Hello, and welcome to the first ATRL rate hosted by yours truly, Ewan Chaos, THIS WAS POP: 2007!
Sorry I don't have a banner or anything yet. Also, so you all see it, the tentative deadline is
Friday August 22nd! Three weeks from now.
What happened in 2007? Some stuff. But besides that, four musical entities released albums this year, all based in the United Kingdom! Two solo musicians + two girls groups. How exciting.
The first of these releases was by disco-pop queen Sophie Ellis-Bextor. Trip the Light Fantastic, which is Sophie’s third album, was released May 21st. The album spawned three proper singles that reached the top 10, top 25, and top 75 on the UK charts, respectively. There was a fourth planned single that was only released digitally and, essentially, was scrapped. The album garnered quite a good amount of critical praise after two critical flops, mostly because the critics were so hyped up on Groovejet + Murder on the Dancefloor (understandably). Another cool feat for the singer is that the album went gold in Russia, where Sophie has a strangely large following. But will Sophie and her album filled with multiple producers shine in your heart or trip in this rate?
After a dry spell of pop albums in the summertime, a new album was released on the first of October. The CD, titled Change, was helmed by girl group Sugababes. Being in the industry for a while, this was their fifth album. However, because Mutya left the group after the release of the prior album, this is their first album without the original three Sugababes and instead features some blonde girl named Amelle Berrabah. Crazy! This album seemed to have the most commercial success of the four albums in this rate. It is the only album of the four to have reached #1 in the UK and also spawn a #1 single. However, it’s also the only album of the four to have mixed reviews from the critics. Will the Sugababes be your #1?
October proved to be quite the exciting month, as our third album was released only 10 days after Change was released. October 11th showed the release of Róisín Murphy’s second solo record (sixth overall if you include her fantastic group Moloko) and a change in regular sound for the Irish songstress. Róisín’s debut, Ruby Blue, was filled with experimental electronic sounds and jazzy influences. It gained the heart of the critics, but completely flopped commercially. Overpowered was able to keep the hearts of the critics, slightly less so than Ruby Blue, and is probably the most highly regarded of the four albums in this rate critically. The sounds of this album are more commercial and accessible. This album had success, but the least amount of success compared to the other three albums. Do you think Róisín will succeeded with this album?
Last and not least, our final album was released about a month later on the 16th of November. Girls Aloud released their fourth and penultimate album as a group, Tangled Up, to good commercial success. All three singles reached top 10 in the UK. Critics seemed to love the album too, even getting a 7/10 from “anything but pop please” NME Magazine. Their touring for the album was also quite huge, probably the biggest of the four musicians listed here. Tangled Up is also the only album, well according to Wiki, that doesn’t have pictures of the band members on it. Admittedly this is the album I am the least familiar with (besides one song) so here’s a filler sentence. Are these five girls loud enough to garner your appreciation and high scores?
Sophie Ellis-Bextor – Trip the Light Fantastic
Sugababes – Change
Róisín Murphy – Overpowered
Girls Aloud – Tangled Up
Once again, the tentative deadline for this rate is
Friday August 22nd! That is three weeks from now. This is subject to change on opinions of participants.
Here’s a PM-ready list of the songs!
Sophie Ellis-Bextor – Trip the Light Fantastic
1. Catch You
2. Me and My Imagination
3. Today the Sun's on Us
4. New York City Lights
5. If I Can't Dance
6. The Distance Between Us
7. If You Go
8. Only One
9. Love Is Here
10. New Flame
11. China Heart
12. What Have We Started?
13. Can't Have It All
14. Supersonic
Sugababes - Change
1. About You Now
2. Never Gonna Dance Again
3. Denial
4. My Love Is Pink
5. Change
6. Back When
7. Surprise
8. Back Down
9. Mended By You
10. 3 Spoons of Suga
11. Open the Door
12. Undignified
Róisín Murphy – Overpowered
1. Overpowered
2. You Know Me Better
3. Checkin' On Me
4. Let Me Know
5. Movie Star
6. Primitive
7. Footprints
8. Dear Miami
9. Cry Baby
10. Tell Everybody
11. Scarlet Ribbons
12. Body Language
13. Parallel Lives
14. Pandora
Girls Aloud – Tangled Up
1. Call the Shots
2. Close to Love
3. Sexy! No No No...
4. Girl Overboard
5. Can't Speak French
6. Black Jacks
7. Control of the Knife
8. Fling
9. What You Crying For?
10. I'm Falling
11. Damn
12. Crocodile Tears
Here’s a list of the lovely people taking part in the rate!
Subomie
Ace Reject
M!X
Stevie
Dr. Shenanigans
Here's the rules of this rate:
1. Please be respectful to everyone involved in this rate!
2. Please listen to every album + every song, as well as giving each song a rating.
3. The metrics of rating will be between 1 - 10, with 0.5's being allowed. Please no 0's!
4. Please do not troll, and I don't feel the need to explain this because we all know what that would mean. I'll ask you to do a re-vote if you do, but if you don't comply I'll null your vote.
5. Please don't post your scores in the thread until a song has been revealed to be out.
6. All scores are to be PMed to me!
7. I also have the right to add or change any rule at my leisure. This is here just so if people try to bend the rules it doesn't happen.
Thank you very much to those of you who are participating! I truly appreciate it.
Also if anyone has any pointers or anything I would love your advice as this is my first time doing a rate. I've participated in enough rates where I generally have some good knowledge, but yeah. THANKS!
. I'll try to get through them
I don't think her singles or debut single or anything have been used before!
