Boybands Forever - BBC Documentary series

[Booers]

For some reason I watched eps 1 then 3, so am now watching ep 2.

Jimmy from 911 has aged very nicely.

The bit with Damage and how about black pop stars didn't get to be cover stars because black stars don't sell magazines was sad. As a 7 or 8 year old white boy I'd have bought anything with Five Star on it, so feel like this isn't true to young people, it was just biggots at the magazines.

 

[erikssonvagen]

I don't think anyone was able to stop Sean when he decided to go.

Why don't / didn't management give them a proper break? Seems like a recurring problem among pop bands where they overwork themselves and everything starts to bubble up and fall apart.

Then I remember, "Ah, money, money, money". Long breaks means no cashflow for them.

 

[Mvnl]

I also think breaks could mean ‘time to reflect and get some healthy perspective’ which might lead to members actually leaving sooner (or becoming more demanding)?

 

[heartmightmelt]

Windows of opportunity are short. Record label suits, management and reps are all scared of being caught on the backfoot, even when things are going good. A lot of these acts back then hyper focused on the UK market for release month, then would go off to Europe and Asia, and then it's back to the UK for the next single slot. And repeat.

Back to that Bryan McFadden/Nicky Byrne podcast, there was a moment in it where Bryan described coming in for a meeting in 2004 and a manager handed him a 18 page document that had every day for the next year and a half planned out, blocked and scheduled and that was the straw the broke the camels back for him. After six years, he was done. He just needed six weeks off.

 

[Booers]

I wonder if any lessons have been learned in all of this. There was a video posted on the S Club thread of them on GMTV back at the height of their popularity, and they weren't promoting a new single or album, they weren't performing, they didn't have any charity to help raise money or awareness for. They were just there for the sake of being there and they looked exhausted, no doubt having to get up at 4am to be on a live TV show at 6am to chat about nothing of any importance with Fiona Phillips when they could have had a day off.

 

[burzacott]

The bit with Damage and how about black pop stars didn't get to be cover stars because black stars don't sell magazines was sad. As a 7 or 8 year old white boy I'd have bought anything with Five Star on it, so feel like this isn't true to young people, it was just biggots at the magazines.

Absolutely. No kids would have cared. I'm not even sure how important the covers of those magazines were. I bought Smash Hits and Top of the Pops magazine every week regardless of who was on the cover. You were either the type of kid/teenager who bought those pop magazines or you weren't.

 

[Hudvar]

Never Mind the Buzzcocks did a boyband/girlband special the other week - several members of D-Side (!) and a couple of Girl Thing were in the ID parade, plus a couple of Five and Liberty X showed up.

 

[iarrodion]

Think I saw that the Lou Pearlman one already (or parts of it), was a bit too dark for my liking.
Will look up the Spice one!

Wasn't there a fairly recent one about girl groups too? (Might have been a one off special, remember Keisha being on it)

I think this might be the one you remember. I believe it was from post-Sugababes / pre-MKS so Keisha's responses are pretty interesting (I mean Sugababes could have a 3-part documentary of their own if I'm being honest / biased).

Just from reading this thread I really want to watch this Boyband documentary, but it doesn't seem to be available officially in NZ and my laptop is fucked so VPN isn't really an option at the moment.

It's a shame because from conversations I have at work, people would actually pay for Iplayer / BBC content.

 

[JMRGBY]

Hey Whatever was their first single not reach the top 3 or something so they quickly back-pedalled to the coma-ballads.

Bop Bop Baby reached #5 a year earlier, but Hey Whatever was the first time a lead single didn't reach #1.

I think Hey Whatever was just the wrong choice for a lead and it only spending 9 weeks on the chart probably scared the record company so they switched to a tried and tested method of a cover ballad. I think they could have lead with Obvious - a slightly updated version of their sound while not alienating the fans, released On My Shoulder as the follow up and then release the title track as the 'daring' choice.

 

[Hudvar]

Bop Bop Baby

 

[heartmightmelt]

I don't hate "Bop Bop Baby" (it is a meh though and an utter cringe video) but it's very telling of the major label mindset that a band pivoting from their run of ballads into two big hits (out of the next three) with upbeat songs, then a soft-landing upbeat follow up (but still a hit) and they immediately went into an Greatest Hits uber-ballad, then into panic mode after the next lead single soft-landed and pumped out more covers.

 

[Hudvar]

I'm not the person to debate Westlife. I have nothing but disdain for that whole cynical, calculated, manipulative project.

 

[heartmightmelt]

I'm not the person to debate Westlife. I have nothing but disdain for that whole cynical, calculated, manipulative project.

Louis Walsh sitting at a chair at the foot of my bed talking about how "it's the song" that sells the records is my sleep paralysis demon. Analyzing their chart career keeps him at bay.

 

[ZsDbk88]

Its funny that if they hadn't released You Raise Me Up, Westlife would have probably disbanded then. Brian left, they released boring swing album, tour wasn't selling, Nicky was considering taking acting classes. But the song blew up and saved their career.

I hate that Simon forced covers, it took them forever to say no to that and by that point they were ridiculed as a cover band. Even worse, the way Simon basically manipulated Shane to accept What About Now because he was bankrupt - the only cover and the only single from the album.

 

[Kneehigh Girl]

Watched the third episode last week.

I had completely blocked out how big Westlife were. I thought they had one big album and then people forgot about them. Turns out that was just me.

Didn't know Blue were that big either. All Rise was the second last boyband single I bought (the last being Five's Let's Dance). I was at the end of my boyband phase by then... and had just started my embarrassing nu-metal phase.

 

[smellycat]

Just finished this tonight and absolutely loved it. So devastating to see how fame broke them all but I hope they’re in a much better place now.

I can’t stop thinking how much I need two more seasons -

Girl Bands - Girls Aloud, Steps, Bwitched, Atomic Kitten, Sugababes, All Saints, Spice Girls, Little Mix, Mis-Teeq etc

Pop Groups - Steps, S Club 7/Juniors, Liberty X, Hearsay, Bucks Fizz, Aqua, Vengaboys etc

 

[Square]

Not this series alleging that @biff stannard had his studio paid out of East17 earnings dd

 

[Vasilios]

Αs he should! He made those choonzz.

 

[biff stannard]

Not this series alleging that @biff stannard had his studio paid out of East17 earnings dd

And then they wonder why I always say no to these shows lol

 

[TheInsider]

Girlband version of this series is confirmed now. Wonder who will appear out of the bands listed in the press release.

Girlbands Forever (3 x 60”) tells the inside story behind the success of some of the UK and Ireland’s most celebrated popstars during the 90s and early 00s such as the Spice Girls, Eternal, Girls Aloud and Atomic Kitten.