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Was "The change" a good move?

24 replies

gessle-addict said on April 12, 2006 21:39:

Do you think “The change” was necessary? I mean, I’ve always wondered why Marie has released it if there was not going to be a minimum promotion anywhere. Ok, some might say it was not possible because of her illness. But, then, why, now that she’s a bit better, doesn’t she go on with her English solo career? Do you think she is repented or confused? Is Marie’s solo career an irregular one without a coherent continuity? These questions are meant to work as a trigger to start an interesting discussion about Marie’s intentions in her solo career. Let’s see what happens...

ally77 said on April 12, 2006 21:54:

I liked the album a lot, it was different but I tend to only listen to Marie during the winter time...

Kiwein1 said on April 12, 2006 21:55:

The only thing I can say is that some people won’t ever understand her decisions, ways, opinions and the way she feels music and life.

marcusvandeursen said on April 12, 2006 22:13:

Can only say, I love The Change more and more the more often i’ve listened to it... really curious about the new album now. esp. to see what arrangements have been made ...true to the originals or rather very different

rox-kuryliw said on April 12, 2006 22:34:

what a silly topic, one of my fave albums the change is way better recording than roomservice, Hand should have been in this style of recording.

marcusvandeursen said on April 12, 2006 23:00:

HAND still is my fav Roxette album, but must admit that in my opinion both THE CHANGE and SON OF A PLUMBER are better than any Roxette album.

gessle-addict said on April 12, 2006 23:18:

Well, I don´t think any topic is silly. What makes topics silly are posts without foundation. I would never say this topic is silly just because I love “The Change”, which in fact I do. I think one should learn to support his/her words so that the others take them seriously.

Back on topic, I think I understand Marie’s basis as an artist, but on the other hand, I also think it’s important to have a continuity either in English or in Swedish, because if not, companies get confused and the next time they won’t probably support any other international release. That’s my humble opinion on this.

roxtexanet said on April 13, 2006 03:03:

Well, Marie’s not a singles artist, it doesn’t really matter if she promotes a record like crazy or not, she’s got a loyal fan base that will support her anyway. But back to the topic, I think Marie released “The Change” when she did to send a message to her fans that she’s still in the game, and probably because some of the material was getting old... artists get bored of their own material if it sits around too long!! So, a good career move, I’d vote.

Oliver said on April 13, 2006 04:19:

I think being an artist is much more than having only no° 1 hits or any commercial success.

I’m proud of her because she shared her deepest feelings and emotions with us (the fans) and I’m not sure if I would do the same in this situation.

So thank you for “The change”.

I agree that this is not a Hit-Songs-Album, but it’s worth much more than any no° 1 album today (not in the meaning of money; I think you know what I’m talking about).

Jud (moderator) said on April 13, 2006 05:14:

If she felt she had to release the album, why not? She always wanted to release an album in English - so she made it come true :)

Burke said on April 13, 2006 06:18:

It’s a very very good recording indeed, so it certainly was a good move to release it.

Sparvogamarie said on April 13, 2006 09:31:

I’m guessing you mean was it a good move career wise? Frankly speaking, since Marie got ill I don’t think she gives a good god damn about career. And even before that, I don’t think it was her biggest priority which caused a lot of disagreement between her and Per.

Marie made The Change for herself, and was kind enough to release it for all of us. The fact that she didn’t lift a finger to promote it tells me that she didn’t care how it charted. Though I’m sure she’s smart enough to know that between fans and the supportive Swedish public, she’d sell more than 5 copies.

coyboyusa said on April 13, 2006 14:17:

honestly no, workign with her husband in my eyes kills her music, and least on the writing end, she could have waitied another year and given it the promotion it needed

ATLTK said on April 13, 2006 15:45:

I like it although its a quite dark album but Ientsv was also...

pwbbounce (moderator) said on April 13, 2006 16:29:

At first I thought she was very brave for releasing an album so soon, and, in my opinion, made her seem like she was better to a lot of the fans (before obvisously we knew that she wasn’t). The album itself was a mixture of happy and depressing songs, reflecting what she felt at the time of writing.

