Mixed Pop Groups & Duos Rate • WINNER ANNOUNCED
- Thread starter Doodvid
- Start date
I know we've been through this before
I know we've been through every open door
Tryin' to find a way
Back to yesterday
#12
H & Claire - 'All Out of Love'
Average score: 8.605
High scorers: @Lost In Japan. @Markus1981 (2 x11), @Mvnl, @Hudweiser, @Conan, @Hybridcookie, @idratherjack (5 x10), @unnameable (9.5)
Low scorers: @Sprockrooster (4), @DJHazey (5.3), @saviodxl (6)
Notable achievements:
Along with their AA side of 'Beauty and the Beast', their third and final top 10. According to one of H's trips down memory lane on Instagram, a rare moment (by 2002 standards) of men dancing together, with the butler scene in the video.
After their second single 'Half a Heart' had failed to match the commercial performance of their debut 'DJ', H and Claire's management company apparently staged an intervention. Topham and Twigg were brought on board and 'All Out of Love' was a late addition to the 'Another You Another Me' album. According to Claire's 2012 autobiography, both her and H had reservations, feeling that the track was too close to that classic Steps sound. This has certainly stuck with the fanbase over the years, with calls for the reformed Steps to perform the track repeated (at least on this forum!) every time a new arena tour is announced. I think the closest we'll get is Claire's gorgeous performance of it on her solo 'Wildest Dreams' tour.
Where there was more innovation, and the maximum amount of effort possible from H, Claire and their team, was in the 'live' performances and video. The video fuses period and modern really well, and the choreography is astounding, with the dance breakdown adding a clear point of departure from their days in Steps. This was carried over in their promotion performances, with a routine far more complex than anything Steps did, even in their latter Here and Now / You'll Be Sorry / Chain Reaction era. The song itself is lyrically darker, and in my mind pairs with 'Too Close to Tears' in exploring the moment of realisation that you have to take the short term intensity of pain, to develop and grow.
Unfortunately, the H and Claire campaign was really starting to wilt at this point, and you can kind of sense an increasing sense of deflation as they do the usual junket of kids' TV interviews. 'All Out of Love' was paired with 'Beauty and the Beast' to promote the re-release of the Disney classic. A sweet but rather throwaway B-side 'Hold Me in Your Arms', co-written by Natasha and Daniel Bedingfield comes to a rather abrupt end. This reflects the performance both of the single, which entered the UK Chart at #10 and dropped out of the top 20 the following week. Released the following week in November 2002, the album subsequently flopped, entering the charts as #57. Perhaps this was inevitable given the nature of the Steps split and rushing out a campaign in its fallout.
Voters say:
@Hudweiser 10
H is barely on this, which is probably why it's so good. I love the ongoing template of The Winner Takes it All/One for Sorrow/After the Love Has Gone still being wheeled out.
@unnameable 9.5
Thoroughly Steptacular.
@berserkboi 9
Glistening pretty pop!
@iheartpoptarts 9
I’ve never listened to this because I thought it was just an Air Supply cover. Oops?
@Doodvid 8.1
It’s all about the Kool De Sac Remix for me. Although in the original you can hear the beginnings of the heavier club/pop sound that Pete Waterman chased with Pop! on their first 2 releases.
@Ezz 6.8
I feel very conflicted with this score and realise I may be going against the grain, but do feel this was a real misstep [no pun intended!!] A shame it'll never see a Lisa Scott-Lee adlib.
@saviodxl 6
Claire's high notes sometimes are TOO HIGH.
@DJHazey 5.3
A cover of “I’m all out of love, I’m so lost without you” would’ve been a stronger moment, instead of a rather weak adult contemporary effort.
It may be mimed, but you have to admire this dance routine:
This feels innovative, or at the very least capturing the essence of 2002 more effectively.
Does anyone have any further information about this? It sounds so intriguing! It's not connected to the rumour that they covered Xanadu is it?
I know we've been through every open door
Tryin' to find a way
Back to yesterday
#12
H & Claire - 'All Out of Love'
Average score: 8.605
High scorers: @Lost In Japan. @Markus1981 (2 x11), @Mvnl, @Hudweiser, @Conan, @Hybridcookie, @idratherjack (5 x10), @unnameable (9.5)
Low scorers: @Sprockrooster (4), @DJHazey (5.3), @saviodxl (6)
Notable achievements:
Along with their AA side of 'Beauty and the Beast', their third and final top 10. According to one of H's trips down memory lane on Instagram, a rare moment (by 2002 standards) of men dancing together, with the butler scene in the video.
After their second single 'Half a Heart' had failed to match the commercial performance of their debut 'DJ', H and Claire's management company apparently staged an intervention. Topham and Twigg were brought on board and 'All Out of Love' was a late addition to the 'Another You Another Me' album. According to Claire's 2012 autobiography, both her and H had reservations, feeling that the track was too close to that classic Steps sound. This has certainly stuck with the fanbase over the years, with calls for the reformed Steps to perform the track repeated (at least on this forum!) every time a new arena tour is announced. I think the closest we'll get is Claire's gorgeous performance of it on her solo 'Wildest Dreams' tour.
