Info from http://en.wikipedia.org/w...n_Waterman

Stock Aitken Waterman, sometimes known as SAW, were a British songwriting and record producing trio who had great success during the mid-late 1980s and early 1990s with many of their productions. The three can be considered to be the most successful songwriting and producing partnership of all time, scoring over 200 top 40 UK hits in the mid 1980s to early 1990s.

The trio consisted of Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman.

On January 15, 1984, shortly after meeting Aitken and Stock, Waterman asked them to work with him and his recently formed production company, Pete Waterman Limited (PWL). Their initial style was Hi-NRG with a cover version of "You Think You're a Man" by Divine (#16 UK Jul 1984) and "Whatever I Do" by Hazell Dean (#4 UK Jul 1984). They struck gold in March 1985 when "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)" by Dead or Alive reached number one in UK. However, Pete Waterman has said in interviews that the trio were still in dire financial straits at the time.

Following this success their style changed to a more mainstream style of catchy (some would say annoying) bubblegum synth pop, with attractive singers. They typically worked by writing the songs-- albeit many of their early acts, such as Hazell Dean and Dead or Alive, wrote their own material--, recording the music with extensive use of synthesizers, drum machines (drums were often credited to "A Linn", a sly reference to the Linn brand of drum machine) and sequencers and then bringing in a singer solely to record the vocal track. Their prodigious, production line-like output led to them being referred to as the hit factory (not to be confused with the record label of the same name) and attracted criticism from many quarters. However, Pete Waterman defended their style by comparing it to the output of Motown in the 1960s.


Their most successful artist was Kylie Minogue, a young actress from Melbourne, Australia who was well known for her role in the soap opera, Neighbours. Her first 13 singles reached the UK top 10 and her debut "I Should Be So Lucky" spent 5 weeks at number one (in UK). The album Kylie was the highest selling album of 1988, and 5th highest selling album of the decade. They were also responsible for the 1987's highest selling single - Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up". At the height of their fame, Stock Aitken and Waterman also had a Top Ten hit as themselves with the largely instrumental "Roadblock".

In 1989 they wrote and produced the highest selling album of the year - Jason Donovan's Ten Good Reasons. Donovan was Minogue's co-star in Neighbours and his success for a time equalled hers. In 1988-'89, the trio recorded three tracks with Judas Priest. These tracks were never released, and are said to be in Judas Priest's possession.

Another of SAW's most successful hit singles was the 1989 number one single "Ferry 'cross the Mersey" (a charity single featuring The Christians, Holly Johnson, Paul McCartney and Gerry Marsden.)

Waterman made no attempt to hide his hostility towards the sampling culture prevalent at the time, and when M/A/R/R/S sampled "Roadblock" for their track "Pump Up the Volume" he was quick to instigate legal action against them. However, he always stated that it was a matter of principle rather than profit and pledged to donate all the royalties from the court case to charity.

Pete Waterman's career as a record producer preceded his collaborations with Stock and Aitken, and continued after the demise of the trio as an entity.




Mike Stock (born December 3, 1951) is a British songwriter best known as being a member of the songwriting trio Stock Aitken Waterman.

In April 2003, Stock, together with millionaire businessman Bob Patmore, launched a new record label called Better the Devil Records. He also began writing with songwriter Sandy Rass. Both ventures were shortlived.

Stock wrote a book titled The Hit Factory: The Stock, Aitken and Waterman Story (ISBN 1843307294), which was published in September 2004.

In 2005, Stock Aitken Waterman began working together again.

Late in 2005, Mike Stock produced The Fat Cowboy's novelty record "Do Dat Diddly Ding Dang" in conjunction with Diablo Records, which is scheduled for release March 6, 2006.



Matt Aitken (born August 25, 1956) is a British songwriter best known as being one third of the 1980s songwriting/production trio Stock Aitken Waterman.

He began his career as both a DJ and musician and had been a member of 5 different bands before teaming up with Mike Stock to write and produce music for other artists. They both later teamed up with Pete Waterman and they went from small independent labels to the major RCA, producing Rick Astley, prior to this they had also produced hits for Bananarama.

