Piers

It's a really odd thing to think back and remember...from October 2000 through October 2001, four of the girls released albums...and so did the group. All FIVE (and the group) released singles in that stretch. I'm too lazy to add up all the single/album sales from that year span. But I'm sure altogether they'd make up a pretty respectable number. Some of the fanbase was still there. It's just...ALL of them stretched it so thin at once. The record label shouldn't have allowed it to happen like that. And yes. I have wondered if the solo careers could have had more longevity had the group not fallen apart in the way it did. We'd waited ages for a third group album only for them to abandon it immediately and start up that "we're focusing on solo for now!" talk. Mel B even said some nutty things about perhaps releasing more Forever singles in 2002. It wasn't enough to lose me as a fan (hey...I'm still here). But. I mean. It was annoying...

I guess I like A Girl Like Me better than most. To my ears What Took You So Long, Take My Breath Away, High On Love, and Better Be Careful sounded like the obvious singles...and would have made a strong chart run. I think High On Love is the second best song on the album...and it (along with Better Be Careful) deserved a top 10. I think most of the rest is solid album material. To me, the only truly 'meh' songs are Been There, Done That and She Was a Friend of Mine. With those two...coupled with two 'fine' covers...I get the album's not perfect. But I don't think What Took You So Long is the lone redeemer of it either. I do think out of her material she'd done, though...both Invincible and Free Up Your Mind (perhaps with a punchier, slicker mix) are quite a bit better than the songs I mentioned above. Not sure the full story on Invincible...as it ended up being released as a single by another artist in that same general time period. Emma had a better shot at making the song famous. I do find it unusual throughout the course of the album, she manages to have material that's both mature for her image....AND material that sounds even younger than the Spice album material from five years before. Not a complaint, really. It's possible an entire album of guitary lite-pop may have become boring.

I'd love to know what was happening behind the scenes in regards to the solo Spices and their attempts to get play in the US. MTV News covered the solo Spices quite a lot...including some prominent features on I Want You Back and Word Up. I remember them airing a little interview with Mel and Mini Me on the set of the second video. However. I think MTV News is as far as anything ever got. I never saw the videos for I Want You Back or Word Up ever show up on MTV (though a few people have said I Want You Back made some appearances on BET). Anyway. Madonna's Beautiful Stranger and Lenny Kravitz's American Woman were hits off that Austin Powers album...so...I guess they thought they'd try for another. With the Dr. Evil set at their disposal, I kinda wish they'd done something more interesting with the video. Though. I guess Mel's outfit does qualify as 'interesting'. It's like her team got together in a meeting and were like..."...we'll...uh...dress her up like a satellite...?" And, yes. The performances are unfortunately dull. I guess Mel didn't think she was back in fighting shape at that point? Hard to say. She showed up to the Austin Powers premiere around that time in a shirt so thin she was practically topless. I thought she always looked great. It's a far cry from a few years later...when the girls would have a baby and be back doing interviews and hosting shows practically a week later.

Anyway. About Word Up. I loved Mel's version on first listen. Still love it now. I really love those early releases from Mel. I Want You Back, Word Up, and Sophisticated Lady seemed to imply we were getting a really cool album with a dark vibe. Interestingly, I think only Step Inside lives up to that vibe with the album release. The unreleased I've Got My Eye On You also has it. However. I can't defend the video. I'm not offended by it...but I do think it's trying really, really hard to be crass. As soon as the monster with the dildo nose stops and farts...I'm kinda over it. There are a few images in it that I like. The foot stepping down and turning into the high heel boot is cool. But make no mistake. Even back in 1999, I didn't think the animation looked any good. This is the same year that gave us Busta Rhymes and Janet Jackson's What's It Gonna Be (by the same director of Mel's I Want You Back, no less). The Word Up video was not on par with 1999. It looked like an unfinished student film. And not one that'd get an A either. That one shot of the dildo monster running in place in the air is the sort of sloppy mistake that shouldn't have made it to air. Anyway. Lots of mistakes were made with Hot. About half of its made of clunkers from collaborators who weren't even trying. But I do think I Want You Back, Tell Me, and Feels So Good are as good as anything from the solo Spice vault.

I think what he's referring to is...Mel C already had an entire year of success with Northern Star. She'd toured it. Got hits. The album had run its course by the time Forever rolled around. And prioritizing If That Were Me over Holler was perhaps...an unusual thing to do after so much money had been spent on Forever (though the former song was for a good cause...)

