30 Years of Bananarama - CD & (at last!) DVD

[Electrofreaks]

Yes. Whilst it's a shame no one seemed interested in their last two albums and musically there's probably not much more variation for them to try, I will always welcome more material. I will always insist that 'It's A Trip' by Shakespears Sister could have been a Bananarama song.

I'd love for Siobhan to write them a song!

[anfunny2003]

Is there anywhere to get the full length 8 Min, 8 Sec "Extended Club Mix" of "I Can't Help It", digitally ?

The (Remix) version on the DVD is only 4 Mins, 53 Secs.

I wonder if their is a longer version (just like the 2 minutes longer, than "The Greatest Hits" VHS, "Venus 12 Inch Video") that never surfaced until now.

It's on the CD single.

http://www.discogs.com/Bananarama-I-...elease/1409349

[bichard]

It's a shame Bananarama seem to have given up on any hope of artistic and musical progression. They proved with Pop Life they can do it without Siobhan, but they seem happy to just churn out this hi NRG cheese dance for the gayz. Such a pity...

[Farnaby]

- Pop music is not an art.
- The concept of "progression" in pop (and art, by the way) is weak and most of the time irrelevant.
- "Hi NRG cheese dance for the gays" genre is not more shameful than "Pseudo-indie pop for the hipsters", for example.
- Baby It's Christmas Time is one of the best Christmas pop songs of all times.

Anyway, I thought everyone had understood Bananarama was totally above this kind of "pattern"...

[Mvnl]

- Pop music is not an art.

Now that's just untrue.

[bichard]

- Pop music is not an art.
- The concept of "progression" in pop (and art, by the way) is weak and most of the time irrelevant.
- "Hi NRG cheese dance for the gays" genre is not more shameful than "Pseudo-indie pop for the hipsters", for example.
- Baby It's Christmas Time is one of the best Christmas pop songs of all times.

Anyway, I thought everyone had understood Bananarama was totally above this kind of "pattern"...

How very patronising and reverse prejudiced of you.

Let me put it another way then:

It's a shame that Bananarama have given up trying to give us anything new and different.

[anfunny2003]

I tend to agree that Bananarama haven't exactly displayed much creativity post-trio. It's still fairly enjoyable dance-pop music, but you'd never, ever be surprised by one of their records. You know what you're getting from the off.

[Electrofreaks]

They have said for the last three albums they feel they have nothing left to prove and are just making music for the enjoyment and for the fans, adding any real success is just 'a bonus.'

[brave2012]

I have rediscovered the fabulous Preacher Man and got obsessed with it all over again.

That song should have been a massive number 1 and it actually still sounds fresh today not at all early 90s.

[Electrofreaks]

A bit disappointing:

62. (NEW) 30 YEARS OF BANANARAMA (Bananarama) 1 wk

I'm sure it's international sales were pretty good though.

[anfunny2003]

Well, it's their... 49th greatest hits CD isn't it? It offered nothing new. Die hards wanted the videos but music DVDs sell terribly so this really did offer very little for anyone other than an obsessive. Not even a new song or a rarity. I'm still annoyed the last 7" B-side wasn't digitised!

[Eric Generic]

I think I'll get this in a future 2 for 10 deal, because I'd quite like the videos (even in varying quality) but don't really feel it's worth full-price when I have so many other 'Rams albums and compilations.

[Bleu Noir]

Well, it's their... 49th greatest hits CD isn't it? It offered nothing new. Die hards wanted the videos but music DVDs sell terribly so this really did offer very little for anyone other than an obsessive. Not even a new song or a rarity. I'm still annoyed the last 7" B-side wasn't digitised!

Which song was that?

[Electrofreaks]

Which song was that?

Here Comes The Rain! A really good b-side.

They should just release this as their new EP

1 NEW SONG
2 NEW SONG
3 Here Comes The Rain
4 Voyage Voyage
5 Movin On 2012*
6 Tokyo Joe
7 Sound Of Silence
8 Baby It's Christmas (Extended Mix)

Mostly because I want the good Viva bonus tracks on cd.

* Rumoured to be rerecorded with Ian Masterson.

And sing in unison!!! I did like Viva but the vocal production was all over the place. At times sounded like classical Bananarama....at others vododered menopause.

[letuinmybackdoor]

'Love don't live here' was fairly unexpected, much more grandiose than a lot of their other recent stuff. It should have been the lead single.

[phoenix123]

Interesting read in Attitude (or was it Gay Times?) that their favourite songs appear to be "Move In My Direction" (I SO AGREE) and "Look On The Floor". I think Sara also said that she didn't like "I Want You Back" because it was cheesy S/A/W but liked "Love In The First Degree" which is hardly Stairway to Heaven is it???

I think notching up another week on the official UK album chart is rather good actually.... The most they can hope for unless they have some kind of ABBA-style reappraisal (highly unlikely) of their pop worth.

