| DISCOGRAPHY: TRIP THE LIGHT FANTASTIC |
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» Year: 2007
» Released: 21 May 2007
» Label: Fascination
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Sales: 80,000 (+)
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01. Catch You
02. Me and My Imagination
03. Today The Sun's On Us
04. New York City Lights
05. If I Can't Dance
06. The Distance Between Us
07. If You Go
08. Only One
09. Love Is Here
10. New Flame
11. China Heart
12. What Have We Started
13. Can't Have It All *
14. Supersonic *
* Only available on the UK version
UK Albums Chart: #7
Estonia Albums Chart: #18
Polish Album Chart: #52
French Albums Chart: #81
Mexican Albums Chart: #85
German Albums Chart: #87
Irish Albums Chart: #93
Swiss Albums Chart: #28
UK: Silver
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You've got to love Sophie Ellis-Bextor. With her unflappable poise, permanently arched eyebrow and that earl grey and buttered scones voice, she's the
Penelope Keith of pop.
But despite the clutch of brilliant singles she's released - 'Murder on the Dancefloor', 'Mixed Up World', 'Move This
Mountain' - she's yet to nail her very English charm to an LP's worth of songs. In a pop landscape filled with charismatic, talented female stars
(Lily, Amy, Mutya), 'Trip The Light Fantastic' might just be her last chance.
Nobody could accuse the lady of shirking a challenge. She's bagged
songwriting credits from a bevy of pop A-listers - Greg Kurstin (Lily Allen, All Saints), Xenomania (Girls Aloud, Sugababes), The Feeling's Dan
Gillespie-Sells - and she's spent the last few months hawking two singles (The turbo-charged stalker-pop of 'Catch You' and the sun-dappled disco of
'Me And My Imagination') on any TV show prepared to frame her cheekbones.
Her nonchalant lip-syncing always suggest the presence of a record exec
off-camera pointing a gun to her head, but who can blame her when it's Paul O'Grady's superannuated audience that she's performing for?
Fortunately,
the hard work has paid off. Trip The Light Fantastic easily fulfils the promise of its fizzy singles. The paean to escapism 'New York City Lights' bursts
with the same energy as Parallel Lines-era Blondie, while 'If You Go' sets a cascading melody to a shuffling samba rhythm. Crucially, Ellis-Bextor's not
afraid to trade good taste for a decent tune. 'China Heart', after a few drinks, sounds like Bonnie Tyler's 'Holding Out For A Hero' set to a Hi NRG beat.
'Love Is Here', one of two co-writes with Gillespie-Sells, is essentially The Feeling covering a Donna Summer song. There are a handful of less
impressive moments - 'Only One' tries, and fails, to prop up its insipid melody with jerky, Talking Heads-style rhythms - but the overall impression is of
a confident, supremely elegant woman frolicking in a pool of glitter.
Her voice is as limited as Gordon Brown's sex appeal, but it ensures that
whatever cap she dons - guitar pop balladeer ('Today The Sun's On Us'), synth pop crooner ('The Distance Between Us'), the world's archest disco diva
(most of the album) - she always sounds exactly like Sophie Ellis-Bextor. This is a good thing.
When she declares, halfway through the album, 'If
I can't dance, I don't want any part of your revolution', you can't help but wonder, just for a moment, how on earth those pesky Frenchies of 1786 managed
to storm the Bastille without Trip The Light Fantastic as a soundtrack.
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Catch You Greg Kurstin; written by Dennis and Kurstin Me and My Imagination Matt Prime; written by Ellis-Bextor, Prime
and Robinson Today The Sun's On Us Jeremy Wheatley and Brio Taliaferro; written by Ellis-Bextor, Robson and Woodford New York City Lights
Richard Stannard; written by Ellis-Bextor, Rowe and Stannard If I Can't Dance Dimitri Tikovoi - Jeremy Wheatley and Brio Taliaferro
[additional production]; written by Ellis-Bextor and Tikovoi The Distance Between Us Liam Howe; written by Ellis-Bextor and Howe
If You Go Brian Higgins and Xenomania - Justin Spier and Matt Jackson [additional production]; written by Ellis-Bextor, Cooper, Higgins
and Powell Only One Dimitri Tivokoi - Jeremy Wheatley and Brio Taliaferro [additional production]; written by Ellis-Bextor and Sells
Love Is Here Jeremy Wheatley and Brio Taliaferro; written by Ellis-Bextor and Sells New Flame Dimitri Tikovoi - Jeremy Wheatley
and Brio Taliaferro [additional production]; written by Ellis-Bextor and Tikovoi China Heart Pascal Gabriel; written by Ellis-Bextor,
Gabriel and Robinson What Have We Started? Pascal Gabriel - Jeremy Wheatley and Brio Taliaferro [additional production]; written by
Ellis-Bextor, Gabriel and Robinson Can't Have It All Jeremy Wheatley and Brio Taliaferro; written by Ellis-Bextor and White Supersonic
Jeremy Wheatley and Brio Taliaferro; written by Ellis-Bextor, Schneider, Brody and Staub.
