The Sugababes Discography Rate
- Thread starter beyoncésweave
- Start date
FOR FUCKS SAKE
'Unbreakable Heart' is one of their best ballads, top 30 for it please.
(You watch it leave next...)
(You watch it leave next...)
One Touch is good (7/10), not crazy good but pretty solid. Real Thing should've been out before it
londonrain
Staff member
Real Thing is the best album track left from the album (barring Promises). So NO.
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D
Deleted member 3416
I think the title track is possibly my lowest score on the debut album so I'm not too bothered that it's gone.
Yup. The singles are probably safe, but if you throw out "Real Thing" or "Lush Life" any time soon...
Wait, I've just realized "Now You're Gone" is still in here. Can we drop that?
He/Him
Not today, no.
londonrain
Staff member
"Now You're Gone" is one of my favourite 3.0 songs. I don't have high hopes for it in this rate but I hope it goes far.
Oh, hye. Today we eliminate the only B-side to get an 11.
#63
Disturbed
Score: 6.998
Highest: 11 x 1 (@scottdisick94)
10/10 x 9 (@kal, @Solenciennes, @Voodoo, @Methyn Marquis, @Island, @marie_05, @AllSixSugababes, @Jam, @Blayke)
Lowest: 3/10 x 3 (@londonrain, @Robsolete, @Uno)
My score: 8/10
––
If you need any evidence for what a superlatively rich, dense and interesting era Three was, look no further than this utterly fantastic song. This was the level of B-sides during the era; complex, intriguingly structured, genre-bendy and quite unlike anything most girlbands were, and are, prepared to do. Something about its structure and production, all distorted guitars and industrial drums – somewhere between rock and R&B – and rough and not-quite-fully-mastered vocals on the choruses, really suits the song. The band’s thread of B-sides that seem to be not completely finalised somehow works especially well in this case. The verses lull you into this considered, ruminative pace, perfectly tailored to both Mutya and Heidi’s lower registers. The latter’s layered harmonies as the verse ends are just one of the many lovely tics about this. The verses contrast almost jarringly with the malevolent rage of the choruses, Keisha on the cusp of screaming. But even then, like most times when the band approaches intensity, there’s a sense that it is completely controlled; the fury firmly contained so that it comes across as menacing.
All of this is the perfect accompaniment to the rather stunning lyrics, which detail the heaviness and paralysis of depression, with just the right level of abstraction – “No colour in my black and white” – and specificity – “Do the deepest times get much worse?” The spite, in this depressive context, is as much aimed at the self as it is the world. Reconsidering the vocals in this light also underscores the trio’s vocal prowess, in emoting exhaustion and apathy (Mutya), sadness and actual despair (Heidi) and exasperation and anger (Keisha). In totality, it is an incredibly impressive package that underlines the vast and glittering span of the era’s productivity, and the band’s ascent into a remarkable machine. Tackling dark themes, and presenting them in intriguingly realised pop packages as teenagers, still? Yes, they did that.
Needless to say, this most certainly warranted inclusion in the album. Its exclusion, is rather symptomatic of what I’ve noted before as Three not quite living up to the true potential of its era. The inclusion of this on the album would have inched up its breadth in terms of production and tone that much higher, sitting comfortably alongside more left-of-centre tracks like “Situation’s Heavy”. As it is, the album is of course a fantastic record, but it could have been even better.
The commentary is rather notable because apart from one cluster of hate, everyone else was feeling it. Let’s get the The Dishonourables out the way. VivaForever (4) blathers “that chorus reminds me of Metropolis. But not in a good 'Express Yourself/Rhythm Nation videos' sort of way.” “Fine. Nothing more, nothing less,” says mrdonut (5). “I don’t remember this song after it finished,” says PCDPG (5.5), also accurately describing their commentary. Chanex (6) once again stans Aunt Margaret’s skills in the kitchen: “Said it before and I'll say it again...Heidi's amazing middle 8 cuts through the pots and pans and makes the whole thing worthwhile.” And here’s Heidi recalling cutting through the pots and pans to beat her meat:
Meanwhile, for the first (and hopefully only) time in the rate, londonrain (3) goes completely off the rails: “This is a bit of a dirge. It starts very promisingly and then ends up in an unlistenable chorus that sounds like it's been produced by idiots while Keisha sings the vocal from the bathroom. Worse than the whole of Sweet 7.” Excuse me? Worse than “Give It To Me Now”? “She’s A Mess”?? “Miss Everything”??? *Checks scores* londonrain gave them a 5.5 and two 5s respectively. She’s A Mess indeed.
