Victoria Beckham

[bonnieetclyde]

Hm. Okay. So Wikipedia says:

In 2003, she began recording an electropop-influenced album, Open Your Eyes and chose "Let Your Head Go" as first single. When the album was finalized, many songs leaked on the internet and Beckham decided to return to the studio to record new material. She wanted a more urban sound and worked with the producer Damon Dash to work on the R&B and hip hop influenced album Come Together

But if the Open Your Eyes material didn't leak until 2006 I guess this is inaccurate? Or did some of the songs leak earlier? I'm just wonder if the plan was always to keep recording new material or if it's true what it says online that stuff leaked beforehand and that's what prompted her to record additional songs.

 

[Simone]

No, she wasn’t completely happy with the pop stuff, so she recorded more urban songs. The double A side single was a way to test waters with a pop song (even thought Let Your Head Go was a new mix) and a more urban song

 

[MusicLover1994]

Hm. Okay. So Wikipedia says:

In 2003, she began recording an electropop-influenced album, Open Your Eyes and chose "Let Your Head Go" as first single. When the album was finalized, many songs leaked on the internet and Beckham decided to return to the studio to record new material. She wanted a more urban sound and worked with the producer Damon Dash to work on the R&B and hip hop influenced album Come Together

But if the Open Your Eyes material didn't leak until 2006 I guess this is inaccurate? Or did some of the songs leak earlier? I'm just wonder if the plan was always to keep recording new material or if it's true what it says online that stuff leaked beforehand and that's what prompted her to record additional songs.

Apparently she "hated" the pop material, but that's always been baffling to me because all of the songs sound like they're almost finished/mastered? I feel like the Open Your Eyes tracks were being finalised and almost ready to go in late 2002/early 2003, but then the demo CD of the Damon Dash tracks had a date of September 3rd 2003:



So I think she went back to the drawing board but wasn't too sure what direction to go in, and when she realised the UK press would never give her a fair go no matter what avenue she took, she decided she'd had enough and threw in the towel.

This is all just speculation though, I wish we knew more about the story. I remember reading years ago that apparently Dash had filmed the making of the urban album and it was planned to be made into a documentary - would love to see that.

Nobody knew the Telstar songs even existed until they leaked in 2006, I think because a group of fans on DenDen chipped in and purchased a demo CD that randomly appeared on Ebay. A couple of weeks later, they leaked but they had been slightly remixed and whoever leaked them altered the titles. Then a few months later (?) the official CD quality demos leaked.

 

[bonnieetclyde]

Makes me head hurt trying to understand the timelines, ha.

 

[Misty Circles]

I think the pop album was much stronger and Victoria was deluded to think she could make it big in America and be the new J-lo.

Alesha Dixon said all the faffing around with Victoria is why the label went bankrupt and the third Mis-Teeq album never came out.

 

[JMRGBY]

I think the pop album was much stronger and Victoria was deluded to think she could make it big in America and be the new J-lo.

Alesha Dixon said all the faffing around with Victoria is why the label went bankrupt and the third Mis-Teeq album never came out.

I don't think she ever expected to be the new J-Lo?

Also, I think it's been disproven that Telstar failed because of Victoria - I believe that this was something made up.

 

[Misty Circles]

I don't think she ever expected to be the new J-Lo?

Also, I think it's been disproven that Telstar failed because of Victoria - I believe that this was something made up.

Disproven by who? Wouldn't Alesha Dixon know, as someone actually signed to said label?

 

[Jacques]

I can’t imagine Victoria’s sessions with Damon were cheap, but I imagine it was easier to scapegoat her when telling the other acts on the label that they no longer had record deals than admitting to multiple failures on their behalf. It’s not like they would’ve given Victoria a credit card with unlimited spending for studio sessions, these things had to be agreed on/signed off. She was just the easy option to blame.

 

[JMRGBY]

Says who? Wouldn't Alesha Dixon know, as someone actually signed to said label?

Ah yes, oracle Alesha Dixon who just so happens to know every in and out of how a record company would fail. Since she's said that, I'm pretty sure it's been confirmed that Telstar were folding regardless of Victoria. In 2004 especially, Victoria was an easy punching bag for the press and her name attached to anything would generate more interest, negative or positive. Claire Sweeney was given a huge advance like Victoria was but she wasn't ragged over the coals because the public wouldn't have given a shit about that, whereas if there was a chance to bring Victoria down, then they would do so.

