Backround
After the departure of Marcella Detroit in 1993, Fahey continued as the act's sole member and began work on #3 in the same year with Robert Hodgens and Dave Stewart. After the mediocre performance of the album's lead single, Shakespears Sister were dropped from London Records in 1997. #3 was not released until 2004, independently through Fahey's website. Fahey spoke on the circumstances surrounding the album's release in an interview:
"I tried to fight for but you cannot win against the giants. I managed to get it through the back door and somehow, miraculously, they put pen to paper and gave it back. It was just sitting there on the shelf and someone said: ‘Oh, give her back her record. She just wants to release it to the fans.’ It’s now out in its original form and features a duet with Billy Mackenzie . That was the last thing he recorded before he died."
Fahey has stated she was dropped not because of I Can Drive's commercial performance, but due to her label thinking the album "too alternative for a woman of my age". The album was released through major retailers for the first time in November 2012, in a new "Expanded Edition" of the album, featuring unreleased tracks, b-sides, and remixes.
Read more about this topic: 3 (Shakespears Sister Album)