In the year 2000, All Saints were flying high. Their album went to no.1 for two weeks, they had two one week no.1s, and a no.7. The Spices, meanwhile, had been dethroned by them as the biggest girl band. They needed a double A-side to even be in with a fighting chabce for a no.1, had a no.2 album with the biggest gap ever between a no.1 and no.2 album (at the time), and then split once it becane obvious that If You... was going to flop. However, both Hollier and Black Coffee were lucky to get to no.1 at all, with Black Coffee releasing between much bigger hits. If Hollier released one week later, it would have been destroyed by their rivals, the original Louis Walsh band.

 

However! Who did it best? Who had the best song and who had the best video?

 

For me, I'd rank the songs as:

 

1. Hollier 11/10

2. Pure Shores 11/10

3. Black Coffee 11/10

4. Let Love (Lead The Way) 9/10

4. All Hooked Up 7/10

5. If You (Want To) (Have Some Fun) (Are You Having Fun?) 2/10

 

And as for the videos, I think the top three are iconic and some of the most emblematic of the year 2000. However, I woulf have to ssy it goes in this order for me:

 

1. Hollier

2. Black Coffee

3. Pure Shores

(Huge gap)

4. All Hooked Up

5. Let Love Lead The Way

(Big gap)

6. If You...

 

For videos, Hollier is an absolute blast. It's so fun, high quality, high budget, and just shows a different side to the Spices. It is one of my favourite videos of all time. Black Coffee is my second favourite because i is simplistic, and yet creative and unique at the same time. It is obviously from the early 2000s due to its filters and metropolitan cityscape focus, but it is an absolute classic and very evocative. Pure Shores is esoteric and strange and blends with William Orbit's production and the otherworldiness of the new millennium. Let Love Lead The Way was a simple, low budget video for their B side, and All Hooked Up was a comedic video and all about that Buffy girl power.

 

For me, Hollier was conpletely slept on. People didn't like it as they deviated feom their pop sound. However it is a triumph - a pure slab of early rnb pop, with a lot of emergy and fun behind it. Yes, ir came from a terrible album, but the song itself is undeniably big. I hate how on the reunion tour, they shortened it and changed its entire tune and production. No!

 

I'm allowing multiple votes because of how high the quality was, but only vote for more thsn teo in each. I can barely separate Hollier to Black Coffee, but I did have to vote Hollier just because I come back to it far more. However, these days I have been listening to Pure Shores quite a bit...

 

What do you all think? Do you think these songs were all that? And who did it better?

 

Also, I just realised that Destiny's Child also had two songs out in 2000, but my question relates more to British girl bands. However, I have added a third question that includes them.

Thr last question was the hardest for me. Hollier has some big competition from Sound of thr Underground and the two All Saints tracks, but I still went for Hollier.

 

Also, I just realised that I missed Freak Like Me and Round, Round from the last poll question, so could someone add those into the poll?

I went for Pure Shores on all the occasions...true CLASSIC :wub:

Pure Shores for the first and it has to be Sound of the Underground for the latter!

The song is called Holler.

 

I voted Black coffee for best song, Holler for best video and Sound of the underground for best girl band early 2000’s #1.

 

Freak like me and round round should be on there they are pre SOTU

[spice Girls] needed a double A-side to even be in with a fighting chabce for a no.1

I wouldn't agree with that, considering that radio and TV mainly focused on Holler anyway. Let Love Lead the Way was treated like a bit of an after thought. Their single had first week sales of 106,000, which was significantly ahead of Martine McCutcheon at #2 with 65,000 sales. I honestly think they'd have still got to #1 if it had just been Holler tbh.

 

[spice Girls] had a no.2 album with the biggest gap ever between a no.1 and no.2 album (at the time)

This isn't true! Coast to Coast sold 235,000 copies and Forever sold 73,000. That's a difference of 162,000 copies. There's been larger sales differences!

 

I'm not sure what is actually the biggest gap between the #1 and #2 albums pre-November 2000, but here's a notable example from October 1995: Oasis - '(What's the Story) Morning Glory?' entered at #1 with 346,000 sales, reportedly outselling Janet's Design of a Decade at #2 by a margin of nearly 4 to 1. Which probably means Janet sold around 90,000. That's a difference of 256,000.

 

If Hollier released one week later, it would have been destroyed by their rivals, the original Louis Walsh band.

There wasn't actually much difference between their first week sales:

 

106,000 - Spice Girls - Holler/Let Love Lead the Way

112,252 - Westlife - My Love

 

If they'd gone head to head, I guess both Holler and My Love would have sold more copies first week than they actually did, due to the heightened interest of a chart battle between them, with Westlife winning the battle. Thankfully that didn't happen!

 

It's a pity that the Westlife and Spice Girls albums collided, however Spice Girls wouldn't have made it to #1 a week earlier or later anyway... or to #2 for that matter. U2 sold 164,147 at #1 a week earlier, while Steps - Buzz was #4 with 77,000, 4,000 more copies than Spice Girls sold to be #2 a week later. Imagine if Forever had entered and peaked at #5 or lower, instead of #2?

Could they really have peaked at #5 on either of the other two weeks?!

 

Hollier is a much better song than Coast to Coast too.

 

Yeah, I accidentally overlooked the Sugababes. They weren't exactly setting the charts on fire in the early 2000s tbh, so I can be forgiven.

Pure Shores x3

 

Yeah, I accidentally overlooked the Sugababes. They weren't exactly setting the charts on fire in the early 2000s tbh, so I can be forgiven.

 

Yes they were. :lol: Two number ones in 2002, another in 2003 and another in 2005. :P

Pure Shores x3

Yes they were. :lol: Two number ones in 2002, another in 2003 and another in 2005. :P

 

Yeah, but compared to All Saints, Spices, DC, or Girls Aloud, they were in a lower league. Bigger than the Saturdays, but smaller than those other bands.

