# Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW)

[edsonjnovaes]

Cry for Help (Official Video)

Rick Astley – Cry for Help (Official Video) [4K Remaster]. 2009 25 out “Cry For Help” was the first single from Rick Astley’s third album “Free”. It reached number 7 in both the UK and the US meaning Rick was the first male solo artist to have his first 8 singles reach the top 10 in Britain. The ballad was co-written by Rick and Rob Fisher, best known as one half of the duo Climie…

[myhughniverse]

PWL The Hit Factory - via social media -"The final choice for our ‘12 Songs For Christmas’ playlist just had to be by the incomparable Kylie Minogue. Please show your love for ‘Hand On Your Heart’ by sharing this post! Produced by SAW Music (Stock Aitken Waterman). Mixed by Phil Harding.

[fuckyeahdonnasummer]

Donna Summer in the recent Stock, Aitken & Waterman documental in British TV

[hit-song-showdown]

Year-End Poll #39: 1988

[Image description: a collage of photos of the 10 musicians and musical groups featured in this poll. In order from left to right, top to bottom: George Michael, INXS, George Harrison, Rick Astley, Guns N' Roses, Whitney Houston, Belinda Carlisle, Tiffany, Breathe, Steve Winwood. End description]

More information about this blog here

The sound of the 80's continues to cement itself in a variety of ways. But this also marks the year Billboard began publishing its Modern Rock Tracks chart (later renamed to Alternative Songs), which will become even more notable in a few years.

But when examining the sound of 80's pop, I need to shine the spotlight on Stock Aitken Waterman, the songwriting trio known for their loud drum machines, booming synth lines, and their "assembly line" method of song production. You may recognize them from their work on tracks such as Dead or Alive's You Spin Me Round (Like a Record), Bananarama's Venus, and of course, Rick Astley's Never Gonna Give You Up. Even if most of the songs attributed to them aren't as widely remembered (and they produced a lot so that's not a knock against them), any song of theirs could be used in a soundtrack as a shorthand way to let audiences know "this scene takes place in the 80's."

Either because of or in spite of SAW's production sound being so tied to the pop music of its decade, the group has been rather controversial. That "assembly line" comment I made was not an offhand comment, but one of the terms used at the time to both describe and criticize the group's style. I know that nowadays, people don't trust any links that are in close proximity to the mention of Rick Astley's Never Gonna Give You Up. Anyway, here's an article that goes into how Stock Aitken Waterman produced the track. Trust me.

[thatscarletflycatcher]

So you have heard Rick Astley was the unexpected sensation at Glastonbury this year...

and you'd like to get a taster of his music, but you don't know where to start, because you are only/mostly familiar with Never Gonna Give You Up?

This post is for you!

I'll give you a quick overview of his discography, and a recommendation of what I think are the best tracks of each album and why. Aggregated playlist at the bottom of the post.

Whenever You Need Somebody (1987)

This was Rick's debut album, and the one that included Never Gonna Give You Up. If you have heard the piece of trivia that says "if you drop the pitch Kylie Minogue's I Should Be So Lucky, it will sound like Rick Astley"... there's a very easy explanation for that: both were composed by Stock Aitken Waterman, a trio of music producers that wrote several of the most well known eurobeat hits of the late 80s and early 90s (i.e. You Spin Me Like a Record), based on the principles of... well, being very generic and catchy. Half of the tracks of this album were written by them.

Thematically the album is strangely obsessed with cheating, cheating women, and being in love with cheating women, and being heartbroken over them. I don't know what to tell you, sometimes I forget how common this was around that time for the romantic ballad outside of the US (?)

Anyways, of the 10 tracks of the original album, the best (and also most Never Gonna Give You Up-like) are Together Forever, Don't Say Goodbye, and Whenever You Need Somebody.

The album closes with a cover of When I Fall in Love, that to me feels very out of place. Perhaps it was one thing Rick himself was dead set on singing?

This album had a 15th anniversary expanded remaster in 2010, including 3 ""old-new"" songs and 4 remixes (one of them is an extended version of NGGYU). I'll Never Set You Free is remarkable for being one of the creepiest songs this side of Every Breath You Take.

The 2022 remaster:

This one includes one "old-new" track that is a severe earworm, My Arms Keep Missing You (it does deserve the THREE remixes it gets in this album), several remixes of other songs, three instrumentals, AND, most notably for me, three "reimaginings" of NGGYU, Together Forever, and Whenever You Need Somebody as slow piano ballads, very very worth listening if you are into that sort of thing (these were first released in the compilation album The Best of Me (2019)).

It also includes a new version of When I Fall in Love, that really highlights Rick's growth as a singer and an artist, very worth comparing the 1987 to the 2022 one.

The remixes and "old-new" tracks in these anniversary editions come from compilation albums Rick Astley - 12" Collection (1989) and Dance Mixes (1990).