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CATCH YOU
Released: 19 Feb 2007
Label: Fascination
HCP: #8
Sales: 120,000 (+)
TRACKS:
01. Catch You
02. Down With Love
TRACKS (12''Disc):
[Side A]
01. Catch You
02. Catch You (Jay Cox's Fizzekal remix)
[Side B]
01. Catch You (Moto Blanco remix)
02. Catch You (Digital Dog remix)
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ME AND MY IMAGINATION
Released: 14 May 2007
Label: Fascination
HCP: #23
Sales: 8,000 (+)
TRACKS:
01. Me and My Imagination
02. Move To The Music
TRACKS (12''Disc):
[Side A]
01. Me and My Imagination
02. Catch You (Riffs & Rays mix)
[Side B]
01. Here's To You
02. Me and My Imagination (StoneBridge vocal mix)
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TODAY THE SUN'S ON US
Released: 06 Aug 2007
Label: Fascination
HCP: #64
Sales: ?
TRACKS:
01. Today The Sun's On Us
02. Duel
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The promotion of Trip The Light Fantastic was just as good as the Read My Lips promotion. Even though there aren't
shows like TOTP or CD:UK anymore, Sophie managed to promote her singles and the album through other shows.
Although her first
single, Catch You was released only in February, she started its promotion in the first day of 2007!! Its first performance
was on BBC's New Year's Eve and the video was first aired in the middle of January. She did loads of TV appearances,
including many appearances of Popworld (as well as performances) and other shows such as Paul O'Grady, T-Mobile and Richard & Judy.
On Paul O'Grady |
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Exclusive radio gig |
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TV appearance |
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Featured in magazine |
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For the promotion of Me and My Imagination and Today The Sun's On Us, Sophie did some other TV performances, including The
Dame Edna Show, on which she also performed Fame, Loose Woman, This Morning, Soundtrack To My Life and Les
Tubes Des Tubes. She also performed If I Can't Dance on DanceX.
Sophie also did some appearances on the radio and she
also did two exclusive performances for them, including the Edinburgh and City Hall ones. And she was featured in many magazines,
InStyle, RED Magazine, YOU Magazine, Marie Claire, Boyz Magazine, Evening Standard, News Of The World
and many others, also from other countries around Europe.
Sophie also performed in some important festivals such as The V, Summer Sundae and Sopot Festival in Poland. Also,
she (amazingly) performed three times at G-A-Y, including on its 10th anniversary in December and she also performed alongside
The Feeling there in the beginning of the year, singing Video Killed The Radio Star.
Sophie also promoted Trip The Light
Fantastic outside the UK. She went about five times to Russia - for festivals and club gigs -, she also went to
Romania, where she came back for another performance in the New Year. She also did some performances in Poland, France,
Germany and Holland.
at Summer Sundae |
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At G-A-Y |
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Supporting Elton |
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Gig in Moscow |
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To help in the promotion of the album, Sophie supported George Michael in the UK leg of his tour. She also supported Elton
John in his O2 gig. She also started her own UK tour in August, but it was postponed because she accepted to support
the Take That UK tour, supporting them in 34 gigs.
Sophie will re-start her own UK tour in March 2008, promoting the album as well as the Greatest Hits. Certainly, 2008 will be another busy
year for Sophie! |
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» During the very first performance of Catch You, BBC gave the wrong microphone to Sophie and nobody could hear
the whole first verse of the song.
» The release of the album was postponed many times because Sophie wanted the album to be perfect. She said that if there's
something that's going to take her away from Sonny and Richard it has to be worth it.
» Sophie counted on the help of her husband's band, The Feeling. Dan Gillespie-Sells, their lead singer, collaborated with her
on two songs, Love Is Here and Only One. He also did some additional backing vocals, and Richard played bass in many
songs.
» Sophie wrote about 80 songs for this album during the three years of production.
» She worked with Kerin Smith. You might know him from her theaudience's days - he was the bass player.
» Sophie was secretive about the artwork of the album. First, she said that she'd not be on the cover. Later, it was
replaced by the actual cover, which is a picture of her face.
» In the beginning of the year, the company sent a 5-track sampler to the radiostations - the five songs, Catch You, Me and My Imagination,
Today The Sun's On Us, New York City Lights and If You Go leaked onto internet.
» Although the fans wanted the release of If You Go as the third single, Sophie kept her decision and released Today The Sun's
On Us.
» Later in July, Sophie happily announced that Trip The Light Fantastic would have a fourth (maybe even a fifth) single. But
she couldn't decided between If I Can't Dance and Love Is Here. In August, she told Digital Spy that the fourth single would be If
I Can't Dance.
» BUT then, the company wanted her to release a Greatest Hits album, in celebration of her 10th career anniversary.
It was supposed to be released in November, therefore, the release of the fourth single was cancelled.
» Not only the release of the fourth single was cancelled, but her own tour as well. She accepted the Take That invitation to
support their UK tour. Due to that, the Greatest Hits was pushed back to March and so was her own tour.
» Even though the release of the Greatest Hits was pushed back, Sophie didn't confirm if If I Can't Dance was still going to be
release, especially after the announcement that it'd be on the St Trinians official soundtrack.
» Love Is Here is Sonny's favourite song from Trip The Light Fantastic - funnily enough, it was written about him.
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