Alisha's Attic

Alisha's Attic
Shelly (left) and Karen (right)
Background information
Origin	London, England
Genres	Pop
Years active	1996–2001
Labels	Universal, Mercury
Past members	Shelly Poole Karen Poole

Alisha's Attic were an English pop duo of the 1990s and early 2000s. The two members were sisters Shelly and Karen Poole, born in Barking and Chadwell Heath respectively.[1][2] Their father is Brian Poole of 1960s group Brian Poole and the Tremeloes.[3]

History

1988: Karen and Shelly

Karen and Shelly released their first single, "Sugar Daddy", as Keren & Chelle [sic] in 1988,[4] reaching No.167.

1996: Alisha's Attic

In July 1996, Alisha's Attic released their debut single "I Am, I Feel", which quickly became a radio and chart hit in the UK. This was followed in November 1996 by their debut album Alisha Rules the World.[3], produced by Dave Stewart of Eurythmics, and it spawned four top 15 UK hits. They were nominated for Brit Award for Best New Artist at the Brit Awards 1997[5] In July 1997, the band played at the first Lilith Fair festival.[6]

In October 1998, Alisha's Attic released their second album Illumina, which produced the singles "The Incidentals", "Wish I Were You" and "Barbarella".

A third album The House We Built was released in 2001.[7] The two singles from this album were "Pretender Got My Heart" (which was featured in the film Bridget Jones's Diary) and "Push It All Aside". Alisha's Attic split in 2001.

Both members went on to become successful songwriters, writing for artists such as Kylie Minogue, Dannii Minogue, Will Young, and Sugababes.[8] Shelly is also in the band Red Sky July.

Discography

Alisha's Attic discography
Studio albums	3
EPs	1
Compilation albums	2
Singles	9

Studio albums

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions				Certifications
		UK [9]	AUS [10]	GER [11]	SCO [12]
Alisha Rules the World	Released: November 1996 Label: Mercury	14	54	58	29	UK: Platinum[13]
Illumina	Released: October 1998 Label: Mercury	15	—	—	31	UK: Silver[13]
The House We Built	Released: July 2001 Label: Mercury	55	—	—	90
"—" denotes items that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

Compilation albums

Title	Album details
The Collection	Released: July 2003 Label: Spectrum Music
The Attic Vaults I	Released: August 2001 Fan club release only

Extended plays

Title	EP details
Japanese Dream	Released: 1997 (Japan only) Label: Mercury

Singles

Year	Title	Peak chart positions							Certifications	Album
		UK [9]	AUS [10]	FRA [14]	GER [11]	IRE [15]	SCO [16]	SWE [17]
1996	"I Am, I Feel"	14	18	40	69	13	14	23	UK: Silver[13] AUS: Gold[18]	Alisha Rules the World
	"Alisha Rules the World"	12	26	—	69	24	16	60
1997	"Indestructible"	12	128	—	—	—	13	—
	"Air We Breathe"	12	—	—	—	—	13	—
1998	"The Incidentals"	13	—	—	—	—	14	—		Illumina
	"Wish I Were You"	29	—	—	—	—	27	—
1999	"Barbarella"	34	—	—	—	—	30	—
2001	"Push It All Aside"	24	—	—	—	—	17	—		The House We Built
	"Pretender Got My Heart"	43	—	—	—	—	51	—
"—" denotes items that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

Other songs

• A cover version of Suede's "Still Life" for the 1996 charity album by ChildLine.
• A cover of The Crystals' "He's a Rebel" for the 1997 film Bean.

References

1. "Alisha's Attic – news, lyrics, pictures, reviews, biography, videos, best songs, discography, concerts, gossip, pictures and tour dates". NME. 26 September 1998. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
2. Kwaku (29 June 1996). "Mercury betting the house on Alisha's attic". Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 26, p58. ISSN 0006-2510.
3. Sexton, Paul; Horak, Terri (15 March 1997). "Mercury set to open up U.K.'s Alisha's Attic in U.S". Billboard. Vol. 109, no. 11. p. 15. ISSN 0006-2510.
4. "Dreamlogic". Discogs. Archived from the original on 6 November 2014. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
5. Hudson, Heidi (April 1997). "Alisha's Attic". Lesbian News. 22 (9): 37. ISSN 0739-1803.
6. Courant.com: Alisha Rules The World: 24 July 1997
7. Tony Barrell (25 February 2001). "A Town Called Alisha". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
8. "Alisha's Attic". Discogs. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
9. "Official Charts > Alisha's Attic". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
10. Australian (ARIA) chart peaks:
    • Top 50 peaks: "australian-charts.com > Alisha's Attic in Australian Charts". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
    • Top 100 peaks to December 2010: Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
    • Alisha Rules the World (album): "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Albums Chart – Week Ending 15 Jun 1997". Imgur.com (original document published by ARIA). Retrieved 9 April 2017.
    • "Indestructible": "Response from ARIA re: chart inquiry, received 5 June 2015". Imgur.com. Archived from the original on 5 June 2015. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
11. German chart peaks:
    • "I Am, I Feel": "Alisha's Attic – I Am, I Feel (single)" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
    • Alisha Rules the World (album): "Alisha's Attic – Alisha Rules the World (album)" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
    • "Alisha Rules the World" (single): "Alisha's Attic – Alisha Rules the World (single)" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
12. "Scottish Albums". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
13. "UK Certification". British Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on 27 June 2019. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
14. "French Singles". lescharts.com. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
15. "Irish Singles". irishcharts.ie. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
16. "Scottish Singles". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
17. "Swedish Singles". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
18. "ARIA Charts Accreditations - 1997 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 4 June 2016.

External links

• Official Alisha's Attic website (offline)
• Alisha's Attic discography at MusicBrainz