Is it true that you recorded a follow up to 'Octopus' that never got released?


  Phil: We did six months work in Sheffield and that was crap so we threw it away. Then I went to London to work in Battersea with Ross Cullum. We did a really intense six months and some good ideas turned up there. We listened to a load of other stuff for inspiration. Ross was also playing around with different distortion techniques, so from that work we ended up with like a table of effects really. More ideas developed from that and had a lot to do with the final sound of 'Secrets'.



So essentially you spent a year or more working on the album?


Phil: It was 13 months with Toy, but then we were dropped by East West, just after the stuff with Ross. We were basically costing them more than they were making them.
Joanne: The record company got completely restructured, the managing director left and most of their bands were just dropped. They were disposing of bands that were in the Top 10 at the time.


It seems odd that they would drop you. 'Octopus' had gained fantastic success, and didn't Virgin release your greatest hits off the back of it?


Phil: Well...I hate talking about the Spice Girls, but it is the all time apochryphal tale that Mel B was dropped with a No.1 hit in tow.
Joanne: 'Octopus' was a success, but again the decision to drop us had nothing to do with how good we were doing. At the time, East West also had Simply Red, they were earning bucket loads but were dropped all the same. I think they got rid or more or less everyone...
Phil: Except, I think the American stuff. I think they wanted quick turn around. Specifically, we were signed up by Ian Stanley for East West and he and his best friend, the managing director, both left. At that point we might as well have left anyway. There's no point being there without anyone to support you.
Joanne: We've done that before as well. When we were with Virgin, there was no one there that understood us, supported us or really knew why we were on their label. That doesn't help your career at all..it's not productive.
Susanne: It had been taken over by EMI as well, it was just massive...