 

[DaniSpiceBoy]

Also, her first album didn't exactly fly off the shelves, so Telstar would have been cautious not to greenlight absurd expenses. Her two videos with them didn't have massive budgets either.

 

[Misty Circles]

Ah yes, oracle Alesha Dixon who just so happens to know every in and out of how a record company would fail.

You all seem to be in agreement that they spent too much on her project so I don't know what you're arguing for anyway. They may well have spent too much on other acts too, but the timing would suggest the excessive spending on Victoria and subsequent failure pushed them over the edge. They recorded two whole albums with her and not with cheap producers either.

 

[Vasilios]

I doubt Telstar paid for anything that wasn't made in the UK for Victoria. It was all either self funded or 'to be paid when released'.

 

[MusicLover1994]

As opposed to random Victoria Beckham fans on a music forum? I'm pretty sure someone actually signed to said label would know more but if you have a credible source debunking it I'm happy to hear it.

Though you all seem to be in agreement that they spent too much on her project so I don't know what you're arguing for anyway. Even if they had spent too much on other acts, the timing would suggest the excessive spending on Victoria (two albums with expensive producers) pushed them over the edge into bankruptcy.

Her 'urban' album was actually recorded with a different label (Roc-A-Fella records I believe?), so I doubt Telstar had any hand financing those tracks. So they would have just provided some funding in relation to the earlier pop tracks.

It's unfair to blame the entire record label folding on Victoria when that same label housed Rosie Ribbons, Claire Sweeney, The Cheeky Girls and Maria Willson... all flops.

I'm also pretty sure the second Mis-Teeq album underperformed?

As @JMRGBY said though, obviously a label folding due to Victoria Beckham makes a much punchier headline than the truth.

 

[JMRGBY]

You all seem to be in agreement that they spent too much on her project so I don't know what you're arguing for anyway.

No argument, just statements.

 

[Misty Circles]

Her 'urban' album was actually recorded with a different label (Roc-A-Fella records I believe?), so I doubt Telstar had any hand financing those tracks. So they would have just provided some funding in relation to the earlier pop tracks.

It's unfair to blame the entire record label folding on Victoria when that same label housed Rosie Ribbons, Claire Sweeney, The Cheeky Girls and Maria Willson... all flops.

I'm also pretty sure the second Mis-Teeq album underperformed?

As @JMRGBY said though, obviously a label folding due to Victoria Beckham makes a much punchier headline than the truth.

Okay good point, I didn't know the "urban" album was funded overseas. Yeah the second Mis-Teeq album didn't sell as well as the first despite the success of Scandalous and it does seem crazy they even gave The Cheeky Girls more than one single... I remember them making bizarre decisions like having Robbie from Hollyoaks rap on one of their singles (the Sabrina cover)

 

[JMRGBY]

I'm also pretty sure the second Mis-Teeq album underperformed?

Compared to the first, definitely - then with Style 'only' entering at #13, I think the writing was on the wall. Hasn't Alesha also recently said she didn't want to continue in the band at that time anyway?

 

[Laurent]

She deserved so much more.

Holy hell….I’ve never seen this before. It’s absolutely amazing. Probably one of her best performances.

 

[aquaplex]

Victoria’s stuff at this time was her company licensing it to Simon Fuller’s company. Who then licenced it to Telstar.

I imagine Telstar would have paid a substantial sum (not the ridiculously high amounts that the press indicated) which was risky for an already financially precarious Telstar - let alone given the money falling out of the music industry at that time.

 

[_Gru_]

I bet a documentary following the Telstar project would've been fascinating on Totally Scott Lee levels.

The indecisiveness in whether to go down the pop route or the hip hop one that eventually lead to a double a side featuring both.

 

[MusicLover1994]

It still irritates me so much that Let Your Head Go/This Groove wasn't a flop at all and actually peaked at #3, but it was paid dust. If an album had materialised out of the earlier pop stuff that leaked, whilst I doubt it would have changed the world, she would have easily gotten a top ten (or even five) album out of it.