Piers

This is my perception too...but it is an interesting thought. How would Feels Like Sex have fared as a lead single? My general thought is the Spice Girls had a basic level of edginess that was expected/accepted by their fanbase. It was a level that included the outfits of the Say You'll Be There video, the safe sex lyrics of 2 Become 1, Geri's parade of pink underwear men at the Brits, etc. The very few times they went edgier than that...I don't think it really paid off for them. I'm specifically referring to Mel C's Goin Down and Mel B's original Word Up video and Hot album. Granted, I say that while knowing the Hot album's biggest problem was releasing so close to Forever. But I also don't believe the parental advisory sticker exactly helped sell copies. Some of the girls were pulling from Madonna's playbook, but my guess is the fanbases were a bit different...and controversy didn't equal sales for the girls with quite the same effectiveness it often did for Madonna. It's not that I think Feels Like Sex is really all that edgy. But a song with that title was going to draw a lot of attention. Tabloids would have been clutching their pearls. Would it have translated to sales? We'll never really know, but I *think* it would have made the lower end of the top 10 like Scream and Calling did. Another question. What would a video for this song look like...?

Yeah, definitely those two. It took me years to warm up to Here It Comes Again...so at the time, I thought On The Horizon was getting things back on track for Mel. Admittedly, I wanted Emma to release High On Love or Better Be Careful for her next single. But. Geri'd had a big hit with a Latin-tinged single...and Mel C had a big hit with a remixed single...so...We're Not Gonna Sleep Tonight seemed like a good release to me at the time. I also remember the fanbase being pretty enthusiastic about Not Such An Innocent Girl before the release...and (perhaps the most significant change in fan perception that I remember) Calling. There were A LOT of fans claiming that song was Geri's best single leading up to the release. After the release, seemingly no one was saying that anymore. I wouldn't say we were never critical of a release. I think we always knew If That Were Me and Lullaby were mistakes...largely because both Mels had such better songs to choose from. Anyway. Getting back to Geri and Passion. I don't feel the fans dislike Ride It today, per se. But I do wish it were generally better regarded. Fans seemed to really, really like it when the clip first got out there.

Right. Even though I firmly believe Love Never Loved Me is Geri's best solo song, I do wonder what its reputation would be today if it were the song that tanked on the charts instead of Desire. It's been so many years that I think some things get forgotten...but a large part of Desire's problem was the total media blackout. I remember it actually doing well enough in video plays on various pop sites...but completely lacking radio support was going to sink any song...especially in that era. Also. Let's not forget that fans were given the choice between Love Never Loved Me and Desire as the next single...and Desire got the vote. The general public may not have known about the vote, but the hardcore fans certainly did. Now. Granted, to my memory, what we heard of both songs were earlier demo versions...and Love Never Loved Me didn't sound to the full perfection that the final version would be. I remember still preferring Love Never Loved Me...but also, I wasn't mad that Desire got the vote. I liked both. And Desire's one of the *many* solo Spice songs that I remember the fanbase liking a whole lot better before the chart position came out. But. Anyway. A media blackout happened because people just found Geri so outrageously annoying because she rode a horse down a city street or something. Everything she did for promotion seems so quaint and non-offensive to me...especially when stacked next to antics of certain reality show star/social media-clout-chasing celebs of today.

This story has kinda faded into obscurity over time...but does anybody else remember Girls Aloud doing some interviews, offering Geri to tour with them? This would have been just after she cancelled her tour amidst the low ticket sales story, I think. What I don't remember is how serious Girls Aloud were about it. It may have been as simple as some off-handed remarks..."oh, she'd be welcome to tour with us" or something. Anyway. Let's say for the sake of argument, they were serious. Would that have been a good idea? I'm sure it would have been a blow to Geri's ego...having had a very impressive chart run at one point...and then not being able to headline a tour a few years later. But. I don't know. I know a lot of people would find this to be a horrendous idea, but I think maybe a two-act tour would have genuinely helped Passion and given Geri a little more longevity? I'm sure Geri would have essentially been the opening act, but billing it as co-headliners would perhaps make it go over better. There does exist a connection there with Geri having played a certain role in the creation of the group. Maybe Girls Aloud could have come out to perform a Spice Girls medley with Geri? I do realize this arrangement's very lopsided. Geri would have significantly more to gain from it than GA.

