Tuesday 16 February 2016

Spice Girls


Now. I am not going to claim that the debut Spice Girls LP is on a par with, say, the first Arctic Monkeys one. But with the current trend for bigging up what are, in my opinion, rather bland acts (Adele - the new Celine Dion, Little Mix - sub Girls Aloud), then that would make people who I think are quite good absolute musical geniuses. Indeed, you could argue that not only would Little Mix not have existed had it not been for Cheryl and Co, but that Girls Aloud themselves had the Spice Girls to thank for their entire career. The Spice Girls may not have been the first girl band in the world of pop (we had The Supremes and Bananarama for starters), but they did seem to be the first post-Madonna group designed specifically to cater for a style of “pure pop” that had otherwise been the domain of solo acts like Dannii Minogue. Whilst it is fair to say that Girls Aloud took the Spice template, and re-worked it into something more futuristic and, at times, more cutting edge, the Spice Girls had probably made it easier for that happen.

The Spice Girls, allegedly, had been designed as a female Take That - only with better songs. The idea was, that Take That appealed to teenage girls, and so Spice could be designed for teenage boys, and perhaps, their dads as well. In the end, the Spice Girls had a slightly different demographic - they ended up getting a big teenage girl following, who bought into their whole ’Girl Power’ shtick, but they also caught the attention of those of us who saw them as Madonna’s younger sisters. Yes, I know, they never did a “Borderline” and certainly not a “Like A Prayer”, but equally, they never plunged the depths of awfulness that Boyzone and Westlife managed. They helped to kickstart a new sub-genre of “female pop” that saw the likes of Solid Harmonie, N Tyce, Billie and Britney follow in their wake - the latter soon taking the Princess Of Pop title along the way.

Whilst the likes of the X Factor nowadays seem to be a short cut for those wanting to become famous overnight - which, as we have now seen quite a bit, doesn‘t usually seem to actually happen - the Spice Girls formation was actually quite a long winded process - the genesis of the group as dissected on Wikipedia goes on for ages. The short version, is that in 1994, auditions were held to try and put together a new girl band, and Victoria Adams, Melanie Chisholm and Melanie Brown were amongst the girls who were successfully making their way through the “knockout stages”. Geri Halliwell later ‘forced’ her way into the later stages of the process, and the eventual five piece that was formed, initially under the name of Touch, consisted of these four girls and Michelle Stephenson.

By the end of the year, Stephenson had been replaced by Emma Bunton, and the group rechristened Spice Girls. Although they were, theoretically, a group of unknowns, most members had their “past” rediscovered in the years that followed - Bunton had had a couple of acting cameos, Adams had been a fashion model and had musical ambitions, whilst Halliwell had done everything from TV presenting overseas to posing nude as a glamour girl. The group eventually signed a deal with Virgin Records in 1995, and their debut single was issued in the summer of 1996.

“Wannabe” is, I guess, the band’s signature tune. It’s probably one of the more patchier efforts in the catalogue, suffering a bit from a tinny production and an almost nursery-rhyme style sound, but it did help to introduce the band to the general public, with it’s roll call for the five girls in the middle section “we’ve got Em in your face...we’ve got G like MC” and so on. The single, like most Spice releases, used a band logo with photos of the five girls located within the five letters of the ‘Spice’ part of the band name. The single was released in the UK, and dented the top 5 straight away, before climbing to the number 1 spot. There was, to some extent, an almost punk rock vibe to the single’s success - Geri in particular, was later singled out for “not being able to sing”, Victoria got a similar slagging from some, but they had created a debut single that was quite catchy, whilst looking unlike any other “pop” group currently out there at the time. The Spice Girls were about to become the biggest band in the world.

The follow up single, “Say You’ll Be There”, was the one to turn the borderline doubters around. It was a lot more sophisticated, a slab of smooth R&B, and far less gimmicky than it’s predecessor had been. Sensing they now had a band on their roster that were capable of shifting more units than they had possibly imagined, the CD2 edition of the single came with a free poster of the band. This single followed “Wannabe” to the top of the UK charts.

