Alisha's Attic

Alisha's Attic biography

Alisha's Attic were an English duo of the 1990s and early 2000s. The two members were sisters Shelly McErlaine (née Poole) and Karen Poole, born in Barking and Chadwell Heath respectively. Their father is Brian Poole of 1960s group Brian Poole and the Tremeloes. The "Alisha" referred to in the group's name is a fictional character created by Shelly and Karen, based on an imaginary childhood friend of Shelly's. "Attic" is a reference to the attic studio belonging to a composer friend, Terry Martin, where they originally recorded demos.

History

Discounting the sisters' teenage material (recorded as "Keren & Chelle"), Karen and Shelly's recording career began with the single "I Am, I Feel", a chart hit in the UK, and this was quickly followed by their debut album Alisha Rules the World in November 1996. for Best Newcomer, losing out to Kula Shaker.They were also nominated that year for an Ivor Novello for the best lyrical and melodic composition. In July 1997 the band played on the first Lilith Fair tour.

They went on to release two more albums; Illumina, which produced the singles "The Incidentals", "Wish I Were You" and "Barbarella", and the critically acclaimed album The House We Built, a mostly live album recorded with Bill Bottrell in Mendocino, USA. The two singles from this album were "Pretender Got my Heart" and "Push it all Aside". Both of these singles featured award-winning videos made by Sophie Muller. The group released one more album, in Japan - Japanese Dream - before they went their separate ways in 2003. Splitting with Mercury Records but staying with their publishers they both continue to be successful pop writers for other artists.

A solo album entitled Hard time for The Dreamer was released by Shelly in 2005; She also wrote and appears on Michael Gray's "Borderline".

Discography

Albums

• Alisha Rules the World (November 1996, UK #14)
• Japanese Dream (1997, Japan-only release)
• Illumina (October 1998, UK #15)
• The House We Built (July 23, 2001, produced by Bill Bottrell, recorded at Bill Bottrell's studio in Mendocino, California, UK #55)
• # "Sex Is On Everyone's Tongue"
• # "Can't Say Sorry"
• # "Push It All Aside" (single)
• # "Pilot"
• # "The House That We Built"
• # "Pretender Got My Heart" (single)
• # "That Other Girl"
• # "Perfectly Happy"
• # "She Ain't Missing You"
• # "If You Want Me Back"
• # "Devil You Call Love"
• # "Dreaming"
• The Attic Vaults 1 (August 2001, produced by Alisha's Attic); After separating from Mercury Records, Karen and Shelly produced and released an album of tracks that had been held back from their previous albums.

# "Strangers"

1. "Taken Back"
2. "Don't Let Love Bring You Down"
3. "The Last Letter"
4. "Too Far Forgotten"
5. "Real Love"
6. "When U Coming Home?"
7. "Impossible Dreamer"
8. "Flaws"
9. "Free"
10. "Stay Will U Stay"
11. "She's A Heroine"

The Collection (July 7, 2003)

Singles

• 1996 "I Am, I Feel" UK #14
• 1996 "Alisha Rules the World" UK #12
• 1997 "Indestructible" UK #12
• 1997 "Air We Breathe" UK #12
• 1998 "The Incidentals" UK #13
• 1999 "Wish I Were You" UK #29
• 2000 "Barbarella" UK #34
• 2001 "Push It All Aside" UK #24
• 2001 "Pretender Got My Heart" UK #43

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

---

Biography from , the free encyclopedia.
It may not have been reviewed by a professional editor, and recent changes may not show up straight away. See the latest version of this article. Used under licence. Subject to disclaimers.