ThePensmith

"Everything's Eventual", the debut and only album from All Saints members Nicole and Natalie Appleton - collectively known as Appleton - is coming out on vinyl for it's 20th anniversary later this year! Pre-order is now live at Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Appleton-Everythin...C297&sr=8-2 I loved this album so much when it came out, I'm so excited we're getting this to mark it's 20th anniversary ☺️

Just had a listen now. Very atmospheric, it reminded me a little bit of "Move This Mountain" off the first album, that same sort of vibe. I like a lot!

Not strictly true - they are all credited writers (admittedly, as S Club 7) on both "Bring It All Back" and "Don't Stop Movin'" (although how much they wrote is another issue for another time). Bradley also had a few co-writing credits on later albums. Also, no one's suggesting here that they should have been paid crazy amounts, but compared to say, Steps, their earnings paled in comparison relative to what actual revenue they were generating for Simon and 19 Management. So they deserved more than what they actually earned. Everyone remembers that awkward interview they did prior to splitting on Liquid News with Claudia Winkleman, and when they started attempting to answer her question about the fact Simon was earning more than they were, only for one of his PAs to come marching in ordering the interview to be stopped - which in no uncertain terms is the moves of a man who had something to hide. TBH, without wishing to descend into conspiracy theories here, part of you does wonder if that was some sort of press stunt that was pulled literally days before "Say Goodbye" and "BeSt" were due to be released. Likewise, that brief episode two years earlier where the boys all got "cautioned" for smoking cannabis. That was in March 2001 - and thus around the time Hear'Say launching and the hype around that and the first Popstars happening. You do wonder if that was deliberately done to steal back some press interest? I've got to say that if it came out as being a stunt tomorrow, nothing would surprise me.

So I have pre-ordered both the Breathless vinyl and boxset and also got myself VIP for his London show on presale this morning - was relatively bargainous for £80, I've paid more for other M&Gs / VIPs before so I thought why the hell not? Should be good fun!

I was about to say, after the UK, Ireland was his biggest market wasn't it? I'm tempted by both the Breathless vinyl and the Islington Academy show. I bet he'd be awesome live!

+25 Aaliyah - Try Again +24 Will Young - Jealousy +23 The Dandy Warhols - Bohemian Like You +22 Girls Aloud - Sexy! No No No... +21 Honeyz - End Of The Line +20 Blondie - Rapture +19 New Radicals - You Get What You Give +18 Nelly Furtado - I'm Like A Bird +17 Donna Lewis - I Love You Always Forever +16 Britney Spears - (You Drive Me) Crazy +15 Annie Lennox - Why +14 Blur - Charmless Man +13 The Saturdays - Up +12 Katy B - Katy On A Mission +11 Texas - Black Eyed Boy +10 Ms. Dynamite - Dy-Na-Mi-Tee +9 Alesha Dixon - The Boy Does Nothing +8 Daft Punk - Around The World +7 Jennifer Lopez - Waiting For Tonight +6 Kelis - Acapella +5 Shania Twain - Don't Be Stupid (You Know I Love You) +4 Basement Jaxx - Red Alert +3 Kate Bush - Babooshka +2 Tears For Fears - Sowing The Seeds Of Love +1 Cher - Strong Enough

I was gonna say, I don't think Raye will have the same problem as Sam. Apart from "Escapism" being a really brilliant record, she has a lot of good will behind her since it went to number one. I bet Polydor are kicking themselves they ever let her go!

Well a lot of what S Club ended up doing in their career - the TV shows, the movie - that was all planned for Spice Girls before they sacked him. I am hopeful that they are all treated and recompensed properly this time around, whatever this time around involves. But given their 2023 equivalent Now United have changed lineups like no one's business since they came out I'm calling Maldon for a truck load of sea salt. My position from a couple of weeks ago remains the same: secretly hoping for the best, setting myself up for the bare minimum.

So really, if you think about it, it's Geri Halliwell's fault that all of them but Rachel just about scrape by :lol:

Three shows in London, Manchester and Glasgow in April have been announced this morning. On-sale Friday at 9am or on presale tomorrow morning: A vinyl of the Breathless album is also coming on 26th February and can be pre-ordered now: https://shayneward.tmstor.es/products

Correct. So a bit like what Aqua did with their Aquarium album last year!

B*Witched's self titled debut album from 1998 is getting repressed on limited edition orange vinyl on 3rd March: https://www.musiconvinyl.com/catalog/bwitched/bwitched

Ahead of the new music, the debut album is getting pressed on limited edition orange coloured vinyl on 3rd March! https://www.musiconvinyl.com/catalog/bwitched/bwitched

Knitting is 100% Claire Richards. Would never have guessed Martin and Shirlie Kemp as Cat and Mouse. Roman's reaction to it on socials was hilarious though 🤣

I mean. This isn't a surprise really given he has a history of not thinking before he acts / opens his mouth but "I'm in a band with a black member so I can't be racist?" Jesu. At least seeing them at The O2 last month was nice whilst it lasted.

Ooooh. I quite like the idea of owning her classics on vinyl so I think I'll pre-order this one!

I was gonna say the videos - if you can call them that - this era have been absolutely shocking. Just him rolling around on a dirty wooden floor in confetti in a white suit out of Miami Vice is not the one.

