Sophie Ellis-Bextor

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You let someone sing on a record and all of a sudden they want a career?? What's the world coming to?

Also Momus is it true that "Groovejet" is the only CD Single you have ever bought? (Isabel says she heard this on the radio.)

― Tom, Friday, 17 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Wasn't Sophie in a band called theaudience prior to the Groovejet thing? Complicates the issue somewhat, I would've thought.

― MarkH, Friday, 17 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I'd like her to be sucessful on the grounds that she's terribly attractive and has a voice unusually powerful for pop. Take Me Home is tame as hell, though. Maybe she'll go mad like scott walker and make a few great records ina few years. Hope so, as I like posh english girls.

― matthew hanes, Friday, 17 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I've sung on a record. Can I have a career?

Yes, SEB is terribly attractive, like pop stars often are. (Cue Stevie T's tale of how she's Actually Not Attractive At All In Real Life).

― the pinefox, Friday, 17 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Did Stevie see her very early in the morning before she had a chance to put her make-up on?

― MarkH, Friday, 17 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

how can people forgive theaudience so easily? they were gross to the point of creepiness, Tanita Tickaram reborn on Fierce Panda, compounding the ills of both into something nauseating, self- important and spineless beyond musical precedent.

Carbon copying Moloko's far-superior "Bring it back" and a bit of predictable posh-baiting doesn't let you sidestep such crimes in my book. Which is why I haven't done it.

― Alasdair, Friday, 17 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I'm told she is exceptionally short. someone int he queue for simon price's club a few months back was behind her. she wanted to get in free and they wouldn't let her, so she sulked off. shame, she'd have raised the spirit of the place.

― matthew hanes, Friday, 17 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

According to SMASH HITS "Groovejet" is the only CD single that Moby has ever bought. Nice try though.

She will always look like a hampster to me. Heh. Run that pop treadmill Sophie for it will not last long you curmudgeonly foo'.

― Sarah, Friday, 17 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

A plastic hampster at that. Powered by batteries that will surely soon run out.

― Richard Tunnicliffe, Friday, 17 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

sp: 'hamster'.

― the pinefox, Friday, 17 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

dud. and ugly. so there.

― gareth, Friday, 17 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Pinefox it is no doubt proven by mathematical fact (WITH VECTORS) that the word "hamster" is nine gazillion times funnier when spelt "hampster", therefore I do so whenever the occasion arises. Don't you kno nuffink?

― Sarah, Friday, 17 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Sounds unlikely about the only CD single thing. I have never ever heard reference to Momus outside of IL* and his own website.

Moby's a shit.

Ellis-Bextor had the worst responses to heckling I've ever heard. "Get your tits out!" "Erm, no." "You fucking bitch!" "Please be quiet. I'm trying to sing." "Fuck off!" "Please be quiet."

― Greg, Friday, 17 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Worst responses to heckling, Greg? Since when have singers been required to come up with original responses to heckling? Politicians and comedians are, fair enough, but it seems perfectly reasonable to respond in the manner you described. That has got to be the most unreasonable criticism of a recording artiste I have ever heard!

― MarkH, Friday, 17 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Isabel has confirmed that it was Moby not Momus who Dr Fox was talking about, yes. Sorry Momus. That also removes my only reason for starting this thread, what a waste of a day's question eh readers?

― Tom, Friday, 17 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Yeah. You're FIRED. DG - GERRIM.

― Sarah, Friday, 17 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Or even Josh. Remember what forum you are posting on Sarah. Yass.

― Sarah, Friday, 17 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

What does GERRIM mean?

― MarkH, Friday, 17 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

To be honest, your logic baffles me. Am I wrong to want a bit more from my indie DIVAS?

― Greg, Friday, 17 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Ellis-Bextor's teeth let her down.

Q: Has Momus picked up inadvertent extra record sales on the back of Moby's success?

― Nick, Friday, 17 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

GERRIM = "get him". ie SIC, kill, kill! No, no, not the "Big House" mommy, not the "Big House"!

