Sunday, June 14, 2009

Sophie's original unreleased second album (with theaudience - Quiet Storm)

Sophie is actually not recording her 5th album (including theaudience), but actually her 6th. Her original second album with theaudience was unreleased. I call it QUIET STORM...

theaudience - Quiet Storm - Read My Lips - Shoot From The Hip - Trip The Light Fantastic - 6th studio album (in process)



When theaudience were recording their second album, they didn't have Billy with them in the studio. In fact, he didn't contribute to lyrics on any of the songs either, except two or three older songs which he had written which they recorded. The band were on the verge of losing their contract, so they decided to convince their label by coming up with some really catchy pop tunes instead of experimental intelligent indie songs. Their self titled debut album saw a band which was grammatically correct, flaunting songs about glory, alcohol and the mundanity of life. But the second album, in terms of sound, took a whole different direction. Britpop is the sound the adopted, catchy tunes and modern sounds. The band still wrote "intelligent lyrics" (i'm always going to keep saying this, cos when i compare theaudience's lyrics to that of other artists, i see a difference. Everything is so metaphorical, so deep, there always a phrase or two in each song which you use you would in a regular conversation, but you wouldn't really think of putting it into a song. And even though most of the songs come out of personal experiences of the band members, you can see that its concealed quite well behind Sophie's icy delivery!)

So as i was saying, brilliant work. The lyrics, the sound, the melody. Everything is very nice. Ten years ago this was recorded, but its still is so fresh. That just goes to show that the band were way ahead of their time. Had this been released back then, maybe the band would have survived the split and Billy would have rejoined the band (this is my guess, its not real information).

The Greatest Gift, Day And Night, How It Should Be Done, Repetition Kills, King Of Action, Headcase, You Will Do For Now are all tracks which can rock out a show if they performed it live. But you should know, these are only demos. There would have been changes if the songs were to be released, and they would sound so much clearer and sexier!! You'll notice that the guys have done a lot of backing vocals on most of the songs.

Anyway, I made this tracklist, cos the flow of the songs is good this way
1. The Greatest Gift (Mollett/Butler/Ellis-Bextor)
2. How It Should Be Done (Mollett/Butler)
3. Day And Night (Butler/Mollett/Ellis-Bextor)
4. Headcase (Butler/Hedgens/Hannon)
5. Out With The Old School (Mollett/Smith)
6. The Fool Will Rise Again (Mollett/Butler)
7. So Clever (Boyd/Ellis-Bextor/Ross)
8. Twiligt Of The Teenage (Boyd/Ellis-Bextor/Ross)
9. Grey With Dusty Rain (Butler/Mollett)
10. You Will Do For Now (Ellis-Bextor)
11. King Of Action (Mollett/Butler)
12. Repetition Kills (Butler)
13. Two Way (Mollett)
14. Sanctuary Hill (Butler/Hannon/Smith)

The Fool Will Rise Again is definitely a cool track. Its got a cool attitude. And Sophie's dry icy delivery is perfect for a song with that much attitude. Cleverly written, and they decided to keep the instrumentation simple - very clever! The song, by itself speaks a lot, you wouldn't want to overdo it, now, would you..

Then there's Grey With Dusty Rain, the most experimental song on this album, the I Got The Wherewithal of album #2. Why am i saying this? Sampled drumbeat. Looped vocals. Amazing production. Sophie sounds superb on this song. Heck, if i could tell her, i would ask her to re-record this for one of her albums in the future, its single material! And its a song about a relationship with a drug addict! Lol, where the hell do they come up with lyrics that are so bizzare that they don't even hint what its about and keep the mystery running in your mind, till you go mad discovering what it is all about!

Out With The Old School is also an amazing tune. This is the only song that actually got an official release 10 years ago, from all the 33 songs that were recorded for the album. Its about a breakup. Dark, emotional, and also has a bit of dark humour. But its all well concealed behind a light-hearted melody and Sophie's crisp vocals. Cleverly arranged background music, with no harsh sounds make the song sound more like a sarcastic joke about missing a loved one! Brilliant!!