It's interesting to me that several don't think their solo work could be group songs. I'm much the opposite. I think quite a lot of their solo work could have been group material. I mean, they couldn't pull off Goin' Down or anything. And I don't think much of the more adult contemporary stuff would fit them (particularly Mel C's music from Reason through This Time). But I guess it depends on what you believe checks the boxes for a Spice Girls song. For me...the upbeat songs are the type of dancey that fit a choreographed routine...anything retro-sounding also makes the cut...and it'd need to have a chorus that'd fit a group performance. Geri's stuff, in particular, has a lot of technically well-crafted songs that are only held back by her vocal limitations. If the group recorded Mi Chico Latino and Bag It Up, we'd probably view them in the same way we do the Spiceworld material. Feels So Good and Tell Me would easily fit on Forever (same producers). I Turn To You would be a killer stadium song. Never Be the Same Again could have been an even bigger deal as Spice Girls ft. Left Eye. The Free Me album was based on the 60s girl group sound, anyway. It could have been a cool one-off retro project for the girls. Anyway. All hypotheticals. But I do think the solo Spices themselves are the best indicator of what the group would have sounded like had they soldiered on. And even though some believe their later solo material would be beneath the group...the reality is the Spice Girls' Scream If You Wanna Go Faster would probably be better liked by fans than VooDoo.

Both of these are from when I was a kid...and I *think* I had them cleared up by the time the Northern Star era was over. But... In Goin Down, instead of "I'm singin' it looouuud", I thought it was "I'm thinkin' it's tiiiiime!" I thought she was referring to it being time to strike out on her own, hit back at the guy in the song, reveal her true self, etc. Anyway. Listening back to it just now, it doesn't sound anything like "I'm thinkin' it's time." But. Whatever. The really unfortunate misunderstanding I had was on I Turn To You, though. Instead of "When my insides are wracked with anxiety"...I thought the line was "Our minds are ERECT with anxiety." Yeah. Uh. Yeah.

Christmas Wrapping by a mile...though if I'm being honest, they're both in my bottom three least favorite things the group ever released (next to Spice Invaders). With Sleigh Ride, I don't understand the echo effect on their speaking voices at all. It sounds like it was recorded in a bathroom. I get that it's meant to be a spontaneous insight into their personalities...but after more than 20 years, I still don't know a lot of what they're saying...and what I can make out is mostly nonsensical. Also. Only Emma's voice sounds like a particularly natural fit for the song. Christmas Wrapping starts out well enough, but I've always found it an awkward song challenging itself to see how many lyrics can be crammed into a few minutes. I remember being really surprised it was a cover...as it always struck me as something the girls must've scribbled out with their team between recording better songs. It's a little odd to me only Emma and Mel C recorded it. Mel B and Victoria were still making a lot of appearances with the group during that time, and it wouldn't seem like the pregnancies would get in the way of recording a few lines. The song's structured to have four solo parts anyway. Plus, "oh DAMN, guess what I forgot" should definitely belong to Mel B. As Christmas material goes, I think the two songs they performed on their 1999 ringside tour fit them far better. If I did Christmas mixes, I'd be a lot more likely to include that little medley.

While I'd be wary of them linking up with just any ole big name for new material...I'll make an exception for one. Would it be possible for them to work with Mark Ronson? I mean. I get he's a huge deal...and maybe that doesn't necessarily go together with a group that hasn't been a major force in the charts for about 20 years. But. His work is often retro...big, crowd pleasing, sing-a-long pop stuff. He's also into genre-hopping and can pull off a lot of different sounds well. That seems to be pretty in line with what the girls were doing well in their heyday.

Not Such An Innocent Girl by a hair...but I like both. I have the somewhat rare opinion that both songs are quite a bit better than Let Your Head Go and This Groove. I've always felt like Not Such An Innocent Girl was one of those singles (like Geri's Calling) that fans rather liked...until the chart placing came out. Is it my favorite song on the album? No...that's I Wish. I also prefer Like That as a song...though I don't know if that one screams out to be a single so much as it's just a strong album track. I think Not Such An Innocent Girl was the right song to launch the album. To my ears...the obvious single choices were Not Such An Innocent Girl - A Mind of Its Own - I Wish - IOU. So. To me...she was on the right track (just so long as she released the real I Wish...and not that tragic duet version). I still think she had good material for singles...and the album was overall just fine. It only really falls apart for me at the end (I've never particularly liked Unconditional Love and Every Part of Me). I've always felt her material just suffered from the over saturation of solo Spice that year.