2. Hold Me In Your Arms (1988)

If you liked Whenever You Need Somebody (1987), then Hold Me In Your Arms (1988) is just the thing for you, because it's more of the same, but louder, catchier, and now with less cheating obsession! This time it's 3 out of the 10 songs that are SAW written, one is a cover of The Temptations' Ain't Too Proud To Beg, and the remaining 6 are all by Rick himself, but the tone doesn't shift that much between them.

The first half of the album is non-stop top danceable tunes: She Wants to Dance With Me, Take Me To Your Heart, I Don't Want To Lose Her, Giving Up On Love (big involuntary "I'm killing off Sherlock Holmes" moment for Rick, the not giving up didn't even last a year :P), and Ain't Too Proud to Beg; the second half is not as strong, but also not bad either. It definitely helps that the tracks are ordered in such a way as to slowly slow down till the beautiful sweet soft ballad that closes the album and gives it its name: Hold Me In Your Arms.

I Don't Want to Be Your Lover, the penultimate track, is the first song that feels more like what Rick writes and sings as a more mature artist.

The 2010 expanded remaster is just remixes of some of these songs, I'll Be Fine (which is, quality wise, between the rest of the tracks of the second half) and My Arms Keep Missing You, again.

The 2022 remaster includes even more remixes, reimaginings of She Wants To Dance With Me and Hold Me In Your Arms (I'm not a big fan of either, but they are interesting, as they are much more modern ballad sounding) and instrumental versions of Take Me To Your Heart and She Wants To Dance With Me.

3. Free (1991)

Almost like a pun, this is Rick's first album "free" of SAW. He even grew out his hair! (probably one of the rare cases of a guy to having gorgeous hair that somehow suits his face horribly). The tone moves away from the 80s eurobeat hit into the soul-ish + gospel-ish ballad, which seems to be more like the territory he feels comfortable in. It's a bit of an "experimental" album, in the sense that he's trying new things and new sounds, but it's all very tentative, and the unsure footing is noticeable.

Even so, Cry For Help, written and sung by him was a hit all the same, although it isn't a favorite of mine. In general it's difficult for me to pick favorites here; none of the songs stick out to me as particularly good or particularly bad. If you like slow ballads, you will probably like Cry For Help, Wonderful You, and Behind the Smile. Really Got a Problem is a first sample of a "social" song in his repertoire. Move Right Out, Never Knew Love, and The Bottom Line are more the essence of what his music evolved into later on, whereas In The Name of Love, Be With You, and This Must Be Heaven are dead on the sort of generic adult-contemporary of the early 90s.

4. Body and Soul (1993)

This album takes a more... lounge-ish turn I do not relish. You'd say, okay, but what sets Rick Astley apart from the general adult standard lounge music of whatever decade he sings in? Difficult question to answer, as all questions about vibes are. To me it is a mixture of A) cringe is dead, long live cringe B) earnest feeling C) plain, direct and sometimes quirky lyrics D) It sounds like he's having a good time singing them.

I just cannot really buy the constant "baby" and "lover" in Everytime, for example. And while none of the songs in this album are bad, most of them aren't even fun. Body and Soul and Enough Love I think are the two most interesting tracks here.

That same year, Rick got on hiatus.

5. Keep It Turned On (2001)

This comeback album is a bit of a rarity -it was released in Germany, but never in the UK (although some of its tracks made it to compilations later on), and it's therefore rare to find, which is a pity, because I think it is one of his best!

It is also one of the most early 2000s sounding things ever. It is to 2000s eurobeat and pop ballad what Whenever You Need Somebody and Hold Me In Your Arms were to 1980s eurobeat and pop ballad, so if you are into it, this whole album will be for you.

I have a particularly soft spot for Sleeping, and the way it just sounds like what a 2001-2007 summer night sounded to me; it's very nostalgic. The lyrics, just like the ones in the ballad Breathe, give heartbreak what I perceive to be a more mature tone that I like much more than the treatment it gets in previous albums.

Other highlights are the very danceable Wanna Believe You and Keep It Turned On (this last one a very pick me up song), and on the ballad front, I think Romeo Loves Juliet has the most delicate, enjoyable sound, but Full of You has better lyrics.

6. Portrait (2005)

This album is a collection of covers of classic pop standards, so there isn't much rickness to it at all, and it is to me, personally, a skip; while I usually like Rick's covers in other albums (and I think his reimaginings of the SAW songs are interesting) these are... off. I just don't think the style he picked for them suits at all.

Between this and his following album, Rick released two independent singles: Lights Out (2010) and Superman (2012) which I think are both peak Rick and worth a listen; earnest, simple feeling and catchy sound.