[Lady Agnes Holland]

Did they ever actually record the Malcolm McLaren production (in waiting) "Don't You Touch Me Down There, Daddy" ?
(Keren seems to find it remarkably easy to trot out the chorus melody during interviews, even some 30 years later).
----------------------------------------

That quote from Keren's credits about Sara's "Motivation" (over the years), got me thinking.

Siobhan, was always thought of as being "the spirit of the band", Keren the one with supermodel potential . . but what of poor Sara ? She is clearly the one who has held the business together all these years, yet she almost never receives any acknowledgement from fans at all (even 9 pages into this very thread).

It's always came across that way to me, that fans have always been (more than) happy to wax lyrical about the merits of Keren or Siobhan, but rarely (if ever) the tenacity and steel of Sara.
-------------------------------------------

This DVD contains a certain .VOB file that some of you might be interested in acquiring (if you don't already have it):

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Various-Arti...2619921&sr=1-1

[Electrofreaks]

Did they ever actually record the Malcolm McLaren production (in waiting) "Don't You Touch Me Down There, Daddy" ?
(Keren seems to find it remarkably easy to trot out the chorus melody during interviews, even some 30 years later).
----------------------------------------

That quote from Keren's credits about Sara's "Motivation" (over the years), got me thinking.

Siobhan, was always thought of as being "the spirit of the band", Keren the one with supermodel potential . . but what of poor Sara ? She is clearly the one who has held the business together all these years, yet she almost never receives any acknowledgement from fans at all (even 9 pages into this very thread).

It's always came across that way to me, that fans have always been (more than) happy to wax lyrical about the merits of Keren or Siobhan, but rarely (if ever) the tenacity and steel of Sara.
-------------------------------------------

This DVD contains a certain .VOB file that some of you might be interested in acquiring (if you don't already have it):

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Various-Arti...2619921&sr=1-1

Sara has done the majority of the song writing since Siobhan left. She keeps things going because I think she enjoys writing melodies and lyrics.

I know Baby It's Christmas was written by her and Ian......lazy Keren....

[bichard]

Sara has always been my favourite! I think it stems from the Wow cover where it looks as though she's squeezing Bruno Tonioli to death!

I always thought she looked the most fun, whilst Siobhan always came across as a bit of a misery (and hence was my least favourite).

As for Look On The Floor being one of their favourites, I totally agree! It's the best song they've done as a duo, bar none.

The hate for I Want You back just ain't on though. That's my favourite Wow single!!!

[popmania]

I heart PopLife - the imagery of both the artwork of singles and album - the videos and the how cohesive the album was. Two back to back amazing albums with this and WOW, with Love Truth and Honesty in the middle. True pop legacy.

[letuinmybackdoor]

Surely 'I heard a rumour' is 'Wow''s best single. It sounded so fresh at the time (although realising it's a rip off of that Europoptrack taints it a bit). But it's amazing.

[anfunny2003]

I always thought she looked the most fun, whilst Siobhan always came across as a bit of a misery (and hence was my least favourite).

Interesting! See, for me, in all the interviews and videos, Siobhan is clearly the life and soul. Shes always pratting about, pissed, making a tit of herself, etc. Sarah is much more restrained and has that look in her eye... "Erm, ok, Shuv". Even when they reunited for the 21st anniversary, it was still there. Siobhan was off her face swearing on TFI Friday with Chris Evans and Sarah was looking uncomfortable. Siobhan was the wilder one, for sure. Sarah has been consistantly my least favourite. I actually think she looks a bit horsey, but that's a bit nasty.... certainly not the ugliest girl in the world, but of the original three she always looked the least comfortably styled.

[bichard]

Surely 'I heard a rumour' is 'Wow''s best single. It sounded so fresh at the time (although realising it's a rip off of that Europoptrack taints it a bit). But it's amazing.

Absolutely not! I like Rumour but it's my second least favourite of the Wow singles I think.

[bichard]

Interesting! See, for me, in all the interviews and videos, Siobhan is clearly the life and soul. Shes always pratting about, pissed, making a tit of herself, etc. Sarah is much more restrained and has that look in her eye... "Erm, ok, Shuv". Even when they reunited for the 21st anniversary, it was still there. Siobhan was off her face swearing on TFI Friday with Chris Evans and Sarah was looking uncomfortable. Siobhan was the wilder one, for sure. Sarah has been consistantly my least favourite. I actually think she looks a bit horsey, but that's a bit nasty.... certainly not the ugliest girl in the world, but of the original three she always looked the least comfortably styled.

Well in all honesty I've never really seen any interviews, and I'm going more on how they look in performances and photos which admittedly probably doesn't give the best insight!

As for the way Sara looks, well obviously Keren is the prettiest of the three but I'd say Siobhan is by far the least attractive (but then I hated her hair for a good portion of her time in the group!) I actually think Sarah is rather lovely, and was especially pretty Bananarama-Greatest Hits Collection. Just my opinion of course!

[phoenix123]

Sarah was always my favourite, she looks especially stunning in the "Love In The First Degree" video.