I'm a little surprised this one's so divisive. To me, it's immediately likable and pretty flawlessly catchy. Having heard the actual studio recording now, I can honestly say it's about my 6th favorite of all her singles (not my 6th favorite of her songs in general...but singles?...yeah). I really wish she'd unleashed something like this in the mid-2000s...when she still stood a chance of getting a hit...and could make waves with a big dance song. I do think the song's far stronger than the video. I don't hate the video or anything. I like that she's enjoying herself and seems to be in her element. I like her little crew. But I do think it could disguise the low budget better. I also wish we could have gotten some big choreography bits with Mel and her crew together...instead of them just doing a few little hand gestures or whatever. She can dance. They can dance. I think it might have been fun to see such a diverse crew all doing a big routine. But. Whatever. I'm a fan.

I know not everyone loves High Heels...but based on what I've heard from the live performances, it's my favorite thing she's done in the past ten years next to Think About It and Stupid Game. It's big and instantly catchy...and it's way better than what anyone would expect from anyone else who hasn't had a UK top ten in 14 years.

If memory serves correctly, it was Hell No and Hotter that Sisqo was involved with...but the relationship soured and he had his name removed when Mel made changes to the production. I don't especially like the three Teddy Riley songs. Mel said they didn't get along. Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis have said another producer on Hot told Mel she couldn't sing...and it really seems like it's Riley. He's a brilliant producer, but I think he saddled Mel with leftover tracks. ABC123 is way too boring for Mel B...and I Believe is about twice as long as it should be and certainly qualifies as the most redundant thing a Spice has done. Pack Your Shit's the best of them...but in the context of the rest of Hot...I always thought it was trying too hard to be edgy or something. Though...I do like how she sings "...come round here no MAHHHH..." This may be a rare opinion...but to me, the forgotten gem of Hot is Step Inside. I think it's catchy and interesting beginning to end. I even think it's better than what most consider to be the big missed opportunity for a single (Hotter) and it certainly towers over Lullaby. Paired with a dark, weird video in the vein of I Want You Back, I think it could have been a cool project.

I think this too. Free Up Your Mind is a strong song...that needed more oomph in the production. It's a little wimpy as it is. If Rhett Lawrence gave this track the same love he clearly gave Never Be the Same Again, it could have been a hit...and a highlight of Emma's solo career. So. As it's a more substantial song...I vote Free Up Your Mind...but I actually really like Sophisticated Lady too. I love those early releases from Mel B's solo career. I Want You Back, Word Up and Sophisticated Lady all share a certain dark vibe (the recently leaked I Got My Eye on You has it too). It sounded like we were getting a really cool Scary Spice album. I realize Sophisticated Lady being so lovey about Jimmy meant it would never end up on Hot. But. I like it quite a bit better than more than half the album. Too much of Hot sounds anonymous. Sophisticated Lady sounds like Mel B through and through. I just wish there were something more to the song. Side note. Besides Emma, why were the guest vocalists during Mel's Hot recordings so obscure? She had the biggest producers in the world working with her...and she was singing with people no one's heard of...

If Emma had gone head-to-head with Geri with one of her originals, I might feel differently. But as it is...Geri by a mile. I really do think Lift Me Up is a very solidly crafted pop song...with some strangely imperfect early vocals. Absolute and Geri created the similar Circles Round the Moon two years later...and that one sounds vocally flawless. I'm aware of Geri's limitations as a singer. But honestly, her team should have done some easy fixes on Lift Me Up...as it's pretty good otherwise. This may be an unpopular opinion, but I think Lift Me Up is one of Geri's few songs that could have gotten play in the US. Look At Me was too strange for the market...but Lift Me Up fits adult contemporary radio. I'll also defend the video. I actually think it's really cute and memorable. The only time it crosses the line into groan inducing for me is the spaceship taking off and spelling 'Geri' at the end. Anyway. I adore most of Emma's original material...but her covers, by and large, are way too similar to the originals...and lack the effort to be interesting. Emma's the better singer and entertainer...but sorry...Geri deserved the win on the charts on this one.