The Greatest Gift is a rock tune. Again a song about a relationship. "I will be the complication in your plan" - very tongue-in-cheek. Sophie's vocals have improved over the years, but if you listen to this song, concentrating carefully on just Sophie's vocals, it seems like its a small girl singing this.. Cute. There's one downer in the song though. There's a line in the song which goes "the look in your eyes is a sight for all the others to see" but originally, it was "the look in your eyes is a sight for all the suckers to see", but Sophie changed it cos she felt it was too strong. I wonder why?! She was quite a bitch when she was in the band, and it wouldn't really have upset her image, cos she was just fronting an indie band. Anyway, i would have loved to hear the original lyrics. It's better off that way.

How It Should Be Done is amazing!! Probably the 3rd best track. Its got simpler lyrics, a very simple melody, and the instrumentation is just perfect. Good use of the guitars. Its an almost-perfect song, i think this would have sounded brilliant if it was finalised.

Day And Night, is pop genius!! A love song basically, with a touching melody. The production on the song is simply superb! It has a fade ending though. Thats one thing you will notice on quite a few songs on this album. I didn't expect that. I find it quite odd for theaudience to fade out their songs. They were masters at ending songs perfectly, if you listen to their debut album, you'll see what i mean. Their instrumentation was always superb!!

King Of Action is the first song where the keyboards are more evident. Its the Running Out Of Space on this album. But its a whole lot longer than that song. Its a brash piece, but the sound suits the lyrics. Its got a difficult melody, but it catches on after a few spins.

Two Way is the only song which took the longest time to grow onto me. The problem (which is not so much of a problem anymore) is probably the chorus. The melody of the song has such a beautiful flow through the verses and the bridge. Then suddenly the chorus snaps in and you're like "whoa".. But its actually very very good. If you keep listening to it, you'll actually fall in love with the song, its very cleverly written. Its a song about frustration about departure (i'm screaming a hint.. ahem cough cough). Again here, the lyrics were supposed to be:
"Not pleased with the lot you've been given
but you make it clear you're on the hunt
for new talent, and that Jesus loves you,
but everyone else thinks you're a cunt"
but Sophie changed it to:
"Not pleased with the lot you've been given
You make it clear you've got the eye
For talent, and that Jesus loves you
but wolf is to easy to cry"
Both the lyrics are fine, i wish we could have them both on the song, cos i can't decide which version i would like better..

Headcase is a hardcore pop tune. Its very tongue-in-cheek. Sophie's vocals are screechy in this. Not something that she would be proud of now, for sure. But its still a nice song. I think the production on this song is bad, especially with the tambourine and the cymbals. They're overlapping the word "headcase" on the song, and its very jarring to the ears. That apart, the rest of the song is good. Good use of keyboards.

You Will Do For Now is one of the two songs which has this Manic Street Preachers sound to it. If you've heard their songs, you'll know what i mean. Is that an organ they're using on the song!? It's got this psychedelic vibe to it. I want to keep listening to the track forever. The guitars are brilliant!!

Twilight Of The Teenage got me to think (and i still keep thinking) what the hell it is all about. It sounds delicious enough to eat, but i have no clue what its about. So i'm not going to comment, except that the production on the song could have been better. But its a demo, so maybe they had plans of changing the sound later.

Repetition Kills is the second Manic's influenced song. The chorus is what made me decide that they must have been inspired by the Manics. I swear i can hear James Dean when they go "repetition kiiiillss". So Manic's.... Brilliant production. Brilliant lyrics. Who the hell would have used "cul de sac" on a song except them!? Sophie sounds ace

So Clever is a love song. Its a rough demo with hard beats. A small filler of a track..

Sanctuary Hill is actually a very good song. I underrated this initially. Probably because Sophie's vocals were too difficult to listen to. But it has grown on me now. Its got brilliant lyrics. But there's some instrument on the chorus which upsets me. Its a keyboard generated sound which i'm not really too impressed with. Maybe they tried to experiment with it. Sounds like the processed sound of bells ringing..

In all, i think the album is beyond amazing!! I wish it would have gotten a release back then. It would have definitely done really well on the charts! Good work guys!! Really good work, all of you - Nyge, Dean, Kerin and Patch... oh and i forgot. Sophie started with some co-writing on this album. Kudos! Of course, the songs wouldn't sound this good without her voice on it. So equal credit goes to her as well....

P.S. - If anyone wants these in HQ mp3, leave a request in the comment section

54 comments:

Hillary Zefiel said...

can I please have the mp3 files for theaudience's 2nd album, my email is evilglover@hotmail.com

thx!

Anonymous said...