7. 50 (2016)

This is my favorite Rick Astley album, and it seems I'm not alone in this! It was the first album of his to be number one since his debut one. He sung AND played all instruments for it, and it really feels like a personal project, that brings the artist close to the audience.

From the very title you know you are in for something: the 50, Rick's age in 2016, is a tongue-in-cheek homage to Adele (whose albums have all been titled after her age at the time of release), that also speaks of this sense of being a middle aged artist in an industry and particularly a genre or family of genres that leans so heavily into youth and coolness.

In 50 Rick leans on instead of shying away from the fact that he's not young (In either the heartfelt "Don't fake it, I can't take it/My heart is, close to breaking/It reminds me of my youth" or the humorous "I got to thirty and you show a little wrinkle/One more big plate/Now I'm putting on weight/Skinny jeans but nobody's fooled"), cool, or detached, but that doesn't make him jaded, heavy, or self important; the songs of this album are filled with a sense of hope, gratitude, generosity, and... fun. It's a curious marriage of the lighthearted beat of the pop that made him famous, and a mature version of the soul-ish style he seems to love and that he tried first in Free. Although there isn't a single skip in this album for me, the most representative, and that have what in my opinion is the best sound, are Keep Singing, Angels On My Side, Wish Away, Pieces, I Like the Sun, Let It Rain, Let it be Tonight.

8. Beautiful Life (2018)

There's little I can say about Beautiful Life in general, other than characterize it as an echo of 50. Same ideas, same themes, same tone and sound.

The highlight tracks are: Beautiful Life, Last Night on Earth, Rise Up, and Try.

Since Beautiful Life, Rick has released a compilation album (The Best of Me, 2019), a few remixes and a couple new singles; of those singles I'd highlight Giant (a true banger), Every One Of Us, and Unwanted.

Rick's next album, Are We There Yet? releases in October this year (2023).

[appears]

15th Anniversary

Tommy february6: Strawberry Cream Soda Pop "Daydream" (2009.02.25)

A greatest hits collection can be irresistible. Generally speaking, they bypass the chance of any filler tracks, do a solid job of hitting and summarizing the career highlights, and are especially beneficial to new listeners looking to test the waters of a new obsession while also being a great stroll down memory lane for longtime fans. I agree with the argument that these collections became superfluous cash grabs after the ability to burn CDs at home rendered them moot, let alone the birth of the digital playlist -- why pay for someone else's idea of the best songs when you can customize your own? -- but I can't help grabbing one off of the shelf, sometimes over a studio album, whenever I'm in a hurry, knowing I'm guaranteed a great experience from start to finish. There are some really great ones that hit it out of the park and come to mind immediately: hide's PSYCHOMMUNITY, The Weeknd's The Highlights, and Tommy february6's Strawberry Cream Soda Pop "Daydream."

Tommy february6's greatest hits collection was released in February of 2009, and celebrates two amazing album cycles of music under Tomoko Kawase's alter ego. At eighteen songs, there's a lot to explore here, as aside from the big singles like "EVERYDAY AT THE BUS STOP" and "je t’aime ★ je t’aime," it also features some B-sides and album cuts. And since Tommy's albums were so excellent, this compilation ends up being nearly flawless. Every track captures the sugar rush of peak-80s synth-pop, heavily inspired by cult duo Strawberry Switchblade and the compositions of Stock Aitken Waterman filtered through MALIBU CONVERTIBLE's impeccable production.

In fact, there are only a few issues that I have, the biggest being that it felt a little early for a greatest hits collection. Though we were seven years into her career, with just two full studio albums, it felt more ominous than celebratory, and indeed, this sort of preceded what ended up being a much more sparse release schedule under the moniker -- after this collection, she only released one mini-album, one full album, and a handful of songs from february6, most which lost this signature sound, veering instead toward more modern dance-pop. Perhaps she saw this coming and released this to collect those songs and deliberately signal the end of a kind of era. That would make sense if you took into account the last track on here, which is the new song "◯Strawberry●Cream◯Soda●Pop◯," a song that sounds a tad out of place. Second, with so many songs on the collection, it begs the question as to why certain non-singles songs were chosen over others. I don't have any good answers, and I don't mind the choices, but I do feel like the second half gets a little packed with slower songs.

This album was released as the sister compilation album to her other alter ego Tommy heavenly6's Gothic Melting Ice Cream's Darkness "Nightmare." It was released in three different versions: CD+DVD, CD-only, and a giant limited edition box set over 12" tall that featured lots of extra goodies. Greatest hits albums have the advantage of being easy to declare near perfect, and this is one of the easiest of all.