The group must have been like manna from heaven to kids TV shows, and magazines like Smash Hits. The five girls had a very distinct look, each of them had a style which saw them get given nicknames by “Top Of The Pops” magazine. Hints of the Village People, maybe. These nicknames, Posh, Sporty, Scary, Baby and Ginger, were later adopted as official monikers by the band’s management - I have an official “Posh Spice” mug somewhere in the archives. And in the case of at least Geri, potential pin up girls for the “older” fans - indeed, one marketing campaign in late 97 saw each of the girls appear on the cover of a “suitable” magazine individually, with Geri appearing in hold up stockings on the cover of “Arena”. They may have been designed as a girl band for the pop crowd, but the popularity of the band was starting to explode in all directions, and the girls were making dents outside of their original target audiences.

As such, the band’s debut LP, “Spice”, was issued in late 1996 on vinyl, to cater for the hipsters, as well as the more ‘kids friendly’ cassette and CD formats. The cassette version was housed in a unique sleeve, as the band logo was designed to run down the cover, as opposed to running left to right as on the LP and CD editions. It went to the top of the charts, and shifted a “Beatlemania”-esque number of units. Some critics were unsure of the whole phenomenon, but it mattered not a jot - the Spice Girls were all of a sudden the biggest pop group in the world.

One criticism of the band was the marketing techniques used by their management to “enhance” their brand. Soon, you couldn’t move for packets of Walkers Crisps, Cadbury’s Chocolate Bars and cans of Pepsi which all adorned photos of the band. You could say, looking at modern pop approaches, that this was the beginning of a problem within the genre, of some groups becoming more well know for their looks or outside merchandising cash-ins than the music, but we’d been here before with The Beatles, and Spice were simply retooling this for the 90s. The band even did their own “Panini Sticker” album style thing, when they produced a photo album whereby you had to try and collect all the photos by buying an envelope of photos in your local newsagents, and then just hoping that you didn’t get too many doubles as time went on. You had to get 120 photos, a real money spinner - of course, by this time, I had completely fallen in love with Emma, so I totally went for it. I managed 100 photos in the end, not bad. But not as good as when I completed the Football 83 album.

With the Christmas Number 1 in the singles charts, back then, having an air of excitement about it, before Cowell and downloading killed it, it was no surprise that the girls decided to have a stab at getting one. The swirling pop of “2 Become 1” was issued, with lyrical changes from the LP mix, just in time for Xmas - and did the job, becoming the band’s third number 1 hit single on the trot, and the first of three consecutive Christmas chart toppers. Again, the second CD edition was done as a bit of a fancy “fan edition”, and also featured a festive flipside in the form of “Sleigh Ride”.

By the spring of 1997, Spice had more or less won over the whole world - they were launched in the US to a similar level of excitement as they had already experienced in the UK. They were invited to open the 1997 Brit Awards, and in doing so, created a piece of genuine pop culture history, as Geri strutted onstage in a barely there Union Jack mini-dress. For those of us who wanted to marry Emma, we now genuinely couldn’t decide between her or Geri. Vicky was very close to being taken by a footballer, so she was off the cards.

The song the band played at the Brits was one side of their new AA-sided single, the glorious hi-energy disco romp that was “Who Do You Think You Are”. The single was issued as the official Comic Relief single, and a second video was created in which the band were joined by (fake) rival group “The Sugar Lumps”, including comediennes Dawn French & Jennifer Saunders and a genuine pop star in the form of Lulu in their ranks. The other side of the single was the slightly schmaltzy gospel inspired “Mama”, in which the band’s own mothers appeared in the video. In Germany, the single was issued in an “autographed” sleeve (pre-signed). The band’s first VHS collection, “One Hour Of Girl Power” was issued soon afterwards, and included the promo clips made for all of the singles thus far. This, and the AA-side single, brought the promotion for the first LP to a close.