Crickets, I guess...though I think both songs took single spots over better material on their albums. At least Crickets had a cute routine for the performances. I basically like We're Not Gonna Sleep Tonight, but it doesn't sound like anything other than an album track to me. To my ears, High on Love and Better Be Careful were next in line for the single treatment. I'd also probably have picked A World Without You or the heavily-rumored Sunshine On a Rainy Day over We're Not Gonna Sleep Tonight.

Yeah. They probably should have won more...though the truly glaring omission to me is the 1998 Grammys. After being the biggest thing in music in 1997, they were shut out entirely. Not a single nomination. Looking back on that ceremony is a fairly odd thing now. The nominations are full of Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, Fleetwood Mac and the like. I'm not diminishing those acts. But they weren't really indicative of the music scene in 1998. The girls honestly should have *at least* been locks for noms in Best Short Music Video (most of the noms are obscurities) and Best Pop Performance by a Group. Wannabe, Say You'll Be There, and 2 Become 1 should have been strong contenders for that. Instead, the Rolling Stones made the cut with Anybody Seen My Baby? Not knocking the Stones (I'm a fan, and I've seen them in concert)...but it's a song that didn't make the main Billboard chart, and I doubt much of anyone would consider it among their best material. So, what happened? In the US, I always thought there was a shift in attitude toward them when the Spice World movie trailers showed up. I kinda defend that movie now...for being so proudly weird, campy and culty. But when the trailers came out, I think the girls came off as...um..."less intelligent than they really are", shall we say. The movie ended up helping them with album sales, of course...but I don't think it helped them in terms of US music credibility. But. Anyway. I guess the girls got the last laugh...sorta. Their music proved to have a longevity that most of the new acts that won that year don't.

Lol. You guys are way more hopeful than I am with the setlists. I'm half expecting her to do What Took You So Long, 2 Become 1 (with Mel C?), You're All I Need to Get By (with Jade), Baby Please Don't Stop (just because she hasn't forgotten it exists yet)...and then a whole ton of Christmas stuff. Granted, that's not what I hope happens. I'd love it if she did all of her top tens (a Christmas-themed Maybe performance would be fab) and the three Spice Girls Christmas number ones. I'm definitely not expecting album tracks or All I Need to Know. That's a song that charted at #60 13 years ago. I wonder if she even remembers it at all. But. Anyway. It'd be a nice surprise if it shows up. I've liked quite a bit of her original material (not the covers so much). So. Any of it that gets some love at the show is a bonus.

I'm a lifelong fan...so I get that she's going to do whatever the hell she wants and not care what the public thinks. Buuut. I can't be the only one who sees a setlist like that (or hears what she's rehearsing) and just thinks...ugh. Madonna has one of the most amazing discographies in music. It boggles my mind that she doesn't especially use it. Instead, she doles out just a handful of hits like they're little pieces of candy...and she can't give too much of them away because we all have to eat our damn vegetables. This isn't a knock on any of her newer music. I generally like all of her eras. She should absolutely perform some of it. But performing a tour full of Ray of Light or Confessions material was one thing. She was still flying high in those years. We're on our third album now that didn't make much of a dent on the music scene. Does there never come a point she decides to give in and deliver what the crowds want? I'm a fan. I'll always be a fan. But between increasingly inaccessible setlists...shows going on absurdly late...and now a no phone rule...I'm not sure all of this is a particularly good look.

Mel C has the highest number of songs I like out of the group, so I'll vote her. I love the Northern Star era...and she won me back over with a lot of The Sea and Version of Me. I wasn't particularly interested in Reason, Beautiful Intentions, and This Time. I don't think they're bad albums. They're just not my thing...with a few exceptions. So. While I'd say I like the largest number of Mel C songs...I like a larger percentage of Geri's stuff (if that makes sense). Least favorite? Probably has to be Mel B...which is a bummer because she's my favorite member when the group's together. I love I Want You Back, Tell Me, and Feels So Good...and think all three are among the best solo releases. Tell Me in particular is underrated. But too much of Hot sounds anonymous...which is a crime for a personality as big as Mel's. As it is...I think about half the album wasn't good enough to be included. A lot of weak material was dumped on her...and I think she accepted it because it came from big names. As for LA State of Mind...I'm glad it has fans...but I think the average singer/songwriter handing out CDs on the street has better sounding albums...