Isn't it OBVIOUS?

― Sarah, Friday, 17 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Absolutely beautiful aside from her yellow teeth. I quite liked some of theauduence's first album...

― Kodanshi, Friday, 17 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Sophie Ellis Baxter? She looks like a hamster She's the daughter of Janet Ellis off Blue Peter And her new single sounds like Swing Out Sister

― Matt, Friday, 17 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I think she's HOT, HOT, HOT... total fox in a weird way. But what's up with that video for 'Take Me Home'? It's so 1988, tired and old but not in a cool, campy way... just played out. She'll never fly in the States, unless she does an action film.

― Andy, Friday, 17 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I don't think she's hot, but her mum....RoWR!!!!

xoxo

― Norman Fay, Friday, 17 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

She is formidable. Boys are swines.

― Simon, Friday, 17 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Re: Ellis-Bexter's Heckler handling

"Please be quiet, I'm trying to sing" is an absolutely perfect response to the heckle "You fucking bitch" and I like her all the more for saying it

― jamesmichaelward, Friday, 17 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Whenever she appears on a TV programme (ie TOTP) her alien-esque face is always sticky and shiny. And she has cat's eyes.

Still, she has an insouciant air about her that I find appealing.

Prefered her Mum though...

― DavidM, Friday, 17 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

"Take Me Home" is a Cher cover, which the press/PR seem to be keeping quiet about. The original's pretty horrible, though SEB does much better with it.

― Graham, Sunday, 19 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

HAMPSTER!

― dave q, Sunday, 19 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Shock! Horror! The ellis-bextor is beaten to number one by five! (or four).

― jel, Sunday, 19 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

two months pass...

She is the proof extra-terrestrials exists, she is some scary cross breed alien, EKKKKKKKK!!

― a, Friday, 16 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

SEB - Grrrrrrr. Take me home was a disgrace. But Groovejet single will still be rocking in 20 years. So there.

― SBster, Saturday, 17 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

two years pass...

I was with Ewing in Oxford when he launched this thread. That touches me.

I have been meaning to revive it every recent time I've heard her track "I Am Not Good At Not Getting What I Want". I like the sound of the track, some of the words, the delivery; it is almost but perhaps not quite the best thing I have ever heard from her.

I cannot hear it for long without thinking of JtN's comment: "S E-B is where the spirit of Britpop continues" - or words to that effect; if to a different effect, then let JtN correct me. This is typical of the Nipper's ability to make suggestive connections, even though I have not been certain exactly what he intended by what he said.

― the britfox, Thursday, 12 February 2004 16:17 (twenty-two years ago)

six months pass...

I listened to 'A Pessimist Is Never Disappointed' the other day, and it made me think, maybe this is the best thing she has ever done.

Her reticence about theaudience is odd, unless I am just imagining it.

― the bellefox, Tuesday, 7 September 2004 13:37 (twenty-one years ago)

She escaped from the indie dungeon. Well done, Sophie.

― Krankenhaus, Tuesday, 7 September 2004 14:15 (twenty-one years ago)

She sings A Pessimist Is Never Disappointed live. It's on the Watch My Lips DVD and it's very good.

― edward o (edwardo), Tuesday, 7 September 2004 14:25 (twenty-one years ago)

Any, I listened to theaudience the other day. The singles stand up remarkably well, as does the excellent "Running Out Of Space". And "Penis Size & Cars" was a great cover too (NB note misleading implication I've heard the original).

― edward o (edwardo), Tuesday, 7 September 2004 14:36 (twenty-one years ago)

Any good place for someone in the US to get hold of theaudience stuff?

― phil d., Tuesday, 7 September 2004 16:33 (twenty-one years ago)

two years pass...

I've listened to this "Catch You" song about 100 times this week.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 20:02 (nineteen years ago)

I think it's irredeemably average, and by her standards (ok, no love on this thread but still...) it's just terrible.

Spencer have you heard any of her stuff before this?