I've always been of two minds about that. I do really like the song. It's definitely good enough to be one of their singles (it's Elton John, after all). But. I lean toward preferring it not being a single just because it's an outlier in a few ways. The girls didn't have a hand in writing it, for one. Then there's the subject matter. I like that they weren't particularly materialistic in their music. Pop stars have definitely been flaunting their wealth in songs for the past two decades...dropping name brands...and sometimes literally telling broke people to stay home. You can find a small handful of materialistic references in the Spices' work...(Victoria briefly mentions a dude's car model in I Wish), but by and large, that's not what they were about in their music...group or solo. So. For me, the lyrics of My Strongest Suit are a bit antithetical to who they are...and especially to who Mel C is (who took the bulk of the solo lines). Because I am two minds on it...I guess you could also argue that the girls could make it quite clear the song's not supposed to be taken 100% seriously...just like Madonna did with Material Girl. And within the context of the AIDA show/soundtrack, the song does make sense. It also would have been nice for people to hear a more substantial collab between the girls/Elton...something better than Elton's blink-and-miss-it cameo in SpiceWorld or their six-person duet (?) of Don't Go Breakin My Heart.

I was always a bit puzzled by the If That Were Me release just because I view it as easily the weakest song on Northern Star. I don't doubt Mel's sincerity on the subject. Geri's If Only even talks about she and Mel's care for people living without homes. It's just that the song has some genuinely clunky lyrics (that irked me even as a kid)...and doesn't have the punch of most of the other tracks on the album. I actually think she had several songs that didn't make the album cut that are far better than If That Were Me (namely Follow Me), but if the subject was that important to Mel, I get why she'd want it on her record. Probably what was most irksome was Mel barely promoting Holler (Forever's best new track with major hit potential) to spend her time pushing If That Were Me (Northern Star's worst track that's lucky to have managed #18). What would I have released instead as a fifth single? I think it would have to be a double a-side. What the four previous releases did extremely well was show different sides of Mel as an artist. So. Maybe Closer/Go! as the final single? I don't know if I'd release them as stand-alone singles, but Be The One and Suddenly Monday do have something of a classic feel to me...and they might have made for nice promo videos or something.

I could say Goin Down wasn't right for the first single because it's not indicative of the whole album...but then, really, no one song on Norther Star is indicative of the whole album. I've always liked Goin Down. Liked it then. Like it now. But I wouldn't have released it as a single. To me, it's one of the songs on the album (like Why, Suddenly Monday, and Be The One) that are really effective at setting a mood and showing another side of Mel's character...but they're best as album tracks. What should she have led with? If it hadn't already appeared on the Big Daddy soundtrack, Gaga probably would have been my choice. Radio friendly...but also establishes Mel as an artist separate from the Spice Girls. It's a less dynamic statement than Goin Down...but I also think it's the better, more substantial song. But then, the fans had known the song for months because of the Big Daddy soundtrack...and I get the importance of releasing something fresh. I think Go! also had more commercial potential than Goin Down. Also. People seem to rarely talk about this song...but in some alternate universe where the slickly produced, Bend It Like Beckham soundtrack cut of Independence Day already existed in 1999...I think that would have been a pretty perfect debut single. The version we DID have in 1999 might not have made that big of a splash...but my feeling was always that Bend It Like Beckham version had hit written all over it.

