Stock Aitken Waterman
Encyclopedia
Stock Aitken Waterman, sometimes known as SAW, were a UK songwriting
and record producing
trio consisting of Mike Stock, Matt Aitken
and Pete Waterman
. They had great success during the mid to late 1980s and early 1990s. The three are considered to be one of the most successful songwriting and producing partnerships of all time, scoring more than 100 UK top 40 hits, selling 40 million records and earning an estimated £60 million (about $103.78 million).
SAW started producing Hi-NRG underground club hits, but earned worldwide success with a mix of Hi-NRG-influenced sound, romantic Motown lyrics and Italian melodies. During 1987–1989, their music style was labelled eurobeat
or hi-NRG
, which had an octave bass going ‘boom-pah, boom-pah, boom-pah’. They also put swing shuffle element to their songs.
, Pete Waterman
asked them to work with him and his recently formed production company. One of their first collaborations was the Cyprus
entry for the Eurovision Song Contest
in May 1984 where Greek
singer Andy Paul
performed the SAW song "Anna Maria Lena
". Their initial style was in creating Hi-NRG
dance music with "You Think You're a Man
" by Divine (#16 UK Jul 1984) and "Whatever I Do
" by Hazell Dean
(#4 UK Jul 1984). They struck gold in March 1985 when "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)
" by Dead or Alive
reached number one on the UK singles chart
. However, Pete Waterman has said in interviews that the trio were still in dire financial straits at the time.
This success and the trio's unique sound attracted the attention of girl group
Bananarama
. Group member Siobhan Fahey
wanted to record a cover version of Shocking Blue
's hit song "Venus". The result was a pop/Hi-NRG reworking which became a worldwide chart hit, achieving the coveted number one spot on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
chart on 6 September 1986, and reaching the top 10 in the UK and many other countries. Bananarama
went on to make Stock Aitken and Waterman their main producers, and would collaborate with them on some of their biggest hits, including "Love in the First Degree
", "I Can't Help It
", and "I Heard a Rumour
". SAW took early notice of the skills of UK engineer and mixer Phil Harding
, who had defined a signature sound for himself on the debut Matt Bianco
album, Whose Side Are You On?
, in 1984. He was put under contract and made the chief engineer at the newly formed PWL
studios. Harding was another significant force in shaping the sound of a PWL record, and subsequent engineers Pete Hammond and Dave Ford would follow his example. Harding's signature take on the House sound (in conjunction with Ian Curnow's keyboards and sequencing work) was an uncannily lyrical staccato programming of bass synth over the Linn kick drum
. Harding and Curnow were much copied throughout Europe's dance underground. Their mixes and productions from the late 1980s suggest the duo were the primary influence on what would become the Eurodance
sound. PWL
managing director David Howells put together a dream team on the design side of the company, Photographers Lawrence Lawry, Simon Fowler and Paul Cox, Stylist Kelly Cooper Barr and Sharon Mcphilamy, Hairdresser Lino Carbosiero
and Make up artists Kat and Charlie Green.
, typically performed by attractive singers. Their usual method for creating the music was to first write the songs, although many of their early acts (such as Hazell Dean, Dead or Alive, and Bananarama) often wrote their own material; next they would record the music with extensive use of synthesizers, drum machine
s (drums were often credited to "A Linn", a reference to the Linn brand of drum machine) and sequencers
; and then finally bring in a singer solely to record the vocal track. The tendency toward interchanging artists and repertoire was well established when Rick Astley
's breakout album Whenever You Need Somebody got its name and title track from a minor hit the trio had produced a year earlier for O'Chi Brown
. Evidently they thought the song still had some mileage, and it was even issued with an exact replica of O'chi's club mix for the Rick Astley club mix. Their prodigious, production line
-like output and similar song structures led to them being referred to as the "hit factory" (not to be confused with the record label of the same name or the New York City recording studio The Hit Factory
) and attracted criticism from many quarters, including the Guardian newspaper who unflatteringly dubbed the team, "Schlock, Aimless and Waterdown". However, Pete Waterman defended their style by comparing it to the output of Motown in the 1960s.
SAW’s early work was recorded and mixed at Marquee Studios in Wardour Street, where Phil Harding and Rob Waldron worked with them on Youthquake
, the Dead or Alive album which included their huge hit "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)
". Waldron went to work as an assistant engineer to Harding when Waterman opened his new studio in Borough (The Hit Factory). Waldron became the chief recording engineer and Linn 9000 programmer (A Linn) and Harding was the mix master, working with various artists including Bananarama, Princess
, Rick Astley, Hazell Dean, Haywoode
, Brilliant
and O'Chi Brown.
had two decades earlier. Under such arrangements, all facets of a young artist's career would be controlled and dictated by the record company, and often the artist's publishing rights would be co-opted in the process and the record company would fill the role of manager on the artist's behalf. While SAW seem to have worked equally well with artists under their control and with those more established and independent acts, it would obviously make more business sense for them to focus on the development of new talent under the terms that gave them the most control. As the 1990s rolled in, they seemed solely focused on their young teenage signings (through PWL and the publishing arm of All Boys Music).
