FEATURE:
Who Do You Think You Are
Spice Girls' Spice at Twenty-Five
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I love a good album anniversary…
and, unlike some artists, the Spice Girls are marking twenty-five years of their debut, Spice, with a new release. Released on 4th November, 1996, I think Spice is an underrated album. A great debut from a girl group who, by the time their debut was out, were already huge names. The release of Spice sent them stratospheric! This article explains more about the twenty-fifth anniversary release:
“Spice Girls are celebrating the 25th anniversary of their debut album with a reissue featuring previously unreleased songs, demos and mixes.
Spice 25 is out on October 29, almost exactly 25 years after the release of their debut album on November 4, 1996.
The collection includes the album's original 10 songs, plus previously unreleased demos and mixes, including the 7-inch radio mix of the record's second single Say You'll Be There - released today - where the familiar harmonica solo is replaced by a saxophone.
The expanded edition also includes two previously unheard songs, One Of These Girls and Shall We Say Goodbye Then?.
Spice 25 tracklisting
CD1
1. Wannabe (02:53)
2. Say You’ll Be There (03:56)
3. 2 Become 1 (Single Version) (04:05)
4. Love Thing (03:39)
5. Last Time Lover (04:11)
6. Mama (05:05)
7. Who Do You Think You Are (04:01)
8. Something Kinda Funny (04:05)
9. Naked (04:26)
10. If U Can’t Dance (03:49)
CD2
1. Wannabe (Dave Way Alternative Mix) (03:25)
2. Say You’ll Be There (7-inch Radio Mix) (04:09)
3. 2 Become 1 (Orchestral Version) (04:05)
4. Mama (Biffco Mix) (05:49)
5. Love Thing (12-inch Unlimited Groove Mix) (06:25)
6. Take Me Home (04:07)
7. Last Time Lover (Demo) (04:05)
8. Feed Your Love (04:36)
9. If U Can’t Dance (Demo) (03:36)
10. Who Do You Think You Are (Demo) (03:49)
11. One of These Girls (03:33)
12. Shall We Say Goodbye Then? (00:53)
Spice spent 15 weeks at Number 1 on the UK's Official Albums Chart, across four different spells, and logged more than a year in the Top 40. The record's global sales are reportedly 23 million, over 3 million of which are from the UK.
Emma Bunton said in a statement: "From the first wannabe baby steps to conquering the whole world with a team of Spices, thank you doesn’t seem enough to all of you who have supported us, followed in our footsteps, walked in our great big shoes and who have shared our dreams. It’s been 25 years of pure magic. Spice Girls forever!!!"
Geri Horner added: "To our diehard and loyal fans; without you there is no us – sending endless love and gratitude. Whoever you are, whatever your dreams – live them, be them. The Spice Girls motto is testament to that."
The 2CD release comes in an A5 hardback booklet, with a collection of images plus new messages from the group, and a set of six Spice Girls postcards featuring photographs by Tim Roney, taken in Paris in September 1996. The album will also be released on picture disc, limited edition coloured vinyl and cassettes.
Commenting on the album's milestone anniversary, Melanie C said: "25 years, wow! I have so many wonderful memories of writing, recording, promoting and touring this album and so many people to thank. This is the record that set us off on our incredible journey. A huge thank you to our fans and family all around the World. Thank you for always being there with your unrelenting support and making our dreams come true. My love and gratitude always.”
Melanie B added: "All I ever wanted was to be accepted and to make everyone around me – gay, straight, brown, black, shy or loud like me – to feel they can celebrate who they are and to be free to be themselves. All I hope – 25 years on – is that message has been heard loud and clear. It’s true that in the end love IS all you need so I thank everyone who has ever bought a Spice Girls record or stood in the rain to greet us or got dressed up in pink, in a tracksuit, a ginger wig, a leopard print catsuit or put on Vic’s iconic pout!"
Speaking of which, Victoria Beckham said: "We couldn't let 25 years pass without thanking the fans for their incredible support. There are so many people who have played a part in the success of the Spice Girls throughout the years, you know who you are and we thank you".
I wanted to mark twenty-five years of a wonderful debut. I was big into Pop and R&B in 1996. I knew about the Spice Girls thanks to the success of their debut single, Wannabe. I was more into other bands at the time - though the compelling and catchy nature of their music drew me in. Whilst some might see the group (at the time, Mel C, Mel B, Geri Halliwell (who left the group in 1998 but has since re-joined; Victoria has since left), Victoria Adams and Emma Bunton) as a bit manufactured – and their Girl Power slogan/mantra as empty -, the connection in the group and the upbeat nature of the music is pure. It is why we still hear songs from Spice now. I will bring in a positive review for the debut soon. With the group co-writing all the tracks on Spice, there is that personal relevance. I love the lesser-spun songs like Last Time Lover and Naked. There are so many huge songs on the 1996 debut. Wannabe, Say You’ll Be There and 2 Become 1 must be among the best opening three tracks of any album. Mama and Who Do You Think You Are are also big tracks. Half of the album is pretty well known. The singles are dispersed, so that you do not get a big run of deeper cuts. In terms of quality, Spice is much more than the singles and nothing else.