― about:coffee (fandango), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 20:21 (nineteen years ago)

Of her new songs I'm loving "If You Go". It's so radiantly beautiful.

― ana (ana), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 20:28 (nineteen years ago)

this is one of my favourite SEB songs - bear in mind of course that i've never liked ANY of her singles apart from 'groovejet' though.

basically: i am SO FUCKING BORED of electrorock as a template for uk pop. it sounded safe and boring when girls aloud did it with 'long hot summer' two years ago, it sounded really awful when the sugababes did it with 'easy' last year, it's yet another signifier of the stagnancy in uk chart pop that it's the fallback sonic template for singles like this. that said it's not as bad as 'easy', and i do like it - what turned me round was the amazing video where sophie totally, totally sells a song i hadn't been enamoured of previously.

please raise yr game next time though!

― antidote against poisoning (lex pretend), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 20:36 (nineteen years ago)

she looks weird in the video, and too thin.
at least the song is not 120bpm or so, that'd probably be worse (altho good if it comes out like kelly o's 'one word'). SEB's fastest single to date?

― vita susicivus (blueski), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 21:19 (nineteen years ago)

she's no thinner than me!

― antidote against poisoning (lex pretend), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 21:31 (nineteen years ago)

Spencer have you heard any of her stuff before this?

Of course! Fandango, I think we are on parallel yet inverse wavelengths...

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 21:35 (nineteen years ago)

the cameras must subtract 20 pounds. she was good on Popworld tho (cute dog yap).

― vita susicivus (blueski), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 21:35 (nineteen years ago)

She does look weird in the video - still hot though.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 21:36 (nineteen years ago)

bring back the sectacles (last seen in 'I Won't Change You')

― vita susicivus (blueski), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 21:38 (nineteen years ago)

steve, you're so emo.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 21:47 (nineteen years ago)

I think I love her.

― Haikunym (Haikunym), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 21:49 (nineteen years ago)

I liked all the non-chorus parts of "Murder on the Dancefloor." However, "murder on the dancefloor, but you better not kill the groove" is just too many syllables for that melody.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 21:49 (nineteen years ago)

xpost - possibly Spencer!

That video does sell the song well (perhaps by bridging the lack of interest between the choruses?) 'amazing' is a bit OTT though. It's pretty uncreative pop promo 101 stuff.

I think I'm most disappointed by how charmless and unmemorable this one is. If she'd hung on to her idiosyncrasies + added shiner production (I'm guessing Lex just thinks her previous stuff is too indie/guitar/singer-songwritery and processes it as = drab?) it really would have been fantastic.

― about:coffee (fandango), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 21:49 (nineteen years ago)

See for me, the verses are great build-ups to the chorus (which is obviously the sublime part).

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 21:55 (nineteen years ago)

sorry, must stop tending to the lexbot ;)

re: "too many syllables", yes! I think there being nothing really -imperfect- about this one is why it passes me by.

But then I've never been quite as down with perfectly buffed process-pop as most of ILM tbh :/

― about:coffee (fandango), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 21:59 (nineteen years ago)

I've never been quite as down with perfectly buffed process-pop as most of ILM

Then perhaps you'd be interested in this new group called HADOUKEN!

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 22:01 (nineteen years ago)

hee! I'll call them pop when I see them anywhere near a Top 40 ;)

― about:coffee (fandango), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 22:09 (nineteen years ago)

it is true re 'so emo'

i even like fall out boy now

― vita susicivus (blueski), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 22:12 (nineteen years ago)

(I'm guessing Lex just thinks her previous stuff is too indie/guitar/singer-songwritery

quite the reverse! it's cheap-sounding mediocre disco (stuff like 'murder on the dancefloor', 'take me home' etc), very british, very hookless, very atomic kitten.

unless you mean her indie band before she went solo, but they're just so crap as to not be worth acknowledging.

― antidote against poisoning (lex pretend), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 22:13 (nineteen years ago)

oh steve, I go away for a year and look what happens!

also fandango, be careful what you ask for...