PWL was initially championed by the music papers for their fresh sound and seemingly underground aesthetic, but not for long. They incurred the wrath of the British music press when they strong-armed the group M/A/R/R/S
into a legal settlement over a sample that M/A/R/R/S had taken from SAW's own recording, "Roadblock", and used in their surprise hit "Pump Up the Volume". Pete Waterman wrote an open letter to the music press calling such things "wholesale theft". The press fired back that Waterman was currently using the bassline of Colonel Abrams
's "Trapped" in Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up
". Indeed "Roadblock" itself could be described as inspired by the classic Average White Band hit "Pick Up the Pieces". Waterman's production company even lifted the entire basic rhythm arrangement from "Pump Up the Volume" (complete with the chorus) in a remix for a Sybil
record (wisely titled the "Red Ink Remix"). As a result, relations between PWL and much of the UK's music underground were for a long time acrimonious. Waterman said it was a matter of principle rather than profit and promised to donate all royalties from the court case to charity.
As the epitome of creating very popular teen-pop music, the trio were often satirised or criticised. Comedy group Morris Minor and the Majors
' parodied the Stock, Aitken and Waterman style on This is the Chorus, specifically referencing Kylie Minogue
's hit song "I Should Be So Lucky
" as well as Mel and Kim
's "Respectable
". The popular satire puppet show Spitting Image
also parodied Kylie Minogue
, depicting the Australian singer as being brought to life by a big headed scientist. Stock, Aitken and Waterman also appear as puppet heads with their bodies forming a tape machine with arms who sing along with a SAW-style song inferring how 'lucky' the singer has been. Comediennes French and Saunders
also parodied I Should Be So Lucky
in their television show in 1990 where the song features as an opera
.
In later years, Kylie Minogue
became one of SAW's biggest artists. Her first 13 singles reached the UK top ten and her debut "I Should Be So Lucky
" spent five weeks at number one in the UK. The album Kylie
was the highest selling album in Britain of 1988, and fifth highest-selling album of the decade. They were also responsible for 1987's highest-selling single, Rick Astley's
"Never Gonna Give You Up
". At the height of their fame, SAW also had a top twenty hit as themselves with the largely instrumental "Roadblock" (from which M/A/R/R/S would lift the offending sample for "Pump Up the Volume").
In 1989, SAW wrote and produced the highest-selling album of the year, Jason Donovan
's Ten Good Reasons
. Donovan had been Minogue's co-star in Neighbours, and his success for a time equalled hers. In 1988–89, SAW recorded three tracks with Judas Priest
. These tracks were never released, and are said to be in Judas Priest's possession.
In 1989, SAW also recorded and produced Donna Summer
's Another Place and Time
album, as well as writing or co-writing all the tracks including the hit "This Time I Know It's For Real
". Summer, a legendary American disco and pop singer, hired SAW in order to revive her career, just as an earlier European pop music producer (Giorgio Moroder
) had launched it. However, a followup to Another Place and Time was never to be realized, reportedly due to difficult contract negotiations between Summer and SAW.
Another of SAW's most successful hit singles was the 1989 number-one single "Ferry Cross the Mersey
" (a charity single
featuring The Christians, Holly Johnson
, Paul McCartney
and Gerry Marsden
).
", and a top 10 hit with new recruitment Lonnie Gordon
. However, by mid-1990 SAW artists were having problems placing singles in the top 10 (with the notable exception of Kylie Minogue), and the week of 13 October 1990 became the first with no SAW-produced singles in the UK top 75 in over two years. In mid-1991 Matt Aitken left the team due to stress, and Stock and Waterman carried on. With their sound no longer in vogue, they only had notable hits with Jason Donovan (who left them in 1991) and Kylie Minogue (who left them in 1992). 1993 saw a slight resurgence with two top 10 hits from Sybil
, and top 40 hits from Bananarama
, Bill Tarmey, Strange Nature
and the WWF Superstars
. They also had a top 20 hit that year in the U.S. market with American female group Boy Krazy
. In late 1993, Mike Stock finished his partnership with Waterman.
and Nicki French
), while Pete Waterman kept successfully running PWL Records.
In 2005 the three producers reunited again and released a CD+DVD album, SAW Gold, with some of their most known singles. They were reportedly working together again, however Matt Aitken left again. 2007 saw the release of a new Stock/Waterman produced single, the first in 14 years. It was The Sheilas
' single "(I'm So) Happy Happy (You're Mine)
" which only reached No. 91 in the UK.