Walk of Life. No contest. I wouldn't have wanted it to take the place of anything on Spiceworld, but I wouldn't have minded it being the 11th track on the album either (as was planned at one point). For me, it's good enough for album inclusion...even though it was my least favorite song of the tour. But at least it was funny to hear them try to awkwardly force all those city names to work with the song. I actually really liked Outer Space Girls when I was a kid. I even thought it should have been performed on tour because it fit with the theme. But now? It's really cringe. I'm still of the belief that their albums (especially the first two) were far better than what many give them credit for. Those album tracks are solid, classic songs. What do I think the general public perceives Spice Girls albums to sound like? Outer Space Girls.

Some may remember clips of both Desire and Love Never Loved Me were released for a vote...to give the public a voice on the next single choice. I've always liked Love Never Loved Me better (and consider it the best track on the album). But. At the time...a lot of people sided with Desire because they thought it sounded more current. I kinda wonder if Love Never Loved Me was the one to be released...and it underperformed...would we all be looking at Desire as the great missed opportunity of her career today? She was likely going to be blacklisted by radio for whatever was released. As for the song...I've always liked it. It's not her best single. It's not her worst. To my ears..Ride It, Love Never Loved Me, Desire and Let Me Love You More were the clear Passion singles. So. While I technically think there was a better song available...I don't think it's a travesty Desire was released. It's one of those songs I remember the fanbase liking a lot better before they saw the chart placing. A quick note about There's Something About Geri. Looking back, it really is a strange thing. The reality TV of today always gets people being train wrecks in an entertaining way. There's Something About Geri really isn't that. There's nothing especially outrageous in it. Nothing so embarrassing that it should have abruptly ended her career. The only way I can describe it as is...persistently unflattering. It's not good TV. I'm not sure I follow why anyone would want to air it.

^ I kinda wonder if Geri should have launched her US solo career with Mi Chico Latino. Mind you, I personally really like Look at Me...but it was too unusual for US radio...and the general American audience was indifferent to the video's death of Ginger and rebirth. On that...I maintain my belief that Americans in the 90s were only invested in the group...and not the individual members. That only changed when Victoria and Mel B built their own brands in the US in the 2000s. Point being, I think Geri made a bold statement of "I'm back!" with Look at Me...and America flat-out didn't care. Anyway. The single and album crashed and burned bad enough that no other attempt was made here. But would she have had a better shot at the US market if she started with Mi Chico Latino? It was significantly more US radio-friendly. Sexy video. Great image during the promotional campaign. Also. Lift Me Up sounds like it'd fit squarely on Adult Contemporary radio of the time and may have worked as a decent follow. Would the two have set the charts on fire? Maybe not. But maybe her US prospects wouldn't have been over in a week either.

It's definitely up there for solo Spice single missed opportunities. Personally, I'd probably put Geri's Love Never Loved Me and Victoria's I Wish ahead of it in terms of missed opportunities...because they both just screamed 'DUH. This is the best thing on the album. RELEASE IT' At least The Sea had the benefit of Think About It getting out there. Though. For me, The Sea's an interesting case as I thought both Burn AND Stupid Game were very strong single contenders. Would they have been hits? Eh. Probably not. I doubt anything she did had a chance by that point. But. It'd just feel like justice to have them released.

How *should* they have handled Forever's diverging directions? It's a tough one. I actually rather like both the Darkchild AND original pop recordings. Out of the studio demos that leaked, the pop Right Back at Ya, Pain Proof and Give You What You Want are unquestionably worthy of release (A Day in Your Life is a bit sappy for me). At the same time...I think Holler is the strongest material to come out of their 1999/2000 recordings...and Tell Me Why is an obvious single contender. It just sounds like the material belongs to two different groups. They were always great at balancing different styles on a album...but yet, I flat-out can't imagine the light, bubbly pop version of Right Back at Ya on the same album as Holler and Tell Me Why. So I'll float this out there. Could they have done a double album? One CD with the modern r'n'b tracks...one CD with the pop tracks. Do all the singles as double AA sides. One r'n'b. One pop. Holler/Pain Proof Tell Me Why/Give You What You Want etc. Call the album...Sugar and Spice? Or maybe divide the album up as US...to UK? Beats me. They may have been drug through the dirt by critics by refusing to commit to a sound...but I figure the fans would have been happy.