Piers

It's about two hours long, so I didn't listen to the whole thing. Just skipped around a bit so I could find the little section with Geri. There were a few cute moments. A while before Geri came on, Mel played Mi Chico Latino and talked about how gorgeous Geri looked in the video. (I remember Mel even saying back in '99 that she liked Mi Chico Latino) Mel asked Geri what item reminds her of the 90s. Geri replied a baked potato with beans on top. She said that's what the girls would eat between rehearsals during the early days. They also talked about the time they were backstage at a Blur concert...and made a bet they'd rush the stage if Girls and Boys was played next. It was...and security had to nab them. They also talked about Brits '97...and shared a story I hadn't heard before. Geri said the group confronted the president of Sony records backstage and said "You passed on us. BIG MISTAKE." It was nice. I thought both of them came off well. Geri's funnier talking about bonkers things in her past than in her usual well-mannered interviews. They don't talk about touring or any other possible future plans.

A little late to the party to discuss this one...but had a few memories about Out of Your Mind. I remember back when an audio clip first showed up on the Spice fan sites. I totally didn't get it. The mix was a bit different. More chaotic. My reaction was completely...what...is...this...? But. I caught her Party In the Park performance...and I started to come around to the song. Then the video came out and was gorgeous. The rough edges of the song seemed to have been smoothed out, and I ended up really liking it. The chart battle was always a curious thing to me. While I like the song, OOYM didn't necessarily sound like a huge hit to me. Not a #1 contender, anyway. That may be my US perspective creeping in. That style of music never totally took hold of the music charts here. So. To me...it always seemed like an interesting little track...taking on something that sounded hugely commercial (Groovejet). On the flip side, I *did* think Not Such An Innocent Girl sounded like a big hit. So. What do I know?

If we're looking at career runs, I think it has to be Mel C for me practically by default. The sheer amount of material she's released means she just has the most bops total. My assessment is she has about a dozen truly great singles...another dozen that are "fine"...and about a dozen duds (I know the math doesn't quite add up there...but...y'know...estimates...). I'll say this. Out of the material each of the girls had for their respective albums, I think Geri did the best job of choosing her singles. That doesn't necessarily mean I think she had the best songs of the bunch. I think she just did the best job of picking her releases. You may or may not like the Schizophonic material (personally, I do) but she did pick the four songs with the biggest hit potential. I think she did the same for her second album. Scream and Calling may have fallen a bit below her expectations, but I think they did better than anything else available to her would have. Yes, she blundered by not releasing Love Never Loved Me...but...it *was* up for consideration and the fans voted for Desire to be released over it. So. It was the fan pick. I can't totally blame her for listening. The others I just think made some really bad choices. With Mel B, I adore her first four singles...but Lullaby was a song with no audience and was lucky to get the chart placing it did (I still find it hilarious she performed it at GAY). Today was lucky to make the Top 200 of any chart. Emma was too content to release snoozer cover songs when she had incomparably stronger original material in her arsenal. Likewise, I don't think Victoria's absolute best stuff got the single treatment (...or release at all, really...)

I've thought that too, actually. To me...the setlist of the tour seems to have been created with an international audience in mind...with decisions like the exclusion of any solo songs. I don't live there, but my guess is a strictly UK audience would actually know I Turn To You better than, say, Something Kinda Funny. But that wouldn't be the case in the US. So. If the plan is to tour other parts of the world...I guess you wouldn't record one of the earliest dates of the experience. That's one theory. I've also wondered if Geri might have possibly discouraged the idea of a DVD. She was clearly not comfortable on stage for parts of the tour. Would a professionally filmed DVD have put that under the microscope? I admit that's sheer speculation based on nothing, though. And yes, I've also wondered if we'll be getting the same show if they resume. By that point, it will have been two years after the original dates (at the very least). Does it seem like changes should be necessary? I've seen Janet Jackson a few times in the last few years...who seems to keep a lot of elements of her show but makes little tweaks here and there. I rather like the Spice tour, though in a perfect world, I'd kinda like to see them actually perform Move Over (it seems to be remembered well enough). It'd also be nice to abandon We Are Family so the whole show can be originals...and perhaps replace it with a quick little medley of fan favorites? (Right Back At Ya, If You Wanna Have Some Fun, Step To Me, etc...?...)