As part of the Pepsi tie in, the band’s next single was a mail order only release in the summer of 97, “Step To Me”, a totally brand new recording. I have no memories of how I got my copy, but Wikipedia reminds me that it involved collecting ring pulls from Spice-emblazoned cans of Pepsi, and sending them off once you had the required number. Four different mixes of the songs were included on the CD, which remains unavailable on any other Spice release in the UK. Part of the campaign also saw fans being entered into a prize draw to see the band in concert, as the group were due to play a pair of gigs (their first “proper” ones) in Istanbul in October. I seem to recall that the two shows were sort of “by invite only” and the decision to play in Turkey can surely only be that that was where Geri did her pre-fame TV stint. Otherwise, it seems a bit random. The two shows were filmed and used to compile the “Girl Power Live In Istanbul” VHS.

The gigs were timed to coincide with beginning of the promo campaign for the band’s second LP - the second show took place on 13th October, the same day as the UK release of the first single from said LP. That single was the maraca-shaking madness that was “Spice Up Your Life”, which sailed to the top of the charts just like all the others. It was the first of two singles to feature a B-side with a play on words of the band name, with “Spice Invaders” appearing on the MC and CD1 editions.

The single was taken from the group’s “Spiceworld” album, issued soon after. It formed the sort-of soundtrack to the band’s first movie, also called “Spiceworld”, due for release that Christmas. The idea of the band doing a film was a no brainer, the group were obviously trying to do everything other popstars had done, so this was going to be their “A Hard Days Night”. Again, anybody watching this film should not be disappointed if they come away thinking “hmm, not quite as good as “Duel” or “It’s A Wonderful Life”” but the roll call of stars lining up to do cameos for it, suggested that there was a great deal of love for the Spice Girls. There was a comedic, tongue in cheek charm to what they were doing, with the band paying homage to pop culture across the board - Vicky appeared in promo photos in a re-enactment of the Ursula Andress “Dr No” bikini scene. When the film was issued on VHS the following year, it initially appeared in a number of limited editions, with the film being available in different tin cases which each featured a different Spice Girl on the cover. A later 2-VHS edition included a “making of the film” bonus tape.

The band’s second Christmas Number 1 was “Too Much”, another charmingly sweet piece of pure pop, with a promo clip including bits and pieces from the film. The following February, and the band started their first full tour in Dublin, before playing gigs in the UK in London and Birmingham. Arenas were the order of the day, although so popular were the band, they tended to play multiple shows in each city. Of interest, was that the majority of the UK shows were in Birmingham - in case you didn’t know, the UK’s second city is centrally located, and a lot easier for fans from outside London to get to, but the idea of playing bulk gigs here has never been tried again by anybody, and London is now usually the main port of call for those bands doing a “world tour”.

The band’s gig at the NEC in Brum on 3rd May was taped by the BBC. There were tentative plans to issue the whole gig as a live album, but the plan was never pursued. The Beeb broadcast the show, so bootlegs exist, and a couple of songs were later released officially when the performances of “Who Do You Think You Are” and “Say You’ll Be There” were included as B-sides on “Viva Forever”.

The third single from “Spiceworld”, the infectious Motown stomp of “Stop”, was issued to coincide with the tour. CD1 included live performances from the Istanbul gigs, the first time these had been made available on any format other than the VHS, whilst a cover of “Ain’t No Stopping Us Now”, performed as a duet with Luther Vandross on the 1997 “An Audience With The Spice Girls” TV special, appeared as a B-side on CD2. In reality, it’s really Vandross featuring the Girls, as they are mostly restricted to the choruses. The cassette single edition featured nothing rare, but the “Stop” logo used was different to the CD editions due to the quirks of the size and shape of the tape format.

“Move Over”, as recorded in Istanbul, was issued as the next Pepsi “mail order” release. Again, collecting ring pulls was the order of the day. As well as this release, there was also a Various Artists split single release, as three other acts were doing a similar promotion with the company at the time. This EP therefore also includes tracks by Eternal, Hanson and Coolio.

The first leg of the tour was wrapped up in Europe on May 29th 1998. The following day, newspaper reports suggested Geri was leaving the band - I seem to recall The Sun ran an article stating that she had wanted to promote a Breast Cancer Awareness campaign and the rest of the band had said “no”, but don't quote me on that. As the biggest band in the world at the time, this was of course front page “shock horror” news, but apparently, Geri had announced some weeks earlier to her bandmates that she had wanted to leave, so it was on the cards at least as far as the band’s inner circle was concerned. Geri confirmed the news in a statement the following day, although “exhaustion” was cited as the reason.

