I will go through this thread this weekend and post some comments apologies for being a bit MIA! Had a quick glance though and yay justice for Paradise Lost!

Alright it's time to start my catch up recap with this. I've got a bit to do...

'Last Thing On My Mind' is an evergreen classic, I was also preparing to finish primary school at the time and it really reminds me of that period.

 

It's always fascinating to see just how HUGELY they built themselves with each of their first 4 singles. By late 1998 they really were the top dogs.

Words Are Not Enough finishing last isn't the biggest shock to me, but I do enjoy it in patches when I listen to it. It's just a shame the video is so bad. Baby Don't Dance, I'm kind of glad this one never ended up being a proper single as I would've much preferred Only In My Dreams. I Know Him So Well, another one that I like but was expecting in this region of the rate. One of their ballad highlights I think. Dancing With A Broken Heart, it might sounds harsh but I could live without Steps version ever existing, with so much better choices left on the original album it baffles me that this was released as a single. My choice for last place. When I Said Goodbye is one I remember really liking when first getting Steptacular and even when it got the single release I preferred it to Summer Of Love, not so much now though.

Is it time for another entry?

8. Summer of Love | 9.176 Highest Scores: 11: (Jessie Where, Aaron), 10: (Nina West, Hazelnuts, LMFan, Jay), Lowest Scores: 7: (Feel The Fever, Liam.k)


At #8 is Summer of Love, released in July 2000 as a double a-side single alongside 'When I Said Goodbye', which featured on their 2nd album Steptacular, while 'Summer of Love' was a brand new track that was later included on the group's 3rd studio album Buzz. The song was first showcased on the set-list of their 'Summer 2000 Arena Tour' in May of that same year. Upon release the song peaked at #5 on the UK singles chart & spent 11 weeks on the charts. Of note this was the first & only time Steps would incorporate the Latin-Pop genre into their sound.

A prime example of Steps using that tried and tested formula of the double a-side release & in this case it was definitely needed as 'When I Said Goodbye' a sombre ballad would have been a tough sell on its own, especially given that it was a 5th release from an album that had already sold over a Million copies & the fact that it was a ballad, which would have way too risky for the summertime. But having this bright upbeat bop alongside it makes total sense as it became the main selling point for this release. Steps may have been a bit late capitalizing on the Latin Pop craze, but nonetheless they created what is perhaps one of their finest singles with its euphoric production that ramps up everything to maximum levels with such bombastic energy & that moment when the bridge builds to that explosive chorus, pure pop perfection. Not only a spectacular way to end an era, but also marked a fantastic way to introduce fans to the next album (if that makes any sense).

My absolute favourite :wub:

 

When I listen to this, I close my eyes and imagine I'm in the middle of a Pride parade - wearing a pink feather boa.

Yeah for Paradise lost! The single that got away..Last thing, another classic witch I have nice memories off :heart: And SOL, brilliant and uplifting track.

Summer of love is a good song, not their best and far far from their worst but i see i was one of the lowest scorers of it in the rate.

Continuing on with my catch up A Hundred Years Of Winter whilst ok is something I'd have chosen as a single from WTFH pt2, especially when you have Living In A Lie and Wasted Tears sitting on the album. 5,6,7,8, now this one was a shock. I know it has it's fair share of people that don't like it but I expected it to rate higher. Better The Devil You Know, now don't hate me for this but back in the day I preferred this to the Kylie original. In my defence I'd never heard the Kylie original until after this was released. A solid cover and I think ended up in about the right spot, maybe a few places lower than I'd have liked but oh well. Hard 2 Forget, I've never been a huge fan of this, so to see it above 5,6,7,8, Better The Devil You Know and even some ballads just doesn't sit quite right with me.

Which version of better the devil you know do you prefer now?

Summer of Love :heart: Such a banger. It sounded extra fantastic as the opening song at their 2018 summer shows!

Which version of better the devil you know do you prefer now?

 

I’d say it’s pretty much even at the moment, but the more I hear Kylie’s original the more it grows on me.

