Right Now | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 16 March 2000 [1] | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 38:07 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer |
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Atomic Kitten chronology | ||||
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Alternative covers | ||||
Singles from Right Now | ||||
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Right Now is the debut studio album by English girl group Atomic Kitten,released on 16 March 2000. The first release of the album originally peaked at number 39,putting the group at risk of being dropped by their record label. Following the departure of Kerry Katona in January 2001,the album was re-released on 6 August 2001 featuring vocals from new member Jenny Frost with additional new tracks featured on the album. The re-release was a success,peaking at number 1. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark members and Atomic Kitten founders,Andy McCluskey and Stuart Kershaw,were among the album's principal songwriters.
There are three versions of the album:the rare original Japanese release,the original UK edition which peaked at number thirty-nine,and the re-issue which topped the UK Albums Chart.
Atomic Kitten embarked on an Asian tour early on in their career and the album was first released in Japan. One of the early ideas for Atomic Kitten was that of an animated pop band influenced by Japanese anime and manga;leading to the original version of Right Now being highly bubblegum pop-oriented. Right Now was subsequently released in the United Kingdom on 23 October 2000 with a slightly modified track listing,but at first there were no plans to focus on the worldwide market. When Kerry Katona left the band during the promotion of "Whole Again",she was replaced by Jenny Frost. After the success of "Whole Again",the video was reshot and the album was re-released globally except for the United States with Frost's vocals added to a number of tracks,including a newly recorded cover song,"Eternal Flame",as well as an additional single for the European,Australian,South African and New Zealand audiences,"You Are",giving the album a more mature pop sound.
A combination of tracks from this album and their next album Feels So Good were later included on a 2003 compilation album for the United States entitled Atomic Kitten .
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [10] |
NME | [11] (original) |
NME | [12] (reissue) |
RTÉ | [13] |
Right Now received generally mixed reviews from music critics. AllMusic rated the album four out of five stars. [10] Andrew Wagstaff from British music website NME called Right Now "a fizzing pop album;unashamedly fun,funky and shot through with class. Really. It’s a belter." He found that "instead of padding out the [latter] half an hour or so with boring,boring ballads and ill-conceived cover versions,there are at least four or five [more] songs on Right Now that would make great singles [...] Atomic Kitten have scored a brilliant victory for pure pop." [11]
In a less enthusiastic review of the 2001 re-release of Right Now,his colleague Steven Wells wrote that "the fact is that Atomic Kitten have conquered the ickle girl,camp gay and dirty ole man markets and,for this week (and this week only),they are the cock-a-hoop,lustily crowing ding-dong King Kongs of Britpop. Which leaves only one (hugely irrelevant) question:is the rest of the album any frikkin’good? And the answer is (of course):No,don’t be daft. It’s shite." [12] John Raftery,writing for RTÉ,found that "the album is a 14-track wade through the most risible,sugary mess you could ever find yourself in [...]The fact that three young women are performing it does not excuse the excruciating boredom and,frankly,disquiet,that listening to the orgasmic pleadings of these three creates [...] This album may be the first sign of the decline of Western civilisation as we know it –or just the worst record of the new millennium." [13]
The original version of the album debuted at number thirty-nine,dropping to seventy-four in its second week. [14] It spent a total of four weeks on the chart. It was re-issued due to the success of "Whole Again",where it topped the charts. It stayed in the top 100 for thirty-seven weeks. [14] It was eventually certified double platinum. In Switzerland,the album debuted at number twenty-six. However,it wasn't until fourteen weeks later that the album reached its peak position of number four. This was around the time of the release of "Eternal Flame". It was certified gold. The album was also peaked at number four and was certified gold in Denmark. The album also reached the top ten in Germany,Austria,Belgium,and the Republic of Ireland. In New Zealand the album was certified platinum in and it peaked at number twelve,managing to spend twenty-five weeks on the chart. In Australia,the album peaked at number eighty-six,something the group was not expecting after "Whole Again" was certified double platinum. The album peaked at sixty-one in France.
There are three versions of the album:the original Japanese edition and the original UK edition were released with the original line-up featuring Kerry Katona,while the re-issue was released with the second line-up featuring Jenny Frost.
The original Japanese edition was released first and features rare versions of various tracks. The album features an exclusive song entitled "Real Life",the final mix version of "Holiday" (included as the B-side to the single "Whole Again" in demo form),demo versions of "Cradle","I Want Your Love" (titled "All the Right Things"),and "Whole Again" (mainly featuring Katona speaking all of the verses),and an exclusive remix of "Right Now".