Plans for a fourth single went ahead as planned, with “Viva Forever” being issued in July. By this point, the band had decided to carry on as a 4-piece, and were in the middle of a US tour, later documented on the “Spice Girls In America : A Tour Story” video. The video for the single was an animated affair, seemingly because there was no time for the band to film a clip, and included an animated Geri - it was seen by some as a sort of “farewell” to the flame haired goddess. It would be interesting to know what they would have done if there had been time to do a proper video, would Geri have made the final cut if it had been filmed before she left? The band finished off their tour with stadium gigs in the UK, and the band’s show at Wembley Stadium on 20th September was later issued as the “Live At Wembley Stadium” VHS.

Plans for a third album had to be temporarily abandoned - tracks had been recorded with Geri’s vocals in early 98, but could obviously not now be used given that she had jumped ship. But during the US tour during the summer of 98, the band began to work on new material as a 4-piece. The first fruits of their labour were heard that Christmas, when the ‘Geri Tribute‘, “Goodbye”, was issued as their first single as a 4-piece. It was another mega hit, the third Xmas No 1, and did seem, at the time, to prove that the band could exist without one of their founding members. A couple of covers performed at the Wembley Stadium show appeared on the CD2 edition of the single, which if I remember correctly, came in a fan designed cartoon sleeve, as part of a competition to design a cover for the single.

Following the release of “Goodbye”, the band went quiet. The band members - and Geri - indulged in various solo side projects, before the four remaining members got back together for a series of UK shows in late 1999. Thereafter, the group made the decision to record a third album, and eventually found themselves working with US R&B producers, which saw their next album head in a less pop direction than had been originally planned. The first single from the LP was issued in late 2000, as another double A-side, designed to showcase the slight mix in styles that ended up on the record. On one side was the jerky R&B throb of “Holler”, on the other, the big, ‘Mama’-esque, pomp of a ballad that was “Let Love Lead The Way”. It gave the band another number 1 single - Australian copies, meanwhile, came housed in a unique picture sleeve.

But whilst this should have suggested the Spice Girls were still big news, there was trouble at mill. The new album, “Forever”, it’s title suggesting a throwback to the ‘friendship never ends’ line in “Wannabe”, was released on the same day as a new Westlife album, and the press started predicting a Blur Vs Oasis style chart battle - although in this case, it was more Blur Vs Brotherhood Of Man. Still, somehow, the popularity of the stool inhabiting Irishmen won the day, and “Forever”, itself smarting from so-so reviews, stalled at number 2. A DVD EP, “Forever More”, featuring the promo clips for “Goodbye”, “Holler” and “Let Love” was issued at the same time, but despite the title, that was it. By the end of 2000, Spice had announced a “hiatus” - one that was to last for a good seven years.

By the time the Spice Girls did decide to reunite, the band members had experienced various levels of success. Geri had carved out a decent career of bouncy pop, although a third album released soon after she had signed to Innocent, Atomic Kitten’s label, called “Passion”, had flopped badly. Vicky had spent the latter part of 2003 promoting a brilliant double A side single of “This Groove”/”Let Your Head Go”, planned as the lead release from a second LP to be issued on her new label Telstar - this single showed that she had been unfairly maligned as the “miserable, non singer” in the band, and this release disproved both claims (the video for “LYHG” was nothing short of gloriously psychotic). Months later, Telstar went bankrupt.

Mel B had carved out a career of nondescript R&B, whilst Mel C, who wanted to be an indie act, ended up getting her biggest hit with her own brand of R&B, indicative of the schizophrenic nature of her solo career. Emma, possibly, survived the best. Her second LP, “Free Me”, was a joyous, retro sounding stab at pop, soul, Motown and, in “Crickets Sing For Anamaria”, bossa nova insanity. But when the 2007 follow up “Life In Mono” fell mostly on deaf ears, the signs were thus all there for a reunion. Although I doubt any of them needed the cash.

