That Sounds Good To Me ~ The PWL Hit Factory Concert!

While the world explodes at the majority of the Madonna album leaking online today, I'm all overcome with the vapours at the new of an absolutely massive PWL Hit Factory concert taking place on the 11th July in the tiny provincial town of London. At Hyde Park no less (where I once saw Steps perform, supported by A1. IMMENSE). You can read about all the currently announced acts here (headlined by Steps no less) and i'm hoping that the "to be announced" acts include The Reynolds Girls, Shooting Party, Deuce, DuBovie, One True Voice, Big Fun, Yell and a Donna Summer tribute act. Anyway, it's put me in a proper nostalgic S/A/W mood so here is part one of a list of some of my fave moments (yes, basically almost every stock aitken and waterman moment could be a favourite moment, so I'm trying to narrow it down to one per artist)...

• Kylie ~ Better The Devil You Know: Not only the finest Stock Aitken Waterman moment ever, but the finest Kylie moment ever and one of my favourite songs of all the live long day. It wasn't just that it was the moment that Kylie transformed into raunchy sex kitten popstar, it was a genuinely euphoric pop moment that remains brilliant, engaging and uplifting to this very day. No wonder Steps covered it (though the original is still the best)...
• Jason Donovan ~ When You Come Back To Me: ooo this list is getting very "obvious" isn't it?! But it's my fave Jase the Face song. It's not only a typically peppy S/A/W number but it's a bit of a Christmas song without being an out and out Christmas song. So I can play it at any time of year without seeming like a bit of a knob :) Hurrah (see also Kylie & Jason together on Especially For You b-side All I Wanna Do...

• Sonia ~ Listen To Your Heart: Sure it was You'll Never Stop Me that got to number one and rightly got a lot of attention, but this top ten hit was full to the brim of perky charm also. All about embracing the promise of new love, even if you are going to get dumped 2 days later because you're a crap shag. probably. Delightful all the same...
• Donna Summer ~ I Don't Wanna Get Hurt: Who does Donna, who does? Luckily with zesty little pop tunes like this, delivered with heart and soul, you'll soon be wiping away the tears and strapping on your dancing shoes to shimmy away the heartache. Hurrah, etc...

• London Boys ~ Requiem: I adore this song with an intense passion. There is something utterly brilliant about how bombastic (say me fantastic) and dramatic and camp it is. It's a bit like a Pet Shop Boys song on poppers and still cheers me up 23 years after it came out. Plus that dance routine has to be seen to be believed. London Nights is also an absolute corker that you will want to check out :)
• Hazell Dean ~ Who's Leaving Who?: Is it me? Is it you? Honestly Hazell if you don't know by now you never will. Another classic that has stayed alive over the years due to numerous appearances at gay pride. Do also check out Hazell's version of Kylie's Turn It Into Love and her own dance classic, Searchin... You won't be disappointed.

• Bananarama ~ Is She Good To You?: There are loads of amazing Bananarama-SAW collaborations that could be on this list - I Want You Back, I Heard A Rumour, Love Truth & Honesty, Love In The First Degree, etc. I just love how melancholy-Abba this track is as the girls coo beautifully together; plus the whole Please Yourself album is terribly underrated (see their versions of Last Thing On My Mind and Moving On - years before Steps got in on the act!)
• Big Fun ~ Blame It On The Boogie: Oh what's not to love about SAW's attempt to launch a boy band onto the UK? Colourful outfits. Ambiguously gay boys. Catchy cover versions given the PWL once over. They had a handful of promises and a pocketful of dreams. At least we got one album out of them anyway :) (See also their duet with Sonia, as well as Yell & Instant Replay)...

• Shooting Party ~ Safe In The Arms of Love: It may have taken about 20 years but you can finally get their unreleased album on iTunes. Not quite the success story of other PWL acts, but a rip rollicking tune all the same with addictive melodies typical of the PWL era at the time. Hi-nrg rhythms and a catchy chorus ensure that if you are a fan of the era, then you'll want to make a bee-line for iTunes to get the album in full. Brillz...
• Debbie Gibson ~ Anything Is Possible (PWL Remix): It wasn't just the songwriting that people flocked to S/A/W & PWL for, it was their ability to remix a tune and make it as chart friendly as possible. Debbie Gibson's record label did just that with this UK only version of her third album lead off single Anything Is Possible. Amping up the disco beats to the nth degree, it gives the already dance oriented single a more dramatic, zesty feel to it...

(yes I know I've missed out loads and loads of amazing songs, but I'm sure I'll revisit this at some point!!)

THE PWL LEGACY LIVED ON:

Even after S/A/W were no longer a functioning trio, their legacy lived on and they had their finger in lots of pop record pies over the past 20 years or so. Here are some of the best...

• Same Difference ~ Turn It Into Love: Ah, my beloved Sean and Sarah. Their debut album (Pop) is a treat for fans of S/A/W as it is almost like an updated version of that sort of sound - highly accessible melodies, great dance rhythms and sleek production values. Their version of Kylie's classic is given a whistles and bells remix that makes it positively festive :)
• Pop ~ Xanadu: Pop were one of a number of attempts to replicate the Steps / S Club model of pop that had been so popular at the turn of the century. it's a shame this track never got a full release because it's an absolutely exuberant affair that had Steps recorded it would have been tickling the top 5 for weeks...
• Josh Dubovie ~ That Sounds Good To Me: Pete Waterman penned the somewhat unfairly maligned Eurovision entry from 2010. Josh proved to be a quite charming pop offering (with actual amazing pop star quiff) with a decent set of lungs on him - the tune was definitely a throwback to the 80s era of pop, but a spicy Thin Red Men remix bought it bang up to date. (More on Josh and his actually quite lovely debut album soon)...
• One True Voice ~ Sacred Trust: Pete sure loves his throwbacks to the 80s and while this exuded traditional boyband charm, it wasn't a patch on the very right here right now offering from Girls Aloud. history was made and One True Voice failed to be as big as One Direction. or something. Shame. Keith and Daniel were quite fit...
• Kylie ~ Put Your Hands Up (Pete Hammond remix): Even Kylie isn't afraid to be zipping up her boots and going back to her roots. The Pete Hammond remix of her aphrodite track revisted her S/A/W sound and married it with a more up to date feel that pleased fans new and old. Well done!
• Steps ~ Tragedy: Does anymore really need to be said??!