Even if the album was promoted, I still don’t think it would’ve set the charts a light anywhere really. It’s not a very commercial album. Some would say that’s a good thing, and sometime it is. I think that when an artist has been away from limelight for whatever reason, when they return they need to try and do a more commercial album.

Just my opinion, I know a few of you won’t agree with this at all, but hey, what can I do???

eBay said on April 13, 2006 16:31:

I actually think ’A table in the sun’ is the best recording from Marie and I prefer this song to anything Per has ever done (sorry!), so yes, this was totally worth Maries while.. well for me anyways.. ;-)

Roxryder-V2002 said on April 13, 2006 16:34:

I disagree. First of all i don’t think The Change was a move at all. You have to see that dispite she’s an artist it’s her life and if she doesn’t try what she wants now then i don’t know when she’s going to. Add to this all that happened the last couple of years. She always wanted to do an english album and also she always said she wanted to do a jazzy album so maybe it was the right time to do it. And for me it really fits the mood and the lyrics of the songs perfectly.

I don’t see it as “irregular” she’s making the music she feels like since Het Vind. I don’t think she was looking for an english career with The Change in fact she has one career as a solo artist and it could be both in swedish and english. Was she looking for eternal success with The Change? No, and the same it’s for Per and Son Of A Plumber but with a bit more promo. It’s a passion more than a career or a job.

The feeling is that her fan base / public it’s on its 20th (long 20th, some) and she’s made a mature record from the point of view of an adult that she is and been through a very tough time and is trying to get over it the best it can be.

Sparvogamarie said on April 14, 2006 07:17:

I agree with everything you said Roxryder. If Marie was actually looking for an English career with The Change, she would have actively promoted it and pushed for an international release. I don’t know what was in her head when she released it but she said in the docu that the album was a kind of therapy for her, and once it was made I guess she felt it would be nice to release it. I don’t think The Change would have been a good choice for her big solo breakthrough if that’s what she was trying to do, she’d need something more radio friendly and modern (and Micke free...)

AURYTE said on April 15, 2006 10:22:

I agree with most of you. I’d just like to add that there’s nothing wrong or “irregular” to switch between Swedish and English. Just look at Per:

The World According To Gessle
Mazarin
Son Of A Plumber

alexandre100 said on April 15, 2006 12:18:

I think it was a good move, I wanted some of the Roxette stuff to be on that way... But the next ROXETTE move won’t be good... Why do release another greatest hits album, with just one new song? Per said that Marie doesn’t want to “work much harder” on it, she doesn’t want to feel tired... So, why just not release that album? It would be more respectful to her and to Roxette fans...

ThePopHits said on April 15, 2006 18:45:

no.

Leila said on April 16, 2006 03:42:

It was a very good move. She made the album for herself and I think it is a masterpiece.

gessle-addict said on April 16, 2006 05:04:

Interesting. But, if she wasn’t looking for an international career and was doing it just for herself, why did she record the album in English and release it internationally?

Fortius said on April 16, 2006 05:59:

Maybe because she knows that there are people who cares about her from all over the world that not necesarily understand swedish...I think.

And agree that being an artist, she doesn´t care if the change doesn´t have any ” N°1 hits”. Just a need for expresion, how can a situation like that not leave any deep thoughts and reflections? It´s a gift that she had released that album, the same as with this new swedish album.

Sparvogamarie said on April 16, 2006 10:01:

About recording in English: Marie actually said in an interview that she chose English because the Swedish word for “Change” wasn’t as powerful as she wanted. She said it felt like a word that meant “a change in the weather” while the English word Change felt meaningful for her. She’d also dreamed of an English solo album for a long time. But really, if she was looking for a big solo career she did a half-assed effort of promoting it, and looking at how Marie behaves these days I think a major career is the last thing she wants.