Let’s reset shall we? “I would have put this on the album and bumped “Nasty Ghetto” to a B-side instead,” says Mina (7). I mean, I would have chopped “Sometimes” or “We Could Have It All” instead, but that’s just me. Stopthestatic (7.2) also thinks it should’ve been on the album: “It sounds very tinny but it’s not a bad song!! One of my favourites as far as the Three leftovers/B-sides go. Should’ve been on the record along with ‘Colder in the Rain’.” cryctall (9) was also confused at its B-side status: “Excellent song, why just a B-side? Very dark, great vocals. Powerful and captivating.”
Runawaywithme (7) finds it “a nice strange midtempo. I think the production drowns out the girls a little bit but I like the rocky chaotic feel of this, and maybe the sense of confusion is accidental. Anyway the song draws me in and is interesting enough, it’s nice to hear the babes experiment with rock a little.” acl (7.8) likes it a little rough, “Nice n Breezy Verses then rough and screechy in a good Keisha way.” “Very dark song, I loved it back in the day,” reminisces P'NutButter (7). Remorque has a lot to criticise for a song he gives a 7 to: “Keisha’s chorus is definitely the best thing present in this song. Other than that? Mutya and Heidi sound really awkward and just not that good during their verses, the less said about Keisha’s bum note during the little middle 8 the better and what even is that vocal production on the others’ voices during those last (for lack of a better word) choruses?”
“Certainly a little edgier than most of their songs, which is a nice little changeup,” edges DJHazey (7), who summons the queen of meet and greets into my rate, through a questioning CasuallyCrazed (9): “It’s the Sugababes doing Avril / Evanescence pop-rock angst. Amazing vocal from Keisha, but again, why the weird muddy vocal mastering?” Similarly, “The vocal production on this sounds unfinished,” begins kal, but goes onto justify his 10 by saying “but it’s still a brilliant song. The rawness makes it shine bright and the dark subject matter is a very nice contrast to the single it accompanies.”
“OOH WAH AH AH AH!” screeches an excitable Ironheade (8), “Nah, what's really disturbing is that this was only issued as a B-side. OK, maybe that's overstating the case, but this is an interesting little nugget. The verses are very well-constructed, with the sparse electric guitars and spacious piano chords, and Mutya and Heidi's vocals are redolent of real sadness. And then we hit a chorus they nicked from a German industrial song. Seriously. What else are those clanging metal sound effects and layers of disturbing, noisy synth meant to remind me of? It actually works really well, particularly combined with Keisha's desperate vocals, and the bit when Mutya's exhausted moans are let loose over them at the end. Good stuff.”
Constantino (8) begins a hashtag campaign 13 years too late: “Ooh wait I’m feeling this one. The moodiness is giving me everything I need right now. This is better than a lot of songs that made it onto the main album #JUSTICEFORDISTURBED.” Robinho#1 (8.5) loves a mess, “The messy vocals and unpolished production works marvellously well.” Filler (8) laughs that it’s “Hilarious that this dark, intense industrial beast of a record is inexplicably languishing as the B-side of “In the Middle” of all songs. Sounds like it should be playing over the end credits of a Black Mirror episode or something.” Cut to a Black Mirror episode pitch: seven gays wait three and a half years for a scrap of news about an album by a girlband who reform themselves eleven years after they split.
Blayke squeezes another 10 out of himself: “What a perfect genre-bending song. It proves that Sugababes versatility has no bounds in pop music. Everything about this song is fantastic. It’s a nice alternative to “We Could Have It All”, sonically. I love Heidi’s verse on this – it sounds so haunting and sinister. Keisha carries the song well and her middle-8 is really different for her. I always wonder if session singers are singing the chorus in the final part of the song.” Finally, “their best B-side by a country mile,” declares Solenciennes (10), “I love the menace in the song, they sound unrecognisable in parts, another song that would sound right at home on some kind of horror soundtrack. I love that Keisha sounds like she’s singing from some other dimension through a speaker on the chorus, the song really takes off just after Heidi’s had her ‘dim the lights, down the wine’ line. This should have made the album, it’s so unique and deserves to reach a wider audience. I’d be interested to see them revive this at some point, it would be incredible to hear live.” Indeed, though one suspects Keisha wouldn’t be able to resist screaming a “HANDS UP!” at the crowd at some point or the other.