Based on that tiny snippet of lyrics, it seems her career may have come full circle. Back on Reason, Positively Somewhere sounded like her defiantly shedding her pop roots. Now...maybe she's defiantly reclaiming her pop roots? I mean. I acknowledge I'm just assuming that over very few lyrics here. The song could be about anything. I'm so on board with her current direction, though. Once the day arrives she can actually perform on stage again, I wonder what her show could look like? Would she be open to possibly incorporating some choreography? She did some in her Sink the Pink shows. This album seems pointed in the same direction. Personally, I'd love a show that darts to all her extremes. Have her get up there and do Goin Down...AND Say You'll Be There...AND Never Be the Same Again...AND the new dancey stuff...AND a big show tune (but just one, really...let's not get crazy). Just throw the iamspamspamamisink at it. I'd be up for it.

I get what you're saying, but the release did make sense to me. To me, the two of them have enough of a link in pop culture that a tribute song was appropriate. I'd agree a lot of George fans probably don't care for solo Geri (he's just got a deeper catalogue of songs and a greater mass appeal). But I'd venture to say most Geri fans also like George. I know I certainly do. She'd spoken about their friendship starting in the Spice days and kept at it throughout her career. She famously lived with him after splitting from the group. I would have found it bizarre and desperate for her to pen a song about Prince, for example. But George Michael? There was enough of a background there. I thought the song was genuine. And in my understanding of the situation...George wasn't really close to much of anyone in those last years. Could she have made a bit more of a ripple with a different song? Maybe. I'm not sure the Geri of the past several years has the confidence to pull off another Bag It Up...though I think some of her unreleased material has flashes of the quirk that defines her. Like I mentioned before, I think Love and Light was the strongest thing she had in her arsenal. Could that have at least won her some of the better critical reviews of her career? Who knows. But I do think Angels in Chains was a sweet song, and she came off well in the interviews surrounding it.

It's still a little odd for me seeing people announce tours because I'm like...do you really know if you're going to be able to do that? I realize she just has a month and a list of countries...and that's as specific as it is right now. I also realize May is a long way off. But. Really. I have absolutely nothing on my schedule for the first time in my adult life...because I'm so uncertain of the pandemic's future. My work's told us we won't be back in the building until 2021. They've even deactivated our keys to get in, so no one can slip inside to grab something off their desk if they tried. lol. So. Y'know. With that being the case right now...do I think life will have changed so much in 2021 that I'll be back in crowded concerts? I just don't know. There's also this. I wonder how many venues will be sadly forced to close permanently because of what the pandemic has done to their business. Granted, all of the above comes from the perspective of someone living in the US. Things may be advancing better in your countries. But the problem just keeps getting worse here cause...y'know...a lot of us are crazy as hell.

Thanks for sharing. I haven't actually seen that video before. And yes. I still love Angels in Chains too. I don't share the ire many do for Half of Me. I think it's 'fine'...but it wasn't worthy of being a comeback for her after so long. But I don't think the same about Angels in Chains. I actually think it was an excellent reintroduction to Geri...that's worthy of her singles run. I wouldn't necessarily call Angels in Chains the best thing she recorded in that era. That's probably Love and Light. But I *do* think AIC was the best choice for a comeback. I thought she was very genuine in her intentions, the song is quite pretty, and recruiting George Michael's backup singers was an excellent call. I just wish it had led to a little album release. We don't know what exactly happened behind the scenes...but her story about how the music couldn't be released because of a leak is...bizarre to me. Lots of albums leak. It's no reason to just toss it all. Granted, I realize there are probably greater commercial concerns that had more to do with the album never getting out there. But it is a shame. A lot of the material was too strong to never be put out there officially...and she clearly poured her heart into it. And poor Eliot Kennedy. Another Spice working with him and never releasing the music...just the same as the four piece group, Victoria solo, and GEM.

Right. That's my thought too. I don't dislike Here It Comes Again...and it's definitely grown on me over the years. But I found it rather dull when I first heard it...and was disappointed this was the song she was using to re-emerge after such a long absence. There was nothing to be excited about (though the video, I rather like). To me, Here It Comes Again didn't sound like a comeback single. Think About It does. And, yes, a singles run of TAI, Stupid Game, and Burn could have kept up her history of varied, interesting single choices that she'd pulled off so well in the Northern Star era...instead of...y'know...what we got (going the adult contemporary "respect me, dammit!" route for three albums worth of material) But anyway. I love who she is now. She leaps from genre to genre...and to me, that was always the best thing about her...the fact she's willing to take on anything, and she'll pull it off.

