OPO: Spice Girls

"Wannabe" is kind of iconic but has always been a little irritating too. "Say You'll Be There" is excellent but a little too aloof - so I'm going to go for "Stop!" - terrific Motownish bubblegum and Mel C is kept to a minimum. Pisses all over S Club's overrated "Reach" which the sheep-like masses seem to have embraced more, bah humbug.

'Stop' does it for me. It's a fine a loving pastiche of 60s Motown as La Ross' 'Chain Reaction'... actually, a sight more loving.

How ironic the Spice Girls' finest moment was their first single not to reach Number One. But only pick one? You are harsh, sir.

Those are the rules alas.

The string arrangement on "2 Becomes 1." Otherwise I can't stand the song.

"Wannabe" for me. I think it's GREAT!

The British flag patterned bus from their movie remains the best thing ever about the Spice Girls. I'm embarassed to post this, since it means revealing that I saw the movie, but the bus was awesome.

the movie is terrific, and the bus — which was set-designed by my friend bin — is the best thing in it (except for the aliens) (and the ending)

Wannabe is their raison d'etre. surely.'Twas downhill from there ever since, even if Say You'll Be There was da better record.

I wonder tho. had anyone else other than Tom posted this q, would it have recieved the same revernece of response.

After all,Live Forever pisses over any of the S. Girls catalogue, as I'm sure Mr E True would agree. (And if he doesn't, he's a fuckin hypocrite).

Hahaha why do people think I will come round and KICK THEIR ARSES or something if they say something bad about the SGs? I don't like the Spices that much - I'd buy the best-of but not any of the three actual albums. I think they were Important but I think Oasis were Important. And Live Forever is better than some SG singles ("Holler", "Mama", "Who Do You Think You Are") and worse than some others ("Stop", "Say You'll Be There", "Wannabe").

Actually I thought they'd be an ideal band for an OPO - like most pop bands, almost everyone has one song they like (or just sort-of-like) by them.

I've found myself actually liking the Spice Girls lately. I may actually buy one of their CDs soon if this keeps up. So, since I don't actually know that much about them, which one should I go for?

And I've never really understood why everyone loves "Live Forever." It's NICE, I guess, but it's middling and sentimental and not half as catchy as it wants to be. "Slide Away" is much better.

Justyn - the second SG album is better but the first one is more 'what the fuss was about' I suppose and has the most famous tracks. Avoid the third. Actually wait for a best-of, probably this Christmas.

Oddly, with its inclusion in a Burger King commercial, I find "Wannabe" even more delectable now!

Well. y'know...just stokin the fires of debate and all that..but...

this board's fixed hatred of Oasis as some kind of culmination of all the horrors of Sixties-fixated, stunted indie pop when, in fact, they stood diametrically opposed to the received value system of The NME Reader so much in 1994. It can be argued that Oasis opened up a space where bands like the Spice Girls could do their unabashed pop thang... where such barriers between Their Music and Our Music had been knocked down forever.

Perhaps I will continue this when I'm less drunk..sppprrrggghhhhhllll

Mind you, I will temper the above by mAking it clear that I thiNk Heathen Chemistry is the most unloveable garbage.

It's a nice idea Venga but I think the 'space' had been opened up by Take That, and the New Kids before them - the first super-huge pop bands where playing the instruments/writing the songs weren't relevant. You could argue that the Spice Girls borrowed some of their attitude from Oasis, though.

>the first super-huge pop bands where playing the instruments/writing >the songs weren't relevant.

Ummm..was this ever "relevant" to any people who have bought any record evah?

The Oasis thing: yes, I agree that Take That were fundamental in making it "okay" to like pop again but then again...Oasis recorded better songs, became a huge POP phenomenon entirely on those terms and then forced the "manufactured" pop acts to up their game that little bit. Hence ,,,the Spice Girls.

Aside from Pray, TT didn't really make any great records did they?

Was it ever relevant? Well maybe, maybe not - apparently not, but for whatever reason the pop bands the industry pushed in the 80s (Duran Duran, for instance), still each had defined playing/songwriting roles. So somebody presumably thought it was relevant - and Milli Vanilli lost industry and public support after their miming scandal broke.

The quality of the songs is kind of an issue but I'd as soon listen to a Take That hits CD as an Oasis one - they both mixed up catchy mid- and up-tempo numbers with the occasional really terrible slowie. And while Oasis were a big cross-demographic phenomenon their guaranteed-number-one success period only really started in mid-95, whereas Take That were hitting the top with every release for a couple of years before that. I think that Britpop in general - not just Oasis - had meant that by '96 pop, and The Charts, were slightly more newsworthy than they had been in the early 90s, and the Spice Girls were one act to take advantage of that. The Prodigy too!