I'd love to have this HQ album!! this is my email:

contreras.carlos.s@hotmail.com

Thanks a lot!

Anonymous said...

Good stuff, can I request a copy thanks.

rav_4@hotmail.com

Andrew said...

Heck yes i would like the HQ mp3's of these songs if you do not mind. Thank you so very much!
exposed2007@yahoo.com

Anonymous said...

I would LOVE to have this!

sakura - chan @ ameritech . net

Remove spaces, please :)

blueorchid said...

Man... you may work as Sophie's spokesperson!! You make a fan even more fan!! Please, send me the HQ :) did you made a cover? :) You should...

kaushik said...

Thank you guys for your responses. I'm glad theaudience is getting all the recognition it deserves. I'm hoping we get to hear some more stuff in the near future...

@ blueorchid, i don't know how to contact you, could you leave behind your email address here?? I'll email the links to you. I've already sent these guys the mail

Anonymous said...

Hi, I'd love to hear the songs !!
my email is guigui1052@hotmail.com !

Thanks for sharing!

Anonymous said...

I'd love to have one copy too. Thanks for the hard work !

fabinou8@gmail.com

Anonymous said...

please , please i love this album

yugopothamia@hotmail.com

kaushik said...

You guys, i have sent you all the album, along with a message which i want you all to read, and hopefully respond.. thanks

Yair said...

Thank you very much !!!!! XD

blueorchid said...

Hahahaha =P

saenmedia@gmail.com

TheWV said...

Hey Man I'm Missing!!!
the_whitevampire@hotmail.com

Some time ago I did Do a cover For This Amazing Album ...Hple You Like It
http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/300x300/24662263.jpg

Dejví said...

I love her! This is my e-mail: a.lexej@tiscali.cz

Anonymous said...

Hi, could you copy me in too? Thank you!

enormajean@gmail.com

Anonymous said...

hehe I feel a bit out of space to be requesting the album now lol
Can you please Kau send me the link too?

oceanspray@hotmail.com

Eden

Thank you so much

Marko90 said...

Can I please have this album? My e-mail is johnwhiteroof54@gmail.com
Thank you so much.
Marco
An italian fan of Sophie Ellis-Bextor.

Anonymous said...

Hi! Would you be so kind as to send me the link to download the HQ mp3 files of the unreleased 2nd album? Thank you so much for your hard work and for promoting and supporting Sophie's music!

currer.james@yahoo.it

kaushik said...

Guys i've sent you all the email, it would be nice if you could reply to it

deminyair said...

I did Do the album cover of quiet storm

Look!!

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c1/tronos/quietstormtheaudience.jpg

Anonymous said...

Am I too late for this?
Please kaushik,send me this beautiful album....

goodandevil@live.com

Anonymous said...

Please send me the mp3's for theaudience's 2nd album. My email is mqbssnwh@sky.com
thanx

Anonymous said...

hey! I'd LOVE to have these as mp3s... I'm a huge Sophie-fan and been looking around since forever.

painapple@hotmail.de

Anonymous said...

Am I too late for this? My email is: ben.j.ellis@hotmail.co.uk

Please please please may I have the HQ mp3s?

Thanks so much (BTW - love your blog!)

kaushik said...

don't worry, none of you are late. i have sent you all the mp3s. check your email. also, i am working on a website for theaudience at the moment. i will post the link here when its done. i suggest you guys sign up there, cos if anything has to leak next, it will leak from there

Unknown said...

Can u send the file with the music from the second album? correandre@gmail.com

TX,

Congratulations for the blog

André, SP, Brasil

Anonymous said...

i've been waiting for this for such a long time. can't wait to hear it.

mannyandjess@hotmail.com

thanks!

Craig.

kaushik said...

Sorry for the delay guys, i have sent you the files

Julo said...

can I please have the mp3 files for theaudience's 2nd album, my email is juleduf@hotmail.com

thank you from a french fan!

Chris_Sydney said...

Would love to hear these!

kylieluvver@hotmail.com

Great blog, mate.


C.

LemonVision said...

Oh my goodness, I can't believe this exists! I would love to hear it, I am a massive fan (though I have lost weight recently)

mask_and_mirror2002@yahoo.co.uk

Anonymous said...

Hi, I thank you if you can send the "Sophie's original unreleased second album (with theaudience - Quiet Storm)" mp3 to this email

boyjohn2000@yahoo.com.hk

Lewis

Anonymous said...