And so, in the fall of 2007, the world temporarily stopped obsessing over Girls Aloud as their mums returned to show everybody who had invented them in the first place. The Spice Girls were a five piece again, and alongside the inevitable reunion tour, they also recorded a couple of new songs for a forthcoming Greatest Hits package, helpfully called “Greatest Hits”. One of the new songs, “Headlines”, was issued as a single to tie in with the annual Children In Need charity event, although the group courted controversy when the video showing a scantily clad Geri was revealed - she paraded around the clip in a bra and no shirt, which was felt to be ’inappropriate’ for a single being released to help fund a children’s charity. Probably put into context though after the Jimmy Savile stuff, I think you’ll agree.

The “Greatest Hits” releases included a fancy boxset edition, which came with various freebies, and was issued as a 4-disc set. Disc 1 was the normal hits CD, disc 2 was a DVD featuring all of the videos with the exception of “Headlines“. Irritating (the US edition, apparently, does include it). Disc 3 was a “Karaoke” disc - ie. instrumental mixes of the same 13 songs on the DVD, and disc 4 a selection of previously released remixes. Discs 1 and 2 were housed in a “doublepack” sleeve, but discs 3 and 4 came in their own cases.

Since the completion of the tour in 2008, the band have continued to sort of semi-exist. There was a one off reunion during the 2012 Olympics Closing Ceremony, whilst Victoria announced her “official” retirement from music a year or so later. As rumours began to emerge about a possible 2016 tour to commemorate the 20th anniversary of “Wannabe”, Vicky was quoted as saying she wouldn’t do it. So the Spice Girls have reverted to a four piece again - assuming they ever properly come back.


Discography

Fairly self explanatory - never ones, at first, to do “bonus tracks” or “deluxe reissues”, it means you can buy the Spice Girls original studio albums, in the UK at least, on any format and not miss out. So all of these are listed. Although the Japanese “Spiceworld” might be worth hunting down as it adds an alternative mix of “Step To Me” as a bonus.

The hits album was issued as both a CD and CD+DVD, alongside the boxset, which explains why the CD+DVD combo appears in a single case in the box. I have listed all three editions as even though the boxset, IMO, is an essential purchase, I am not sure how much you will have to shell out for it, and you may just prefer to go for an easier to find “less discs” option. I won’t hold it against you, I didn’t pay out for the 15 CD mega box set edition of the last Bob Dylan Bootleg Series release, so I know how it feels.

Singles - buying CD1 and CD2 editions of everything should do the job, but there were also a handful of commercially released 12” singles, usually featuring something exclusive to the format, so they are listed as well. A couple of Cassingles are also worth a look, I have listed them where appropriate.

I have also listed some selected odds and sods that I have in my own collection. This is probably just the tip of the iceberg, there are also numerous 12” promo pressings and promo CD’s that are housed in unique sleeves, or that have commercially unreleased mixes, Discogs is probably the place to go if you want to have a look in greater detail at those. Next month, a look at the best Spice-solo related releases.

ALBUMS

Spice (LP, Virgin V 2812)
Spice (Cassette, Virgin TCV 2812, unique p/s)
Spice (CD, Virgin CDV 2812)

Spiceworld (LP, Virgin V 2850)
Spiceworld (Cassette, Virgin TCV 2850)
Spiceworld (CD, Virgin CDV 2850)

Forever (Cassette, Virgin TCVX 2928)
Forever (CD, Virgin CDV 2928)
Forever (MiniDisc, Virgin MDV 2928)

Greatest Hits (CD, Virgin SPICECD 1)
Greatest Hits (CD + DVD, Virgin SPICECDX 1)
Greatest Hits (3xCD + DVD, Virgin SPICECDP 1)


SINGLES

Wannabe/Bumper To Bumper/Wannabe (Vocal Slam) (CD1, Virgin VSCDT 1588)
Wannabe (Album Version)/(Dave Way Alternative Mix)/(Dub Slam)/(Instrumental) (CD2, Virgin VSCDX 1588, stickered p/s)
Wannabe/Bumper To Bumper/Wannabe (Vocal Slam) (Cassette, Virgin VSC 1588)
Wannabe/Bumper To Bumper (7” Picture Disc, Virgin 06025 37540617, 2013 pressing in clear sleeve)

