Flop Pop of Yesteryear - Part 1

Ellie Campbell Don't Want You Back


Released in 2000 - I remember buying this Britney 'inspired' gem back in the day! Well, 2000... I used to love this, and the garage remix that was on the cassingle was pretty hot too as I remember, I think it holds up really well, I can still remember all the words too, and I haven't listened to it in ages! Sadly this flopped and I haven't heard anything from Ellie since, except for her ill-fated album which I don't think even charted.




Released in 2000 - I could only find a little clip of this one, it was barely played when it came out, but I thought it was a great slice of subtle garage-pop. It's a cover of an Andy Williams song, I have no idea what Colour Girl did next, but I should find out! I need to find my single of this to share.




Released in 2003 - Oh how I loved this, Masai started out looking quite butch and sporty as I remember, but when they got this sleek makeover for Do That Thing I was in love! But still nobody cared and this tanked. I still have my copy and cherish it, especially the electronic vocals.




Released in 1999 - That means this (even by my maths) is a decade old! How on earth did that happen. Poor old VC never had any luck in the UK (although HMV used to stock all her singles back when they did imports), but this was a US pop hit from her Platinum selling debut. Where is she now?




Released in 1999 - Hahahahaha I loved this one, Debbie pretending to be a hip hop queen, amazing! I'm glad she didn't do the rapping herself, although I'd bet pound to a penny Coolio and Wu Tang Clan were not her idea, have you not heard Rapture! Ms Harry virtually invented pop/rap! This went nowhere in the UK, too many haters!

Debbie Harry - Rockbird

After Blondie finally broke up in 1983, Debbie Harry seemed to be at the bum end of her career. After the flop of her 1981 debut album and her 1982 collaboration with Giorgio Morroder, Rush Rush, it could have been all over for Debbie’s pop career.

However, 1986 would prove to be a great year. The single French Kissin’ In The USA was a major hit in the UK, peaking at #8 – back when that was quite good! The album, Rockbird, really cashed in on the pop appeal of French Kissin’.... It kicks of with I Want You, a shouty, electronic, bubblegum pop ditty with off the wall horns and some seriously silly lyrics. It has quite a 50’s rockabilly feel to it too. It’s totally throwaway, but somehow makes quite an impression and while it’s nothing like the material Blondie recorded, it is a bit punky and wouldn’t sound too odd with the synthesisers removed and the guitars turned up! Buckle Up is pretty similar in style and every bit as good, and You Got Me In Trouble also follows this trend, although is more on the pure pop side. This one has some nice horns and is a bit smoother.
Next up is the second single In Love With Love, while the vocals are just lovely, I like Debbie’s high vocals on this one especially, I think the production on the album version lacks the energy of the remixes, in particular the SAW remix, which was the single version in the UK. This whole album was Debbie at her absolute poppiest and it was a shame she didn’t stick with this kind of thing, as sales were pretty good for the album, over 100,000 copies in the UK alone. This single tanked though, although the Justin Strauss freestyle mix was a US club hit.

Free To Fall is the first ballad, and its absolutely lovely. It’s very emotive and extremely classy. Debbie’s voice is really strong on this album, and nowhere is this more evident than on the ballads. This was the third and final single, and it was big old flop in the UK. It had a great B-side, Feel The Spin, a euro flavoured slice of 80’s disco taken from the soundtrack to the movie Krush Groove.

The title track, Rockbird, is quite intense and makes use of that saxophone again. I’ve never been particularly keen on this one, but it is good, and picks up the frenetic pace of some of the earlier tracks on the album. Secret Life takes things down to a mid-tempo before kicking into a rocky chorus. Some really nice lyrics and pretty vocals on the verses make this one an absolute pleasure to listen to. Beyond The Limit is more of the same.

The horn section of Debbie’s band are really prominent throughout and it gives the whole album a bit of a retro feel. Producer Seth Justman did a really great job on the album and produced a set of glossy pop songs with just enough of an edge of craziness to befit a legend like Debbie. Stephen Sprouse and Andy Warhol did the artwork and soul legend Jocelyn Brown provided some of the background vocals. It’s a fine collection of trashy pop that would be perfect in any collection!


Video - In Love With Love [Remix]
Video - Interview

Deborah Harry - Two Times Blue (Clubstar Mix)

The first batch of mixes to one were not up my alley. However, one can always rely on Clubstar, a staple of any AATW Records release in recent years, to produce the goods. This takes Deb's original melancholy rock track and injects it with a the kind of stuff you can only find on Wigan Pier on a Staurday night. This is just amazing, what a relief after the dirge that the Soulseekerz and Stonebridge came up with. The original speed of the vocal is maintained on this one and the results are just stunning. Considering how badly the album, Necessary Evil, has done there is little chance of a proper second single. For me, this mix, is one of the best things to come out of the whole project.

224kbps mp3, CD Rip
Two Times Blue (Clubstar Mix)
http//www.zshare.net/audio/10131363acbd1d28/