I think a lot of the negative or mixed reviews was based on the hype and popularity the Spice Girls were receiving. There would have been snobbish attitudes towards girl groups and more manufactured Pop then. Listening to Spice now, it is such a satisfying listen. Maybe there is some nostalgia coming in! This is what AllMusic wrote in their review:
“Spice doesn't need to be original to be entertaining, nor do the Spice Girls need to be good singers. It just has to be executed well, and the innocuous dance-pop of Spice is infectious. None of the Girls have great voices, but they do exude personality and charisma, which is what drives bouncy dance-pop like "Wannabe," with its ridiculous "zig-a-zig-ahhh" hook, into pure pop guilty pleasure. What is surprising is how the sultry soul of "Say You'll Be There" is more than just a guilty pleasure, and how ballads like "2 Become 1" are perfect adult contemporary confections. The rest of the album isn't quite as catchy as those first three singles, but it is still irresistible, immaculately crafted pop that gets by on the skills of the producer and the charisma of the five Spices. Sure, the last half of the album is forgettable, but it sounds good while it's on, which is the key to a good dance-pop record”.
I am going to end with a feature from Albuism , who wrote about the twentieth anniversary of Spice in 2016. Many people might have hated Pop then and been into other scenes. The energy of Baby Spice (Emma), Scary Spice (Mel B), Sporty Spice (Mel C), Posh Spice (Victoria) and Baby Spice (Emma) was infectious:
“Happy 20th Anniversary to Spice Girls’ debut album Spice, originally released in the UK November 4, 1996 and in the US February 4, 1997.
I grew up in the NYC hardcore/punk scene—nothing but depravity, filth, and sometimes songs that were only eighteen seconds long. But when I got a text from the bartender at a local biker bar that read: “Spice World is on the TV. Your first drink is on me,” I immediately threw on the tattered, rotting Spice Girls t-shirt I bought in 2001 and my patched-up leather vest and ran over.
I don’t wear that shirt ironically. I wear it because I think they were a brilliant pop sensation (even if created—like the Monkees or countless other groups whose songs will stick in your head). And, trust me, I fucking hate pop music.
“Spice World opens tomorrow. We’re all going. 10am screening,” a bandmate said to me in 1998. I laughed because I was as drunk as a character in a Joyce novel and it was already 4am. It was possibly one of the greatest theater-going experiences I’ve ever had. Kids were dancing in the aisles, singing every word—and at one point a 9-year-old boy shouted at another child, “If you don’t shut the fuck up so I can watch the movie, I’m gonna pop a cap in your ass!”
Up until this point, my only exposure to pop music had been “Weird Al” Yankovic throughout my childhood. After all, I was raised on Coltrane, Devo, Ravi Shankar, John Lee Hooker, and Zeppelin before I discovered punk. But I couldn’t help but sit back as a musician and tap my feet as I watched the film with half a liter of gin throbbing in the back of my brain on a Friday morning. Sure, it was cheesy, but it was good. Hell, even Black Flag released “TV Party” and that’s the most stupidly fun punk tune you can find (excluding most of NOFX’s catalog).
But I thought, “Jesus. I don’t care how many producers and songwriters it took to build this record... the girls can sing, dance, and these tracks are like a fucking tackle box—nothing but hooks.”
They depth-charge you out of the water with their debut album’s opening track “Wannabe” (which has a brilliant “one-shot” video—I put that in quotes because I’ve spotted two edits), slide into a great disco track (and I hate disco) on “Say You’ll Be There,” and then drift into a smooth R&B jam on track three with “2 Become 1.”
While there may be a few duds on the B-side of Spice, I can only blame the songwriting, not the singing, because these girls were on point. I’ve had to record three-part harmonies by myself and I found it nearly impossible as a singer; I can’t imagine doing a five-part harmony.
Admittedly, it’s a sexually overt (yet not blatantly explicit) album geared towards tweens, what with songs like “Love Thing,” “Last Time Lover,” “Naked,” and the aforementioned “Wannabe” refrain “If you wanna be my lover / you gotta get with my friends.” Obtuse—as an adult, I get it—but as an adult with a few threesomes under his sheets, I take it in a different light. And don’t get me started on the “2 Become 1” lyrics.
But they merged their sexuality with an array of female archetypes, all of which (hopefully) encouraged young girls to embrace “Girl Power.” The sassy redhead, the butch athlete, the strong girl of color, the prissy snob, and the girl who just wants to play. While fulfilling stereotypes rarely does anyone justice, I see them as a pop extension of the Riot Grrrl movement. Your parents might not take you to a Bikini Kill concert, but I’m sure they’ll take you to a Spice Girls concert. And the message is the same: girls can rock just as much as the boys if not more so.
Spice is an outstanding record that combines feminism with funk, hip-hop, and R&B. If you haven’t listened to it in the last 20 years, I highly recommend you do so. An hour was spent dancing in my living room before writing this article, after all, and I listened to it four more times. While I may have to listen to a few Slayer albums now to “cleanse” myself, it’s a killer fucking record and I was glad to listen to it yet again.
I used to ask strangers in bars dumb questions like “Who’s your favorite Beastie Boy?” or “Beatles vs. Stones?” I believe that an answer to either question reveals something about someone’s personality. But, now my question is “Who’s your favorite Spice Girl?”
While once a Posh guy, I can safely say that I am Scary all the way.
Go spice up your life. Buy this album, if you haven’t already”.
It may be a bit previous, but I want to look ahead and wish Spice a happy twenty-fifth anniversary to the on 4th November. It is one of the most important Pop introductions. Still effusive and addictive after all of these years, I know there will be celebration and memories shared across social media in the lead-up to its twenty-fifth. Although the anniversary edition is out next month, I would advise people to…
LISTEN to the original now.