#63
Disturbed
Score: 6.998
Highest: 11 x 1 (@scottdisick94)
10/10 x 9 (@kal, @Solenciennes, @Voodoo, @Methyn Marquis, @Island, @marie_05, @AllSixSugababes, @Jam, @Blayke)
Lowest: 3/10 x 3 (@londonrain, @Robsolete, @Uno)
My score: 8/10
––
If you need any evidence for what a superlatively rich, dense and interesting era Three was, look no further than this utterly fantastic song. This was the level of B-sides during the era; complex, intriguingly structured, genre-bendy and quite unlike anything most girlbands were, and are, prepared to do. Something about its structure and production, all distorted guitars and industrial drums – somewhere between rock and R&B – and rough and not-quite-fully-mastered vocals on the choruses, really suits the song. The band’s thread of B-sides that seem to be not completely finalised somehow works especially well in this case. The verses lull you into this considered, ruminative pace, perfectly tailored to both Mutya and Heidi’s lower registers. The latter’s layered harmonies as the verse ends are just one of the many lovely tics about this. The verses contrast almost jarringly with the malevolent rage of the choruses, Keisha on the cusp of screaming. But even then, like most times when the band approaches intensity, there’s a sense that it is completely controlled; the fury firmly contained so that it comes across as menacing.
All of this is the perfect accompaniment to the rather stunning lyrics, which detail the heaviness and paralysis of depression, with just the right level of abstraction – “No colour in my black and white” – and specificity – “Do the deepest times get much worse?” The spite, in this depressive context, is as much aimed at the self as it is the world. Reconsidering the vocals in this light also underscores the trio’s vocal prowess, in emoting exhaustion and apathy (Mutya), sadness and actual despair (Heidi) and exasperation and anger (Keisha). In totality, it is an incredibly impressive package that underlines the vast and glittering span of the era’s productivity, and the band’s ascent into a remarkable machine. Tackling dark themes, and presenting them in intriguingly realised pop packages as teenagers, still? Yes, they did that.
Needless to say, this most certainly warranted inclusion in the album. Its exclusion, is rather symptomatic of what I’ve noted before as Three not quite living up to the true potential of its era. The inclusion of this on the album would have inched up its breadth in terms of production and tone that much higher, sitting comfortably alongside more left-of-centre tracks like “Situation’s Heavy”. As it is, the album is of course a fantastic record, but it could have been even better.
The commentary is rather notable because apart from one cluster of hate, everyone else was feeling it. Let’s get the The Dishonourables out the way. VivaForever (4) blathers “that chorus reminds me of Metropolis. But not in a good 'Express Yourself/Rhythm Nation videos' sort of way.” “Fine. Nothing more, nothing less,” says mrdonut (5). “I don’t remember this song after it finished,” says PCDPG (5.5), also accurately describing their commentary. Chanex (6) once again stans Aunt Margaret’s skills in the kitchen: “Said it before and I'll say it again...Heidi's amazing middle 8 cuts through the pots and pans and makes the whole thing worthwhile.” And here’s Heidi recalling cutting through the pots and pans to beat her meat:
Meanwhile, for the first (and hopefully only) time in the rate, londonrain (3) goes completely off the rails: “This is a bit of a dirge. It starts very promisingly and then ends up in an unlistenable chorus that sounds like it's been produced by idiots while Keisha sings the vocal from the bathroom. Worse than the whole of Sweet 7.” Excuse me? Worse than “Give It To Me Now”? “She’s A Mess”?? “Miss Everything”??? *Checks scores* londonrain gave them a 5.5 and two 5s respectively. She’s A Mess indeed.
Let’s reset shall we? “I would have put this on the album and bumped “Nasty Ghetto” to a B-side instead,” says Mina (7). I mean, I would have chopped “Sometimes” or “We Could Have It All” instead, but that’s just me. Stopthestatic (7.2) also thinks it should’ve been on the album: “It sounds very tinny but it’s not a bad song!! One of my favourites as far as the Three leftovers/B-sides go. Should’ve been on the record along with ‘Colder in the Rain’.” cryctall (9) was also confused at its B-side status: “Excellent song, why just a B-side? Very dark, great vocals. Powerful and captivating.”
Runawaywithme (7) finds it “a nice strange midtempo. I think the production drowns out the girls a little bit but I like the rocky chaotic feel of this, and maybe the sense of confusion is accidental. Anyway the song draws me in and is interesting enough, it’s nice to hear the babes experiment with rock a little.” acl (7.8) likes it a little rough, “Nice n Breezy Verses then rough and screechy in a good Keisha way.” “Very dark song, I loved it back in the day,” reminisces P'NutButter (7). Remorque has a lot to criticise for a song he gives a 7 to: “Keisha’s chorus is definitely the best thing present in this song. Other than that? Mutya and Heidi sound really awkward and just not that good during their verses, the less said about Keisha’s bum note during the little middle 8 the better and what even is that vocal production on the others’ voices during those last (for lack of a better word) choruses?”