After the partnership split up in the early-1990s, Aitken went into a period retirement, rasing a family and enjoying another of his pastimes, motor racing. However, he has since returned to the music business.



Pete Waterman, OBE (born in Coventry on January 15, 1947) is a British record producer, songwriter, radio and club DJ, television presenter, president of Coventry Bears rugby league club and a keen railway enthusiast. He is the owner of significant collections of both historic and commercial railway locomotives and rolling stock, a passion fueled by his first job. Waterman had left school illiterate, not learning to read until the age of thirty eight. Following his railway job as a fireman on locomotives Waterman became a gravedigger and then an apprentice at General Electric Company, becoming a trade union official.

Inspired by The Beatles, Waterman became a DJ. He first hit the charts singing under the name 14-18 with a single inspired by World War One - "Good-Bye-Ee". In the 1980s he was a member of the highly successful music trio Stock Aitken Waterman before forming his own company, PWL (Pete Waterman Limited). To date he has scored a total of twenty two UK number one singles with his various acts and he claims upwards of 500 million sales world-wide (inclusive of singles, albums, compilation inclusions, downloads, etc). Pete also appeared in the steps video tragedy.

In 1988 he revived the name of the London and North Western Railway Company for his rail vehicle maintenance business, based at Crewe, which is now the largest privately-owned rail maintenance business in the country.

In addition to his passion for music and the railway, Waterman is also a huge supporter of Walsall FC. However, he has ruled out any move towards buying the football club.

He co-presented The Hitman and Her with Michaela Strachan. He also presented a show on Radio City.

In more recent years, Waterman managed the boy band One True Voice, who were formed as the result of the UK television program Popstars: The Rivals. Waterman said to rival Louis Walsh that if One True Voice failed to reach the 2002 Christmas number one in the UK, he would commit suicide. One True Voice were beaten to the number one spot by Girls Aloud.

In the New Year's Honours List published 31 December 2004 he was given an OBE for his services to music. Just three days later his son Paul died at the age of thirty three, Waterman's website announcing that he had been in hospital since June with a "serious illness". Waterman's other son, Pete Junior, had been in a near-death go-karting accident in 1999, seeing him left badly burnt and in a coma.

Silly lyrics, but i still enjoy the songs

They also wrote my favorite Samantha Fox hit, "Nothing`s gonna stop me now" and Donna Summer`s "This time i know it`s for real"

and...

"I don`t wanna get hurt" - another Donna Summer hit
"Respectable" by Mel & Kim
"Venus" by Bananarama

As awful of a song as it is, I've always dug 'Turn it Up' by Michael Davidson. It's one of the non-Madonna songs on the Who's That Girl soundtrack. Great mid-'80's cheese.

I'm with Icicle. The stuff they did with Donna was pretty good. The stuff they did with Bananarama, though, is what defined them.

VinnyM27 said:

Yeah, "This time i know it`s for real" is the best Donna Summer song since the 70s

I always loved this song...still do actually!

Rain falling down
Another minute passes by
I wait for you
But this time I won't cry
Where are you now
Are you with another love
It's not the first time
You stood me up and let me down

without S.A.W. 'Idols' wouldn't exist

Icicle said:

Showing out is my fave Mel & Kim song!

They all missed out on Cathy Dennis...

Anyway, I think Dead Or Alive were my favorite SAW output. Mad Bad and Dangerous to know was my favorite of thiers.

I hated them at the time for some of the crap they inflicted on us (Sonia, Big Fun etc.) but my hate has softened and I can acknowledge that there was some good stuff mixed in with the junk. "Never Gonna Give You Up" is one of the best songs of the 80s. "The Harder I Try" was great too.

whatyaputtininyonose said:

yep, this one




and that would be my fave

didnt the SAW team did dead or alive "brand new lover" and rick astley"together forever"...?

mwilli said:

Yes.

BTW, SAW also reunited recently:

http://www.stockaitkenwat...v/gold.htm

whatyaputtininyonose said:

I love this song but the video is just jaw-droppingly awful.

whoknows said:

Yeah, it's actually aged quite well - as has Nathan Moore.