Could they really have peaked at #5 on either of the other two weeks?!

The chart the week before Forever had very strong sales!

 

The 73,000 copies Forever sold to be #2 was actually the second highest figure required to place at #2 in 2000, up to that week. The highest was the week before, when Texas' Greatest Hits was #2. I don't know how much that sold, but The Best of Blur at #3 sold almost 90,000.

 

Yeah, but compared to All Saints, Spices, DC, or Girls Aloud, they were in a lower league. Bigger than the Saturdays, but smaller than those other bands.

In terms of the charts, Sugababes were definitely outdoing Girls Aloud in the early to mid 00s. Sugababes had stronger studio album sales and more #1 singles. Girls Aloud only really went ahead of them with the Out of Control era (and away from the charts, Girls Aloud were a more successful touring act than Sugababes).

 

Angels with Dirty Faces, Three and Taller in More Ways all sold more copies than All Saints' Saints and Sinners album! https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/t...5-years__26546/

Yeah, but compared to All Saints, Spices, DC, or Girls Aloud, they were in a lower league. Bigger than the Saturdays, but smaller than those other bands.

 

I always thought the Sugababes were bigger than Girls Aloud until 2006/the Mutya-Amelle switch. :o Then SB ruled 2007 and GA ruled 2008.

The chart the week before Forever had very strong sales!

 

The 73,000 copies Forever sold to be #2 was actually the second highest figure required to place at #2 in 2000, up to that week. The highest was the week before, when Texas' Greatest Hits was #2. I don't know how much that sold, but The Best of Blur at #3 sold almost 90,000.

In terms of the charts, Sugababes were definitely outdoing Girls Aloud in the early to mid 00s. Sugababes had stronger studio album sales and more #1 singles. Girls Aloud only really went ahead of them with the Out of Control era (and away from the charts, Girls Aloud were a more successful touring act than Sugababes).

 

Angels with Dirty Faces, Three and Taller in More Ways all sold more copies than All Saints' Saints and Sinners album! https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/t...5-years__26546/

 

Actually shocked by these facts! I still have no idea why thr Spices thought it was a good idea to go up against Wetsshite. They alrrady avoided them in the singles chart. It's strange that they didn't witht he albums, especially when with two songs they sold worse than Westshite did the week after with one. Also I love Texas :wub:

 

I'm surprised that the Sugababes sold so well - and especially that they did better than the 2nd biggest UK girl group ever! You never heard people talk about them, unlike Girls Aloud. In fact, the only time you heard anything was when people were joking about them being Trevor's Broom.

 

All Saints were more adult contemporary, which usually = more sales. And with GA, their market was the same as Sugababes and GA had far better albums. It makes no sense that the Sugas were selling more albums when the quality was worse and the market was exactly the same!

 

Also, All Saints were always in the news AND had enough appeal to come back TWICE!

Pure Shores

Black Coffee

Pure Shores

Pure Shores

Black Coffee

Pure Shores

 

Omg! Not that I disagree, but I am surprised that you didn't vote for the Spices!

 

And with GA, their market was the same as Sugababes and GA had far better albums. It makes no sense that the Sugas were selling more albums when the quality was worse and the market was exactly the same!

 

Sugababes were seen as the cooler and more credible alternative to GA hence why they shifted more albums. I'm pretty sure back then the acts who shifted loads of albums were critically praised and appealed to different generations which applied to the Sugababes until 2007/2008.

Could they really have peaked at #5 on either of the other two weeks?!

 

Hollier is a much better song than Coast to Coast too.

 

Yeah, I accidentally overlooked the Sugababes. They weren't exactly setting the charts on fire in the early 2000s tbh, so I can be forgiven.

 

 

Huh?? They had 2 #1's in 2002 and another #1 in 2003 plus a further 4 top 10 hits and one which just narrowly missed the top 10 at #11??

 

They had more hits of the time than Destiny's Child or Pussycat Dolls... plus they shifted way more albums than Girls Aloud in those early stages

Edited April 11, 20205 yr by Spiceboy

Omg! Not that I disagree, but I am surprised that you didn't vote for the Spices!

 

I've never been a big Holler fan. I have great affection for Let Love Lead the Way however it's no Pure Shores.

Actually shocked by these facts! I still have no idea why thr Spices thought it was a good idea to go up against Wetsshite. They alrrady avoided them in the singles chart. It's strange that they didn't witht he albums, especially when with two songs they sold worse than Westshite did the week after with one. Also I love Texas :wub:

 

I'm surprised that the Sugababes sold so well - and especially that they did better than the 2nd biggest UK girl group ever! You never heard people talk about them, unlike Girls Aloud. In fact, the only time you heard anything was when people were joking about them being Trevor's Broom.

 

All Saints were more adult contemporary, which usually = more sales. And with GA, their market was the same as Sugababes and GA had far better albums. It makes no sense that the Sugas were selling more albums when the quality was worse and the market was exactly the same!

 

Also, All Saints were always in the news AND had enough appeal to come back TWICE!

 

 

If anything Sugababes were the later All Saints type girl band while Girls Aloud were the more Spice type girl band...

I've never been a big Holler fan. I have great affection for Let Love Lead the Way however it's no Pure Shores.

 

No, it's not, but it is a nice enough ballad. I think it deserved a #1 spot itself without it being a B side tbh. What was it aboot Hollier that you didn't like?

 

Hmm I suppose you could say GA and Sugababes took over their respective mantles and ended up being bigger than the originals in many ways!

Omg who voted for this?! :lol:

 

You (Want To) (Have Some Fun) (Are You Having Fun?)