Alexis Strum's surprise career revival

Oh that’s quite lovely. It’s not on Apple Music, but I can’t blame her for only forking out for one streaming service.

I bought the album from Mr CD in Soho’s Berwick Street back in the day, purveyor of all sorts of promos, imports, unreleased and unavailable stuff. That basement was like Aladdin’s cave and a must-visit every Saturday afternoon.

I’ve got the album on now and it really is great.
 
Christian said:
Oh that’s quite lovely. It’s not on Apple Music, but I can’t blame her for only forking out for one streaming service.

I bought the album from Mr CD in Soho’s Berwick Street back in the day, purveyor of all sorts of promos, imports, unreleased and unavailable stuff. That basement was like Aladdin’s cave and a must-visit every Saturday afternoon.

I’ve got the album on now and it really is great.
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They went to quite an effort with the promo CD, it looks and feels quite special.

Shame that didn't extend to releasing the album.
 
I put the Alexis album on this morning. Very good stuff. Long Way Home :(

Towards the end of the very extensive promo blurb in the booklet:

You can expect to get to know Alexis Strum very well over the next few years
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Not to be :(
 
Didn’t she have two unreleased albums? What rotten luck.

I have a promo CD from 2004 with the original Still Standing which is pretty much exactly the same as Kylie’s, and also Nothing Good About This Goodbye which Rachel covered.
 
More stuff from Alexis Strum including some known album tracks she presumably wrote/recorded before they went to their respective homes

 
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Tisch said:
More stuff from Alexis Strum including some known album tracks she presumably wrote/recorded before they went to their respective homes

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Can we not split this out into an Alexis Strum thread? There’s been a fair bit of discussion between this and Cocoon.

Anyway, as for Addicted, I’ve got most of the songs already from the various samplers, but excited to listen to the whole thing and with the new bits added on.

Also, for those of you new to LA STRUM, enjoy the poppers o’clock mix of the title track. I have a marvellous radio edit but can’t find it on YouTube, so this will have to do:

 
Nothing Good About This Goodbye is such a great pop song. especially in its polished final form. her voice was not the strongest but tonally it has a bit of Siobhan about it. happy for her being offered a deal! did she take it?

 
I'd never heard her version of Still Standing before. it's very weird not hearing Kylie on it but you can hear that she more or less mimicked Alexis' vocal to a tee.
 
Oh good for her, I'll definitely give this a listen.

Strangely, Coccoon is listed in Apple Music as a "pre-release" with only 3 tracks available and a release date of 27 March 2006. Was the whole thing ever actually there? Is it coming too?
 
Christian said:
Oh good for her, I'll definitely give this a listen.

Strangely, Coccoon is listed in Apple Music as a "pre-release" with only 3 tracks available and a release date of 27 March 2006. Was the whole thing ever actually there? Is it coming too?
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It is being released on vinyl and CD on 6th October, I assume the digital will be out then too.

I think there are some new songs to me on the Warner album, without checking there were only five or six on the album sampler I have.
 
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I loved Cocoon and Bad Haircut and Nothing.. and never understood what happened to her .. so so pleased for her ! and still sounds great
 
FetchFugly said:
It is being released on vinyl and CD on 6th October, I assume the digital will be out then too.

I think there are some new songs to me on the Mercury album, without checking there were only five or six on the album sampler I have.
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I had everything other than the final two songs. There were a couple of samplers at the time and I’m guessing some random leaks.
 
It's a shame somebody like Natalie Imbruglia never picked it up. Much as I love Come & Get It, Rachel really didn't have the (emotional) RANGE.
 
Not to mention her balsa wood performance of it on GMTV. She didn't deserve it in retrospect even if I think her version is the best of the two.
 
VoR said:
It's a shame somebody like Natalie Imbruglia never picked it up. Much as I love Come & Get It, Rachel really didn't have the (emotional) RANGE.
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I absolutely refute this. Her blank delivery adds a real emotional resonance to it for me. It’s one of the few times I’d argue it works.

Also, the demo version with the dark electro stabs at the start is so much better and more sinister.

Strum’s is the definitive, though.
 
So Addicted is now on Spotify but not Cocoon ( the Album) .. although Nothing .. is now on Addicted- wasn’t that originally on Cocoon ? .. and will the album be released eventually ?
 
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There’s also some good Cocoon bsides and related tracks to hunt down.

Train on the Track
The Starting Line
Go My Own Way

Oh, I’ve just noticed they’re all on the deluxe cd. Ignore me. :D
 
I really want Addicted on vinyl.

I’m slightly annoyed the Cocoon vinyl isn’t deluxe with everything on it too.
 
Sheena said:
I had everything other than the final two songs. There were a couple of samplers at the time and I’m guessing some random leaks.
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Just checked on Discogs and the last two songs were b-sides on the pulled Addicted single. Presumably this release isn't the album that would have been released if things had panned out but it is a nice collection.

I'm guessing Addicted physicals are less likely as it appears to be a Warner release.
 
FetchFugly said:
Just checked on Discogs and the last two songs were b-sides on the pulled Addicted single. Presumably this release isn't the album that would have been released if things had panned out but it is a nice collection.

I'm guessing Addicted physicals are less likely as it appears to be a Warner release.
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Weird that single is listed in Discogs when it never actually came out. No one owns it and I’ve never heard the songs leak…

Not sure about the final track listing, but surely the album was fully recorded if it got to sampler status? Maybe that means there’s even more in the vaults.
 
And yes, it is unlikely to see a physical release, which is a shame. Maybe Cocoon will perform so well they’ll allow it.

Imagine if the dull album sales market allows it to actually reach the lower echelons of the chart!
 
She did a very long live on Instagram last night which I just started watching.

She said at the beginning that Addicted might *exaggerated wink wink* be getting a physical release.

Also she explained how Still Standing was originally written for Kylie but the label turned it down so she recorded it for her own not to be album. Then when that didn't happen it ended up going back to Kylie. I did not know that :o

I might watch the rest later to see if there is anything else interesting.
 
I listened to the rest of her live last night.

It sounds like the first album tracklist was not finalised before she was dropped. There were four additional songs (including one called Circles she went on about a bit) she sent for inclusion on the digital release, but Warner did not have any record of owning them so they couldn't be used. It sounded like this means she owns the masters for them so could release herself.

She also talked about Me and You This Time, which was written for and rejected by Kylie, before being offered to All Saints and lots of other people. This was between albums and sounds like she owns this one too.

She was asked to join Xenomania but turned them down as she still wanted to be a popstar at that point.

Coming On Strong was written about a one night stand after too many cocktails at TGI Fridays.

It sounds like she had a lot of fun on writing trips/jollies to the US for the first album.

She was asked if she would like to write for anyone and seemed keen to do something for Louise. She said she had worked with Tina Barrett(!) on some songs that didn't come out and also nearly killed her in a car crash.

There are early plans for an intimate acoustic evening with Alexis Strum event in London.

I think that is about it. I do worry a little if the numbers are there for some of this, but she seems to be having fun and taking it for what it is.
 
Thanks for the summary!

Re: numbers, yeah, I do wonder as well, but they can’t be expecting anything too dramatic, right? There’s surely enough interest for a small, one off gig somewhere central? I’d certainly make efforts to go.
 
Justice for Alexis! So glad the campaign worked. She's been brilliant on Insta responding to us fans and so gracious about the whole thing. I'm glad she's finally getting some recognition for her music.
 
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