Friday Night Party Mix - Boybands

Clockwise: Westlife, Boyzone, Backstreet Boys, & Take That

If variety is the spice of life, than my iTunes is a veritable cabinet filled with a shipment from the islands. The spice might add some heat, while others might zip a little bit of savory flavor, and others might just leave a cool taste in your mouth. Sometimes I choose my music for flavor, while other times I just let it go, and randomly spice my experience. But no matter what, I just hope I have the music that can make an impact on me, one way or another. Certainly, there are some boybands that do just that. They stroke a memory of hearing a song, or of being with certain people, be them friends or lovers. Sometimes, there are groups like Westlife, and much of their music just reminds me of good times. When I hear a song like When You're Looking Like That, I think about getting back to my apartment, and playing it while I get ready to go out to meet friends.



But when I hear the music of Backstreet Boys, I am often transported to a couple of clubs in Rhodes Island. It seems one of the songs I would constantly hear back then was I Want It That Way, and when I hear it again, it makes me smile.



Could there be anything that makes me smile quite as strongly as when I see some Irish boys getting all break-dancing, bringing the hood with them to a video? Well, So Good does all that, and more. When the guys from Boyzone look about as cute as can be, they also get their dancing on, and do it with style.



Now when I hear Back For Good by Take That, I think about time traveling, most of the time on a plane with my iPod in place. I loved to get on the plane, put on the headphones, take out a book, and disappear for a few hours. It was like heaven.



I have long had admiration for the boys of Westlife, and it continues to this day. I hold no delusion about getting to see them play live - I buy DVDs for that. And I certainly have a warm spot for those songs I first heard them sing, like Swear It Again, and the beautiful Flying Without Wings.

Happy Birthday Sue!

Top: Sue with Theo Tams. Bottom: Sue with me!

Just wanted to wish Sue Jackson a quick 'Happy Birthday!' Sue is one of two people to attend all three Theo Tams shows recently. In fact, Sue and Melony made it to more shows, as would I, if I wasn't 10-11 hours away. That said, Sue has been a good friend to the blog, first stopping by to investigate my postings about Theo. I have had occasion to use a few of her pictures, and certainly several of her videos. We have also discussed to great length out particular musical favorites, so I thought I might offer up a little something for her. This is Take That singing Pray. Well, everyone deserves video with half-naked men for their birthday, right?



And, of course, I couldn't celebrate her day without posting a video of Theo from the show we sat together, side-by-side, in Stouffville. This is Sue's video of Theo singing The Promise by Tracey Chapman. It was at this show that the pictures were taken.



Happy Birthday, Sue!

Worth Another Listen - Take That

I had decided it was time for me to feature the first British boyband, Take That, but, honestly, was running a bit out of gas with what songs to use. So, I checked in with my 'resident' Take That fan, Sue, who offered up a few titles for me to check out. But before Italk more about the process, let's learn a little about the band. Gary Barlow, Mark Owen, Howard Donald, Robbie Williams and Jason Orange were cast in a 'New Kids On The Block' style boyband after an exhaustive search throughout the UK. By 1991, they released their first single, Do What U Like, Which barely made it on to the charts, topping out at #82 on the UK charts. It wasn't until 1992 they had their first Top 10 hit, a remake of the old Tavares song, It Only Takes A Minute, which went to #7. But the following year, they finally made it to the top of the charts with the song Pray, a traditional R&B-style ballad.



They followed it up with their second #1, Relight My Fire with the amazing LuLu featured with her distinctive vocals. Yes, twenty-six years after taking the world by storm with the song To Sir With Love, LuLu was back on top with the young boyband.



Finishing off a string of four #1UK hits in a row, they did a throwback disco-style song with Everything Changes, which topped the chart in 1994. It also featured the lead vocals of Robbie Williams, the energetic and charismatic member of the group.



By the middle of 1995, the five-man group was down to a quartet, as Williams decided to embark on a successful solo career. And while the remaining boys opted to venture forward together, it was not for long, as they decided to call it quits in April of 1996.



However, much like the decision to keep going with Williams, the decision to retire was not set in stone, as Gary Barlow, Mark Owen, Howard Donald and Jason Orange reformed in 2005 and released a new album and single to celebrate that in 2006. The first single returned them to the top of the charts, as Patience hit #1.



Proving the success of their return to music, Beautiful World, to be no fluke, the second single, Shine, hit the airwaves in 2007. And, for the second single in a row, they established a new sound that was less 'pretty' and had a bit of a rockier edge.



Their popularity has continued on since the reformation, with another #1 with Greatest Day, a #2 with Rule the World, and a Top 20 with Up All Night. They are currently working on material for an album to come out at the end of the year, and in a recent interview, Robbie Williams stated that he and the boys had made up, and he would look forward to working with the band again soon, although no one knows when that will be. For more about Take That, check out their official website here.

Helping Haiti - Everybody Hurts

Simon Cowell produced the single Everybody Hurts with an all-star roster of UK stars including Leona Lewis, Rod Stewart, Mariah Carey, Cheryl Cole, Mika, Michael Buble, Joe McElderry, Miley Cyrus, James Blunt, Gary Barlow, Mark Owen, Jon Bon Jovi, James Morrison, Susan Boyle, Aston Merrygold, Marvin Humes, Shane Filan, Mark Feehily, Kylie Minogue, and Robbie Williams.



It is scheduled for digital release on February 7th, with physical CD release on February 8th. Not sure if that is UK only, or worldwide.