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 22:13 (nineteen years ago)

steve, stop liking fall out boy. seriously, stop it

― antidote against poisoning (lex pretend), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 22:13 (nineteen years ago)

Never stop liking fall out boy! you know it's riiiiight.

I relistened to 'read my lips' recently and found myself absolutely adoring it: I really think it's aged well, that shiny lush post-kylie pop sound. Plus it is totally indie with its supergood album tracks ('by chance' is so tender!). Haven't listened to the new single enough to work out what I think of it though.

― ampersand, spades, semicolon (cis), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 22:15 (nineteen years ago)

"cheap-sounding" "very british"? fantastic!

― about:coffee (fandango), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 22:19 (nineteen years ago)

Shoot From The Hip was a pretty good album. If you're suspicious at least download:

"You Get Yours"
"The Walls Keep Saying Your Name"
"I Am Not Good At Not Getting What I Want"

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Thursday, 8 February 2007 07:12 (nineteen years ago)

she looks weird in the video, and too thin.

She is looking a bit thin these days. Shame.

― Tom D. (Dada), Thursday, 8 February 2007 10:03 (nineteen years ago)

whats the second album like? i never heard it. oh apart from the big hit off it.

― pisces (piscesx), Thursday, 8 February 2007 12:42 (nineteen years ago)

The first half is a bit weak in a "songs that sound like songs from a Sophie Ellis-Bextor album" kinda way, and then it gets progressively stronger as it goes along, venturing into weird corners: "Love It Is Love" is kind of like tribal house; "You Get Yours" is excellent electro-rock in a way that's totally different to the Xenomania blueprint; "The Walls Keep Saying Your Name" is gothic Victorian pizzicato pop, I guess a bit like Jem's "They" but better; "I Am Not Good At Not Getting What I Want" is a big drizzly ballad, and "Hello Hello" is a sparse, almost folky closer, only with skeletal electronic beats and shimmering keyboards in the chorus.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Thursday, 8 February 2007 13:07 (nineteen years ago)

i still like "Take me Home"

― Frogm@n Henry (Frogm@n Henry), Thursday, 8 February 2007 13:36 (nineteen years ago)

"I'm gonna burn your goddamn house right down" from 'murder on the dancefloor' is probably the least convincing threat in musical history. it was like being mugged by joyce grenfell.

― m the g (mister the guanoman), Thursday, 8 February 2007 13:39 (nineteen years ago)

I fucking love "Catch You."

― Aleeshie (Aleeshie), Friday, 9 February 2007 01:23 (nineteen years ago)

I predict that New York City Lights will feature in many a list of 2007's best singles (assuming it's released as a single, that is).

― davidsim (davidsim), Friday, 9 February 2007 04:05 (nineteen years ago)

four years pass...

New album a bit of a curate's egg, but very enjoyable with it. Second half occasionally bonkers crazy great - "Make A Scene" and "Homewrecker" is the A-material, but "Starlight" is fantastic too, though I'd be surprised if it even cracks the top 40.

― I don't wanna be with nobody but boobs. Oh no. (edwardo), Wednesday, 20 April 2011 07:01 (fifteen years ago)

er, not "Homewrecker". "Dial My Number" is what I meant.

― I don't wanna be with nobody but boobs. Oh no. (edwardo), Wednesday, 20 April 2011 07:05 (fifteen years ago)

nine years pass...

I kind of with she'd done something more creative with this, but it is literally impossible to make a bad song containing the "Spacer" sample:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdXecuVl7_4

― daavid, Monday, 9 November 2020 19:52 (five years ago)

That song itself is a cover, though?

― scampus fugit (gyac), Monday, 9 November 2020 20:06 (five years ago)

you wore a tie like Richard Gere!

― boxedjoy, Monday, 9 November 2020 21:28 (five years ago)

xpost - yeah, my comment was about how her version is more or less the same a Alcazar's but with slightly updated production, not really adding anything new to it.

― daavid, Monday, 9 November 2020 23:07 (five years ago)

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