STOCK AITKEN WATERMAN

Mike Stock,Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman are 3 pop music producers from england.This trio have written and produced hundreds of songs for dozens of singers in the 80's and have had more than a 100 top 40 hits.Amazing isn't it?.They have created artists like DEAD OR ALIVE,RICK ASTLEY,KYLIE MINOGUE,SINITTA,HAZELL DEAN,SONIA,DIVINE,MANDY SMITH and BANANARAMA(those are all that i know of).I think their first production that made it big was in '84 when Pete waterman knocked together a high energy record for DIVINE,the obese american cross dresser ,with "you think you're a man".It was a really fast,hard song with hard drums,clacking handclaps and powerful synths.This was the sound of the 80's. But S.A.W would have a different sound from '86 onwards.In 1984 and 85,their sound would be in the style of divine's "you think you're a man".In late '84,an underground group ,DEAD OR ALIVE hired S.A.W to work on their forthcoming album "YOUTHQUAKE".DEAD OR ALIVE have always wrote their own songs,so S.A.W arranged the music.This was the first time i beleive that S.A.W started working as a team.Well it wasn't suprising that the songs on DEAD OR ALIVE's album were in the exact same style as DIVINE.Their first song on the album,"you spin me round(like a record)" became number one worldwide in 1985.The other songs in the album didn't do too bad either.Only in the following year '86 did they made a sound that would be synonimous with S.A.W.This was the sound that would have you saying "that's STOCK AITKEN WATERMAN stuff isn't it?".It all began in '86 with two really pretty english girls MEL & KIM.I love this duo!Their hit song,"respectable" climbed the charts all over the world and with that same style S.A.W would continue till the end of the 80's.With "respectable",S.A.W added house drums and a new synth line that was distincly theirs.From now on,all their songs would sound like this.DEAD OR ALIVE's new song "brand new lover" also had this sound.What does it sound like you ask?.Well it usually starts with a little guitar sound,followed by a 80's style drumbeat,then comes in the famous synths and mixed together with the sound of "twiching" guitars.The guitars really "twitch" and blends smoothly with the synths.Another good example is BANANARAMA's "love truth and honesty".S.A.W also had a very "happy" upbeat sound with lots of trumpet like instruments,although they were electronic.Prime examples of these "happy" upbeat sounds are

    

  1. love in the first degree-bananarama

  2. i should be so lucky-kylie minogue

  3. the locomotion-kylie minogue

  4. i only wanna be with you-samantha fox

  5. brand new lover-dead or alive

  6. toy boy-sinitta

  7. you started something-samantha fox

  8. boys and girls-mandy

  9. together forever-rick astley

  10. who's gonna catch you-mel & kim/sinitta

  11. g.t.o-sinitta

  12. i heard a rumour-bananarama
I love their music and i have been collecting S.A.W songs since '96.I am still looking for more.As someone once said in the SINGAPORE EUROBEAT WEB CLUB, "S.A.W music really perks you up on the lousiest of days".For someone like me who has many lousy days,i couldn't agree more.There were critics who slammed S.A.W in the 80's.They say that all their songs sound the same.I can tell you that all the S.A.W songs are different tunes,each one special with their own message.Heck i could tell the difference!

PET SHOP BOYS

The PSB was formed in 1981,when Neil Tennant, a journalist for SMASH HITS magazine met with CHRIS LOWE in a electronics store.They didn't record a song till late '84.Neil and Chris have written many songs in a few years time although never releasing them yet,because they didn't have the chance.While Neil was on assignment in america in '83,he stumbled on BOBBY ORLANDO a legendary american high energy producer who wrote all of DIVINE's hits from '82 to '84.It was at that time that Neil brought up the subject that he and his friend Chris had ambitions to become pop stars and have already penned down a few songs.Neil showed Bobby his material,and Bobby O liked it.So they started recording their first song,"west end girls".It was released in '84 under the production of Bobby O,and it soon became a cult underground dance record.In '85,the PSB decided to release "west end girls" on a more major label,and they achieved tremedous success.The song became no.1 worldwide.Next came the hits "it's a sin"(86),"what have i done to deserve this?"(86),"rent"(87),"heart"(88),"domino dancing"(87),"always on my mind"(88),"left to my own devices"(88),and many many more.Their videos were very good too.I personally think that the best album from the PSB was "DISCO" released in 1986.The best song there in my opinion is "in the night".It has marvelous heavy synths which makes it my favorite.When i have the time,i will put up pages from smash hits magazine in the 80's here so that you can read about them.

any comments? suggestions?then mail ME

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