First off sorry for my lack of posts lately... I was sick and lazy, but i'm all better now!
Yesterday I went online to discover that pop music has taken two more hits with the break up of two more bands this week. Today I dedicate a post to one of them...
Liberty X
I know most people won't care about the break up of Liberty X, but this is a band who deserves some respect for their achievements.
The band was formed back in 2001 on the Uk tv show - Popstars. The show that formed 'Hear'Say.' Liberty X were actually the runners up, coming in 2nd place. After the show the 5 decided they would stay together and form 'Liberty,' the bands original name. The name referred to the fact that they were free from the contractual restraints that 'Hear'Say' would be placed under.
Soon after 'Liberty' began releasing music the problems started. After 2 singles the band were sued by another band who had been popular in the early 90's who were also called 'Liberty.' After a court case the judge agreed that the new 'Liberty' would have to change their name. After 5 months out of the spotlight the new name was announced and the 5some went on as 'Liberty X.'
As a positive, in the 5 months that the court case went on, Liberty X had a chance to record their next three singles! When 'Just A Little' was released at the start of 2002 it went on to become one of the 10 best selling singles of 2002 in the Uk.
After 5 hit singles from their debut album, the band soon released their 2nd album and the first single 'Being Nobody' which was a collaboration with immensely successful producer Richard X. Being Nobody reached number 3 in the charts and the second single 'Jumpin' reached number 6.
Soon things began to change. Despite being their strongest album to date, the album stalled in the charts at #12 and the 3rd single coming in at #13. It became clear that the record label 'V2' was unhappy with the results of the last album and the group went on hiatus.
For the next year each of the band members focused on solo projects. Perhaps this did more to tarnish their image as band members took part in cheesy reality shows like "The Games," "Celebrity Wrestling," and "Come Ice Skating."
In Mid-2005 the band announced they had split with V2 and as a result had lost the rights to songs they had recorded for their 3rd album, including a song with Richard X. The band had to write new material for the 3rd album. The first single was the amazing 'Song 4 Lovers' which was still owned by V2 and was a duet with Rev Run of Run DMC. The song was an immediate hit and was another top 5 hit for the band.
Unfortunately the success didn't last. The album which included 4 old singles, the new single and a previously released b-side was ravaged by critics. The album peaked at #27 in the album charts. The band refused to give up and soon released "A Night To Remember" as the official Children in Need single for charity. The track was another top ten for the band.
Despite the lack of album sales the band were convinced they still had a chance at success. The band took a 6 month break and re-launched in July with a fan-favorite single - 'X.' Unfortunately, while the single was spectacular, the track received little or no airplay and the video was entirely made up of cheesy computer effects. The song failed to even make the top 40, their worst charting in 5 years. Unknown to the public, the album was re-released with the singles 'A Night To Remember' and 'X.'
On May 21st the band announced they would be splitting up and would not record together as a band again.
It's dissapointing that a band with so much talent and promise has to end on such a low note. Once one of the biggest acts in the Uk, most people won't even care about the split. It's clear that pop music has changed and unfortuntely not for the better. So while most people won't even notice the loss of Liberty X, I'm taking a moment to remember the good times and celebrate this band for what they did in the 6 years they were together.
The song that exploded their career and made leather and canes hot.
This song is hard hitting and the lyrics are extremely catchy. The band plays the girls off the boys perfectly. The track has an anthemic feel to it. While this song was their worst performing single to date, it was one of my all time favorite Liberty X songs.
This was recorded with Kool & The Gang for Uk television show 'Discomania' and was also released as a single in France.
This track is beautiful. I remember being put off by the rapping bits in the middle, but I think it's really interesting how you can take such an uplifting track and put so many different elements in it and still make it work. "There's a song 4 lovers you can hear all the time..." I love the breakdown at about 2:50 when they slow things down and add the choir and the hand clap.
An album track from 'Being Somebody' it was always one of my favorite tracks. I found that ever track experimented with really unique sounds for a pop song. You'll know what I mean when you listen to this one.
This is the perfect song to end a post on the split of Liberty X. Again it was an album track from their 2nd album and probably the best slower track they ever did. Again I love the unique sounds that are used in these songs. I also love the guys vocals on the second verse. The guys in Liberty X are extremely talented.
