Indeed, I'm a little surprised that she wasn't more diplomatic about it. Mel not even attempting to put a positive spin on it and being like "uh just a vinyl, how boring", which as you say is completely underselling what the release actually is... gosh. It really does seems suggestive that she's not at all fussed that the box set is happening at all.

If Mel signed off on it (which she must have done?) then why throw it under the bus. 😲 Not when it's so pricey and is meant to be representative of a celebration of their music legacy... hmm! Yet even on the day of the immediate backlash, Mel was seen having liked somebody's annoyed post that it was just a box set and not a tour.

I was kind of amused (rather than angered) by her being like this in the interview, but amused in an "oh that's not-" way rather than thinking it was a smart way for her to react about it.

Would any of the viewing audience, or people who see that on YouTube, feel at all motivated to even check out what the release is, let alone buy it? I'd be very surprised, not when they see the actual artist being dismissive of it.

I'm still very bemused by the overall online reaction to the existence of the box set to be honest. A countless number of artists get legacy releases like this and there's no uproar about it. Trust it to be the Spice Girls who get a negative reaction for what is really intended to be a collectors edition, not a "casuals" product. It kind of devalues it as a project, when it should be a key ingredient towards preserving the legacy.

I also agree that it's quite a slap in the face to anyone involved in making the box set happen. I think it's highly evident by now that it's the Spice Girls themselves who are the stumbling block in letting fans have what they want i.e. more unreleased songs/demos than "here's one, that'll do". The curators/designers/label people etc did their best within the limitations presented to them, I think. They've sourced the vast majority of the remixes, there's some songs that'll be on streaming for the first time ever. That's a good thing!

It being crickets from the others is a shame too. I'd hope some of them would promote it on their socials nearer the time maybe, but I won't hold my breath.

I'll try and bring this essay (lol) to a close now but I've been feeling a building irritation in recent years that the Spice Girls have been boiled down to Wannabe, endless t-shirts and a constant "will they/won't they tour?" as if touring is their only thing of value. Which isn't helped by some of the girls themselves only seeing a tour as a viable option for them to get together. There's a lot they could do together that isn't touring, stuff that doesn't have to be making new music either.

Ahhh the endless frustrations of being a Spice Girls fan... x

Damn right, Jay

I think it is extremely sad on how they behave with most of the releases. It might not be selling millions but it is your own legacy of music we're talking about here and it is disrespectful.

And yes, by their own fault, they have been reduced to rumours about a tour, Wannabe and selling tshirts. Funny enough, when the pre-announcement went viral, there were many people demanding a tour and an album, not just a tour.

Clearly the demand is there. But some of them only see a tour as a possible way to reunite, which also is so self-defeating because they know two of them wont want to tour. I blame Mel C here, primarily, but also Mel B only talks about a tour as well. I think without new music or at least something new, it will be hard to convince Geri to get back on stage again.

So they are stuck, stuckup and rude. It does not bode well at all for anyone. Fans are bored of this, and I bet the label is seriously pissed - again! I would be if not even one of them acknowleged any release since 2022!