The original UK edition features a different track listing. Replacing "Holiday" and "Real Life" are "Get Real","Turn Me On" and the fourth single "Follow Me". Also included are new versions of "I Want Your Love","Cradle",and "Whole Again" (where the verses are sung by Natasha Hamilton and Liz McClarnon);the latter song reaching No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart when released as a single. The Japanese edition was re-released to match the UK edition and featured a bonus cover of the Monkees' "Daydream Believer".
Due to the success of "Whole Again" and Katona's departure from the group,a re-issue was released in the UK featuring a new track order and re-recordings of songs to feature Frost performing Katona's solo parts,such as "Right Now" and "Whole Again". "See Ya" and "I Want Your Love" were not re-recorded and were relegated to bonus tracks at the end of the album,while "Do What You Want" was excluded in favour of new songs "Tomorrow &Tonight","You Are" and the re-issue's lead single (sixth overall),"Eternal Flame",which would become another big hit for the group,becoming their second No. 1. "Bye Now" was also re-recorded with a new arrangement and newly added vocals from Frost. "Cradle" was not re-recorded,but was slightly remixed for the reissue.
The UK re-issue is the only edition available through digital outlets like iTunes. However,this edition replaces the ballad-like album version of "Eternal Flame" with the commercial mid-tempo single version ("You Are" remains the album version).
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Right Now" | Absolute | 3:35 | |
2. | "See Ya" |
|
| 2:52 |
3. | "Hippy" |
| Engine | 2:50 |
4. | "All The Right Things" |
|
| 3:19 |
5. | "Whole Again" |
|
| 3:19 |
6. | "Cradle" |
| Simon Franglen | 3:18 |
7. | "Real Life" |
| Engine | 3:18 |
8. | "Do What You Want" |
| Engine | 3:43 |
9. | "Bye Now" |
|
| 3:57 |
10. | "Holiday" |
| Cutfather & Joe | 3:05 |
11. | "Strangers" |
| Engine | 2:49 |
12. | "Right Now" (Dance Man Remix) |
|
| 4:10 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Right Now" |
| Absolute | 3:35 |
2. | "Follow Me" |
|
| 3:15 |
3. | "Cradle" |
| Quiz & Larossi | 3:45 |
4. | "I Want Your Love" (album version) |
|
| 3:15 |
5. | "See Ya" |
|
| 2:52 |
6. | "Whole Again" |
| 3:03 | |
7. | "Bye Now" |
|
| 3:57 |
8. | "Get Real" |
| Engine | 3:39 |
9. | "Turn Me On" |
| Engine | 3:40 |
10. | "Do What You Want" |
| Engine | 4:02 |
11. | "Hippy" |
| Engine | 2:48 |
12. | "Strangers" |
| Engine | 2:44 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
13. | "Daydream Believer" | John Stewart | K-Muto | 3:07 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Right Now" (1) |
|
| 3:35 |
2. | "Follow Me" (2) |
|
| 3:15 |
3. | "Whole Again" (1) |
| 3:05 | |
4. | "Eternal Flame" (1) | Ray Ruffin | 3:30 | |
5. | "Tomorrow and Tonight" (1) |
|
| 3:26 |
6. | "Get Real" (2) |
| Engine | 3:40 |
7. | "Turn Me On" (2) |
| Engine | 3:42 |
8. | "Hippy" (1) |
| Engine | 2:50 |
9. | "You Are" (1) |
| Mac | 3:33 |
10. | "Cradle" (alternate mix) (2) |
|
| 3:50 |
11. | "Bye Now" (1) |
|
| 3:32 |
12. | "Strangers" (2) |
|
| 2:44 |
13. | "See Ya" (2) |
|
| 2:52 |
14. | "I Want Your Love" (album version) (2) |
|
| 3:15 |
Notes
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [36] | Gold | 25,000^ |
Germany (BVMI) [37] | Gold | 150,000^ |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [38] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
South Africa (RISA) [39] | Gold | 25,000* |
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [40] | Gold | 25,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [41] | 2× Platinum | 600,000^ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Edition | Label |
---|---|---|---|
Japan | 16 March 2000 | Original | Virgin |
United Kingdom | 23 October 2000 |
| |
Worldwide | 6 August 2001 | Re-issue |
Atomic Kitten were an English girl group formed in Liverpool in 1998, whose original lineup comprised Kerry Katona, Liz McClarnon, and Natasha Hamilton. The group was founded by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) members Andy McCluskey and Stuart Kershaw, who served as principal songwriters during Atomic Kitten's early years. The group's debut album Right Now was released in October 2000 and charted at number 39 in the United Kingdom. After five top ten singles, original member Katona quit – four weeks before "Whole Again" reached number one in the UK Singles Chart – and was replaced by former Precious singer Jenny Frost. "Whole Again" became the group's most successful single, staying at number one for four weeks in the UK and six weeks in Germany, and reaching number one in many other territories; in Britain, it was the 13th-best-selling single of the 2000s. The group re-released their debut album, with some tracks re-recorded with Frost's vocals: it peaked at number one in the UK and was certified double platinum after selling over 600,000 copies.
