Cultural impact
The British music scene
After being shut out by the Brit Pop revolution that occurred in the early 1990s when bands like Oasis, Pulp and Blur dominated the charts, pop music found a voice again. The image of the Spice Girls was deliberately aimed at young girls, an audience of formidable size and potential; reinforcing the range of appeal within the target demographic were the bandmates' five distinctive personalities, which encouraged fans to identify with one member or another. This marketing was helped in no small way by the aliases assigned to each member of the group. Shortly after Wannabe’s release, the group appeared in "Top Of The Pops" magazine where each member was given a nickname based upon their image: Victoria became "Posh Spice," Emma became "Baby Spice," Melanie B was named "Scary Spice," Geri Halliwell was named "Ginger Spice", and Melanie C became "Sporty Spice." These nicknames quickly caught the imagination of tabloid editors and they stuck with the girls throughout their careers. An early name for Geri Halliwell was "Sexy Spice," but Geri found the name derogatory and persistently insisted that she be referred to as "Ginger Spice."


"Girl Power"
The "Girl Power" slogan was met with varied reactions, positive and negative. The phrase was a label for the particular facet of feminist empowerment embraced by the band: that a sensual, feminine appearance and equality between the sexes need not be mutually exclusive. This concept was by no means original in the pop world; both Madonna and Bananarama had employed similar outlooks. However, the Spice Girls' version was distinctive. Its message of empowerment appealed to young girls, adolescents, and adult women, and it emphasized the importance of strong, loyal friendship among females. In all, the focused, consistent presentation of "girl power" formed the centrepiece of their appeal as a band[16]. Some critics dismissed it as no more than a shallow marketing tactic, while others took issue with the emphasis on physical appearance, concerned about the potential impact on self-conscious and/or impressionable youngsters. Regardless, the phrase became a cultural phenomenon, adopted as the mantra for millions of girls and even making it into the Oxford English Dictionary[17]. In summation of the concept, author Ryan Dawson said, "The Spice Girls changed British culture enough for Girl Power to now seem completely unremarkable[18]."


"Cool Britannia"
The Spice Girls also found themselves at the forefront of a miniature British cultural revolution in the mid-1990s. The term "Cool Britannia" became prominent in the media and represented the new political and social climate that was emerging with the advances made by New Labour and Tony Blair. Coming out of a period of eighteen years of Conservative government, Tony Blair and New Labour were seen as young, cool and very appealing, a main driving force in making Britain look fashionable again. Although by no means responsible for the onset of "Cool Britannia," the arrival of the Spice Girls added to the new image and re-branding of Britain, and underlined the growing world popularity of British, rather than US pop music. This fact was underlined at the Brit Awards in 1997. The group won two awards[19] but it was Geri Halliwell's iconic union jack dress that dominated media coverage the world over and eventually became the face of "Cool Britannia".

Icons Of The 1990s

The union jack dress Geri wore has become symbolic of the 1990s due its iconic status, and is in the Guinness World Records as the most expensive piece of popstar clothing ever sold at auction. Ironically, it was made on a sewing machine by Geri's sister, Karen at the last minute.

Ten years after the release of their debut single, The Spice Girls were voted the biggest cultural icons of the 1990s by 80% in a UK poll of 1,000 people carried out for the board game Trivial Pursuit, stating that "Girl Power" defined the decade[20].


[Future and reunion speculation
Since the group's break up, reunion rumours have persisted. The British tabloids and other newspapers have claimed that declining solo careers have forced each of the former Girls to consider reuniting the group. The vast majority of these however have been based on nothing more than rumour and hearsay. Whenever any of the members of the group are seen together in public, it is almost certain that reunion stories will appear in the tabloid newspapers soon after. Despite official denials by the five women themselves, tabloid editors continue to fill column inches with stories about a comeback.

The closest the group has come to reuniting on stage came in July 2005 at the Live 8 concert in Hyde Park, London. The group were widely rumoured to be performing at the show, and organiser Bob Geldof confirmed at a press conference on May 31, 2005 that he had been in contact with all of them. However, the group did not perform due to Melanie Brown's commitments in Los Angeles.

Rumours have persisted of a greatest hits release and possible tour in 2006 to mark the 10th year anniversary of the group's debut album, Spice. The original tour rumours suggested that it would take place in July, which never happened. Melanie B appeared to confirm a greatest hits album in interviews in 2005, however the claims have been denied by other members of the group.[21]

Further scorn on these rumours came in February 2006 from David Sinclair, author of Wannabe: How the Spice Girls Reinvented Pop Fame. Sinclair claims to have close contact with their record label and people affiliated with the group and he states that no plans for either a reunion or greatest hits collection are in the pipelines at the moment. However, Geri Halliwell seemed to hint at possible plans in a March 2006 interview with Hello Magazine when she told fans to "watch this spice"; indeed, the reunion rumours are often propagated, online or by word-of-mouth, by over-eager hopefuls among the current fan following. In October 2006 during a radio programme to promote her new book, Victoria Beckham seemed to end the speculation and rumours once and for all, saying "I don't think [a Spice Girls reunion] is going to happen. I think we're all just happy doing our own thing now, and obviously having three children, I can't really see myself jumping around on the stage anymore. I don't think we'll be doing a reunion".[22]

