Great sales breakdown and info, thanks for posting, overall it was a big success.
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5th April 2021, 10:07 AM
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#46
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BuzzJack Idol
Joined: 8 December 2010
Posts: 51,369 User: 12,472 |
I don’t think the performance of the Sound of the Underground reissue was a reason for their future albums not having reissues - it’s more that the future albums didn’t really require them. Their other albums went Platinum a lot more quickly, and these eras weren’t dragged out long enough for reissues to be viable. They had new Q4 targeted releases in 6 consecutive years - a pretty hectic schedule! Agreed, it's more of a case that 'Sound of the Underground' needed a re-issue as it wasn't as successful. Given the huge success both commercially and critically of their debut single, I'd say the label expected much better things from the album. 'No Good Advice' was probably expected to do better too; it lingered lower down the charts for ages including almost returning to the Top 40 which I'm putting down to excess stock. I've got the impression that their early 'moody' image wasn't resonating, hence the complete image makeover in 2004, but you can see changes being made before then with 'Jump', a fun 80s classic with an equally fun and cheeky video, or 'Some Kind of Miracle', a much lighter song than their previous singles that was specially re-recorded to refocus on the two most prominent members. I think after securing a hit with 'Jump', they were right to move onto a new album rather than potentially diluting their turn around in fortune. |
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5th April 2021, 01:25 PM
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#47
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BuzzJack Idol
Joined: 29 June 2006
Posts: 130,084 User: 845 |
It was all handled fairly well overall and they managed to grow their success on album which was crucial for a band like them .
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5th April 2021, 01:42 PM
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#48
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BuzzJack Gold Member
Joined: 20 May 2020
Posts: 2,270 User: 106,588 |
It was all handled fairly well overall and they managed to grow their success on album which was crucial for a band like them . And also very rare! The fact that their debut album is their worst selling is almost unheard of for a girlgroup and/ or reality television act. I was listening to a podcast about Hear'Say the other day and to see how they went from having a #1, three times platinum album to a #24 album in less than a year, makes the success the girls had even more impressive. |
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5th April 2021, 03:41 PM
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#49
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BuzzJack Idol
Joined: 29 June 2006
Posts: 130,084 User: 845 |
The demise of Hear Say was so quick, I didnt expect the downturn to happen so quickly. Girls Aloud def broke the mould of growing success and as you said it was rare for a band like them to have their debut album been their least successful despite it been successful in it's own right.
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5th April 2021, 05:23 PM
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#50
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BuzzJack Gold Member
Joined: 20 May 2020
Posts: 2,270 User: 106,588 |
The demise of Hear Say was so quick, I didnt expect the downturn to happen so quickly. Girls Aloud def broke the mould of growing success and as you said it was rare for a band like them to have their debut album been their least successful despite it been successful in it's own right. It's VERY strange to see how fast their decline was (at the same time, also a choice to release two studio albums within the same year?). Maybe going a bit off topic now, but it's interesting to compare as Girls Aloud basically stromed into the scene a year after Hear'Say in a similar way. |
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6th April 2021, 09:29 AM
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#51
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Break the tension
Joined: 7 March 2006
Posts: 91,022 User: 51 |
I don't think Hear'Say particularly cared about their craft or had the drive for sustaining a career in the same way Girls Aloud did either.
This post has been edited by Tawdry Hepburn: 6th April 2021, 09:30 AM |
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6th April 2021, 11:04 AM
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#52
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BuzzJack Enthusiast
Joined: 1 January 2010
Posts: 1,615 User: 10,358 |
And also very rare! The fact that their debut album is their worst selling is almost unheard of for a girlgroup and/ or reality television act. I was listening to a podcast about Hear'Say the other day and to see how they went from having a #1, three times platinum album to a #24 album in less than a year, makes the success the girls had even more impressive. This sounds like my kind of podcast! Do you have a link? |
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29th May 2021, 08:37 AM
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#53
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"Jayrusaleminians" - Umi.
Pronouns: he/him
Joined: 4 April 2007 Posts: 42,513 User: 3,217 |
The debut album is 18 years old! It was released on 26th May 2003 in the UK.
Thinking back to the time of its release, I assume I was either preparing for or sitting my Year 10 exams, so the album must have been quite a distraction for me! I really loved it at the time, in a way I hadn’t truly loved a girl group album since Spice Girls releases. Even though Girls Aloud went on to release even better albums, Sound of the Underground is still special to me. I must have played No Good Advice hundreds of times, I was obsessed! Looking back, there was an amateur vibe to their styling and general presentation, but the raw potential was clearly there, despite them having only been a group for 6 months. They just had something special. |
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29th May 2021, 12:25 PM
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#54
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Buffy/Charmed
Joined: 18 April 2013
Posts: 45,246 User: 18,639 |
They really were the second Spice Girls!
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1st June 2021, 12:11 AM
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#55
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BuzzJack Idol
Joined: 29 June 2006
Posts: 130,084 User: 845 |
There was such a great buzz about them back then, they were definitely that bit edgy with their first 2 singles which helped them stand out and go on to the success they had.
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18th August 2021, 01:52 PM
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#56
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"Jayrusaleminians" - Umi.
Pronouns: he/him
Joined: 4 April 2007 Posts: 42,513 User: 3,217 |
Life Got Cold was released as a single 18 years ago today!
It reached #3 in the UK. I seem to remember that this made them the first artist in UK chart history to have their first three singles peak at #1, #2 and #3 respectively! |
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18th August 2021, 02:51 PM
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#57
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BuzzJack Idol
Joined: 29 June 2006
Posts: 130,084 User: 845 |
I always remember been so disappointed with this choice as a single, i found it a huge comedown from the previous 2 singles and its a single i have never really warmed to over the years.
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19th August 2021, 07:38 AM
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#58
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BuzzJack Gold Member
Joined: 20 May 2020
Posts: 2,270 User: 106,588 |
Life Got Cold has grown on me a lot over the years, it always used to be one of my least favourites but I do like it a lot these days.
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19th August 2021, 09:46 AM
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#59
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Break the tension
Joined: 7 March 2006
Posts: 91,022 User: 51 |
I liked it at the time, I still do but it's not a red hot favourite of mine now and something I mainly go back to occasionally for the nostalgia value.
I always remember when the Radio 1 DJs kept calling it a cover of 'Wonderwall' |
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20th August 2021, 01:05 AM
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#60
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Joined: 29 July 2012
Posts: 13,804 User: 17,418 |
I don't think I've actually ever heard Life Got Cold.
I can definitely hear the similarities with Wonderwall. |
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