I will say this, though. For all the flack the girls got for their ads, I actually do prefer how they did it to how some music icons handled ads before them. Move Over (and to a lesser extent, Power of 5) sound pretty good when stacked up next to, say...Paula Abdul's Diet Coke song from a few years earlier. Then there's Madonna's Pepsi commercial set to Like A Prayer. It wouldn't have aired much...because it was yanked down over the controversy of the song's real video. But. Still. It's super weird now watching a video with one of M's signature songs have PEPSI PEPSI PEPSI flashed through it. Worst of all to me is Michael Jackson...who changed the lyrics of classics Billie Jean and Bad to be literally ABOUT Pepsi. Woof. Granted, those songs would have been new when the ads were created...and not yet viewed as some of the most recognizable pop songs ever. But. Wow, do those adapted lyrics seem weird now.

Saw them in July 1998. Nashville. They would have recorded Goodbye at a local studio during this same stop. I remember quite a bit about it, really. Ate at Planet Hollywood that day...and they were playing a "Spice Girls at Planet Hollywood" video on the screens. My guess is that was probably part of their video loop that summer...and not just playing because of the show that night. But. Anyway. I was young and dumb enough to ask a parent to take me to the big fancy hotel in town and ask the front desk if the girls were staying there. "No, but you might check the Motel 6." Rude. It was an amphitheater. Got the black tour shirt with the girls' faces projected onto buildings. Before the show they played a couple music videos...namely 5ive's When The Lights Go Out and Natalie Imbruglia's Torn (incidentally, those were the only major hits each act had in the US). They also played a super short version of the Aprilia ad...some murky footage of the girls set to Spice Up Your Life. You could barely tell if Geri was in the footage or not. In the US, the Spice Girls were far more famous as a complete unit than as individuals...so I don't remember the crowd being especially phased by Geri's absence. Keeping in mind, the Union Jack dress and patting of Prince Charles' butt were bigger cultural moments in the UK...so...I don't think Geri was viewed as quite as essential in the US. It was my first major show, so I didn't realize that it was outside the norm for a main act to take an intermission...and also feature a sign language interpreter on the screen. I haven't been to a show since that has done either of those things. Of course, the show was fab. Favorite moments? The If U Can't Dance opening was EPIC in the amphitheater. Always loved that band's live take on Say You'll Be There, and it sounded really damn good live. Sisters with the Mels was great. In terms of pacing, it honestly was an excellently created show.

Well. The Hercules thing is partly true. People have gotten it confused over the years thinking the girls were offered the roles of the muses. They weren't offered that...or to be in the actual movie. Work on the film would have been going on for years before the girls exploded onto the scene, after all. What they were offered was a chance to record I Won't Say I'm In Love for the movie soundtrack. The song's writer, Alan Menken, has talked about how it was a big disappointment that Simon/the girls couldn't work it into their schedules. Granted, the Spice Girls were a far bigger cultural moment than the Hercules film in 1997. But recording the song for the soundtrack would still have been a mutually beneficial thing. By 1997, Disney's soundtrack songs weren't getting the same attention they had with Aladdin and Lion King a few years earlier. The Spice Girls would have unquestionably given that song a boost...and made it something better remembered today. And it was just a good idea for the girls to be looped in with a juggernaut like Disney. I'm sure the girls and their producers would have reworked the song into their style...just the same as they'd do with My Strongest Suit two years later. But. No. It couldn't work out...but they could find time for a lot of potato chip commercials... (I'm not totally knocking the Walkers commercials...some of them are fairly cute...)