Stock and Waterman collaborated on the UK Eurovision 2010 entry. The song called "That Sounds Good To Me" performed by Josh Dubovie, from Basildon, won the most public votes after performing live on Your Country Needs You! on BBC One. However, it finished in last place in the Eurovision final, receiving only ten points in total.
In addition to these, Bananarama's "Venus" and Rick Astley's "Together Forever" both held the number one position in the U.S. pop charts, although they were less successful in the UK.
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
and record producing
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
trio consisting of Mike Stock, Matt Aitken
Matt Aitken
Matthew James Aitken , is a British songwriter and record producer, brought up in Astley, Greater Manchester, best known as the creative force behind the 1980s songwriting/production trio Stock Aitken Waterman....
and Pete Waterman
Pete Waterman
Peter Alan Waterman OBE is an English record producer, occasional songwriter, radio and club DJ, television presenter, president of Coventry Bears rugby league club and a keen railway enthusiast. As a member of the Stock Aitken Waterman songwriting team he wrote and produced many hit singles...
. They had great success during the mid to late 1980s and early 1990s. The three are considered to be one of the most successful songwriting and producing partnerships of all time, scoring more than 100 UK top 40 hits, selling 40 million records and earning an estimated £60 million (about $103.78 million).
SAW started producing Hi-NRG underground club hits, but earned worldwide success with a mix of Hi-NRG-influenced sound, romantic Motown lyrics and Italian melodies. During 1987–1989, their music style was labelled eurobeat
Eurobeat
Eurobeat is a form of italo-disco/hi-NRG music that developed in the late 1980s.In the United States, Eurobeat was sometimes marketed as Hi-NRG and for a short while shared this term with the very early freestyle music hits....
or hi-NRG
Hi-NRG
Hi-NRG describes a form of high-tempo disco music as well as a genre of electronic dance music originating in the United States during the late 1970s...
, which had an octave bass going ‘boom-pah, boom-pah, boom-pah’. They also put swing shuffle element to their songs.
The team
In January 1984, shortly after meeting Mike Stock and Matt AitkenMatt Aitken
Matthew James Aitken , is a British songwriter and record producer, brought up in Astley, Greater Manchester, best known as the creative force behind the 1980s songwriting/production trio Stock Aitken Waterman....
, Pete Waterman
Pete Waterman
Peter Alan Waterman OBE is an English record producer, occasional songwriter, radio and club DJ, television presenter, president of Coventry Bears rugby league club and a keen railway enthusiast. As a member of the Stock Aitken Waterman songwriting team he wrote and produced many hit singles...
asked them to work with him and his recently formed production company. One of their first collaborations was the Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
entry for the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
in May 1984 where Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
singer Andy Paul
Andy Paul (Cyprus)
Andy Paul is a Cypriot singer and songwriter and represented Cyprus with the song "Anna Maria Elena" in the Eurovision Song Contest 1984 in Luxembourg....
performed the SAW song "Anna Maria Lena
Anna Maria Lena
"Anna Maria Lena" was the Cypriot entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1984, performed in Greek by Andy Paul....
". Their initial style was in creating Hi-NRG
Hi-NRG
Hi-NRG describes a form of high-tempo disco music as well as a genre of electronic dance music originating in the United States during the late 1970s...
dance music with "You Think You're a Man
You Think You're a Man
"You Think You're a Man" is the fifth single from the album The Story So Far by Divine. It was also covered by The Vaselines in 1987 and appeared on the EP Son of a Gun.-Chart performance:...
" by Divine (#16 UK Jul 1984) and "Whatever I Do
Whatever I Do (Wherever I Go)
"Whatever I Do " is a Hi-NRG song written and produced by British hitmaking team Stock Aitken & Waterman, which became a hit for singer Hazell Dean in 1984....
" by Hazell Dean
Hazell Dean
Hazell Dean is a British dance-pop singer, who achieved her biggest success in the 1980s as a leading Hi-NRG artist. She is best known for the top ten hits "Searchin' ", "Whatever I Do " and "Who's Leaving Who"...
(#4 UK Jul 1984). They struck gold in March 1985 when "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)
You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)
"You Spin Me Round " is a song by British band Dead or Alive on their 1985 album Youthquake. The song was the first UK number-one hit by the Stock Aitken Waterman production trio. Released in November 1984, the record reached number one in March 1985, taking seventeen weeks to get there...
" by Dead or Alive
Dead or Alive (band)
Dead or Alive were a British New Wave band from Wirral, England, United Kingdom, Europe. The band rose to fame in the 1980s with their number one single on the UK Singles Chart, "You Spin Me Round ". They were the first group to have a number one single under the production team Stock Aitken Waterman...
reached number one on the UK singles chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. However, Pete Waterman has said in interviews that the trio were still in dire financial straits at the time.
