UK release date: 13th April 1987
UK album chart peak: #3
Buy F.L.M here (Amazon UK)
It is impossible to complete a retrospective of sister duo Mel and Kim's only album without remembering the sad passing of Mel Appleby. She bought a vitality and energy to the F.L.M album that was equal to her sister Kim and yet seems more poignant when you consider her courageous battle with cancer. Her light may have been extinguished far too early but the music she created as Mel & Kim with Stock, Aitken and Waterman has provided a lasting legacy that still delights fans and new converts to this very day. Released thirty years ago this week, F.L.M. was jam packed with hits and was actually quite a groundbreaking album for both the pop duo and their production team. The singles and album hit the stores a good 12 months before the PWL Hit Factory would really take off and while S/A/W had seen chart success with Divine, Hazell Dean, Dead or Alive and Bananarama et al, this was one of the first brand new acts that they were involved in launching. What shines through from the project is how the writing trio clearly worked hard to infuse the music the ladies sang with elements of their background, culture and personality. S/A/W may have written and produced the album but they paved the way for Mel & Kim to really make the songs their own.
The run up to the album started with the duo's debut single in September 1986. Showing Out (Get Fresh At The Weekend) was the perfect feel good debut that blended hip hop influences with percolating dance grooves and a sassy chorus refrain. The narrative remains just as relevant today as it was thirty years hence, a story of focusing on embracing the life you have rather than worrying about material things you can't afford. The ladies were wonderfully exuberant in their encouraging rally cry to "get fresh at the weekend", and that repetitive "show show show show" hook nestled its way into your cerebral cortex and refused to shift. So catchy was it that my dad thought he was hilarious by singing "mowing out" whenever he'd cut the back lawn (and this is a guy who thought music hit its creative peak with Frank Sinatra). Britain was smitten and the track steadily funked its way up the charts to peak at number three in early November 1986. Allegedly, the b-side (System) was originally considered as the lead off single but S/A/W decided it wasn't strong enough to showcase the sister's personalities. Whilst there is no doubt that this was the right call, System is a fine track in its own right and the late decision to relegate it to b-side not only meant fans were treated to some stomping 12" mixes but that the song sashayed its way all the way to the top of the Billboard Dance Charts. No surprise there as the nine minute house mix is still a triumph of extended beats, intoxicating rhythms and irresistible grooves.
The debut single certainly introduced Mel & Kim to the world with an audacious bang, setting the stage perfectly for the excellent second single, Respectable. The song is a complex, textured wall of sound that is made to sound brilliantly simple, with (like Showing Out) extra hooks in the form of the addictive "tay tay tay tay t-t-t-t-tay tay" intro to the chorus. Now I confess that I didn't get into Mel and Kim at the Showing Out stage but I definitely remember begging my parents to buy me the 7" of this after seeing it on Top Of The Pops (and needing a break from playing Madonna's True Blue endlessly on a loop). I spent most of my half term week, rewinding said performance on the VCR (check your history books) and perfecting the energetic dance moves. The message also spoke to me, which is perhaps why I loved the song so much - as an awkward kid who didn't really fit in anywhere, the "take or leave me" instruction woke something in me that, admittedly took a while to blossom, would be the start of my long coming out journey. Regardless of the song's meaning for you, it is a triumph of epic proportions; still an invigorating jaunt that compels you to throw shapes on the dance floor. And it was S/A/W's first self-penned number one single (though they had produced Dead or Alive's You Spin Me Round chart topper in the UK and Bananarama's US chart topping hit, Venus). The impact of this track would be felt for many years to come - starting with Pop Will Eat Itself sampling it the same year it was released and Girls@Play covering the track in 2001. The original remains the best, of course, and you can immerse yourself in the plethora of dance remixes on the double disc reissue of the album back from 2011. Message received and understood ladies - you ain't NEVER gonna be respectable, and after this I don't think anyone wanted you to be.
It is no surprise that, based on those two hits, the F.L.M album was an instant smash. And what better way to celebrate this than release the title track as single number three. I was lucky the track was released near my birthday because I wanted to not only get the 12" single for the remixes but desperately wanted the cassingle for the Showing Out-Respectable mini-mix that was only available in that format. While my love of pop cost me a fortune, I do miss the days of multi-format releases that encouraged fans to be collectors by offering something different. At the tender age of 13 (don't do the math), I also remember being struck by what a cohesive brand and message the album/ladies established. Each progressive single felt like a natural successor to the previous one, accentuating the duo's persona and proffering up a new genre-hopping sound that was still rooted in their original inspirations. A sizzling collection of remixes and alternate versions meant there was something for every mood - whether you wanted fun, love or money. Quite rightly, it gave the duo a third consecutive top ten hit...
...and in the UK that was pretty much it for the F.L.M album campaign. There were a number of songs that could have easily been singles (and were in other places across the world). One stand out included I'm The One Who Really Loves You. Remixed by both Pete Hammond and Clivilles & Cole (of C&C Music Factory Fame), this was a more mid-tempo choice than previous singles and showcased a more vulnerable side of the sassy duo. Originally recorded by Austin Howard, the Mel & Kim version showed they could easily do ballads that stood shoulder to shoulder with girl group classics such as the criminally underrated Love, Truth and Honesty by Bananarama. In retrospect, the Clivilles and Cole mixes definitely geared the song more towards an American market that had fallen hard for songs like Janet Jackson's When I Think Of You. I didn't know of any mixes other than the Pete Hammond one (which was on the 12" of their final UK single) until the aforementioned double disc re-release so it was a delight to get something new-to-me. And that final single in the UK was also featured on the re-release, but originally taken from the Coming To America soundtrack. That's The Way It Is felt more in line with previous singles, particularly thanks to the double-hook chorus ("Keep on looking out for number one") and thrillifying pace that left you giddy and wanting more. It also sported the first Mel & Kim co-write on the flip side, courtesy of You Changed My Life - an uplifting ditty about the influence of others (and one that feels like a lovely tribute to the relationship Mel and Kim had as sisters). It was their final top ten hit, and a fitting coda to a great run of songs that bought girl power back to the charts, years before the Spice Girls even knew it was a thing. Kim would go onto have a solo career that included the Mel & Kim penned G.L.A.D., another hugely euphoric anthem that feels like it is part of the Mel & Kim catalogue. If you are not familiar with their work, or just want to immerse yourself in memories of their songs then I strongly encourage you to spend some time with these songs - they lift your spirits and bring a huge smile to your face. And, 30 years on, that is quite the accomplishment.
No comments:
Post a Comment