I think they managed to have about as good a pop song/jingle hybrid as there's ever been with Move Over. That song fits the commercial's vibe...but the lyrics are never directly about Pepsi. Someone listening to Spiceworld today would have no idea there was a track in the mix that was "the Pepsi song". For years, I thought Move Over was a song the girls selected for their commercial...rather than the real story...that it DID start out life as a jingle that the girls just expanded on. The Power of 5 is a different story, though. I guess I could see a version of the song *with different lyrics* as a potential b-side (if I remember correctly, the girls and their producers DID write this jingle). But I *really* wouldn't want a b-side where the girls are singing about a TV channel. Nope. Nope. Nope. The commercial itself, I think is pretty cute. Their looks are great. There are good shots in there. As a video goes, I do think The Power of 5 commercial is better than the Headlines video...but that may say more about the Headlines video than the Power of 5 commercial. I guess this commercial was harmless enough...though it's hard for me to shake that the girls/Simon turned down the chance to work with Disney and record a song for the Hercules soundtrack (an obviously high profile project...and it would've been wise to be linked with Disney)...but they always seemed to have time for lower rent stuff.

I would support any of them touring...and in Geri's case, I think she would've had the material to potentially make a really fun setlist. I'll admit that I was nervous at the time about THAT era of Geri touring. After making pretty solid decisions about collaborators in the first few years of her career, she'd hired a friend to direct the Ride It video...and...to me, it showed. The Ride It performances never seemed like they'd been rehearsed much. When she performed her past hits around that time, it was with minimal choreography. It seemed she wanted to just stand around bow-legged and make a few gestures with her arms. Nothing seemed especially focused...and I'm not sure how a tour would have fared, springing from that. I actually feel the prime times for her to tour would have been right after the Bag It Up release...or launching after the release of It's Raining Men. Both of these eras showed a Geri who was willing to go for broke. That Geri would flood the BRITS stage with men in pink underwear...or parade out so many IRM dancers at Party in the Park that you weren't sure which side was the stage and which side was the crowd. That Geri needed to stage a show.

I have my hopes we'll get some more unreleased music. My concern is the group and their team may not believe the public has much interest in new (to us) stuff. Response was somewhat quiet to Feed Your Love and Step To Me (not new to us, but new to streaming). There are easy explanations for that. Feed Your Love is a fairly subtle jam that I personally like...but it doesn't demand attention. And there was never a point I couldn't find someplace to listen to Step To Me...even if it wasn't on Spotify specifically. But...I could see someone at the label looking at those low streaming numbers for those two (and Headlines and Voodoo)...and thinking any small effort they give should just be on the established hits.

A piano honestly would help. Time Goes By is easily my least favorite album track by the group. Nothing else comes close. There's a lot I don't like about the song...but it doesn't help that it even gets off to a bad start. That keyboard opening sounds like a karaoke kids' talent show. It's a fairly unusual song for the Darkchild team...as it definitely didn't fit pop in 2000...and is rather...uncool? I could imagine it having a production similar to Melanie C's Reason...with piano accompaniment and light instrumental backing. I wouldn't say that would totally fix the song, per se. To me the lyrics/delivery/everything just feels inauthentic (something I wouldn't say about any other group ballad). But I do think the piano accompaniment *would* help the song stand out as something unique in their discography...and more serving a purpose as a vocal showcase.

Yeah. I wish Mel B could have managed a top 10 album too. While it's my least favorite of the solo Spices' debut albums, I still view it as three brilliant songs...another three decent album tracks...and five 'meh' songs. It's not THAT bleak a situation. And (for me at least), it deserved the top 10 just on the strength of the album's best songs. But...y'know...it was that disastrous release timing. Plus, Mel herself said in some of the promo that Forever was a better album than her own. Which. I mean. She's right. Points for honesty. But it's probably not the best thing to say when you're trying to promote a solo album. Few other thoughts. Though it's my least favorite solo Spice debut album, Hot actually is my favorite opening two songs. I think Feels So Good and Tell Me are killer (I've long accepted that I apparently like Tell Me better than the entire rest of the fanbase). However. While Hot has my favorite two opening songs...it definitely does not have my favorite three openings songs. To me, the album's momentum drops off a cliff with Hell No...a song that could have been recorded (or more likely rejected) by literally any r'n'b act in 2000.