Kerry Katona is an English television personality and former singer. She was an original member of the pop girl group Atomic Kitten between 1998 and 2001, leaving before the group's success. Katona has appeared on various reality television shows, including I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here (2004), Celebrity Big Brother (2011), Dancing on Ice (2011), and Celebs on the Farm (2021), as well as her own documentary series about her life on MTV UK.
Jennifer "Jenny" Frost is an English singer and television presenter. She is best known as member of girl groups Precious and Atomic Kitten, replacing Kerry Katona in the latter.
"Eternal Flame" is a song by American pop rock group the Bangles for their third studio album, Everything (1988). Released on January 23, 1989, the power ballad was written by group member Susanna Hoffs with the established hit songwriting team of Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly. Upon its 1989 single release, "Eternal Flame" became a number-one hit in nine countries, including Australia, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Since its release, it has been covered by many musical artists, including Australian boy band Human Nature, who reached the Australian top 10 with their version, and British girl group Atomic Kitten, who topped four national charts with their rendition.
Elizabeth Margaret McClarnon-Cho is an English singer, songwriter and actress. She is the longest serving member of the girl group Atomic Kitten, with whom she has scored three number-one singles and two number-one albums. McClarnon co-wrote several Atomic Kitten songs, including the UK top 10 hits "See Ya", "I Want Your Love" and "Someone Like Me".
Heidi India Partakis is an English singer, best known as a former member of the girl group Sugababes. She was an original member of girl group Atomic Kitten, however she left the group before they released any material. In 2001, Range replaced original member Siobhán Donaghy in the Sugababes, after which the group enjoyed higher commercial success and accumulated six UK number-one singles as well as two number-one studio albums over the course of a decade, before the line-up at the time disbanded in 2011.
"The Tide Is High" is a 1967 rocksteady song written by John Holt, originally produced by Duke Reid and performed by the Jamaican group the Paragons, with Holt as lead singer. The song gained international attention in 1980, when a cover version by the American band Blondie became a US and UK number one hit. The song topped the UK Singles Chart again in 2002 with a version by the British girl group Atomic Kitten, while Canadian rapper Kardinal Offishall had a minor hit with his interpretation in 2008.
Feels So Good is the second studio album by girl group Atomic Kitten and the first full original album featuring Jenny Frost. The style of the album is both comparable and different from the first album as it has upbeat dance songs, but consists mainly of pop ballads and midtempos. As with debut album Right Now, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark members and Atomic Kitten founders, Andy McCluskey and Stuart Kershaw – who parted ways with the group during recording – made multiple songwriting contributions.
Ladies Night is the third studio album by English girl group Atomic Kitten. It was released by Innocent Records and Virgin Records on 10 November 2003 in the United Kingdom. Named after the same-titled 1979 song by American band Kool & the Gang, the trio reteamed with producers Ash Howes and Martin Harrington, both of whom had contributed to their previous album Feels So Good (2002), to work with them on the majority of the album, while additional production was provided by Ciaron Bell, Julian Gallagher, and Steve Robson, Richard "Biff" Stannard and The True North Music Company. Written and recorded in a time span of seven months, the band co-wrote on eight songs of the album's standard version, with Jenny Frost and Liz McClarnon each credited as songwriters on three tracks, while Natasha Hamilton co-wrote two.
"Whole Again" is a song by British girl group Atomic Kitten for their debut studio album, Right Now (2000). It was co-written by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark members and Atomic Kitten founders Andy McCluskey and Stuart Kershaw, along with Jem Godfrey and Bill Padley, with production helmed by McCluskey and Kershaw under their production moniker Engine. Godfrey and Padley are credited as additional producers.
