Poptimists Spice Special!

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

One of the great things about 2006 is that it is the 10th anniversary of SPICEMANIA. Summer 96 was when Wannabe got to No.1 and Changed Pop Forever.



How better than to celebrate than with an BIG POLL? How about with a big poll and a great pop song! "Take Me Home", a link to which won't appear in this post, is the B-Side of "Say You'll Be There" (I think, botherd if not), and starts off with one of the Spices imitating Tricky (!) and then turns into a bit of a 'dark' number. Very good record, if you don't already know it.


[Poll #656277]

Comments

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

re Changing Pop Forever. it's more that they were the biggest all-girl British group ever both here and around the world (except in Japan where they may not have surpassed SHAMPOO). Of course just being big doesn't change things (Westlife have changed NADA) but it was something that hadn't really been done before - as many as FIVE girls together, with their visible DYS differences in character and personalities (very strong, esp. when you compare them to both the likes of Bananarama in the past, and Girls Aloud today).

the oddest thing I found was that I didn't really fancy any of them evah which also set them out a bit, assuming other people felt the same way as me. none of them had an anodyne sex-doll look and there was that down-to-earth aspect that appealed. whether consciously or not, this may have helped push the strength of the songs further (but in the press of course the empthasis was regularly on the girls sex appeal (or Mel C's supposed lack of) and their antics).

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Westlife have had a huge effect, Steve - by getting enormous at the time they did they've completely helped set the expectation/style for most reality TV stars - Gareth, Will at first, Steve Brookstein, Shayne, Michelle, absolutely all of them singing that kind of mid-paced stoolpop that actually didn't have any real currency before Westlife.

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

Well I'd give the 'credit' there more to their predecessors Boyzone really - Westlife took all they had from them surely. And Take That and the Spice Girls DID dabble in stool-pop at least.

maybe we should be saying it was Fuller and Cowell who changed Pop, but that would be dull.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Nothing TT or the Spice Girls did sounds anything like Westlife - ok MAYBE "Goodbye" but nothing by TT, their ballads were meant to swing like new jack ballads even if they didn't.

Proto-Westlife songs: "Mull of Kintyre", "Sailing", little else. Boyzone yeah I'll grant you but there's a heft to Westlife which BZ didn't have.

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

maybe 'Love Ain't Here Anymore' by TT for the Westlife precedent.

[martinskidmore.livejournal.com]

well, before Boyzone, who were what Changed Pop Forever to allow Westlife to be the way they fucking have been.

[martinskidmore.livejournal.com]

I fancied all of them, though once they were taken apart I haven't much fancied any of them, which is interesting. I didn't see that effect with e.g. All Saints where the former members are just as attractive as they were when in the band.