I have somewhat mixed feelings about M as a figure against ageism. On the one hand, she's right in that women over 45 are far too ignored in media. Why is it so impossible for really any artist past that age to get a hit? And honestly, some of M's output HAS deserved a lot more attention. But. Here's the flip side. Would the Madonna of 2023 feature another artist her age on a song? Years ago, she said men her age are fat and grumpy. She surrounds herself with much younger people. And. Y'know. Frankly, in terms of collaborators...she should work with whoever she wants. But one could perceive that her interest isn't really about a battle against ageism in general...but more just...a battle against ageism as it pertains to Madonna. As for the reaction to her Grammy pictures last week...people are being overly cruel yet again. As much as we want to think we've evolved in 2023, social media places way too much importance on snark for me to believe people have honestly gotten any less petty and mean. But. Here's the deal. M blaming the camera for making her look a certain way is a bit...deluded. The camera got what it got. What WAS distorted were all the pictures (now deleted) on M's Instagram to make her look like a different person than who she is today. I can't help but think of her team taking her Eurovision and Tears Of a Clown audios (both already widely heard) and distorting it all to make it sound like she hit all her notes. So. I dunno. I give her credit for saying things about ageism that not enough people are saying. But being in denial of what you look like/what your voice sounds like at that age...I'm just not sure that's the healthiest way to age.

Thanks for reviewing it, Nina! Actually, my assessment of the album would be very similar to yours. And I'm glad to see you like Oxygen. After If You Wanna Have Some Fun, it's my next favorite non-single album track on Forever. I get that people get irked by the dripping noise. But. I dunno. It doesn't bother me, and I see it as a cute quirk? I hate to see Oxygen ever get lumped in with Time Goes By. To my ears, Oxygen sounds like the girls are being genuine...and Time Goes By does not. The only area my opinion would differ at all would just be in the album's two raps. I actually really don't like Mel B's rap in the album version of Right Back At Ya. I think it's clunky. Bizarrely, I really enjoy the same rap (which sounds like the exact same vocal take) on the leaked pop version of the song. Go figure. The production just makes that much difference to me. The tone of the rap's fun and spunky on the pop one...and a bit...spiteful?...on Darkchild's take. And...there's this. Brace yourself. I'm going to defend the Weekend Love rap. Yes. The shock. The horror. Shower me with your rage. But. What can I say? I like it. I remember thinking the song was a little humdrum on first listen...until that rap came along and blindsided me. I loved it. It's a burst of energy...a jolt of a surprise...in an album that doesn't have a lot of surprises after the novelty of Darkchild producing the Spice Girls wears off after the first two tracks. It's like three of the girls are trying to get rid of this guy politely...but he's not getting it...so...they have to deploy Mel B to finish the job. I think it's in character. It's weird. It's funny. I could do without the two Darkchild references in a song that doesn't really need them. But. Darkchild's gonna Darkchild. Not much we can do about that.

In terms of Holler being cut from the broadcast, I think the official reason given was trouble with the mics. But in all honesty, three of the girls sound fine to me...but Victoria's struggling. You can hardly blame her. There was that stalker who'd told her he'd be at the show. Holler was already the most challenging song for Victoria that the Spice Girls had recorded to that point. With the added stress of the situation, she was having a tough time. My guess is the Brits team agreed to leave the performance out...as acknowledgement that she'd already been put through hell with the threats. I'm pretty sure Victoria said something in her book about how this was the one night where she truly couldn't sing. As a side note, the broadcast I've seen also leaves out Victoria's part of Goodbye. I don't know if those lines actually were performed that night...and were also cut...or if they were genuinely just performing a shorter arrangement.