This success and the trio's unique sound attracted the attention of girl group
Girl group
A girl group is a popular music act featuring several young female singers who generally harmonise together.Girl groups emerged in the late 1950s as groups of young singers teamed up with behind-the-scenes songwriters and music producers to create hit singles, often featuring glossy production...
Bananarama
Bananarama
Bananarama are an English female pop duo who have had success on the pop and dance charts since 1982. Rather than relying on a two part harmony, the duo generally sings in unison, as do their background vocalists. Although there have been line-up changes, the group enjoyed their most popular...
. Group member Siobhan Fahey
Siobhan Fahey
Siobhan Fahey is an Irish musician and founding member of the 1980s British girl group Bananarama, and later formed the BRIT Award and Ivor Novello award winning musical outfit Shakespears Sister.-Career:Fahey was born the eldest of three daughters to Helen and...
wanted to record a cover version of Shocking Blue
Shocking Blue
Shocking Blue was a Dutch rock band from The Hague, the Netherlands, formed in 1967. Their biggest hit, "Venus", went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1970, and the band had sold 13.5 million discs by 1973, but the group disbanded in 1974.-Members:...
's hit song "Venus". The result was a pop/Hi-NRG reworking which became a worldwide chart hit, achieving the coveted number one spot on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart on 6 September 1986, and reaching the top 10 in the UK and many other countries. Bananarama
Bananarama
Bananarama are an English female pop duo who have had success on the pop and dance charts since 1982. Rather than relying on a two part harmony, the duo generally sings in unison, as do their background vocalists. Although there have been line-up changes, the group enjoyed their most popular...
went on to make Stock Aitken and Waterman their main producers, and would collaborate with them on some of their biggest hits, including "Love in the First Degree
Love in the First Degree
"Love in the First Degree" is a song written and recorded by English girl group Bananarama. It is included on their fourth studio album Wow! and was released as its second single except in the U.S., where it was the album's third single...
", "I Can't Help It
I Can't Help It
"I Can't Help It" is a song written and recorded by English girl group Bananarama. It is included on their fourth studio album Wow! and was released as its third single except in the U.S., where it was the album's second single and Australia, where it was the album's fourth single...
", and "I Heard a Rumour
I Heard a Rumour
"I Heard a Rumour" is a 1987 song recorded by English girl group Bananarama, featured on their Wow! album. It was also featured in the film Disorderlies and included on its soundtrack....
". SAW took early notice of the skills of UK engineer and mixer Phil Harding
Phil Harding (producer)
Phil Harding is an English audio engineer, producer and remixer, best known for his extended collaboration with keyboardist and programmer Ian Curnow....
, who had defined a signature sound for himself on the debut Matt Bianco
Matt Bianco
Matt Bianco is a UK band that was formed in 1983. They are mainly known for their success in the mid 1980s and their jazz, Latin-flavoured music....
album, Whose Side Are You On?
Whose Side Are You On?
Whose Side Are You On? was the first album by Matt Bianco. Released in 1984, the title has long been out of print in most territories. For this album, Matt Bianco was a trio of Basia Trzetrzelewska , Mark Reilly , and Danny White .This album contains the band's first five chart UK hits, including...
, in 1984. He was put under contract and made the chief engineer at the newly formed PWL
PWL
Pete Waterman Entertainment is the production company one-time pop and dance record label owned by pop mogul Pete Waterman. The label, originally PWL, is most famous for being the home of hit record producers Stock Aitken Waterman....
studios. Harding was another significant force in shaping the sound of a PWL record, and subsequent engineers Pete Hammond and Dave Ford would follow his example. Harding's signature take on the House sound (in conjunction with Ian Curnow's keyboards and sequencing work) was an uncannily lyrical staccato programming of bass synth over the Linn kick drum
Roger Linn
Roger Linn is an industrial designer, mainly of electronic drum machines, and has recently branched out into guitar effects pedals. His products have become underground hits, being used on many famous recordings...
. Harding and Curnow were much copied throughout Europe's dance underground. Their mixes and productions from the late 1980s suggest the duo were the primary influence on what would become the Eurodance
Eurodance
Eurodance is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1980s or early 1990s primarily in Europe. It combines many elements from House, Techno, Hi-NRG and especially Italo-Disco...
sound. PWL
PWL
Pete Waterman Entertainment is the production company one-time pop and dance record label owned by pop mogul Pete Waterman. The label, originally PWL, is most famous for being the home of hit record producers Stock Aitken Waterman....
managing director David Howells put together a dream team on the design side of the company, Photographers Lawrence Lawry, Simon Fowler and Paul Cox, Stylist Kelly Cooper Barr and Sharon Mcphilamy, Hairdresser Lino Carbosiero
Lino Carbosiero
Lino Carbosiero is a British hair stylist. Over the years. his client list has featured some of the world's most famous names, including Madonna, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Rachel Weisz, Sharon Stone and Dustin Hoffman...
and Make up artists Kat and Charlie Green.
