Nosey

I adored Littlest Things, but I'd long since bought the album by the time it came out, and I imagine that it was the sort of song that would drive album sales. Alfie should hopefully do the same, but I also think that it's quirkier, and so it's more likely people might want the track as a standalone song, so could do better as a single in terms of its own chart position. It's got a much better video too, which will help, as well as the Brits hype.

The video is brilliant and pitched just right. I was beginning to find the song a bit trite, but this has given is a whole new lease of life.

I want Mika and Bloc Party. I think Mika has the biggest buzz, but there are a lot of good vibes about Bloc Party too.

Easily number one. I wanted to love it, then I heard it and I cringed, but I've caught myself singing it a few times today, so I reckon it's a grower. It's not intended to be a well crafted, credible song. It's good, fun pop and it's a talking point, which is exactly what a Comic Relief song should be. The video could have done without the comedy extras, or at least not Sonia Jackson/Fowler. What was that about?

Thanks. Patience is still very popular, which should be good, but it would be a shame if radio stations kept playing that instead of switching to the new song.

Is there any sign of Take That and "Shine" yet?

There's always the risk that a DJ might be arsy about a guest after they have left, but if they are that way inclined, they will probably have been arsy about them anyway. At least this way, the listeners get to hear them in interview for themselves, and the interview itself, plus mentions of it in advance, all act as promotion. There are very few examples I can remember of a DJ being snidey about a guest after they have left, but I remember a lot of cases where DJs were left impressed by a person they were indifferent to before that interview, and who go on to talk about them and their music positively for some time afterwards. It can be tedious to singers, actors and their fans when DJs would rather talk about what seems irrelevant, rather than the song, or film, which they are there to promote, but realistically, anyone using a radio show to promote what they are doing has to accept that the radio station's priority is to get you to talk about things that will interest all of their listeners, which will extend beyond whatever is being promoted. That doesn't mean you have to answer all the questions asked, but you shouldn't be suprised that they might want to ask the more juicy stuff. One big problem with a radio tour is that all the DJs will ask the same questions, which must get dull, but that's not the DJs fault. They are there to ask on behalf of their listeners, who they can reasonably assume have not listened to all the other interviews the person did that morning. However, I think that's a problem that Gareth is looking forward to facing. :D

I said I didn't like the individual artist forums. I'm far more likely to read about an artist (solo, group, male, female) if there is a thread in Pop, rather than filed away in their own, dedicated space and I think the place suffers because of the segregation. I doubt Gareth's airplay will be as good as All Saints, but Gareth never did get good airplay. I think he stands a decent chance of reasonable airplay this time round, because he's moved away from Simon Cowell, which was always held against him. It just depends how open minded the playlist people are.

Who said we needed more female solo pop artists? This is a thread about Gareth, and you've tried to introduce David Bowie into it. I know he did the whole androgenous thing, but I don't think that counts. :wacko: I do wonder if you are reading the same thread as the rest of us. :blink: BTW, I was already grown-up when Gareth first hit the charts. :P

I'll tell you one thing Gareth and David Bowie have in common. Me! I am a big fan of both, but if you put up a poll for a forum for Bowie, I would say no, because I think there are too many individual forums, and I am far more likely to spot a thread on an artist if it's in one of the general areas. It's a bit silly to criticise Gareth for his looks, and even more silly to criticise him for being about image, not talent when you go on to say he's not even good looking. No-one is forcing you to comment on every update about Gareth, let alone buy the new music, so I don't know why you are so rattled by him. :wacko: And correct me if I'm wrong, but David Bowie has never been shy of creating a strong image to go with his music, which is one of the things that makes him the great artist he is.

Thanks for posting. That's good for Sophie after such a long absence. I'm glad to see Patience is dropping down the chart, and I'm hoping it will be to make way for Shine, which should be very radio friendly.

Britney, Britney, Britney. Although I was expecting to be voting "I should be so lucky" for Kylie!

My auntie's friend is a captain in the merchant navy and he has a normal (albeit very nice) house, not particularly near the sea! Presumably it is at the very least by the sea and might have some sea/naval memorabelia about the place too. :arrr: Hopefully it is a very warm house, so he'll need to sit around in his vest! :yahoo: On a more serious note, I'm pleased that Changes is the choice for the first single. It struck me the first time I heard it. It has a simple, but compelling chord structure and his voice sounds beautiful on it. I've listened to the clip over and over, and get very frustrated that it cuts out just as it is getting going.

Yes, it seemed they only ever played the introductions to the songs, and stopped before getting to where you might expect a hook to be. I know a lot of people enjoyed what they heard, but with so much left unheard, such as the choruses, or any of the upbeat songs, it is inevitable there are people who will be wanting something more. Until full versions are released, it's not possible to tell if those people will be satisfied. Gareth is doing a webchat on his official site next Friday, so we might at least get a few answers to what he is planning to release and when, and it might mark the start of proper promotion, such as making some music available on his MySpace. :cheer:

I thought that too. I wonder if it was a deliberate move on her part, of just something subconscious. It was probably freezing when she was filming! It's a very pretty song and her voice sounds beautiful, but I'm worried that it isn't stand-out enough to make an impact. With good airplay it could do well, or at least shift some albums, but I don't know if she'll get it.

