Sound of the Underground (Sound Of The Underground - Girls Aloud)

Member Name: Whizz11

Product:	Sound Of The Underground - Girls Aloud
Date:	09/11/09 (57 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Pop, dance

Disadvantages: Not as good as other girl bands

One of their members, Cheryl Cole is making quite a successful name for herself on the solo market at the moment but it all began for her way back in 2002 with 4 other girls, called Girls Aloud.

Love them or hate them, they have been around for quite a while now. Girls Aloud are a band, created on the television series Popstars: The Rivals. They consist of Cheryl Cole, Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh. Since their beginning they have achieved 20 consecutive UK Top 10 singles and two UK number one albums. According to an article I read, Guinness World Records lists them as "Most Successful Reality TV Group" in the 2007 edition. They also hold the record for "Most Consecutive Top Ten Entries in the UK by a Female Group" in the 2008 edition.

Their first single was entitled Sound of the Underground and this went on to become the title of their first album too. This was released on 26th May 2003. The album cover is rather psychedelic, with neon lights behind the girls and featuring them in silver spacesuit type outfits. They are all wearing something designed a bit differently and this has been the pattern in their career of wearing similar outfits but just in a different colour, or some of them in a skirt, rather than trousers, etc. The album entered the charts at number two and went platinum after a re-issue on 1 December 2003.

So, what's my opinion of the album. Well, it's good pop fun, it's ok. I think it did well because of all the hype surrounding the band and the way they were formed. People in this country love a real life reality show as a way to put bands together and after they do everyone scrambles to get their hands on their new material just to say they have listened to it I think, regardless of whether it is any good or not. I don't think this album is as good as say a Spice Girls album, it's got ok songs but none I think that will stand the test of time and that you will remember in a few years the way the Spice Girls have. Apparently at the time, the album was described as a mix of "Blondie and Bananarama, with a smattering of the Spice Girls at their best thrown in." I can see the connections and agree with this statement although I stand my theory that you really will not remember most of these songs in a few years time whereas, the above artists songs still are known to this day. I actually think they have gotten better over time and some of their current stuff is fairly good.

Probably one of the only songs that does actually stand out for me is their cover of the Pointer Sisters' dance hit, Jump. I think they did this cover a good service and made it current and up to date. The real reason why I remember it though is because it was featured in the 2003 film, Love Actually, one of my favourites.

The rest of the tracks are as follows:
1. Sound of the Underground
2. No Good Advice
3. Some Kind of Miracle
4. All I Need (All I Don't)
5. Life Got Cold
6. Mars Attack
7. Stop
8. Girls Allowed
9. Forever and a Night
10. Love/Hate
11. Boogie Down Love
12. Don't Want You Back
13. White Lies
14. Love Bomb
15. Everything You Ever Wanted.

Summary: Girls Aloud - Sound of the Underground