The assembly line
Following their early success, their style evolved into a more mainstream synthpopSynthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
, typically performed by attractive singers. Their usual method for creating the music was to first write the songs, although many of their early acts (such as Hazell Dean, Dead or Alive, and Bananarama) often wrote their own material; next they would record the music with extensive use of synthesizers, drum machine
Drum machine
A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...
s (drums were often credited to "A Linn", a reference to the Linn brand of drum machine) and sequencers
Music sequencer
The music sequencer is a device or computer software to record, edit, play back the music, by handling note and performance information in several forms, typically :...
; and then finally bring in a singer solely to record the vocal track. The tendency toward interchanging artists and repertoire was well established when Rick Astley
Rick Astley
Richard Paul "Rick" Astley is an English singer-songwriter, musician, and radio personality. He is known for his 1987 song, "Never Gonna Give You Up", which was a #1 hit single in 25 countries...
's breakout album Whenever You Need Somebody got its name and title track from a minor hit the trio had produced a year earlier for O'Chi Brown
O'Chi Brown
O'chi Brown is a female dance music singer born in Tottenham, London England. She scored two hits on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, the most successful being "Whenever You Need Somebody," which hit #1 in 1986...
. Evidently they thought the song still had some mileage, and it was even issued with an exact replica of O'chi's club mix for the Rick Astley club mix. Their prodigious, production line
Production line
A production line is a set of sequential operations established in a factory whereby materials are put through a refining process to produce an end-product that is suitable for onward consumption; or components are assembled to make a finished article....
-like output and similar song structures led to them being referred to as the "hit factory" (not to be confused with the record label of the same name or the New York City recording studio The Hit Factory
The Hit Factory
The Hit Factory was a recording studio in New York City famous for its clientele. It was officially closed for business April 1, 2005 whereas other Hit Factory studio locations remained open, such as in Miami, Florida.-History:...
) and attracted criticism from many quarters, including the Guardian newspaper who unflatteringly dubbed the team, "Schlock, Aimless and Waterdown". However, Pete Waterman defended their style by comparing it to the output of Motown in the 1960s.
SAW’s early work was recorded and mixed at Marquee Studios in Wardour Street, where Phil Harding and Rob Waldron worked with them on Youthquake
Youthquake
Youthquake is the second album by the British pop group Dead or Alive, released in May 1985. The album was their commercial breakthrough in Europe and the United States, due to the single "You Spin Me Round ", which was a UK number-one hit and a top 20 hit in the United States...
, the Dead or Alive album which included their huge hit "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)
You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)
"You Spin Me Round " is a song by British band Dead or Alive on their 1985 album Youthquake. The song was the first UK number-one hit by the Stock Aitken Waterman production trio. Released in November 1984, the record reached number one in March 1985, taking seventeen weeks to get there...
". Waldron went to work as an assistant engineer to Harding when Waterman opened his new studio in Borough (The Hit Factory). Waldron became the chief recording engineer and Linn 9000 programmer (A Linn) and Harding was the mix master, working with various artists including Bananarama, Princess
Desiree Heslop
Princess is a British singer who found chart success in the mid 1980s. In the late 1970s she worked with the group Osibisa....
, Rick Astley, Hazell Dean, Haywoode
Sidney Haywoode
Haywoode is an English female singer. She is best known for the 1986 UK Top 20 hit single, "Roses". She later also recorded under the name Sid Haywoode.-Career:...
, Brilliant
Brilliant (band)
Brilliant were a British pop/rock group active in the 1980s. Although not commercially successful and mauled by the critics, they remain notable because of the personnel involved - Martin Glover aka Youth, formerly of Killing Joke and subsequently a top producer/remixer; Jimmy Cauty, later to find...
and O'Chi Brown.
The youth, the press and the underground
SAW's greatest success was in fully exploiting the underground music scene that was booming in Britain in the late 1980s. SAW's goal was to harness the dynamic energy of club culture (and the sound of Hi-NRG music) and marry it to squeaky-clean light entertainment that could sell in large quantities, while keeping their hands firmly in the publishing of all they produced. In this regard, they were extremely similar to Motown, with SAW reportedly making use of the dubious "artist development deal" just as Berry GordyBerry Gordy
Berry Gordy, Jr. is an American record producer, and the founder of the Motown record label, as well as its many subsidiaries.-Early years:...
had two decades earlier. Under such arrangements, all facets of a young artist's career would be controlled and dictated by the record company, and often the artist's publishing rights would be co-opted in the process and the record company would fill the role of manager on the artist's behalf. While SAW seem to have worked equally well with artists under their control and with those more established and independent acts, it would obviously make more business sense for them to focus on the development of new talent under the terms that gave them the most control. As the 1990s rolled in, they seemed solely focused on their young teenage signings (through PWL and the publishing arm of All Boys Music).
