Stock, Aitken & Waterman

Y

yewchapel

As someone born in '89 who has only really properly got into SAW and their legacy within the last few years (beyond the stuff like Steps and the big Kylie/Bananarama etc tracks) it's really moving how everyone involved recognises how amazing Mel and Kim were and how tragic Mel's illness and death was. I feel like their brilliance deserves so much more recognition in general. I love how their music was so clearly *theirs* - nobody else could have done it. They really could have reached Wham levels of success had tragedy not struck.

Does the documentary mention Deuce/Steps/Scooch at all? I always feel like Deuce's legacy is overlooked and Scooch's handful of bops unfairly ignored! also Mike Stock being an awful gammon now
 
idratherjack

idratherjack

yewchapel said:
As someone born in '89 who has only really properly got into SAW and their legacy within the last few years (beyond the stuff like Steps and the big Kylie/Bananarama etc tracks) it's really moving how everyone involved recognises how amazing Mel and Kim were and how tragic Mel's illness and death was. I feel like their brilliance deserves so much more recognition in general. I love how their music was so clearly *theirs* - nobody else could have done it. They really could have reached Wham levels of success had tragedy not struck.

Does the documentary mention Deuce/Steps/Scooch at all? I always feel like Deuce's legacy is overlooked and Scooch's handful of bops unfairly ignored! also Mike Stock being an awful gammon now
Click to expand...
Steps got a brief mention in part 2 of the documentary, sadly nothing on Scooch!
 
blod

blod

Hudweiser said:
I'd probably be more critical if it was all the evil doings of a major label, but they were tiny and managed that unparalleled levels of chart domination - it's pretty amazing to think of it in those terms. The big boys must have been seething.
Click to expand...

Exactly, and that's where a lot of the snobbery came into play; they were a tiny label who had acts who were more successful than ones on major labels.

There's no doubt that SAW were big capitalists too, but they were underdogs at the end of the day who did good, and deserve some respect for that.
 
idratherjack

idratherjack

I'd have split the documentary into 3 parts. 1984-1986 covering the early years with Hazell Dean, Divine, Dead Or Alive, Princess and Mel & Kim, part 2 covering their commercial peak and heyday of 1987-1989 (Rick, Bananarama, Kylie, Jason, Donna, Sonia) and then part 3 covering 1990-1993 with the reversal in their chart fortunes and split(s).

I'd have liked to have heard from Cliff Richard, Nathan Moore, Samantha Fox, Sabrina, Mandy Smith and Lonnie Gordon. What we did get was amazing but as a huge SAW fan I just want more!
 
Hudvar

Hudvar

yewchapel said:
Nathan Moore is the guy who managed Lisa Scott-Lee's solo career, right? Can't believe Uncle Pete tries to claim he founded Oasis when he could be claiming LSL's solo career!
Click to expand...

He is.

I think Pete is just saying that Noel came over and borrowed guitar strings to practice with, right?
 
Y

yewchapel

It's funny because in another universe I can see Lisa being an absolutely iconic PWL flop but as much as I love pop flops, I'm very glad for both Lisa the popstar and Lisa the person that her career turned out the way it did.

I'm always surprised by how badly they treated Kylie at the start given how HUGE Neighbours was with their target audience at the time (Scott and Charlene's wedding famously got absurdly high viewing figures but it was really popular with high school kids well before then). You'd think they'd be hammering down her door whether she could sing or not - odd how they had such genius for targeting the tweens and gays usually but hadn't a clue here until they actually got Kylie in the studio!
 
Y

yewchapel

TeddyPoppins said:
I wonder what Pete thinks of Mike’s politics bearing in mind the crapfest that is all over his Twitter, for years.
Click to expand...

Assume 'his Twitter' just means Mike's? I can't see Pete being interested in social media. Curious as to how early the rot set in with Mike.

Speaking of Mike, it will always bother me how he wasted Airhead on Girls@Play (no offence Rita Simmons fans haha). A few years later and it would have been massive with the faux-retro style that got popular and surely would have been up his alley thematically. Surprised he never did some kind of awful Remembrance-themed faux Andrews Sisters thing!
 
SmashHitter

SmashHitter

idratherjack said:
I'd have split the documentary into 3 parts. 1984-1986 covering the early years with Hazell Dean, Divine, Dead Or Alive, Princess and Mel & Kim, part 2 covering their commercial peak and heyday of 1987-1989 (Rick, Bananarama, Kylie, Jason, Donna, Sonia) and then part 3 covering 1990-1993 with the reversal in their chart fortunes and split(s).

I'd have liked to have heard from Cliff Richard, Nathan Moore, Samantha Fox, Sabrina, Mandy Smith and Lonnie Gordon. What we did get was amazing but as a huge SAW fan I just want more!
Click to expand...
It was originally conceived as three parts but Channel 5 changed their mind. It will be edited into those three parts now, I guess for streaming/international sales.
 
Island

Island

Staff member
Nathan Moore must’ve been livid he wasn’t approached for the documentary.

One thing I could tell from the documentary and the podcast is that the guys still resent Rick for leaving when he got burned out.
 
letuinmybackdoor

letuinmybackdoor

Island said:
Nathan Moore must’ve been livid he wasn’t approached for the documentary.

One thing I could tell from the documentary and the podcast is that the guys still resent Rick for leaving when he got burned out.
Click to expand...

He didn't really leave for that reason though. He released Free pretty soon after leaving PWL and released a few more albums before packing it all in. I think they resented him leaving for a different contract and thought he seemed ungrateful.
 
torontodj

torontodj

Kylie and Rick both outgrew SAW. Kylie grew and matured as an artist. I think Rick really struggled to find his place in pop post SAW despite a few hits. He seems more comfortable now.

I appreciate that Kylie was honest about her early years with SAW - that she showed up, sang the music and repeat. She wasn't a puppet but she started to grow, change and wanted more input. With Rhythm of Love SAW were truly inspired as Kylie's independence and sexuality informed the music. Even back then you knew Kylie was bigger than SAW and would eventually move on.
 
phoenix123

phoenix123

What’s the story with the fourth Kylie album. It always sounds like it was unplanned like her contract was extended or Pete had the option of selling it to a major label or something? It was alluded to in the documentary aswell as if they just decided it was time for a new Kylie album (as if not making one was an option?!)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top