I saw the video on Popworld this morning and at first viewing it's fun with a lot going on. Shazney is looking great and the drummers are a nice touch, but the stark white background screams of budget cuts, which is a shame. I love the song and I don't think the video is that bad, but I'm not sure if it's the kind of thing that will inspire a lot of new album purchases. Hopefully they can charm their way back onto some prime time tv and win over a few more people this time.

Does anyone still believe that? It was a conspiracy theory made up by the tabloids in the final weeks of Pop Idol designed to sell papers. Presumably you think people with disabilities shouldn't be allowed on prime time tv in case it makes sensitive people such as yourselves uncomfortable? :rolleyes: On Gareth's last album, he did try to pull away from what was expected of someone from Pop Idol, but Simon Cowell only let him break away a little bit musically, and he kept a tight control of how he was marketed, and that was pitched entirely as if Gareth was going to scuttle back to the Cowell way of thinking like Westlife always do whenever they've tried to do something a bit more interesting. Gareth didn't want to play ball, so he got sidelined. Now he's broken away from all of that, and the music I've heard sounds fantastic, so I am now hoping that 19 get the marketing right, and remember that his fans are not just teen girls.

The documentary gave the impression that 19 Minutes was being favoured as a single, but I don't trust them to get it right when they couldn't get his previous chart history correct. That mini-video the fan made for 19 Minutes is brilliant, and very cleverly done. HQLi8VLLaSY The date is far too soon, and his website isn't even finished. They've promised a lot more content soon, but we're still waiting, and there isn't even any music on his MySpace (www.myspace.com/garethgatesmyspace), just some random videos of him mucking about, which are lovely, but we need more! Loads of comments from all around the world too, so it's not just us waiting. Emma Bunton's single came from no-where, but she was doing CIN, and it seemed like a last minute decision for her to do the single and bring out the album with it. They've been planning Gareth's album for years, so why rush it now? Have any of you hear Pictures? It was sung at the gig and someone got a recording of some of it. It's a bit funkier and very catchy, but the vibe is maybe suited more to the Summer.

I love it and by the look of things on here and elsewhere I'm not alone. It seems to be the cool new song to like, so some people might be lying about it, but I think it will do very well on downloads. Probably not as much as Gnarls, but very big all the same.

Being a bit eager I voted for my favourite, rather than who I thought might win in a chart battle. I voted for Take That, although I have been worrying that Shine has been neglected in airplay because the radio stations are still playing Patience. There is quite a bit of time to turn that around, do I'm still optimistic. I've not seen much sign of Westlife either, except one performance on Popworld, but their fans seem to know when they are out. Total Eclipse is a great song too, which will help them, but if Take That are willing to put the work in, their promotional campaign could out-shine anything Westlife could muster, and that will give them the edge. :dance:

Exactly. It could be a point of interest for customers to find out what the HMV physical chart was last week. There may even be more of an advantage to have the new releases in their own section so that people can see what is new that week, as it's going to become harder and harder to tell with the new charts and the absence of CD:UK and TOTP. However, HMV currently use a made-up chart for albums, and they must have some kind of commercial reasoning for that, which I'm guessing is pushing whatever they are supposed to be promoting that week, so this might all be a convenient excuse to go down that route with singles as well.

It's along the same lines as the Elvis and Michael Jackson re-releases, but both of those were bad for music and the charts IMO. I like all three, but this kind of thing is so clearly not about music it spoils things. I can't say I blame HMV for doing this. It will be interesting to see if they do attempt to make it a proper chart based on physical sales in their stores, or if it will be another made-up chart like the Woolies one. If it's based on real sales, then there will be an incentive for fans to buy singles from their stores.

I don't think they care that much to be honest. They'll sell them so long as there is benefit to the people selling them, whether it's making an out and out profit from them, or because they are a marketing tool. In the future, I think CD singles will move towards being speciality, collectors items for all but the biggest artists.

I love what I've heard so far, so I'll be buying. The buzz is growing and growing, so I think the album will enter high, but even if it doesn't, I'm sure word of mouth will keep it in the charts for a while.

I thought Germany was bigger these days. US and Japan are way ahead, then UK, Germany, France, Spain etc are all at a similar level. The individual Asian countries (bar Japan) have lower sales, but if an artist has world-wide success, the % of sales from the UK is lower. Girls Aloud have had minor hits outside the UK, but it never picked up momentum, and I don't think the label thought they were going to get a good enough return. They do well enough in the UK, and there is nothing wrong with that, but Sugababes and All Saints and even Atomic Kitten all had worldwide success, so it's wrong for them to claim they are bigger than them.