PWL was initially championed by the music papers for their fresh sound and seemingly underground aesthetic, but not for long. They incurred the wrath of the British music press when they strong-armed the group M/A/R/R/S
Pump up the Volume (song)
"Pump Up the Volume" is a song and the only single by British recording act MARRS. It was a number-one hit in many countries and is generally regarded as a significant milestone in the development of British house music and music sampling....
into a legal settlement over a sample that M/A/R/R/S had taken from SAW's own recording, "Roadblock", and used in their surprise hit "Pump Up the Volume". Pete Waterman wrote an open letter to the music press calling such things "wholesale theft". The press fired back that Waterman was currently using the bassline of Colonel Abrams
Colonel Abrams
Colonel Abrams is a house and urban musician who was born in Detroit, Michigan and raised in New York City, New York. He graduated from Benjamin Franklin High School currently known as Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics which is in East Harlem section of Manhattan, there he met a fellow...
's "Trapped" in Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up
Never Gonna Give You Up
A group of London dance producers, called The Rickrollerz made a house music cover version of "Never Gonna Give You Up" on that day, and in honor of that event....
". Indeed "Roadblock" itself could be described as inspired by the classic Average White Band hit "Pick Up the Pieces". Waterman's production company even lifted the entire basic rhythm arrangement from "Pump Up the Volume" (complete with the chorus) in a remix for a Sybil
Sybil Lynch
Sybil Lynch is an American R&B/pop singer, more popularly known as Sybil.-Career:Sybil has been recording since 1986 and is best known for her covers of Dionne Warwick's hits "Don't Make Me Over" and "Walk On By," which were released in 1989 and 1990, respectively...
record (wisely titled the "Red Ink Remix"). As a result, relations between PWL and much of the UK's music underground were for a long time acrimonious. Waterman said it was a matter of principle rather than profit and promised to donate all royalties from the court case to charity.
As the epitome of creating very popular teen-pop music, the trio were often satirised or criticised. Comedy group Morris Minor and the Majors
Morris Minor and the Majors
Morris Minor and the Majors was a band led by the comedian and writer Tony Hawks. They were made vaguely famous by their 1988 song, "Stutter Rap ". The song aimed to parody the then popular Beastie Boys. The other two members were Rusty Wing and Phil Errup .It reached No. 4 in the UK Singles...
' parodied the Stock, Aitken and Waterman style on This is the Chorus, specifically referencing Kylie Minogue
Kylie Minogue
Kylie Ann Minogue, OBE - often known simply as Kylie - is an Australian singer, recording artist, songwriter, and actress. After beginning her career as a child actress on Australian television, she achieved recognition through her role in the television soap opera Neighbours, before commencing...
's hit song "I Should Be So Lucky
I Should Be So Lucky
"I Should Be So Lucky" is a pop-dance song performed by Australian singer Kylie Minogue. The song was written and produced by Stock Aitken Waterman for Minogue's debut album Kylie .The song was released as the album's second single in December 1987...
" as well as Mel and Kim
Mel and Kim
Mel and Kim were a British pop duo, comprising sisters Melanie and Kim Appleby. They achieved success between 1986 and 1988 before Melanie succumbed to cancer.-Biography:...
's "Respectable
Respectable (Mel and Kim song)
"Respectable" was a UK number one single for one week in March 1987 for Mel and Kim. Written and produced by Stock Aitken Waterman, it was the team's second number one...
". The popular satire puppet show Spitting Image
Spitting Image
Spitting Image is a British satirical puppet show that aired on the ITV network from 1984 to 1996. It was produced by Spitting Image Productions for Central Television. The series was nominated for 10 BAFTA Awards, winning one for editing in 1989....
also parodied Kylie Minogue
Kylie Minogue
Kylie Ann Minogue, OBE - often known simply as Kylie - is an Australian singer, recording artist, songwriter, and actress. After beginning her career as a child actress on Australian television, she achieved recognition through her role in the television soap opera Neighbours, before commencing...