Actually having said that about Take That's slowies my favourite TT song is "A Million Love Songs" - I really like songs about songwriting and this is a good, if corny one.

"Spice Up Your Life" cos no one else rates it and some people hate it.

(Possibly the Spice Girls' success was helped by Britpop ending very suddenly. I wasn't that interested in music at the time to really be able to talk about it though)

Viva Forever (was that what it was called? the first post-geri one, can't remember..) was better than Live Forever and the video was the best thing about the Spice Girls.

Wannabe was exceptionally awful and liked only by people over-eager to take their place in the post-Britpop/Dadrock resistance.

some of the ballads were quite nice though - that Goodbye My Friend thing is alright and 2 Become 1 is kind of lovely.

the POO would be the silly stalker song from the first album though, with its sampled female phone sex stalker voice!

I'd pick 'Goodbye' - a v. gd ballad w/ extra 'irony' (ie drop dead Gerri)

And I MUCH prefer 'Spice Up Your Life' to 'Wannabe', which I think is one of their worst singles.

"Say You'll Be There"'s harp edging out "2 Become 1"'s string arrangement.

2 become 1.

thinking about it, i probably like most of them (with the exception of wannabe) - like take that, the slower ones worked too, which isn't often the case. picking only one is fairly easy though, say you will be there. following the rule that when bands 'burst' onto the scene, the first single is the iconic one that comes to define them, while the second single is more assured and a better song. always the case...

And I've never really understood why everyone loves "Live Forever." It's NICE, I guess, but it's middling and sentimental and not half as catchy as it wants to be. "Slide Away" is much better.

Yes.

And as far as the SG's go, I unabashedly love Wannabe. It is hyper and annoying, but in a nice way.

Dammit, I can't remember the name of the song, but it was that sort of Latin sounding one, with the "shake it to the left, shake it to right, I see ya, hold tight!" or whatever hook. Was that Spice Up Your Life?

Tough decision, mate. Though Tom, you are right, "Stop" pisses all over "Reach" from a great, great height, and I will bring this up the next time my S Club-loving friend tries to defend the song.

Yes it was Kate.

"2 become 1" because apart from Stop and Wannabe, I'm having a problem remembering any of their songs.

i always liked 'who do you think you are' with its natty harmonies, and self-deprecating fame-hunger idea; SG almost accusing themselves as not really belonging.

I love the bus, but Spice Up Your Life is the best bit of the movie easily, at the concert - pure Summer Holiday (and now't wrong with that). Worst bit is easily Richard E Grant - can't act, and miserable with it.

Take That's finest moment is easily Back for Good, incidentally - I wouldn't know, but I used to share with a girl who discovered her teenage years belatedly.

Second Spice Girls album is of course the one to buy - and as far as the Oasis/SG divide goes, I have to say I enjoyed both bands maga concerts equally but for far different reasons. (We are, of course, talking pre-Geri leaving. Post-, that's a no no no. Kinda like pre- and post- Bonehead, now I think about it.)

The Spice Girls lyrics of course made just as much sense as Noel's...

I've always liked Holler the best because it's so slick and artificial. Rodney Jerkins sort of used them as androids and they seem totally removed from all their 96/97 vivaciousness but I kinda like that.

...has to be 2 Become 1

'2 Become 1' and 'Spice Up Your Life' undoubtedly their best singles, but since I'm only allowed one pick, I'll go with "Move Over", because I'm drinking Coke right now and feeling like such a TRAITOR!

"Spice Up Your Life" for me. Esp especially that "aaaaaaah" bit.

In accordance with immutable laws of the universe that I've no time to explain, only the Spice Girls songs that I have performed can be truly excellent. Thus "Wannabe", "Say You'll Be There", "2 Become 1", "Spice Up Your Life" and "Stop". And I'll choose "Say You'll Be There" as my favourite for the "an' now ya tell meh that ya fallin' in LURVE, well ah nehh-va ehh-va thought that would be-e-ee!" bit.

Actually I only just performed "Wannabe" for the first time the other night at a Chinese Karaoke bar in Adelaide. Amazingly, after seven quickfuck shots I still knew every word of the rap section.

Well here's the story from A to Z
You wanna get with me? You gotta listen carefully!
You got Em in the place whole likes in the face
You got G with MC who likes it on a...
Easy V, she don't come for free (She's a real lady!)
And as for me? Well, you'll see!
SLAM YOUR BODY DOWN AND WIND IT ALL AROUND!

Clearly the answer to this question is "Spice Up Your Life", though.