I've always thought a lot of the solo material *could* have been group songs. Whether that solo material is good enough for the group's standards is a whole other conversation. But could they have pulled off a lot of the solo songs? To me...they could. I think the major exceptions would be the edgier Mel B songs...and the more serious Mel C songs (which do honestly make up a lot of her discography). The group couldn't pull off, say, Why or Goin Down...though it would be hilarious to see how Victoria would handle herself on stage for the latter. I guess it depends on what you view as making a Spice Girls song. I don't think genre has to be too specific. I think the song has to have a certain air of positivity...with a strong chorus. That encompasses a lot of the solo material. I just think the songs would have to be grouped into different album eras. A 1999 pop album could contain some of the Schizophonic songs. A Forever r'n'b album could follow to include, say, Never Be The Same Again, Feels So Good, and I Wish. A guitary pop album could follow that...and lead with What Took You So Long. Quite a few of these songs are already structured like group tracks. Feels So Good, in particular, has little call and response moments (lovin you, lovin you...is the easy part) that different girls could easily slot into. Never Be The Same Again kinda does too. Mel C does the opening verses. Emma does "c'mon c'mon". Mel B does "nothin ventured, nothing gained". I'm sure Mel C would have rather croaked than give that song to the group. But would a Spice Girls track that good featuring Left Eye be a guaranteed number 1? Well, yeah. Anyway. That's a lot of "what ifs". The reality is that the pop landscape was about to get a lot more crowded in 1999...and their dominance was going to get challenged no matter what their output was. But! It is a little interesting to wonder how many more hits they could have racked up if they had the best of the solo tracks in their arsenal.

^ I really love the US poster for the film with the sequin union jack background. Was this one used for a lot of other territories too? I remember spotting it in theaters back at the time. It was so bold and eye-catching. Such an iconic design. I remember being a bit disappointed when that design wasn't carried over into the VHS release...and they went for the considerably more muted globe background. As for taglines...I don't love "You Say You Want A Revolution". I get that the film owes more than a little DNA to the Beatles' films...but still...I don't think that tagline sums up the film well. I like "They Don't Just Sing" and "Five Girls. Five Days. One Rockin' World" far better. In terms of other marketing, I remember thinking the full length trailer was super odd. It sets itself up to be a Charlie's Angels-type mission film...that somehow lands the girls in all these bizarre scenarios. From the trailer, I was expecting something along the lines of Michael Jackson's Moonwalker film. Moonwalker is more a string of musical scenes starring MJ. There's not a singular storyline that connects the whole thing. So. I was actually really surprised to catch Spice World and find...there was a far more streamlined plot than what had been advertised (and the spy mission plot just...wasn't a thing at all...?...)

Ha! Well. I tend to agree with you about mediums. It's really an old carnival trick...the way this works. But people (and very high profile ones at that) seem to believe it wholeheartedly. Besides the Spice Girls prediction, let's take the other thing he told Mel. Someone close to her died from a form of cancer...perhaps a kidney, liver, or pancreatic cancer. Here's the deal with that. Let's say for the sake argument, he really didn't know who Mel was (I don't buy that...but...just for the sake of argument...) He can tell two things immediately. She's a Black woman...and she's European. What mediums often do is a matter of regional/racial/age-related statistics. Cancer rates are disproportionately higher in Black people...so...there was a fairly good chance Mel lost someone in the family to cancer. So, why was he specific to it being a kidney, liver, or pancreatic cancer? One possibility is that smoking tends to remain more common in Europe over the US. What's a risk of smoking? Pancreatic cancer. I won't deny there's a certain skill in being able to keep up with so many statistics related to age/race/region to make this work. I just wish people viewed medium readings a bit more like magicians. There's just something ghoulish to me about someone making a fortune out of pretending to talk to people's dead relatives.

Oh my gosh. This guy. Lol. Tyler Henry. The episode with Mel B is from 2017. I remember watching when it was new. A friend of mine is a huge fan of Tyler, and she *haaates* my take on him. Ha! But. Yeah. I don't get why people believe him at all. He's a celebrity medium...who sits in front of very, very famous people and claims to not know them...while making 'readings' of things the public very widely knows. In Mel's case, he's telling her she may work with people from her past but not all of them. Well, obviously he's referring to the Spice Girls. And the fact that all members of the group weren't on board reunion hopes around that time isn't exactly...events happening behind closed doors. But we're supposed to believe him because he claims to not know Mel B? Important to note that both Mel and Tyler were in the Kardashians' orbit then. Just sayin... I think the height of it for me was when Tyler did a reading for LaToya Jackson and said a bunch of stuff about Michael's death that the world knows. This isn't an obscure event. But. Anyway. That's a whole tangent for ya there. If anyone's a Tyler fan and thinks I'm waaay off on my perception of him, just know a very good friend of mine has already raked me over the coals for knocking his ability. lol.