, depicting the Australian singer as being brought to life by a big headed scientist. Stock, Aitken and Waterman also appear as puppet heads with their bodies forming a tape machine with arms who sing along with a SAW-style song inferring how 'lucky' the singer has been. Comediennes French and Saunders
French and Saunders
French and Saunders is a British sketch comedy television show written by and starring comic duo Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders. It is also the name by which the performers are known on the occasions when they appear elsewhere as a double act....
also parodied I Should Be So Lucky
I Should Be So Lucky
"I Should Be So Lucky" is a pop-dance song performed by Australian singer Kylie Minogue. The song was written and produced by Stock Aitken Waterman for Minogue's debut album Kylie .The song was released as the album's second single in December 1987...
in their television show in 1990 where the song features as an opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
.
In later years, Kylie Minogue
Kylie Minogue
Kylie Ann Minogue, OBE - often known simply as Kylie - is an Australian singer, recording artist, songwriter, and actress. After beginning her career as a child actress on Australian television, she achieved recognition through her role in the television soap opera Neighbours, before commencing...
became one of SAW's biggest artists. Her first 13 singles reached the UK top ten and her debut "I Should Be So Lucky
I Should Be So Lucky
"I Should Be So Lucky" is a pop-dance song performed by Australian singer Kylie Minogue. The song was written and produced by Stock Aitken Waterman for Minogue's debut album Kylie .The song was released as the album's second single in December 1987...
" spent five weeks at number one in the UK. The album Kylie
Kylie (album)
Kylie is the debut album by Australian singer and songwriter Kylie Minogue, released by PWL on 4 July 1988. Stock, Aitken and Waterman produced and wrote eight of the ten tracks on the album....
was the highest selling album in Britain of 1988, and fifth highest-selling album of the decade. They were also responsible for 1987's highest-selling single, Rick Astley's
Rick Astley
Richard Paul "Rick" Astley is an English singer-songwriter, musician, and radio personality. He is known for his 1987 song, "Never Gonna Give You Up", which was a #1 hit single in 25 countries...
"Never Gonna Give You Up
Never Gonna Give You Up
A group of London dance producers, called The Rickrollerz made a house music cover version of "Never Gonna Give You Up" on that day, and in honor of that event....
". At the height of their fame, SAW also had a top twenty hit as themselves with the largely instrumental "Roadblock" (from which M/A/R/R/S would lift the offending sample for "Pump Up the Volume").
In 1989, SAW wrote and produced the highest-selling album of the year, Jason Donovan
Jason Donovan
Jason Donovan is an Australian actor and singer. He initially achieved fame in the Australian soap opera Neighbours, before beginning a career in music in 1988. In the UK he has sold over 3 million records, and his début album Ten Good Reasons was one of the highest-selling albums of 1989...
's Ten Good Reasons
Ten Good Reasons
Ten Good Reasons is the debut album by Australian pop star and actor Jason Donovan. Released in 1989, it became one of the biggest selling albums in the UK that year, and yielded two solo #1 singles and also featured a duet with Kylie Minogue, "Especially for You", which had reached #1 in January...
. Donovan had been Minogue's co-star in Neighbours, and his success for a time equalled hers. In 1988–89, SAW recorded three tracks with Judas Priest
Judas Priest
Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band from Birmingham, England, formed in 1969. The current line-up consists of lead vocalist Rob Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner, bassist Ian Hill, and drummer Scott Travis. The band has gone through several drummers over the years,...
. These tracks were never released, and are said to be in Judas Priest's possession.
In 1989, SAW also recorded and produced Donna Summer
Donna Summer
LaDonna Adrian Gaines , known by her stage name, Donna Summer, is an American singer/songwriter who gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s. She has a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Summer is a five-time Grammy winner and was the first artist to have three consecutive double albums reach...
's Another Place and Time
Another Place and Time
- Charts :AlbumSingle- Certifications :...
album, as well as writing or co-writing all the tracks including the hit "This Time I Know It's For Real
This Time I Know It's for Real
"This Time I Know It's For Real" is a song originally recorded by Donna Summer, and released in 1989 as the first single from her album Another Place and Time...
". Summer, a legendary American disco and pop singer, hired SAW in order to revive her career, just as an earlier European pop music producer (Giorgio Moroder
Giorgio Moroder
Hansjörg "Giorgio" Moroder is an Italian record producer, songwriter and performer based in Los Angeles. When in Munich in the 1970s, he started his own record label called Oasis Records, which several years later became a subdivision of Casablanca Records...
) had launched it. However, a followup to Another Place and Time was never to be realized, reportedly due to difficult contract negotiations between Summer and SAW.
Another of SAW's most successful hit singles was the 1989 number-one single "Ferry Cross the Mersey
Ferry Cross the Mersey
"Ferry Cross the Mersey" is a song written by Gerry Marsden. It was first recorded by his band Gerry and the Pacemakers and released in late 1964 in the UK and in 1965 in the United States. It was a hit on both sides of the Atlantic, reaching number six in the United States and number eight in the...
