All the songs you could really really want...! (Greatest Hits - Spice Girls)

Member Name: jupiter28

Product:	Greatest Hits - Spice Girls
Date:	30/04/08 (137 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: some excellent songs

Disadvantages: contains unreleased songs on a greatest hits?

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Spice Girls - Greatest Hits
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I was a teenager when the Spice Girls first hit the scene and as you can imagine they formed a large part of the music I listened to. Who could miss the feisty, in your face, five piece with their dramatic and different looks and personalities. Whether it was manufactured or not the Spice Girls did revolutionise the music industry.

I already know most of the songs on the album, but gave the Greatest Hits several listens before delving into this review. I can't stop listening to it - it is on random repeat - hope you like it.

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The Songs
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Wannabe - Listening to this song evoked fond memories of when this song first came out. I must have watched the video to this a number of times and while singing to the song, I can remember every part of the video and match each lyric to a scene in the video. The song has that rawness that you get from a new band that isn't quite polished and I can listen to it affectionately recalling every single line and knowing which girl sang the lyric.

Say You'll Be There - This is a more sultry but still tuneful song. It has the, by now, famous girl power vibe, a very catchy melody with a sexy edge. The song is not as fast-paced as Wannabe so flows more easily.

2-Become-1 - This is the girls first ballad. It has a smooth, melodic, soothful flow with a very subtle message. It had a sexy almost sultry edge to it where each of the girls displayed strong vocals.

Mama - At the start it feels like the song envelopes you in a blanket of love. The meaning of the song may have something to do with it, but this song flows nicely and again is catchy. It has a sentimental feel to it as it is a song about the mother and every mother can relate to this song.

Who Do You Think You Are - This song is funky upbeat tune, with a sassy edge. The girls display some edgy vocals and this is another singalong tune.

Move Over - When this song started, I was a bit confused as I didn't think this had ever been released as a single or was (what I) considered to be one of their greatest hits. So a bit of research later, I was right, so it must have been a b-side to one of the other singles. Basically the song is nice enough but not catchy or a song you can singalong too - probably why it was not a single in it's own right.

Spice Up Your Life - Act 2 from the girls and this was from the second album. It has flavours of latin, salsa and other samba/spanish influences, but can sometimes sound a bit busy as there are many beats. However, it is just pure pop and has the melodies and lyrics that you can sing along to, though the girls occasionally sound like cackling witches - not sure if that is intentional

Too Much - Another ballad from the girls. This song is slow and shows that the girls can sing fast songs as well as ballads. On this song, you notice that the girls singing has really improved as well The song is sultry and has a sexy melody that is about taking control

Stop - This song is definitely catchy and upbeat. It reminds me of other girl group singles, such as The Supremes and Bananarama. It has almost a 60s, Beatles feel to it and was the last single before Geri left. This song makes me want to shimmy shimmy, shoop shoop :o)

Viva Forever - This is a homage to Geri leaving the band although quite subtle. The song is a sweet ballad that is very moving. It is very mellow and lullaby-esque and has a very sad spanish riff to it - moreso than Spice Up Your Life. If you listen to this while watching the video, the video also lends a bittersweet slant to the song, making it all the more emotional while you listen to it.

"the touch of your skin, giving life from within, like a love song never heard..."

Let Love Lead The Way - Not a single in it's own right, but a double A-side. This time with Holler. It doesn't have the catchiness or the great melodies of the other songs and on that basis is not a very strong song.

Holler - This is part of the third album and even though it is on the Greatest Hits it does not have any of Geri's vocals. If you know TLC or Pink it is similar to their songs and has an R&B vibe to it. This could be due to it being produced by American producer, Darkchild, who has worked with Tony Braxton, Destiny's Child and TLC. Listening to this song in particular today, it does not seem to have aged and still sounds fresh and as current as today's music.

Headlines - This song was released after the girls reformed and includes Geri back into the vocal lineup. It was the girls worst performing single from the greatest hits. It is nevertheless a decent enough song but not a song that will win any awards.

Voodoo - not entirely sure about this song as the lyrics do not make sense. To be honest it sounds like they have extensively used their Poetic License to put some words together without any meaning. Definitely not a song I would rate and along with Move Over wonder why it is even on the Greatest Hits.
Goodbye - This was the girls first single without Geri and is just like the song says "Goodbye my friend". It is another sad ballad, with some very intelligent lyrics. Emma's sweet voice seems to shine out on this song.

NOTE: I have listed the songs in the order they appear on the CD. It is not the chronological release order.

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The CD Case
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The cover is black with the SPICE in big colourful letters and GIRLS Greatest Hits underneath. There are no pictures of the girls on the cover. The back of the case, shows a track and movie listing of the CD and the DVD.

The booklet inside the case contains all the lyrics to the songs on pages 1-6. The middle of the booklet has a montage of the girls throughout the Spice Girls then continues into a personal page for each girl to say their 'Thank Yous'. The last page contains the groups 'Thank Yous' and the song credits.

On the back page of the booklet is a current picture of the girls after they reformed the Spice Girls. The Spice Girls are credited as writing lyrics on the songs, but there are also other songwriters on each of the song in addition to the Spice Girls.

I bought the CD album which comes with a bonus DVD. The DVD includes the following videos:

1 Wannabe
2 Say You'll Be There
3 2 Become 1
4 Mama
5 Who Do You Think You Are
6 Spice Up Your Life
7 Too Much
8 Stop
9 Viva Forever
10 Let Love Lead the Way
11 Holler
12 Goodbye

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Summary
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It is nice to be able to have all of the girls greatest hits in one place and with the bonus DVD of videos.

Listening to the whole album invokes fond memories of my childhood. I think the songs are catchy and easy to singalong to. In my opinion I think the first 2 albums were revolutionary, but when the five-piece became a four-piece they seemed to lose a bit of edge. Whether this was down to fact that staying in the music business is tough or lost a member you can't be sure.
My favourite song of the whole album has to be Viva Forever. It has excellent harmonies, music and lyrics I can't help sing to it. Furthermore, when it first starts to play it gives me goose bumps. I can't stop listening to this CD especially in the car. The CD especially with the DVD is great value for money. Though I would question how songs that were never released can appear on a Greatest Hits compilation (maybe there weren't enough released songs for an album?).

I bought the album on CD WOW for £5.99.
Thanks for reading!

© 2008 jupiter28

Summary: A compilation of all the Spice Girls big hits...