Say You’ll Be There/Take Me Home/Say You’ll Be There (Junior’s Main Pass)/(Instrumental) (CD1, Virgin VSCDT 1601)
Say You’ll Be There (Album Version)/(Spice Of Life Mix)/(Linslee’s Extended Mix)/(Junior’s Dub Girls) (CD2, Virgin VSCDG 1601, stickered p/s + poster)
Say You’ll Be There/Take Me Home/Say You’ll Be There (Junior’s Main Pass) (Cassette, Virgin VSC 1601)
Note: both the above singles made mention of the A-sides being single mixes, but these would seem to be identical to the album versions. The instrumental mix of “SYBT” is on the boxset edition of “Greatest Hits”.

2 Become 1 (Single Version)/(Orchestral Version)/One Of These Girls/Wannabe (Junior Vasquez Remix Edit) (CD1, Virgin VSCDT 1607)
2 Become 1 (Single Version)/(Dave Way Remix)/Sleigh Ride (CD2, Virgin VSCDX 1607, different p/s, with insert & postcard)

Who Do You Think You Are (Radio Version)/Mama (Radio Version)/Who Do You Think You Are (Morales Club Mix)/(Morales Dub Mix) (AA-side CD1, Virgin VSCDT 1623)
Mama (Radio Version)/Who Do You Think You Are (Radio Version)/Baby Come Round/Mama (Biffco Mix) (AA-side CD2, Virgin VSCDG 1623)
Mama (Radio Version)/Who Do You Think You Are (Radio Version)/Baby Come Round/Mama (AA-side Cassette, Virgin VSC 1623, final track is the LP mix, Biffco Mix available on “Greatest Hits“ box)

Step To Me (7” Mix)/(Matthew’s Disco Steppin’ Mix)/(Matthew’s Extra Spicey Dub)/(Extended Mix) (Mail Order Only CD, Virgin SGPC 97)

Spice Up Your Life (Stent Radio Mix)/(Morales Radio Mix)/(Stent Radio Instrumental)/Spice Invaders (CD1, Virgin VSCDT 1660)
Spice Up Your Life (Stent Radio Mix)/(Morales Carnival Club Mix)/(Murk Cuba Libre Mix) (CD2, Virgin VSCDG 1660, different p/s)
Spice Up Your life (Morales Carnival Club Mix)/(Murk Cuba Libre Mix)/(Morales Beats)/(Morales Drums & Dub Mix)/(Murk Sugar Cane Dub)/(Murk Spider Beats) (2x12”, Virgin VST 1660, stickered die cut sleeve)
Spice Up Your Life (Stent Radio Mix)/(Morales Radio Mix)/(Stent Radio Instrumental)/Spice Invaders (Cassette, Virgin VSC 1660)

Too Much (Radio Edit)/Outer Space Girls/Too Much (SoulShock & Karlin Remix) (CD1, Virgin VSCDR 1669, with free postcard)
Too Much (Radio Edit)/(Orchestral Version)/Walk Of Life (CD2, Virgin VSCDX 1669, purple p/s, with free postcard)
Too Much (Radio Edit)/(Orchestral Version)/Walk Of Life (Cassette, Virgin VSC 1669)

Stop/Something Kinda Funny (Live)/Mama (Live)/Love Thing (Live) (CD1, Virgin VSCDT 1679)
Stop/Ain’t No Stopping Us Now (Live)/Stop (Morales Remix)/(Stretch ‘n’ Vern’s Rock & Roll Mix) (CD2, Virgin VSCDX 1679, different p/s, with poster)
Stop/Ain’t No Stopping Us Now (Live)/Something Kinda Funny (Live)/Mama (Live) (Cassette, Virgin VSC 1679, alternative logo p/s, original copies shrinkwrapped)

Move Over (Live) (Mail Order Only CD, Virgin CDUC 116)