Several reports in the UK have suggested that the Spice Girls could well be in the middle of planning a one off reunion to headline next year's "Concert For Diana" - a gig organised by Prince William and Prince Harry in memory of their Mother Diana, Princess of Wales, who died in a car crash in 1997. It would be the first time the band have performed together as a five piece since Geri Halliwell left the band in 1998. Emma Bunton (Baby Spice) has been the centre of the recent speculation after she was quoted as saying a reunion is more "a question of when, not if".[23]

http://en.wikipedia.org/w...pice_girls

Spice
Spice World
Forever

Total record sales in the region of 55 million. As of February 2000, the Spice Girls had confirmed record sales of 35.1 million albums and 18.2 million singles.[24] This does not include sales for their third studio album.
Certified sales of 13 million albums in Europe,[6] 11 million in the US,[7] and 2.2 million in Canada.[10]
Total of nine number one singles in the UK - tied with ABBA behind The Shadows (twelve), Madonna (twelve), Westlife (fourteen), Cliff Richard (fourteen), The Beatles (seventeen) and Elvis Presley (twenty-one).
Three consecutive Christmas Number One singles in the UK (a record shared with The Beatles) for: ("2 Become 1," 1996; "Too Much," 1997; "Goodbye," 1998)[25]
Wannabe is the biggest selling single by an all female group.[26]
First (and only) female act to have their first six singles ("Wannabe", "Say You'll Be There", "2 Become 1", "Who Do You Think You Are", "Mama", "Spice Up Your Life" and "Too Much") make number one on the UK charts. (Their run was broken by "Stop", which peaked at number two in March 1998.)
The Spice Girls achieved the highest ever annual earnings by an all female group in 1998 with an income of $49 million.[27]
Spice is the thirteenth biggest-selling album of all time in the UK with over three million copies sold. It topped the charts for fifteen weeks (non-consecutive), the most by a female group in the UK[28]
Highest international debut on the Billboard Hot 100 at number five with "Say You'll Be There". (This record still holds to date.)
Spiceworld shipped seven million copies in just two weeks, including 1.4million in Britain alone - the largest ever shipment of an album over fourteen days[29].
Spiceworld: The Movie broke the record for the highest ever weekend debut for Super Bowl Weekend (January 25, 1998) in the US, with box office sales of $10,527,222. This record has since been beaten by The Butterfly Effect in 2004[30].
Spiceworld: The Movie topped the UK video charts on its first week of release, selling over 55,000 copies on its first day in the shops[31].
Received a plethora of awards including four Brit Awards, three American Music Awards, three MTV Europe Music Awards and three World Music Awards.

funny you should mention them, have been listening to their third album recently.
Although it bombed, it's my fave of theirs.

I love Spice!

These girls where the best pop group ever!

Don't matter what the critics and musical snobs think...they were what pop truly is: fun and bright!

You know pop music is in a bad place when people fondly reminisce about the Spice Girls

But I did like their first album and a few tracks from their second (Too Much, Stop).

Last Time Lover even has a bit of funk in it.
[Edited 12/19/06 14:26pm]

VoicesCarry said:

An almost positive coment...you are getting soft

VoicesCarry said:

Common! They are PERFECT pop. Their singles are ACE.

HamsterHuey said:

I listen to:

-the entirety of SPICE
-Stop (Motown vibe)
-Too Much (classy!)
-sometimes Viva Forever

Their second album was a serious downturn in overall quality.

VoicesCarry said:

Actually Spice world was their most diverse album. It's perfect.

MikeMatronik said:

To each his own.

I thought the first single sucked. That Pepsi song....whatever it's called...completely sucked and was total tack-on filler. Only three songs on there are conceivably good enough to be on SPICE.

I really liked the Spice Girls and then I discovered The Pipettes this year and they kind of took away all the Spice Girls' thunder in my little world. Maybe I just need a little break from the fab five and should revisit their stuff early next year or something when it will all seem cool again.

My greatest solo Spice hits comp is still pretty cool though.

sextonseven said:

Solo work...hmm, okay, I must give it up for Mel C's Northern Star and Emma's first one. Good stuff.

VoicesCarry said:

You didn't like Emma's second album 'Free Me'?

sextonseven said:

Actually that's the one I was referring to I had completely forgotten about that first one. I liked What Took You So Long.

I'm more of a trashy spice fan with Geri and Victoria on the forefront!

MikeMatronik said:

Remember when Vicki tried to go head-to-head with Can't Get You Out Of My Head on the charts.

VoicesCarry said:

Emma's second beats any other solo Spice album (that I've heard) by a mile. I like Mel C in the context of the group, but solo her voice annoys me for some reason.

VoicesCarry said:

Which single was that?

sextonseven said:

That's what British record buyers thought, too!

The single was: Not Such An Innocent Girl

sextonseven said:

Their production smoothed out her vocals.

sextonseven said:

Double A-Side

Let Your Head Go/This Groove

MikeMatronik said:

Actually that was her "return" single. In 2001 she released NSAIG on the same day as Kylie unleashed CGYOOMH in the UK. Guess who made it to #1 ? There was a whole press lead-up..."WHO WILL WIN?"

VoicesCarry said:

sextonseven said:

NO ONE remembers it! It must have been fabulous.

MikeMatronik said:

Okay, that one I know and actually like (got the 12"). I also like that Truesteppers thing she did earlier.

oopsss!

Got the singles mixed up!

sextonseven said:

VC named the correct single!

The double a-side was meant to test market with the material she did with Damon Dash. But then Telstar went kaput and some of the songs from the second "Second" album where included on the Real Beckham DVD. Other leaked.

A few months ago, the first "second" album called "open your eyes" leaked. Victoria deemed it too pop and decided to get it on with Damon Dash...

MikeMatronik said:

What was it like?

VoicesCarry said:

Open your eyes is a pop album...great material

The other material of the Damon Dash colabs is standart R&B à la Beyoncé. Needless to say that Beyoncé's Ressentment was recorded first by Victoria and it's out there being shared on the p2p

MikeMatronik said:

Oh yeah, I heard that. Whodathunk Bee would be taking Victoria leftovers? Actually I'm not surprised considering what B'Day was like.

VoicesCarry said:

I'll say it again: