by Spice
Girls were the first major British pop music phenomenon of the mid-'90s
to not have a debt to independent pop/rock. Instead, the all-female
quintet derived from the dance-pop tradition that made Take That the
most popular British group of the early '90s, but there was one crucial
difference. Spice Girls use dance-pop as a musical base, but they
infused the music with a fiercely independent, feminist stance that was
equal parts Madonna, post-riot grrrl alternative rock feminism, and a
co-opting of the good-times-all-the-time stance of England's new lad
culture. Their proud, all-girl image and catchy dance-pop appealed to
younger listeners, while their colorful, sexy personalities and sense
of humor appealed to older music fans, making Spice Girls a
cross-generational success. The group also became chart-toppers
throughout Europe in 1996, before concentrating in America in early
1997.
Every member of Spice Girls was given a specific
identity by the British press from the outset, and each label was as
much an extension of their own personality as it was a marketing tool,
since each name derived from their debut single and video, "Wannabe."
Geri Estelle Halliwell was the "sexy Spice"; Melanie Janine Brown was
the "scary Spice"; Victoria Adams was "the posh Spice"; Melanie Jayne
Chisholm was "the sporty Spice"; Emma Lee Bunton was "the baby Spice."
Each one of these personas were exploited in the group's press articles
and videos, which helped send "Wannabe" to the top of the charts upon
its summer release in 1996. If all of the invented personalities makes
Spice Girls seem manufactured, that's because they are to a certain
extent. Every member of the group was active in England's theatrical,
film, and modeling circuit, and they all responded to an advertisement
requesting five "lively girls" for a musical group in the summer of
1993. The manager who placed the ad chose all five members of Spice
Girls, yet the women rejected his plans for their career and set out on
their own two months after forming. For the next two years, the Girls
fought to get a record contract, since most record labels insisted that
the band pick one member as a clear leader, which is something the
group refused.
Eventually, Spice Girls signed a contract to
Virgin Records, but they were without a manager, which made recording a
debut album nearly impossible. All five members moved into a house and
went on the dole as they searched for a manager. By the end of 1995,
the group had signed with Annie Lennox's manager Simon Fuller, and
began writing songs with Elliot Kennedy. "Wannabe," Spice Girls' first
single, was released in the summer of 1996, and it became the first
debut single by an all-female band to enter the charts at number one in
England. It remained at number one for seven weeks, and by the end of
the year, "Wannabe" had hit number one in 21 other countries.
Immediately following the success of "Wannabe," Spice Girls became
media icons in Britain as stories of their encounters with other
celebrities became fodder for numerous tabloids, as did nude photos of
Halliwell that she posed for earlier in her career. All of this added
to the group's momentum, and their second single, "Say You'll Be
There," entered the charts at number one in the fall, selling 200,000
copies a week. Spice, their debut album, was released at the end of the
year, accompanied by their first ballad, "2 Become 1." Both the album
and single went directly to number one, staying there for several
weeks; both records were at number one over the Christmas week, making
Spice Girls one of three artists to achieve that feat.
Having
topped the charts in virtually every other country in the Western
world, Spice Girls concentrated on America in early 1997, releasing
"Wannabe" in January and Spice in February.
They became
massive stars in the U.S. as well, also scoring the hits "Say You'll Be
There" and "2 Become 1"; Spiceworld, their second LP, appeared later in
the year in conjunction with their feature film of the same name. In
May 1998, Geri Halliwell departed from the band, not citing major
reasons for leaving the group. She did release a solo album,
Schizophonic, a year later, but nothing chart-topping to match the
success of her former band. Still not deterred by the absence of Ginger
Spice, Spice Girls trudged on -- Melanie B. married Spice Girls dancer
Jimmy Gulzar and released the solo single, a duet with Missy
"Misdemeanor" Elliot called "I Want You Back." By Christmas, Spice
Girls scored a number one hit with Goodbye and with a career floating
high, their personal lives were moving as well. Melanie B. gave birth
to a daughter named Phoenix Chi in February 1999, and Adams followed a
month later with a son, Brooklyn Joseph. And now only known as Victoria
Beckham, Posh Spice married Manchester United soccer star David Beckham
later that summer. Becoming now more noticeable for their social status
than their singing, Spice Girls took a well-deserved break while
Melanie C. took over the English charts with her
successful
solo effort Northern Star, which was released in the U.S. in fall 1999.
The following year, the girls headed back into the studio with
high-profile producers Rodney Jerkins, Terry Lewis, and Jimmy Jam
(Janet Jackson, Mary J. Blige) to record a follow-up to their
pop-friendly Spiceworld.
In the middle of recording, Melanie
B. divorced Gulzar and endured a bitter custody battle throughout the
remainder of 2000. Spice Girls' creative power overruled media scrutiny
so that they could fully focus on the new R&B sound they were
trying for and a the new collaboration united the foursome once again
to release the third album Forever, which hit American shores in fall
2000.
The group began to splinter not long after the release
of Forever, which made little impact outside of the UK where it only
had one hit single - the chart-topping double-sided single
"Holler"/"Let Love Lead the Way" - before the Spice Girls stopped
promoting the album. Just three months after the album's November 2000
release, the band announced that they were separating in February of
2001.
Over the next few years, the Spice Girls may not have
existed as a group but they were never out of various taboild headlines
in the UK and the US. As the wife of football superstar David Beckham,
Victoria got the most attention, but Mel B wasn't far behind thanks to
her ill-fated romance with actor Eddie Murphy which resulted in an
out-of-wedlock child. Mel Chisholm had a steady career as a pop singer
while Emma Bunton had some chart success of her own with her 2001 album
A Girl Like Me and its 2004 successor, Free Me. Meanwhile, Geri
Halliwell split her time between recording and TV projects.
After
years of persistent rumors of a reunion - peaking heavily yet never
materializing for Bob Geldolf's 2005 charity event Live 8 -- the Spice
Girls announced in June 2007 that they would be reuniting for an
eleven-concert tour beginning that December, which would be accompanied
by a new greatest hits album and documentary. Stephen Thomas Erlewine,
All Music
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Spice 1996
Tracklist:
1. Wannabe - 2:52
2. Say You'll Be There - 3:56
3. 2 Become 1 - 4:00
4. Love Thing - 3:37
5. Last Time Lover - 4:11
6. Mama - 5:03
7. Who Do You Think You Are - 3:59
8. Something Kinda Funny - 4:02
9. Naked - 4:26
10. If U Can't Dance - 3:50
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Click Here
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Spice world 1998
Tracklist:
1. Spice Up Your Life - 2:52
2. Stop - 3:24
3. Too Much - 4:31
4. Saturday Night Divas - 4:25
5. Never Give Up On The Good Times - 4:30
6. Move Over - 2:46
7. Do It - 4:04
8. Denying - 3:46
9. Viva Forever - 5:09
10. The Lady Is A Vamp - 3:09
Download Spice World
Click Here
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Forever Spice 2000
Tracklist:
1. Holler - 4:15
2. Tell Me Why - 4:13
3. Let Love Lead The Way - 4:57
4. Right Back At Ya - 4:09
5. Get Down With Me - 3:45
6. Wasting My Time - 4:13
7. Weekend Love - 4:04
8. Time Goes By - 4:51
9. If You Wanna Have Some Fun - 5:25
10. Oxygen - 4:55
11. Goodbye - 4:35
Download Forever
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