Exactly this. Which is why it's probably a big contribution to certain members not really wanting or having the heart to do it. And actually it makes me sad knowing a group that gave me such joy - and many others - was being basically underpaid relative to their peers in the industry. And it's not just because there was two more members than any other regular pop group. I know it happens all the time in the industry and I'm not saying Simon didn't do a lot of things right by them - he launched and marketed them incredibly well. But how he treated them in terms of financial recompense etc wasn't right and when they're now in their 40s, you can't just expect them to fall back into line like it's 2001 again. They need properly rewarding.

I do agree actually, that was my favourite of all the post-series hour long specials. Boyfriends and Birthdays a close second! For series, L.A. 7 was the best for me. I bought the complete boxset of those fanmade DVDs on Twitter a couple of years ago and it's actually surprisingly still really funny to watch! I think the beauty of certainly that and Miami 7 was that it didn't take itself so seriously and I think that really shone through. But again. Not fans doing the actual work of the gods (and probably risking a lawsuit to do so) then Simon Fuller doing the bare minimum.

I should point out I'm not saying all of this to be a Debbie; far from it. I love S Club 7, always have done, always will. They were something so special to me and actually their music and their TV shows were a real comfort to me growing up. I still get my life to "Bring It All Back", "S Club Party" and "Don't Stop Movin'". I can still reel off my deep cuts at the drop of a hat ("Our Time Has Come", "Discotek", "Show Me Your Colours", just FYI). But seeing what Steps have done has illustrated the power of having a decent invested team behind you that genuinely care about you and your legacy, and also genuinely understands their fanbase and what they care about. Which is why, in my heart, as much as I want the same for them I am having to temper those expectations.

This is my take on it as a long standing S Club fan since the first episode of Miami 7: if it's true, then great. But after last time, in 2014/15, which was like watching cats being herded, I am not expecting great things. The difficulty I find with this is that having seen how brilliantly Steps did their comeback and also their 25th anniversary celebrations last year, I am fully anticipating this, with Simon Fuller at the helm, to be, as is often the case with legacy projects of his, the absolute bare minimum - if that. If Fascination Management were involved with this - which I suspect they won't be, all the more a bitter pill to swallow when Peter Loraine was actually at Polydor and did S Club's marketing campaigns - then we'd be getting 4K videos, the albums on vinyl, their Spotify tidied up (it still makes me itch that a six piece image - and not even a good one at that - is their profile image on there) and missing B-sides / album tracks available on streaming and download, the TV shows on Britbox or Netflix. Maybe a documentary a la Giving You Everything for old time's sake. But of course, given how tight Simon is, wanting all of the legacy coin with none of the effort - hence why you've been able to see any combination of Jo, Tina, Bradley and Paul down your local bingo hall in any year since 2008 - I am preparing myself for a repeat of eight years ago. (I'd also prefer, if Mighty Hoopla goes well for her, a small academy tour from Rachel instead but hey ho. Drunken Ellas and Karens singing "Reach" in the O2 probably wins on an easy sell).

Having just watched last night's episode again, the penny has just dropped and I am convinced that Fawn is Natalie Appleton. If you go on YouTube and listen to any of the Appleton album or All Saints songs where she had partial lead vocals it's definitely her! Rhino is definitely Charlie Simpson.

I think it would work in some cases - maybe for your Taylor Swift and Harry Styles acts - but not as a universal thing. Like Girls Aloud just bought out "Sound of the Underground" again on 7" vinyl to raise money for Sarah Harding's Breast Cancer Foundation, and it did work in that context cause it was commemorative. Jay's right though if it's £15.99 a time that's a bit ridiculous. My local record store has vinyl albums on sale at that price at the moment!

+30 Aaliyah - Try Again +29 Olly Murs - Dear Darlin' +28 McFly - Room On The 3rd Floor +27 Will Young - Jealousy +26 Appleton - Don't Worry +25 The Dandy Warhols - Bohemian Like You +24 Girls Aloud - Sexy! No No No... +23 Moby - Porcelain +22 Nelly Furtado - I'm Like A Bird +21 Texas - Summer Son +20 Honeyz - End of the Line +19 Donna Lewis - I Love You Always Forever +18 Blur - Charmless Man +17 En Vogue - Don't Let Go (Love) +16 Eternal - Power Of A Woman +15 Ace of Base - Life Is A Flower +14 Blur - Girls & Boys +13 Annie Lennox - Why +12 N*E*R*D - She Wants To Move +11 Fleetwood Mac - Little Lies +10 The Saturdays - Up +9 Kate Bush - Babooshka +8 Eurythmics - Thorn In My Side +7 Texas - Black Eyed Boy +6 Natalie Imbruglia - Smoke +5 Alanis Morissette - Thank U +4 Lene Marlin - Sitting Down Here +3 Ms. Dynamite - Dy-Na-Mi-Tee +2 Kelly Clarkson - Since U Been Gone +1 Bananarama - Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye

Whilst browsing Britbox this evening, I discovered that - a very heavily edited - version of the Christmas Day show from 2008 is currently on there. No presenting links from Fearne Cotton and Reggie Yates, and also half the performances from the New Year's Eve show from that same year amalgamated on to it too (meaning two performances from Coldplay but others such as McFly shafted off). Regardless, it felt like Christmas watching it.