UK Style - Spice Girls

Left to right -

Mel C, Victoria Beckham, Geri Halliwell, Mel B, Emma Bunton

Mel B (Brown) - "Scary Spice"

Known for - "in-your-face" attitude, loud Leeds accent, pierced tongue, bold fashion

Melanie C (Chisholm) - "Sporty Spice"

Known for - tracksuit & athletic shoes, long dark hair in a ponytail, tattoos, tough girl attitude, back handsprings & high kicks on stage

Emma Bunton - "Baby Spice"

Known for - youngest member, long blonde hair in pigtails, pastel babydoll dresses & platform sneakers, innocent smile, girly girl personality 

Geri Halliwell - "Ginger Spice"

Known for - bright red hair, feisty, glammed up sex appeal, flamboyant stage outfits, leader of the group 

Victoria Beckham - "Posh Spice"

Known for - brunette bob cut, reserved attitude, signature pout, form-fitting designer outfits

Formed in 1994

Genres considered - Pop, Dance Pop, Teen Pop, R&B

Over 100 million records sold worldwide

Best-selling British act of the 1990s

Best-selling girl group of all time

Debut single - "Wannabe" (1996)

No. 1 in 37 countries

Debut album - Spice (1996)

Over 23 million copies sold worldwide

Best-selling album by a female group in history 

No. 1 singles from the debut album -

"Say You'll Be There"

"2 Become 1"

"Who Do You Think You Are"/"Mama"

2nd album - Spiceworld (1997)

Over 14 million copies sold worldwide

No. 1 singles from second album -

"Spice Up Your Life"

"Too Much"

"Viva Forever"

1998 Spiceworld Tour

Highest-grossing concert tour by a female group

Attended by roughly 2.1 million people

No. 1 single in 1998 - "Goodbye"

3rd album - Forever (2000)

R&B influenced

9th No. 1 single from third album -

"Holler"/"Let Love Lead the Way"

With the ninth single, the Spice Girls set a record for most UK number ones by a female group.

Hiatus at the end of 2000

In 2007, the Spice Girls reunited for the Return of the Spice Girls Tour.

In 2012, the Spice Girls performed at the Summer Olympics closing ceremony.

Spice World - 2019 UK Tour (without Victoria Beckham)

The 2007 & 2019 tours won the Billboard Live Music Award for highest-grossing engagement.

Endorsements and merchandise generated roughly $500-$800 million by May 1998.

5 Brit Awards

Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music (2000) - Youngest recipients (Previously - Elton John, the Beatles, Queen)

3 American Music Awards

4 Billboard Music Awards

3 MTV Europe Music Awards

1 MTV Video Music Award

3 World Music Awards

2 Ivor Novello Awards

Concert Tours

When active -

Mel B : 1994-2000. 2007-2008, 2012, 2016, 2018-2019

Emma Bunton : (Same as Mel B)

Mel C : 1994-2000, 2007-2008, 2012, 2018-2019

Victoria Beckham : 1994-2000, 2007-2008. 2012

Geri Halliwell : 1994-1998, 2007-2008, 2012, 2016, 2018-2019

(Wikipedia)

Billy Joel - Piano Man (Original Video)

Released as a single in November 1973

Included in Billy Joel's 1973 album, Piano Man

Genres considered - Soft Rock, Folk Rock, Folk Pop

Over 5 million copies sold in the U.S. alone

No. 25 on Billboard Hot 100

No. 10 in Canada

No. 421 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time (2004)

No. 63 on Ultimate Classic Rock's Top 100 Classic Rock Songs

Inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame (2013)

Preserved in the National Recording Registry (2015)

Certified Gold in Germany & Mexico

Certified Platinum in Denmark & Spain

Certified 2x Platinum in the UK

Certified 6x Platinum in New Zealand

Certified 8x Platinum in the U.S.

(Wikipedia)

The Stranger

 

Billy Joel's 5th album

Released in September 1977

Genres considered - Rock, Soft Rock, Pop Rock

Featured touring band -

Liberty DeVitto - Drums

Doug Stegmeyer - Bass

Richie Cannata - Saxophone & Organ

Released singles/Billboard Hot 100

"Just the Way You Are" - No. 3

"Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" - No. 17

"She's Always a Woman" - No. 17

"Only the Good Die Young" - No. 24

Staple live performance songs -

"Scenes from an Italian Restaurant

"Vienna"

2 Grammy Awards (in 1979)

Record of the Year & Song of the Year

("Just the Way You Are")

Over 10 million copies sold worldwide

Point of interest - The Stranger is Columbia Records' best-selling album release, passing Simon & Garfunkel's 1970 Bridge over Troubled Water.

Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time

No. 70 (2003) ... No. 169 (2020)

Grammy Hall of Fame (2008)

Review Scores -

AllMusic - 4.5/5 Stars

American Songwriter - 4/5 Stars

Blender - 5/5 Stars

The Buffalo News - 4/4 Stars

Pitchfork - 8.5/10

Record Collector - 4/5 Stars

Rolling Stone - 4/5 Stars

The Rolling Stone Album Guide - 4/5 Stars

Slant Magazine - 4/5 Stars

Uncut - 4/5 Stars

Track List -

Side One -

1.  Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)

2.  The Stranger

3.  Just the Way You Are

4.  Scenes from an Italian Restaurant

Side Two -

1.  Vienna

2.  Only the Good Die Young

3.  She's Always a Woman

4.  Get It Right the First Time

5.  Everybody Has a Dream

Certified Gold in Denmark, Japan, & the UK

Certified Platinum in Australia & Hong Kong

Certified 4x Platinum in New Zealand

Certified 5x Platinum in Canada

Certified 12x Platinum in the U.S.

(Wikipedia)

All American - Billy Joel

 William Martin Joel

"Piano Man"

b. May 9, 1949

American singer, songwriter, & pianist

12 albums from 1971 to 1993

Genres - Pop, Rock

Classical album released in 2001

One of the world's best-selling music artists - over 160 million records sold worldwide

4th best-selling solo artist in the U.S.

Critical & commercial breakthrough - The Stranger (1977)

52nd Street (1978)

Billy Joel's first No. 1 on Billboard 200

No. 352 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (2003)

"It's Still Rock and Roll to Me" 

Billy Joel's first No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100

(Glass Houses, 1980)

33 Top 40 hits in the U.S.

Billy Joel's No. 1 hits on Billboard Hot 100 -

"It's Still Rock and Roll to Me" ... "Tell Her About It" ... "We Didn't Start the Fire"

23 Grammy Award nominations

6 Grammy Awards

1 American Music Award

4 Brit Award nominations

1 MTV Video Music Award nomination 

2 New York Emmy Awards

2 Primetime Emmy Award nominations

1 Tony Award

Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame (1992)

Inducted into the Madison Square Garden Walk of Fame (1993)

Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1999)

Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (2004)

Inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame (2006)

Johnny Mercer Award (2001, Songwriters Hall of Fame)

Kennedy Center Honors (2013)

Gershwin Prize for Popular Song (2014)

Doctor of Humane Letters (Fairfield University, 1991)

Doctor of Music (Berklee College of Music, 1993)

Doctor of Humane Letters (Hofstra University, 1997)

Doctor of Music (Southampton College, 2000)

Doctor of Fine Arts (Syracuse University, 2006)

Doctor of Musical Arts (Manhattan School of Music, 2008)

Doctor of Music (Stony Brook University, 2015)

MusiCares Person of the Year (2002)

Discography

(Wikipedia)

Set List Special Ed. - RRHOF Class of 2025

 

Bad Company - Wikipedia

Bad Company - Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Chubby Checker - Wikipedia

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Cyndi Lauper - Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Joe Cocker - Wikipedia

Joe Cocker - Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

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Soundgarden - Wikipedia

Soundgarden - Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

The White Stripes - Wikipedia

The White Stripes - Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Nirvana - Heart-Shaped Box (Live And Loud, Seattle / 1993)

3rd track on Nirvana's third & final album, In Utero (1993)

The album was released in September 1993 and the song was released in August, so the single was not released in the U.S. to avoid competition with album sales.

"Heart-Shaped Box" garnered significant American airplay.

No. 1 on Billboard Modern Rock Tracks

Top 10 in such countries as Portugal, the UK, Ireland, Finland, and New Zealand

Top 40 worldwide

Conflicting theories behind the lyrics -

Kurt Cobain's devastation with terminally ill children

Kurt Cobain's relationship with wife, Courtney Love

(Kurt was instant on the former.  Love was considered most likely.)

"Heart-Shaped Box" was the final song to be performed live, on March 1, 1994 in Munich, Germany.  "Heart-Shaped Box" was the last song to accompany a music video.  "Heart-Shaped Box" was the last before Kurt Cobain's suicide in April 1994.

The music video won two MTV Video Music Awards at the 1994 ceremony.

"Heart-Shaped Box" Certifications -

Gold in Brazil, Italy, & Spain

Platinum in the UK

2x Platinum in New Zealand

3x Platinum in Australia & the U.S.

(Wikipedia)

In Steve Perry's Words

"Lights"

Released in 1978

Genre considered - Soft Rock

No. 68 on Billboard Hot 100

An initial lesser hit ... Now one of Journey's most popular and recognized songs

Often played at San Francisco Giants baseball games ... Played at Game 2 of the 2010 World Series ... Games 1 & 2 of the 2012 World Series ... Games 4 & 5 of the 2014 World Series

Often played at Oakland Athletics after-game fireworks display

Often played at Levi's Stadium when the NFL San Francisco 49s win a home game

Personnel -

Steve Perry - Lead vocals

Neal Schon - Guitars, Backing vocals

Gregg Rolie - Keyboards, Backing vocals

Ross Valory - Bass, Backing vocals

Aynsley Dunbar - Drums

Certified 2x Platinum in the U.S.

(Wikipedia)