Viva Forever (Edit)/(Tony Rich Remix)/(Tony Rich Instrumental) (CD1, Virgin VSCDT 1692)
Viva Forever (Edit)/Who Do You Think You Are (Live)/Say You’ll Be There (Live) (CD2, Virgin VSCDX 1692, in “live” p/s with poster)
Viva Forever (Edit)/Who Do You Think You Are (Live)/Say You’ll Be There (Live) (Cassette, Virgin VSC 1692)

Goodbye (Radio Edit)/Christmas Wrapping/Goodbye (Orchestral Version) (CD1, Virgin VSCDT 1721)
Goodbye (Single Version)/Sisters (Are Doing It For Themselves) (Live)/We Are Family (Live) (CD2, Virgin VSCDX 1721, in unique “drawing” p/s)

Holler (Radio Edit)/Let Love Lead The Way (Radio Edit)/Holler (MAW Remix)/(Video) (AA-side CD1, Virgin VSCDT 1788)
Let Love Lead The Way (Radio Edit)/Holler (Radio Edit)/(MAW Tribal Vocal)/Let Love Lead The Way (Video) (AA-side CD2, Virgin VSCDG 1788, different p/s, 4 free cards)
Holler (MAW Remix)/(MAW Spice Beats)/(MAW Tribal Vocal)/(MAW Dub)/(MAW Remix Instrumental)/(MAW Tribal Instrumental) (2x12”, Virgin VST 1788, in die cut sleeve)
Holler (Radio Edit)/Let Love Lead The Way (Radio Edit)/Holler (MAW Remix) (AA-side Cassette, Virgin VSC 1788)

Headlines (Friendship Never Ends)/Wannabe (Soul Seekerz 2007 Remix) (CD, Virgin HEADCD 100)


VIDEO/DVD RELEASES

The Official Video: One Hour Of Girl Power! (VHS, Virgin VID 2834)
Girl Power! Live In Istanbul (VHS, Virgin VID 2842)
Spiceworld (VHS, Polygram 0570 483 No.1, available in 5 different tin editions, or as regular VHS, this catalogue number relates specifically to the “Emma” tin)
Live At Wembley Stadium (VHS, Virgin VID 2874)
Spiceworld + Xtra Spice (2xVHS, Polygram 0592063, includes bonus video with behind the scenes footage and performance of “Mama” at the Royal Albert Hall, different sleeve to original release)
In America: A Tour Story (VHS, Virgin VID 2877)
Forever More (DVD, Virgin VDVD 3, includes clips of “Holler“, “Let Love Lead The Way and “Goodbye”, with free poster)


SELECTED OTHERS

Who Do You Think You Are (Radio Version)/Mama (Radio Version)/Who Do You Think You Are (Morales Club Mix)/(Morales Dub Mix) (German AA-side CD Single, Virgin 7243 894427 2 4, in ‘signed’ p/s)
An Audience With Elton John (VHS, Telstar TVE 5033, includes “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart”)
Pepsi Music Live EP (Mail Order CD Single, Virgin CDLIC 117, 4-track single includes “Move Over (Live)”)
Viva Forever (Edit)/(Tony Rich Remix)/(Tony Rich Instrumental) (Australian CD Single, Virgin 7243 8 95416 0 1, available in sleeves for each band member, this catalogue number relates specifically to the “Baby” edition)
Elton John And Tim Rice’s Aida (CD, Rocket 524 651-2, includes “My Strongest Suit”)
It’s Only Rock ‘N’ Roll (Single Version)/(Shaft’s Radio Mix)/(The Innovative Flex Remix)+1 (Various Artists CD Single 1, Universal 1566012)
It’s Only Rock ‘N’ Roll (Full Length Version)/(Ruff Driverz Innercity Sumo Mix)+2 (Various Artists CD Single 2, Universal 1565982, different p/s)
Spice + Spiceworld (French 2xCD Boxset, Virgin 7243 8501032 3, 2000 reissues of both CD’s in slipcase)
Let Love Lead The Way (Radio Edit)/Holler (Radio Edit)/(MAW Tribal Vocal)/Let Love Lead The Way (Video) (Australian AA-side CD Single, Virgin 8 97341 0, unique p/s)


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