All Saints - Pure Shores

walked the deserts, swam the shores

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Jark

Jark

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let's talk about this UTTER CLASSIC!



isn't everything about it just dreamy and swell? the aquatic production, the gorgeous harmonies, the little moment it kicks up a gear and becomes rocky and a bit schizo. the turn-of-the-century William Orbit chillout vibes of it all. :disco: it feels so timeless still. definitely one of the great girl group singles of all time.
 
It felt like a RoL facsimile even then, though there's no denying it's a great song.
 
Controversially, I have never enjoyed it and I adore All Saints. It's always felt a little cold even though it is objectively a great song.

Black Coffee on the other hand.
 
I love it. But there’s about 5 songs better than it on the first album!
 
It's remarkable the dearth in quality on that second album between the Orbit sessions and the rest. :D

This and Black Coffee, 10/10 unimpeachable classics, but the fact that all they had left was ALL HOOKED UP speaks volumes.

The other two Orbit tracks are lovely too, but were clearly never singles.


 
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The best number one of the noughties

William Orbit felt like a god. Until two weeks later and that dreadful American Pie cover.

VoR is spot on about the album though. The Orbit tracks are the only ones worth bothering with. All Saints were a curiosity - they ACED it every time they went downtempo, but you always got the sense that they really just wanted to tit about with bratty nonsense like All Hooked Up and Bootie Call.
 
I recently read about Saints and Sinners and how it came about. If you take out the Orbit tracks from it and replace them with leftovers that ended up as b-sides, you clearly have an album lacking hitz.
Something had to be done about it because the record company was not happy. Besides, I didn't know it was only Shaznay who pursued Orbit after traveling to the US and managed to write some tracks without asking the rest of the girls (I always assumed they all had a writing credit on both singles), regardless if they agreed or not; they were shooting a movie apparently so they couldn't get out of the UK. Also, there are a couple of tracks where at least one girl's vocals are missing :D MESS.
 
Last edited:
Pipo said:
they were shooting a movie apparently so they couldn't get out of the UK.
Click to expand...

Bless Shaznay for SAVING THE ALBUM while the other three faffed about making one of the worst films ever.
 
Sometimes the evil record companies are RIGHT

Can you imagine them trying to come back with All Hooked Up as the lead single? And what after that - Ha Ha?!
 
I’ve NEVER actually explored All Saints as an albums act, I’ve always just appreciated them as a girl group with a slightly mature, edgy vibe and mostly killer singles.

Based on this thread I think I might keep it that way. :D
 
untilted said:
I’ve NEVER actually explored All Saints as an albums act, I’ve always just appreciated them as a girl group with a slightly mature, edgy vibe and mostly killer singles.

Based on this thread I think I might keep it that way. :D
Click to expand...

The first album was great.

At the time…
 
I don't think any of their albums are BAD.
 
I didn't get this one at the time, and I still dont get it now - sorry. :D
 
Wasn't Saints & Sinners released around the same time as Coast To Coast and Forever? OTT: but, what a time to be alive following the album charts, and what AWFUL albums those were in retrospect.
 
'Studio 1' is very good. Obviously it was a flop and the jacket-based resentment was clearly still BUBBLING AWAY. But it's good. It's got a lot of character.
 
Red Flag
All Saints
Saints & Sinners
Testament
Studio 1

But ALL GREAT. Studio 1 sounds so good to 2024 ears, but I just can't not rank it last compared to everything else.

Back on topic Pure Shores is one of the best songs from the turn of the millennium and I can't believe not everyone thinks so. Orbit was so in his prime and carved out a lovely little eponymous genre for himself for a few years there.
 
Saints & Sinners was possibly the most disappointing album ever. The first album was pop/R&B perfection. The second album was a cold mess. The orbit tracks are GREAT but belong on a completely different album (imagine them on the Appleton album for example - seamless)

The weird and unexpected comeback album in 2006 or whenever it was is fun if a bit of a mess.

The two recent albums are fabulous. Shame nobody cared at that point because they are realy well produced and well written albums.
 
Red Flag
Testament
Studio 1
All Saints
Saints & Sinners

I don't know if they've got better with time because they're more confident in their identity, or if it's just freedom arising from presumably less invested record companies.
 
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