 

What a welcome surprise it is seeing Just Like The First Time end up at #31, better than I expected. When I found out this was an Australian exclusive on Steptacular I remember thinking "Finally we get something. All these missed singles and we finally get something special". It's a song I loved on the first listen and whilst it's dropped down the pecking order for me I still do enjoy it. The Runner is for me anyway the vastly superior of the two new songs from the Platinum Collection and whilst it's production slightly lets it down it feels like classic Steps to me. Take Me For A Ride was one I remember liking on first listen as I thought it was quite different to what we'd come to expect from Steps.

 

To be honest No More Tears On The Dancefloor is one I've never really gotten into much, I don't know why or what it is but it just never clicked with me. Saying that it's great to see it here. Wasted Tears, now here's an album track I really like. This along with Living In A Lie were such missed opportunities from their last album.

Agree on your comments on both the runner and Iiving in a lie. Kylies BTDYK is such a classic for, after over 30 years I never tire of it and its aged so well.

I have edited my post of 'Happy' at #24 on Page 5 to include the live performance video, I found one on YouTube that wasn't recorded on someone's phone.

 

Plus #7 is on its way.

Edited September 24, 20222 yr by Nina West

Looking forward to the next song :cheer:

7. It's The Way You Make Me Feel | 9.205 Highest Scores: 11: (Nina West, Herbs, Jay), 10: (gooddelta, Hazelnuts, JospehStyles, LMFan, Run For Cover, Aaron, gog lad84, spiceboy), Lowest Scores: 4: (Feel The Fever)


At #7 is It's The Way You Make Me Feel, which comes as a surprise considering this won the last rate back in 2018, but that was 4 years ago & since then they've added even more cracking gems to their ever growing discography. The low score of 4 is what prevented it from climbing higher. The 9.2 average is still mighty impressive for a low top 10 position. Released in January 2001 as the 2nd single from their 3rd studio album Buzz. This was their first release without any production by PWL, instead Steps worked with Swedish producers Jorgen Elofsson & David Kreuger from Cheiron Studios who were responsible for big hits by acts such as Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys & N'Sync. Upon release there was some minor controversy when the song was stocked prematurely a week earlier resulting in 1,400 sales & a debut entry of #72. The week of its release it managed to climb to a #2 peak with sales of 53,400. Many fans believe that it would have reached #1 if it hadn't been available early. The single's b-side was a cover of Marvin Gaye's 'Too Busy Thinking About My Baby' which was taken from the 'Motown Mania' album.

This is one of my all-time favourite Steps songs & was an instant highlight for me upon the album's release (which I bought the very day it came out). This is a prime example of Steps evolving their sound & working with Cheiron Studios was an excellent move for them as they crafted an excellent pop track with polished production that fits within' their brand of pop & yet at the same time sounded unlike anything else they'd released before. Everything about this song is pure perfection the crisp instrumental hook, the sweeping romantic strings & that stunning chorus which adds a touch of drama to this classy number. The classy costume drama music video which was inspired by 'Dangerous Liaisons' goes brilliantly with the song. This is widely considered as one of Step's very best songs & I have to say I totally agree.

It's a classic, and it perfectly suited the exact time of year it was released too.

Also looking at the top 10 that week, it's quite clear those sales from the week before still wouldn't have been anywhere near enough to make it #1:

 

1- TOUCH ME- Rui Da Silva Ft Cassandra (68,471)

2- IT'S THE WAY YOU MAKE ME FEEL/ TOO BUSY THINKIN BOUT MY BABY- Steps (52,000)

3- EVERYTIME YOU NEED ME- Fragma Ft Maria Ruba (51,000)

4- CAN WE FIX IT- Bob The Builder (39,000)

5- STAN- Eminem (33,000)

6- NEVER HAD A DREAM COME TRUE- S Club 7 (24,000)

7- WHO LET THE DOGS OUT- Ba-Ha Men (18,000)

8- NO GOOD 4 ME- Oxide & Neutrino (17,000)

9- WHAT MAKES A MAN- Westlife (15,000)

10- INDEPENDENT WOMEN PART ONE- Destiny’s Child (15,000)

Surprised this one is out! Such a classic, if only for Lisa and her bracelets :heart: Happy about it’s average score though!

 

Indeed, I still don’t think it would’ve reached number 1.