Where there was more innovation, and the maximum amount of effort possible from H, Claire and their team, was in the 'live' performances and video. The video fuses period and modern really well, and the choreography is astounding, with the dance breakdown adding a clear point of departure from their days in Steps. This was carried over in their promotion performances, with a routine far more complex than anything Steps did, even in their latter Here and Now / You'll Be Sorry / Chain Reaction era. The song itself is lyrically darker, and in my mind pairs with 'Too Close to Tears' in exploring the moment of realisation that you have to take the short term intensity of pain, to develop and grow.
Unfortunately, the H and Claire campaign was really starting to wilt at this point, and you can kind of sense an increasing sense of deflation as they do the usual junket of kids' TV interviews. 'All Out of Love' was paired with 'Beauty and the Beast' to promote the re-release of the Disney classic. A sweet but rather throwaway B-side 'Hold Me in Your Arms', co-written by Natasha and Daniel Bedingfield comes to a rather abrupt end. This reflects the performance both of the single, which entered the UK Chart at #10 and dropped out of the top 20 the following week. Released the following week in November 2002, the album subsequently flopped, entering the charts as #57. Perhaps this was inevitable given the nature of the Steps split and rushing out a campaign in its fallout.
Voters say:
@Hudweiser 10
H is barely on this, which is probably why it's so good. I love the ongoing template of The Winner Takes it All/One for Sorrow/After the Love Has Gone still being wheeled out.
@unnameable 9.5
Thoroughly Steptacular.
@berserkboi 9
Glistening pretty pop!
@iheartpoptarts 9
I’ve never listened to this because I thought it was just an Air Supply cover. Oops?
@Doodvid 8.1
It’s all about the Kool De Sac Remix for me. Although in the original you can hear the beginnings of the heavier club/pop sound that Pete Waterman chased with Pop! on their first 2 releases.
@Ezz 6.8
I feel very conflicted with this score and realise I may be going against the grain, but do feel this was a real misstep [no pun intended!!] A shame it'll never see a Lisa Scott-Lee adlib.
@saviodxl 6
Claire's high notes sometimes are TOO HIGH.
@DJHazey 5.3
A cover of “I’m all out of love, I’m so lost without you” would’ve been a stronger moment, instead of a rather weak adult contemporary effort.
It may be mimed, but you have to admire this dance routine:
This feels innovative, or at the very least capturing the essence of 2002 more effectively.
Does anyone have any further information about this? It sounds so intriguing! It's not connected to the rumour that they covered Xanadu is it?
Ah how I miss Virgin Trains with their cheap advanced tickets and brightly coloured trains *hops back over to the Rail UK Forum before going on a massive tangent!*
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Not a good week for Steps in the rate. Now I want one of the Pop! songs to leave before the Top 10 and I'll be more than happy.
he/him
I always thought much of the more upbeat H & Claire material and Pop! tracks would’ve made up the fourth Steps album had they continued past ‘Gold’.
Throw in this glorious Topham & Twigg flop from Betabox, maybe some of the Emmie/WIP stuff and you’d have another solid release from Uncle Pete.
Throw in this glorious Topham & Twigg flop from Betabox, maybe some of the Emmie/WIP stuff and you’d have another solid release from Uncle Pete.
All Out Of Love is in another league entirely from the other H & Claire singles, it's amazing and made the whole project worthwhile just for this song.
*inserts obligatory Almighty remix*
One of the very best Almighty mixes, I love that by the end they are so pitched up they sound like chipmunks.
*inserts obligatory Almighty remix*
One of the very best Almighty mixes, I love that by the end they are so pitched up they sound like chipmunks.
he/him
‘All Out of Love’ would have been in Steps’ top 15/20 tracks if they’d released it, it’s absolutely mega. Ballad, dance beat, key change - what more could you want?!
I seriously overscored ‘Barbie Girl’
I seriously overscored ‘Barbie Girl’
I'd say All Out Of Love would be in Steps' Top 5, it's that good.
I too have reached that inevitable stage of a rate where I have realised I've overscored certain songs, including what I think the winner will be...
I too have reached that inevitable stage of a rate where I have realised I've overscored certain songs, including what I think the winner will be...
he/him
I was going to say top 10 and then worried I’d forgotten something, but I should probably stand by it - especially if you stick a Faye verse on there to improve it even more.
"or... or me?"
That soft middle 8 just before the key change is crying out for Lisa!
Again I totally agree with all that.
For me it's better than anything Steps have done. Just.
he/him
This better not be foreshadowing.Well this went according to plan.
he/him
“Downtown's been caught by the hysteria
People scream and shout
A generation's on the move”
LEGEND ELIMINATION!