Hi! Am I too late?
Please send me the tracks for this album. My email is irrawaddy@yandex.ru
thanx a lot!

Anonymous said...

I would very much like to hear all these :)

knightrider@live.co.uk

Many thanks!

Anonymous said...

Is this offer still valid?

I would very much like a copy of these tracks if it is...

My email is stereohed@hotmail.com

Thank you x

Anonymous said...

Hey - qould love a copy of 'Quiet Storm' please! Many thanks! Anfunny x

anfunny2003@aol.com

King Rool said...

could i get the hq mp3 files please?

my email is amirul.nasir@gmail.com

thanks in advance

Unknown said...

I'd love to get my hands on these, if it's not a problem for you, please send them to my email, it's reinventedavatar@gmail.com

Thank you in advance. It's a great find. :)

Anonymous said...

Could I have a copy, please?

alkibiades87@seznam.cz

Thank you so much!

Anonymous said...

Wow. Didn't even know this existed. Would it be possible to get a copy of these demos?

jane999jones@yahoo.com

Anonymous said...

Your blog is amazing! Thank you for all this stuff! Can I have the album as well please? Thx a lot.

Kevilish@hotmail.fr

Anonymous said...

Hi... I just found your excellent blog - LOVE IT!! I realize I'm really late in requesting the HQ mp3 files of "Quiet Storm" but if they're still available, I'd really love them. Thanks a million!

my email is: mcd117@hotmail.com

Anonymous said...

is it ok If I have the mp3 of theaudiences second album? My e-mail is crispnfry@hotmail.com

Thank you

Unknown said...

I have sent you all the tracks. Please check your emails. A response would be much appreciated - just to check if you actually received the files or not.

Also, check your spam in case you don't find the email in your inbox

Unknown said...

Hi, I'm a bit late but I'd love the tracks to this too, somehow remembered about theaudience today and found they had a second album! my email is rubbishjunkandstuff@gmail.com
Thanks!

Unknown said...

Could I have a copy, please?
My mail: pavv3l@gmail.com

Anonymous said...

Hello :)
I'm stopping by your album by chance,searching for "How It Should Be Done" lyrics this evening,I can't stop myself to comment this article about this AWESOME album I also adore.
I've got my copy for a while now,I didn't remember where I've got it.
Nevermind.It is a true gem,a pleasure for the ears, no matter it's a demo.The songs are brillant.
What a shame this album couldn't be realised and theaudience doesn't known in my country.Sophie is a grand singer,the best one and the perfect one of the world.

Regards,
LadyBextor from France

Anonymous said...

If you`re still thinking what Twilight of the Teenage is about, here`s some of my thoughts:
It`s exactly about what the title says - the end of being a teenager and entering into twenties. The song says (to me, at least): you`re eighteen or nineteen, it`s the last moment for you to be completely free, irresponsible, ignorant... From now on, it will be harder and harder, yo will have to be more and more tame and responsible, so here`s your last moment, the twilight of the teenage. You may be angry about it, but better hurry doing things you won`t be able to do later.
This song pairs with "If you can`t do it when you`re young" from the first album. I like them both, but it`s the "Twilight..." which gave me goose bumps the first moment I heard it. There`s something about the music alone that makes me very nostalgic about my long lost teen years, and Sophie`s young sounding voice and lyrics make me plunge into memories and sorrow even deeper.
Cheers to all Theaudience fans,
Mordazy.

Anonymous said...

If it's not too late, could you please send the tracks to: otherstuffnrubbish@hotmail.com

Anonymous said...

If it's not too late can I have it too? Thanks.

incognitov@vivaldi.net

satanindrag said...

Hi. Probably a bit late now, but if it's still available I'd love this!!

satanindrag@gmail.com

Thanks

Graham

David said...

Hi! Please could you send me the mp3s for this album if you still have them?
Thank you!

Anonymous said...

Again, probably a little late to the parade, but if I can still get a copy of these I'd appreciate it.

Michaelsonrichard237@gmail.com

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Welcome! SOPHIERAZZI is a website dedicated Sophie Ellis-Bextor. Here, you will find first hand information, access to several rarities and exclusive inside details unavailable elsewhere. This is your heaven... Feel free EMAIL ME, if you have some exciting news to share, if you want to update me about something, or if you need some clarification regarding any post. I promise to respond to your email at the earliest...
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