In and Out of Love for both. The song's been locked in my head since it debuted...though, honestly...I really like all four of these songs and found them all immediately catchy. The song question's a tight race for me. The video question, though, isn't a tight race. I'm not going to fault her and her team for having creative, high-concept videos. But. The budget does somewhat show in the videos for those first three singles. It constricts where they could have gone with the ideas. However, In and Out of Love's video is perfection. There are several shots I really like. Mel's in top form. Video fits the song like a glove.

I have to say. I'm truly loving this singles run. Frankly, the rest of the album could be her gargling mouth wash, and I'd still love the era for this run of singles. I kinda wish we'd gotten the Melanie C we've had from 2011-2020...during 2001-2010. Could her career have turned out differently? For the past decade, she's been so varied and interesting in her pursuits. She's been smart and likable in all her interviews. She's embraced the Spice Girls. All her performances are excellent and note perfect. If her singles run from 2001-2010 had included Think About It, Loving You, Anymore, and these last four releases...would she have won the commercial success she deserves? Anyway. I say that but still realize her complete journey has made her who she is now. I admittedly don't follow a lot of other individual former pop group members who haven't been a major force in the charts for more than a decade. But. Really. Is there another former pop group member like that...who only manages to keep getting better as they move more than 15 years from being truly commercially viable?

While I don't know the intent of that line myself, I could understand changing it for live performances because of the perception. Maybe it could be altered depending on the city where they're performing? "London, England . . Timbuktu." "From L.A. to . . Timbuktu." I don't know. I'm spitballing here. I agree with Mr. X in that words and attitudes do evolve over time...and I've got no interest in arguing against that evolution. What I wish we all collectively could do is understand the context of the year something was created. I was watching the Michael J. Fox movie Teen Wolf the other day on Amazon Prime. A character uses a gay slur in it. I don't like the word. If someone were to use it today, I would think they should be held accountable. Did I demand for Amazon Prime to take down the movie? No. I get that it came out in 1985, and the general public didn't recognize the weight of that word yet. Moral of the story. If social media comes for it, I would hope we could recognize Spice Up Your Life was created at a time of less scrutiny over lyrics...and we don't have to pull it from streaming services. We need to understand that we're evolving...and we're definitely not finished. There are hit songs today that *will* be offensive in 20 years...we just don't know in what way yet. By then, we might see that Lady Gaga once had a song called Stupid Love...and find that inappropriate because "Stupid" could be considered an ableist word by then.

Don't Tell Me. Just rewatched it. I forgot how much I like that one. The choreography and energy is so great here. It's a gorgeous video. I love how the video mixes the country elements with technology...in a similar way to how the song mixes old and new sounds. Amazing it's from nearly 20 years ago. The video could be released tomorrow and still work. I've also always liked the boldness of the What It Feels Like For a Girl video...but the mix of the song doesn't work for me. It's just...not much of a song in that version. I've always wondered if a different edit of the video could work with the album version of the song. The song is so haunting. I think it's a bit of a shame it never quite got its due. I *think* the mix of the gentle song with the violent visuals would be rather striking.

So. I'm a major fan of both...and as such, they should absolutely NOT do a live performance together. Gaga would absolutely wipe the floor with M. I'm not entirely sure what the story is behind the scenes, but it's seemed to me that Madonna has been struggling to sing for several years. What I don't know is if her voice is genuinely damaged...or if her vocal range has just changed that much and she just refuses to adapt to that. I guess she could also find her current vocal range to be too limiting to her songwriting? However. I'd be 100% up for a single and video that could put them on a more equal playing field. Let all the studio trickery put M's voice at a more comfortable place. Here's my reasoning. Madonna deserves a win. I get that she's often oblivious to how her appearances come off to the public (that Aretha tribute...oof). But. Look. All the awkward milk bath videos in the world can't outpace the fact she has a stunning songwriting history, and she's one of the most influential performers alive. Nearly every pop diva is following certain pages from Madonna's playbook. And she's not creatively dead. Not every single in the current era has been a winner, but at the very least, Living For Love, Ghosttown, and Crave deserved a lot better. Everyone's woke about everything...except the universally accepted discrimination that is ageism. Gaga and Madonna could put to rest a female popstar rivalry AND take a swipe at ageism. I'd love it. Side note. Surprised nobody brought up that they did appear together on SNL years ago. It...wasn't good. Madonna missed her lines in this little song, and the sketch kinda just crashed and burned. So. I figure. If they do something else together, the only way to go is up...