Catalog Number: DFCL-1530~1

[aeschtunes]

Album Review: Dead Or Alive - "The Pete Hammond Hi-NRG Remixes"

On April 26, 2024, Edsel released The Pete Hammond Hi-NRG Remixes, which sees Pete “Mixmaster” Hammond taking some of Dead Or Alive’s later recordings and reworks them into the classic sound the band had in the 1980’s. Back in the 1980’s, Hammond did remixing for Stock, Aitken & Waterman, and would have worked with Dead Or Alive during the era that the band was involved with SAW. The Pete Hammond…

[my-chaos-radio]

Release: January 1, 1988

Lyrics:

I just want a reaction

A positive reaction

Reaction

A positive reaction

Give me satisfaction

A positive reaction

Got this feeling that I can't explain

Gotta show me that you feel the same way

Don't wanna let you make a fool of me

You're playing hide and seek with my emotion

But I'm afraid of being too outspoken

Just want a sign

Be mine

I'm looking for reaction

A positive reaction

I get the feeling I've been here before

You made me shiver when I first saw you

Just one look is all it took

I get the feeling maybe you don't care

I've gone as far as any glrl would dare to

Just want a sign

Be mine!

I'm looking for reaction

A positive reaction

Reaction

A positive reaction

You might also like

Don’t You Want Me Baby?

You know I want you

Do you want me too?

I need to hear just one word from you

I need to know

Do you feel the same way?

Do you feel the same way?

Just want a sign

Be mine!

Songwriter:

I'm looking for reaction

A positive reaction

I'm looking for reaction

A positive reaction

Pete Waterman / Matt Aitken / Mike Stock

SongFacts:

👉📖

[radiomax]

Wednesday 1/18/23 5pm ET: Feature LP: Laura Branigan - Touch (1987)

Touch is the fifth studio album by American pop singer Laura Branigan, released on July 7, 1987, by Atlantic Records. The album saw Branigan’s return to dancefloors with the lead single, the Stock Aitken Waterman-produced “Shattered Glass”, which was released in June 1987 and reached number 48 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album’s second single, a cover of Jennifer Rush’s “Power of Love”, was…

[taken-aurally]

(Bananarama)

[bearwildered]

Kylie Minogue - Shocked - Official Video

[myhughniverse]

PWL The Hit Factory - via social media - "Happy 35th birthday to ‘Kylie’ by Kylie Minogue. Released on this day back in 1988, produced by Mike Stock music , Matt Aitken 25, Pete Waterman OBE, mixed by Pete Hammond , Sleeve design by David Howells with iconic photos by Lawrence Lawry Lawrence Lawry Photography : Portraits

[weshallcleansetheworld]

The full, ORIGINAL, extended club mix! (Very hard to find online [iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, Apple Music, etc.]) This is the version played in the clubs back in the late 80’s. It always packed the dance floor!

[helloparkerrose]

Whenever You Need Somebody (1987)

Rick Astley

Whenever You Need Somebody

PWL Records

[listentothecountdown-blog]

2689. Bananarama - ‘I Want You Back’ (1987)

If you walk away You’ll regret it someday Please stay

from the album Wow!

Losing a band member part of the way through an album cycle can be dealt with in a number of ways. For example, the Spice Girls closed their Spiceworld era with a touching animated video, and returned a few months later one member down, choosing not to replace Geri Halliwell. When it happened to the Sugababes during the Taller In More Ways campaign, they took it as an opportunity to reissue the album with a number of tracks re-recorded. Bananarama, however, in a typically nonchalant fashion, moved on so quickly and breezily from Siobhan Fahey that casual fans may not have even noticed anything had changed. It helped that most of Bananarama’s songs are sung by all the group members in unison, and Jacqui O’Sullivan transitioned into (and eventually, out of) Bananarama with ease, making her debut on one of the group’s most enduring hits: ‘I Want You Back’.

Following the international success of the Shocking Blue cover ‘Venus’, Bananarama made the natural decision to record their next full-length with Stock Aitken Waterman, who had turned ‘Venus’ into a modern dance smash after the group’s usual collaborators Jolley & Swain had rejected the idea. The resulting LP, Wow!, was the group’s best, a cohesive, focused collection of straight-up, no-nonsense pop, with tracks like ‘I Want You Back’ representing the album’s greatest strengths. Lyrically, ‘I Want You Back’ is a dejected recount of a break-up, but the production takes an opposing approach, turning what could have been a self-pitying dirge into a dance floor anthem. 

Channelling the pain of lost love into ludicrously upbeat pop was the Stock Aitken Waterman trademark, and singles like ‘I Want You Back’ are among the very best examples of that formula, though it should be noted that the track is a genuine SAW/Bananarama collaboration, with the girls rewriting the original lyrics (that first version is now available on the 2013 Wow! reissue). ‘I Want You Back’ was, quite rightly, a top five success in the UK and Australia, another triumph for a group who seemed to thrive on evolution and change.

‘I Want You Back’ music video:

Chart peaks: AUS #3, UK #5

Written by Richard Eric, 29/10/18