It’s a very good year to be an Alouder, to say the absolute least.
With The Girls Aloud Show just a few months away now (I still can’t believe it’s happening), and the digitalization and HD-ification of all their singles and music videos every few weeks on streaming, the Almighty Aloud are finding 100 Different Ways to keep us entertained – including the highly anticipated reissue of their sophomore studio album, What Will The Neighbours Say?, released in November of 2004.
The pivotal point in the Girls Aloud discography is where Nadine Coyle, Cheryl, Sarah Harding, Kimberley Walsh and Nicola Roberts locked into the Aloud Sound™ alongside Brian Higgins and Xenomania, and saw the band increasingly contributing to the writing process themselves.
The double platinum-certified album delivers signature smash after smash – including “The Show,” “Love Machine,” “Wake Me Up,” Totally Spies! theme song “Here We Go” and their covers of The Pointer Sisters‘ “Jump” (used on the soundtrack of Love Actually) and The Pretenders‘ “I’ll Stand By You,” their next No. 1 after “Sound of the Underground” used as a charity single for the 2004 Children in Need campaign.
It’s also contains killer album tracks that embodied their wild child, spike heels and skintight jeans pop girlie-on-the-go personas like “Real Life,” “Deadlines & Diets,” “Thank Me Daddy,” and of course, the stuttering and explosive fist-full-of-love “Graffiti My Soul,” which was famously first recorded by Britney Spears for the In the Zone sessions. (The demo exists, and it remains one of pop’s great Holy Grails.)
The newly announced special deluxe edition of the album arrives on March 8.
There’s a 3 CD deluxe edition, which features the UK version of the album, rarities, unreleased demos and exclusive mixes – and three never-before-heard songs recorded two decades ago.
The group’s fabled cover of the Chris Isaak‘s classic “Wicked Game” was nearly released as the lead single from what would be their next album Chemistry (replaced instead with “Long Hot Summer”), then nearly included in The Sound of Girls Aloud: The Greatest Hits. It was even name-checked in their song “Biology.” At long last, it’s coming…for real this time.
There are also two unreleased songs from the vault that didn’t make the final cut of the album: “Disco Bunny” (!) and “Baby When You Go.”
The set also includes B-sides like “Androgynous Girls” and “History,” rare TV performance edits of the hits, album’s remixes and more covers from this era: Blondie’s “Hanging On The Telephone” and Chaka Khan’s “I’m Every Woman.”
As far as the vinyl release, the album will be issued for the first time as a sky-blue LP and as a limited edition exclusive picture disc. Phew.
You can check out all of the bundle options at their official store. I’ll see you gift-wrapped kitty cats hanging around the kitchen in my underwear, acting like a lady.
Picture Disc Tracklist:
Side A
The Show
Love Machine
I’ll Stand By You
Jump
Wake Me Up
Deadline & Diets
Big Brother
Side B
Hear Me Out
Graffiti My Soul
Real Life
Here We Go
Thank Me Daddy
I Say A Prayer For You
100 Different Ways~
Vinyl Tracklist:
Side A
The Show
Love Machine
I’ll Stand By You
Jump
Wake Me Up
Deadline & Diets
Big Brother
Side B
Hear Me Out
Graffiti My Soul
Real Life
Here We Go
Thank Me Daddy
I Say A Prayer For You
100 Different Ways
3CD Tracklist:
CD1:
The Show
Love Machine
I’ll Stand By You
Jump
Wake Me Up
Deadlines & Diets
Big Brother
Hear Me Out
Graffitti My Soul
Real Life
Here We Go
Thank Me Daddy
I Say A Prayer For You
100 Different Ways
CD2:
Wicked Game
Disco Bunny
Baby When You Go
I’ll Stand By You (Electronic Mix)
Wake Me Up (Alternative Version)
Hanging On The Telephone
Androgynous Girls
Loving Is Easy
History
I’m Every Woman (from ‘Discomania’)
Love Machine (Demo Version)
Deadlines & Diets (Version 2)
Love Machine (CD:UK Edit)
The Show (Popworld Edit)
I’ll Stand By You (TV Edit)
Wake Me Up (‘Off The Record’ Edit)
CD3
Love Machine (Tony Lamezma’s Club Mix Radio Edit)
Wake Me Up (Tony Lamezma’s “Love Affair” Radio Edit)
The Show (Flip & Fill Remix)
I’ll Stand By You (Tony Lamezma’s Club Romp Radio Edit)
Love Machine (Gravitas Disco Mix Radio Edit)
Wake Me Up (Flip & Fill Remix)
The Show (Bang Bang Klub Vocal Mix)
I’ll Stand By You (Gravitas Vocal Dub Mix Edit)
The Show (Tony Lamezma’s Club Mix)
Wake Me Up (Gravitas Club Mix)
Love Machine (Tony Lamezma’s Full-Length Club Mix)
The Show (Bang Bang Klub Alternative Mix)
Wake Me Up (Tony Lamezma’s “Love Affair”)
I’ll Stand By You (Tony Lamezma’s Club Romp)
The Show (Gravitas Club Mix)
Love Machine (Gravitas Disco Mix)