I've never understood the disdain for it, really. It's a perfectly solid pop album in the context of 2001. In fact, I think VB is more consistent than several hit pop albums that year (that I won't name to avoid controversy in here...). It's just...VB had the misfortune of being the fifth Spice-related album released in a year. The quality of the album was nearly irrelevant with that level of over saturation. For me, the album's totally solid from tracks 1-10. Unconditional Love is meandering...and I flat out don't like Every Part of Me. So. A bit unfortunate the album goes out on a whimper, but I won't take away what comes before those two. Not Such An Innocent Girl is much like Geri's Calling to me...in that they're both songs I remember the fanbase really liking...until they both charted below expectations. Nearly 20 years later, I still think both are good tracks...that just got cursed by the barrage of Spice releases that year. Both NSAIG and A Mind of its Own were worthy singles...though I think I Wish and IOU are actually the best songs on the album. I Wish, in particular, I think deserved to get a release. I think it's probably the single best thing she did solo. I also really like Like That. Few more quick thoughts. Girlfriend probably deserved a singer with punchier vocals ("oh no, now you didn't say...that I need to back away" needs someone with more attitude). But I like the song otherwise. I've always thought it was a little funny that she sings about not caring about the car her man drives in That Kind of Girl...only for her to sing about the car her man drives in I Wish. While I'm a defender of this album, I think she was on a better path as an artist with the pop material for her second album. There was less of the "I'm just a normal girl! Honest!" stuff. She seemed to instead just be embracing the posh Spice ice queen persona...and I think she was better for it.

To me, part of the issue with Mel B has been that there doesn't seem to be much care/understanding of how her voice is used best. She's never been someone who can comfortably sing just anything, but she has a specific range where she can sound very good. The Spice Girls material plays to her strong suits. I think a few of her collaborators understood her range too...namely Missy and Jam n' Lewis. But her voice was so wrong for Mimi in Rent that it's a wonder she didn't get canned before her debut. I don't think her voice sounds comfortable on about half of LA State of Mind. Lips Lock and that performance of Fever from It's a Scary World were completely wrong for her voice. While I like For Once In My Life as a song, it's of a range she was never going to be able to replicate live...and then she went and proved she couldn't on the Today Show. She's a far better singer than both Geri and Victoria...and yet, I'm not sure Geri and Victoria (in their very few televised live performances) ever had a showing as rough as For Once in My Life on Today.

I've got one that's sure to be divisive... I've never totally gotten Let Your Head Go. And I say that as someone who likes *a lot* of their solo singles. I don't hate it. I've grown to like it a bit better over the years as a guilty pleasure thing. But I find it clunky...and it's one of *very* few solo singles where I find the lyrics to be...eh. Oh the flip side, I actually really, really like her unreleased pop album. But it's to note...the rest of that material was created by Richard Stannard and other high profile writers/producers. Let Your Head Go is the only one with producers behind it...who don't appear to have done much else. To me, it's the clear weakest of all the unreleased pop album tracks. Though...I will say I like LYHG better than the majority of the unreleased Damon Dash material. I was convinced for a while that Victoria intentionally picked the weakest of her pop material (LYHG)...to release on a double AA side with the best of her r'n'b material (This Groove), in an attempt to rig audience reception and convince Simon Fuller to go the r'n'b album route. But. Instead, it seems most fans actually find LYHG to be the best of her solo singles. So. I think I stand corrected.

I may be the only fan like this...but all these years later, Runaway Lover is the song I revisit the most off this album. Is that...random? I've loved it since first listen 20 years ago. I find it sooo catchy. The "walking around on a cloud" section? So good. As far as I know, it was never even remotely considered for a single. But. Anyway. I'll be the lone fan to say it. Runaway Lover. My favorite off this album. I like a lot of this album, though, really. The mix of the guitary sound...with electro pop...it was a really interesting combo. Title track is iconic. Love both Don't Tell Me and Impressive Instant. What It Feels Like For a Girl and Paradise are haunting. I think Gone is gorgeous. The only song I don't like on the album is Nobody's Perfect. Sorry, friends. Don't get it.

I mean. I agree with you guys. New material would be the most ideal. I just haven't viewed it as especially...plausible... But. Yeah. It'd be great if they did it. I think the Spices are a pretty rare example of a group hitting their commercial peak LONG before they reached their peak as performers. Emma, Mel C, and Geri are significantly better singers today than they were in 96-98. Mel B, Emma, and Mel C are better performers than in their heyday...all three with such confidence and command of the stage. Some are likely going to disagree with me about this...but honestly, if a group album had been released including Baby Please Don't Stop, Too Many Teardrops, Who I Am, Anymore, Love and Light, and Without Love...I would have been pretty happy. That's a hypothetical, of course. Think of it as some alternate timeline where they weren't solo songs. I bring it up just to say...those are songs released (or leaked) in just the past five years. There's still very much an ability there to craft a solid pop song. Anyway. I know they don't want to hurt their legacy. But...the legacy isn't perfect. No artist's legacy is perfect. Forever and Headlines already crashed and burned. Might as well just have fun at this point. At least people would sit up and take notice of a group song...instead of another solid solo song that we just hope manages some YouTube views...