“Certainly a little edgier than most of their songs, which is a nice little changeup,” edges DJHazey (7), who summons the queen of meet and greets into my rate, through a questioning CasuallyCrazed (9): “It’s the Sugababes doing Avril / Evanescence pop-rock angst. Amazing vocal from Keisha, but again, why the weird muddy vocal mastering?” Similarly, “The vocal production on this sounds unfinished,” begins kal, but goes onto justify his 10 by saying “but it’s still a brilliant song. The rawness makes it shine bright and the dark subject matter is a very nice contrast to the single it accompanies.”
“OOH WAH AH AH AH!” screeches an excitable Ironheade (8), “Nah, what's really disturbing is that this was only issued as a B-side. OK, maybe that's overstating the case, but this is an interesting little nugget. The verses are very well-constructed, with the sparse electric guitars and spacious piano chords, and Mutya and Heidi's vocals are redolent of real sadness. And then we hit a chorus they nicked from a German industrial song. Seriously. What else are those clanging metal sound effects and layers of disturbing, noisy synth meant to remind me of? It actually works really well, particularly combined with Keisha's desperate vocals, and the bit when Mutya's exhausted moans are let loose over them at the end. Good stuff.”
Constantino (8) begins a hashtag campaign 13 years too late: “Ooh wait I’m feeling this one. The moodiness is giving me everything I need right now. This is better than a lot of songs that made it onto the main album #JUSTICEFORDISTURBED.” Robinho#1 (8.5) loves a mess, “The messy vocals and unpolished production works marvellously well.” Filler (8) laughs that it’s “Hilarious that this dark, intense industrial beast of a record is inexplicably languishing as the B-side of “In the Middle” of all songs. Sounds like it should be playing over the end credits of a Black Mirror episode or something.” Cut to a Black Mirror episode pitch: seven gays wait three and a half years for a scrap of news about an album by a girlband who reform themselves eleven years after they split.
Blayke squeezes another 10 out of himself: “What a perfect genre-bending song. It proves that Sugababes versatility has no bounds in pop music. Everything about this song is fantastic. It’s a nice alternative to “We Could Have It All”, sonically. I love Heidi’s verse on this – it sounds so haunting and sinister. Keisha carries the song well and her middle-8 is really different for her. I always wonder if session singers are singing the chorus in the final part of the song.” Finally, “their best B-side by a country mile,” declares Solenciennes (10), “I love the menace in the song, they sound unrecognisable in parts, another song that would sound right at home on some kind of horror soundtrack. I love that Keisha sounds like she’s singing from some other dimension through a speaker on the chorus, the song really takes off just after Heidi’s had her ‘dim the lights, down the wine’ line. This should have made the album, it’s so unique and deserves to reach a wider audience. I’d be interested to see them revive this at some point, it would be incredible to hear live.” Indeed, though one suspects Keisha wouldn’t be able to resist screaming a “HANDS UP!” at the crowd at some point or the other.
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He/Him
I love everything about the Three era and I am hoping another b-side from that time goes a long way...
londonrain
Staff member
GOOD. This should have gone long before we started picking off the 1.0 tracks.
Interestingly, a lot of the things I hate about this song were picked up by other people's commentary - it's mainly that muddy mastering (especially on Keisha's vocal, which as a Keisha fan I find unforgivable). Mutya's verse sounds great, and then the production falls off a cliff. Also, "I don't know what it is" with some of those deliberately discordant harmonies later in the song - they seem muffled and the effect is lost.
With a proper producer and better instrumentation (i.e. not "pots and pans") this could have been a proper Nine Inch Nails-type masterpiece. As it is I find myself really struggling to pick out the good bits.
Interestingly, a lot of the things I hate about this song were picked up by other people's commentary - it's mainly that muddy mastering (especially on Keisha's vocal, which as a Keisha fan I find unforgivable). Mutya's verse sounds great, and then the production falls off a cliff. Also, "I don't know what it is" with some of those deliberately discordant harmonies later in the song - they seem muffled and the effect is lost.
With a proper producer and better instrumentation (i.e. not "pots and pans") this could have been a proper Nine Inch Nails-type masterpiece. As it is I find myself really struggling to pick out the good bits.
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Oh Heidi.