#4
Alcazar - ‘Crying At The Discoteque’
Dedicated rate:
Alcazar
by @WowWowWowWow (2019)
Our rankings:
#1 @Untouchable Ace @Sprockrooster
#2 @Hudweiser @Ana Raquel @berserkboi
#3 @idratherjack @saviodxl
#4 @MilesAngel @DJHazey @j267
#5 @Markus1981 @Lost In Japan. @AcerBenII @Conan
#6 @unnameable @Hybridcookie
#7 @iheartpoptarts @Mvnl @Ezz @Doodvid
#9 @Wezzo
Notable achievements:
#1 in Hungary, #2 in Belgium, #3 in Germany.
Made respective Top 20 charts around Europe and Australia (including #13 in the UK in 2001) but only reached #29 in Alcazar’s native Sweden? Pfft.
Ok. Confession time.
I’m a fraud and hereby hand in my (self-awarded) pop connoisseur lanyard to be summarily melted down and re-formed as some type of rudimentary device to inflict punishment upon me for my sins.
The crime?
It was only through hosting this rate that I realised ‘Crying At The Discoteque’ is built around an actual
Sheila B. Devotion disco sample.
*somewhere @berserkboi gay-faints*
So maybe there was a slight recollection deep within the dimly-lit recesses of my age-addled mind, and really it should be absolutely 100% obvious that Alcazar’s signature track is crafted with a legitimate glittery disco heritage, but yeah - I’m dumb.
(I just checked out this amazing and highly-recommended early 00s CD series ‘Sampled’, which compiled the original tracks sampled on the big pop hits of the time, and it wasn’t included on there - so that’s my feeble defence and I’m sticking to it! Berserky, you’d really love these collections)
Anyway - I preferred ‘This Is The World We Live In’ so read the winning post from WowX4’s brilliant Alcazar discography instead as he’s much better versed at this than me:
Voters say:
@Hudweiser
One of my Top 10 songs ever.
@berserkboi
The closest that could dethrone ABBA of course is thanks to Sheila!
@Ezz
Happy memories of the recent-ish rate.
@Doodvid
Over-rated? Maybe but camp as tits so it’s forgiven.
Queen Sophie provided this faithful cover after a lockdown of entertaining us all from her kitchen disco:
And of course:
Old Popjustice Forum says:
Where are the lies?
People scream and shout
A generation's on the move”
LEGEND ELIMINATION!
#4
Alcazar - ‘Crying At The Discoteque’
Dedicated rate:
Alcazar
by @WowWowWowWow (2019)
Our rankings:
#1 @Untouchable Ace @Sprockrooster
#2 @Hudweiser @Ana Raquel @berserkboi
#3 @idratherjack @saviodxl
#4 @MilesAngel @DJHazey @j267
#5 @Markus1981 @Lost In Japan. @AcerBenII @Conan
#6 @unnameable @Hybridcookie
#7 @iheartpoptarts @Mvnl @Ezz @Doodvid
#9 @Wezzo
Notable achievements:
#1 in Hungary, #2 in Belgium, #3 in Germany.
Made respective Top 20 charts around Europe and Australia (including #13 in the UK in 2001) but only reached #29 in Alcazar’s native Sweden? Pfft.
Ok. Confession time.
I’m a fraud and hereby hand in my (self-awarded) pop connoisseur lanyard to be summarily melted down and re-formed as some type of rudimentary device to inflict punishment upon me for my sins.
The crime?
It was only through hosting this rate that I realised ‘Crying At The Discoteque’ is built around an actual
Sheila B. Devotion disco sample.
*somewhere @berserkboi gay-faints*
So maybe there was a slight recollection deep within the dimly-lit recesses of my age-addled mind, and really it should be absolutely 100% obvious that Alcazar’s signature track is crafted with a legitimate glittery disco heritage, but yeah - I’m dumb.
(I just checked out this amazing and highly-recommended early 00s CD series ‘Sampled’, which compiled the original tracks sampled on the big pop hits of the time, and it wasn’t included on there - so that’s my feeble defence and I’m sticking to it! Berserky, you’d really love these collections)
Anyway - I preferred ‘This Is The World We Live In’ so read the winning post from WowX4’s brilliant Alcazar discography instead as he’s much better versed at this than me:
Voters say:
@Hudweiser
One of my Top 10 songs ever.
@berserkboi
The closest that could dethrone ABBA of course is thanks to Sheila!
@Ezz
Happy memories of the recent-ish rate.
@Doodvid
Over-rated? Maybe but camp as tits so it’s forgiven.
Queen Sophie provided this faithful cover after a lockdown of entertaining us all from her kitchen disco:
And of course:
Old Popjustice Forum says:
Where are the lies?
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He/Him
You all are wrong for this!!
LET me give that Sampled show a watch or two dd
LET me give that Sampled show a watch or two dd
he/him
Honestly never want to listen to anything again other than these compilations, such a brilliant idea.
Possibly the campest song of all the time and all the better for it, "you wore a tie like Richard Gere" is one of my favourite pop lyrics. It was amazing seeing Sophie Ellis-Bextor perform Crying At The Discoteque as support for Steps last week.