I always feel my taste is so different to other Gaga fans. I like Dance in the Dark...but it's never sounded especially like a single to me. Her repeating "she's a mess" over and over isn't my favorite...and I know she deals in odd a lot...but I find the reference to JonBenet Ramsey to be...very...odd. It's a fab concert opener, though. To my ears, Gypsy is her career's great missed opportunity....probably followed by Speechless and Scheibe. But. Anyway. Based on the options, Love Thing legitimately is my favorite. I've only just now become familiar with Breakin Dishes. I like that one too.

Spice Girls - Love Thing Lady Gaga - Dance in the Dark

I understand the girls don't want *everything* released. The Strong Enough leak proved that song's pretty worthless...and none of them have ever had anything nice to say about See You Next Tuesday. But. They're their own worst enemies in terms of interest in unreleased material. Emma kept talking up W.O.M.A.N. until it didn't appear on the album tracklist...and then she basically switched her story to "welp. That wasn't my call." It was also considered good enough to debut their new material on tour. As sammy01 mentioned, Mel C considers Spice Is Back to be the best of the reunion material. Richard Stannard has called Feed Your Love one of his favorite songs he ever did with the girls...and has talked up his unheard Forever material. And then there's the leaks of Pain Proof, Give You Want You Want, A Day In Your Life, and the pop Right Back at Ya. Which. You might like em. You might not. But they *are* good enough for some kind of release. (I personally like Pain Proof, Give You Want You Want, and the pop Right Back At Ya better than about half of what did make the album). And Right Back At Ya is obviously more comfortable in this pop mix than what Darkchild did. In terms of b-sides, I think at the very least, Bumper to Bumper, Take Me Home, and Walk of Life deserve space on an album. Pair those with the best of the unreleased material...and Step to Me...and My Strongest Suit...I don't know. Sounds like it'd be a solid little release to me. I get that they want to preserve their legacy and stuff. But. I'm not sure how releasing a rarities album hurts their image more than...yet another potato chip commercial? I also get that Richard Stannard is uncertain about releasing demos like W.O.M.A.N. But. I mean. Is it just impossible to complete them now? Mark 'Spike' Stent ain't dead...

No worries! I was one of the early voters too. I've been all over the place with this today...but I put in for Love Thing and Stupid Game.

Oh, I know. I love this song. In fact, I'd take it a step further than saying it's better than a handful of her singles. For me, this is the best song she ever released solo. And I don't mean that as disrespect to anything else she did. I like quite a lot of her solo material, really. But this one's just Geri at the peak of her abilities. The song manages to be quite beautiful...and has an honest fragility to the lyrics and vocals...while also being a potential club bop. It's a feat. Madonna managed a #1 with the somewhat similar Sorry the next year. It's interesting to think back. It was the fans who voted for Desire to be released over Love Never Loved Me. I've always kinda wondered...if LNLM was the one chosen and it stalled on the charts, would we all be looking at Desire as this great missed opportunity today? I'm not sure I would. Desire is fine...but LNLM is miles better. I think it's an excellent song that's always deserved better than it got. But. From a strategic standpoint, I can't forget about the general public's perception of Geri's solo career...

Yeah. I was only thinking Move Over for the familiarity factor. Honestly, there are songs on Spice and Spiceworld that I personally like better. And that includes Love Thing. And we all know that song was considered for a single...and there were people in the girls' camp who even wanted to launch them on that song. So. I don't know. Maybe we ought to do Love Thing...? It's for sure going to be tough. I don't know Rihanna's album tracks especially well...but I do know Gaga's. And Gaga definitely didn't release some of her strongest material as singles. So. I don't know know. Maybe we just get someone in here to make a megamix of Spice Invaders, Victoria's It's That Simple, Mel B's Perdido, Mel C's Cosmic Shower, and Geri's Heaven and Hell (Being Geri Halliwell). And by megamix, I mean...all five just playing on top of each other at the same time. "Yes, this. This is what we collectively think should have been released as a single." They will say we went down in a blaze of glory...