The Greatest Hits is the first compilation album by the English girl group Atomic Kitten. It was released by Innocent Records and Virgin Records on 5 April 2004 in the United Kingdom, following the announcement of their disbandment. Containing all of the group's chart hits from their first three studio albums Right Now (2000), Feels So Good (2002) and Ladies Night (2003), it reached the top five of the UK Albums Chart and number eight in New Zealand. "Someone like Me," initially recorded for Ladies Night, and "Right Now 2004," a re-recording of their debut single, were released as double single on 29 March 2004.
The discography of British girl group Atomic Kitten consists of three studio albums, seven compilation albums, four video albums, and twenty-one singles. The group's debut album, Right Now, was released by Virgin Records in the United Kingdom in October 2000. It reached number thirty-nine on the UK Albums Chart and spawned four top twenty singles; "Right Now", "See Ya", "I Want Your Love" and "Follow Me". The album's sales did not meet the expectations of the label, and the group were to be dropped. However, the group managed to persuade the label to let them release one more single, "Whole Again", which reached number one on the UK Singles Chart for four weeks and number one in Germany for six weeks. Due to this success, all plans to drop the group were scrapped. The group then released "Eternal Flame", a cover of The Bangles hit, which also reached number one in the UK. Atomic Kitten then re-issued the album Right Now, and it topped the charts in the UK and was certified double Platinum.
Atomic Kitten is the American debut album by Atomic Kitten. The girl group had previously been successful in Europe, Oceania and Asia and already released Right Now and Feels So Good, which both went to number one on the UK Albums Chart, however there had not been any release in the United States. It was therefore decided to make an album consisting of tracks from both previous albums.
"I Want Your Love" is a song by Atomic Kitten, released as the third single from their debut album, Right Now (2000). The song samples the theme to the 1958 film The Big Country, and it was produced, arranged, recorded, and mixed by Damien Mendis at Metropolis Studios in London.
"Right Now" is the debut single of English girl group Atomic Kitten from their first album of the same name (2000). The song was re-recorded twice: once for the album's 2001 re-issue with new member Jenny Frost and again in 2004 for the group's Greatest Hits album. The 2004 version, titled "Right Now 2004", proved to be a greater international chart success. The song was written by Atomic Kitten founders and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark members Andy McCluskey and Stuart Kershaw.
"You Are" is a song by English pop girl group Atomic Kitten. It was written by Paul Gendler, Wayne Hector, Ali Tennant, and Steve Mac and recorded for the 2001 reissue of the band's debut album, Right Now (2000), while production was helmed by Mac. "You Are" is an uplifting midtempo ballad; the instrumental elements used on it include keyboards, a piano, strummy guitars, soft drums, and a prominent string riff. Lyrically, the song finds the female protagonist expressing her love and affection for a man who doubts whether he is the right one for her.
"The Last Goodbye" is a song by British girl group Atomic Kitten. It was written by Daniel Poku, Espen Lind, Mikkel Storleer Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, Hallgeir Rustan, and Peter Björklund and recorded by the band for their second album Feels So Good (2002), while production of the song was overseen by Rustan, Eriksen and Hermansen under their under their production moniker Stargate. "The Last Goodbye" is built upon a flute motif and an acoustic guitar loop. Lyrically, the break-up song finds the trio thinking deeply over a relationship with their love interests from whom they parted.
"Cradle 2005" is a song recorded by English girl group Atomic Kitten from their compilation The Greatest Hits. It was released as a single on 14 February 2005, in aid of World Vision. It is a re-recorded version of a song that was previously included on their debut album, Right Now (2000). "Cradle" was released a year after the group's announcement of their split in 2004. "Cradle 2005" reached number 10 on the UK Singles Chart and number 46 in Ireland.
"Someone like Me" is a song by British girl group Atomic Kitten. Released on 29 March 2004 as the third and final single from their third studio album, Ladies Night (2003), the piano-driven track was issued as a double A-side with "Right Now 2004", a remixed version of their debut single, "Right Now". With the group having announced their split prior to the song's release, it was originally intended to be released as their final single, though they later released a further three one-off singles in 2005 and two charity singles in 2006 and 2008. The group reformed officially in September 2012 without Jenny Frost, who was replaced with original member Kerry Katona.
This is a summary of 2001 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year.