Lol. These tabloid headlines really are something, aren't they? Are the girls honestly horrified, mortified, and red faced by this song? The tabloids aren't even reporting the correct title... Ultimately, I'm a little lost on why there's so much pearl-clutching with this track. Yes, I'm fully aware that they're referencing a naughty word. But. I don't know. Not only are they not actually saying it, they're not even totally spelling it out? Is this really that upsetting? Yes, there were kids who bought their records, but the Spice Girls always had a bit of edge. To me, this song's not out of step with the group we see in the Say You'll Be There and Who Do You Think Are videos. But what do I know? I'm late to the party on this, but I'm finally getting a listen...and by and large, I do like the song. Personally, I prefer Feed Your Love...and I don't think Likely Stories is deserving of album placement or anything. It does get off on the wrong foot with Victoria's vocals being a bad fit for those opening lines. It needs someone bolder like Mel B. BUT. All that said, it's catchy. I like Geri's little additions here and there. Quirky. Fun. Would have made for a good b-side at some point. For me, this certainly beats Spice Invaders or just skipping a fresh b-side like Stop and Viva Forever did. Was the naughty line the only thing preventing it from inclusion somewhere? If so, was it just impossible for them to figure out another line to put there? The world of music's filled with songs that started with far edgier lyrics than the ones we know now...just ask Chic's Le Freak and Little Richard's Tutti Fruitti....

I never got to see the musical, so I can't weigh in on the Jennifer Saunders writing. But I did hear recordings of the songs...and even on that level, you could tell they were missing the point. Say what you will about Mamma Mia!...but that show does nail it in an essential way; it understands the songs are the real star. Mamma Mia! is a terrific showcase of ABBA's music. My mom saw that show. She immediately wanted ABBA Gold for Christmas. Viva Forever! didn't get that. Who Do You Think You Are is criminally brief. In the recordings I heard, the song kinda just fizzles to a close...and the audience seems unsure of whether to applaud. What should have been an obvious show stopper is fumbled. I agree with Mr. X that playing 2 Become 1 strictly for laughs is a mistake. I do think the Mama/Goodbye mashup works...but I still think it's a mistake. It's a group with basically 10 or so universally known singles. When the number's that small, I just wouldn't mash two of them into a version that the general public can't sing along to. My memory is that when the show first reached the stage, Say You'll Be There was a stripped down, piano-led version. I believe later in the show's run, it was amped up into a better version. But they should have known better than the earlier rendition. The show's version of Viva Forever is kinda pretty...but it treats the song as a non-event. I think a lot of the songs are sung by very talented people...but I don't think their hammy diva/theatrical singing style honestly suits some of the songs (Do It, for example). Meanwhile, it's Right Back At Ya that gets a genuine decent performance....but that's a song that only die-hard fans will know...and it's pretty debatable as to whether the released version is even a fan favorite. A lot of it was kinda...backwards.

I don't know for sure when the pop tracks got dumped...but I tend to think it was in the summer of 2000 because of the last minute recording session...and also because Emma was still talking about WOMAN in July of 2000. I know she famously has a bad memory...but my guess is she would know if something was or wasn't on her current album project. Other group members also said in July of 2000 that they hadn't picked the first single yet...so...I tend to think there were still some moving parts. Rodney Jerkins had already been made the album EP long before all of this...but I don't think that automatically meant nearly everything that wasn't his would be removed.