" (a charity single
Charity record
A charity record is a release of a song for a specific charitable cause. Some of the earliest charity records came from the Music for UNICEF Concert, with ABBA's Chiquitita and the Bee Gees' Too Much Heaven among them released as singles, with all the royalties going to UNICEF...
featuring The Christians, Holly Johnson
Holly Johnson
Holly Johnson is an English artist, writer and musician, best known as the lead vocalist of Frankie Goes to Hollywood, and former bassist for Big in Japan.- Big in Japan :...
, Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
and Gerry Marsden
Gerry & the Pacemakers
Gerry and the Pacemakers were a British beat music group prominent during the 1960s. In common with The Beatles, they came from Liverpool, were managed by Brian Epstein and recorded by George Martin. They are most remembered for being the first act to reach number one in the UK Singles Chart with...
).
1990–1993
Being the top producers in 1989, with 7 number one singles, SAW started the 90s with high hopes. February 1990 brought their last UK No. 1 single, Kylie Minogue's cover of "Tears on My PillowTears on My Pillow
"Tears on My Pillow" is a doo-wop song written by Sylvester Bradford and Al Lewis in 1958. The composition was first recorded by Little Anthony and the Imperials on End Records and was that group's debut recording under that name. Their original recording of the song became a Billboard Top 10 Pop...
", and a top 10 hit with new recruitment Lonnie Gordon
Lonnie Gordon
Lonnie Gordon is a female Hi-NRG, house and soul singer-songwriter from New York's Bronx, who has scored many chart hits during the 1990s and 2000s.-Early life and career:...
. However, by mid-1990 SAW artists were having problems placing singles in the top 10 (with the notable exception of Kylie Minogue), and the week of 13 October 1990 became the first with no SAW-produced singles in the UK top 75 in over two years. In mid-1991 Matt Aitken left the team due to stress, and Stock and Waterman carried on. With their sound no longer in vogue, they only had notable hits with Jason Donovan (who left them in 1991) and Kylie Minogue (who left them in 1992). 1993 saw a slight resurgence with two top 10 hits from Sybil
Sybil Lynch
Sybil Lynch is an American R&B/pop singer, more popularly known as Sybil.-Career:Sybil has been recording since 1986 and is best known for her covers of Dionne Warwick's hits "Don't Make Me Over" and "Walk On By," which were released in 1989 and 1990, respectively...
, and top 40 hits from Bananarama
Bananarama
Bananarama are an English female pop duo who have had success on the pop and dance charts since 1982. Rather than relying on a two part harmony, the duo generally sings in unison, as do their background vocalists. Although there have been line-up changes, the group enjoyed their most popular...
, Bill Tarmey, Strange Nature
Strange Nature
Strange Nature was an indie rock band from the United Kingdom signed to Pete Waterman’s PWL record label in the UK, Warner Music in Europe, and Warner Chappell Music for worldwide publishing. The band was popular in Europe during 1992 to 1995...
and the WWF Superstars
WWF Superstars
WWF Superstars is an arcade game manufactured by Technos and released in 1989. It is the first WWF arcade game to be released. A series of unrelated games with the same title were released by LJN for the original Game Boy...
. They also had a top 20 hit that year in the U.S. market with American female group Boy Krazy
Boy Krazy
Boy Krazy was a New York City-based girl group that saw brief fame in 1993 with their hit single "That's What Love Can Do".-Career:The group was put together through auditions by a management company in New York. Boy Krazy featured female singers Kimberly Blake, Josselyne Jones, Johnna Lee...
. In late 1993, Mike Stock finished his partnership with Waterman.
Recent times
In 1994, Stock and Aitken worked together again, forming Love This Records and achieving some success in the UK in the 90s (notably Robson & JeromeRobson & Jerome
Robson & Jerome were an English pop duo in the 1990s, featuring TV actors Robson Green and Jerome Flynn, who were best known for their British TV series Soldier Soldier....
and Nicki French
Nicki French
Nicola S. French is a female English singer and dancer. She is best known for her 1995 dance cover version of "Total Eclipse of the Heart", and for representing the United Kingdom in 2000 at Eurovision in Stockholm.-Career:French provided backing vocals on Rose-Marie's 1992 album, Emotional Exposure...
), while Pete Waterman kept successfully running PWL Records.
In 2005 the three producers reunited again and released a CD+DVD album, SAW Gold, with some of their most known singles. They were reportedly working together again, however Matt Aitken left again. 2007 saw the release of a new Stock/Waterman produced single, the first in 14 years. It was The Sheilas
The Sheilas
The Sheilas are a pop girl group who found fame with Stock Aitken Waterman, after they were featured in an advertising campaign for the car insurance company Sheilas' Wheels.The Sheilas are Emma Robbins, Carly Romain and Cathi Ogden...
' single "(I'm So) Happy Happy (You're Mine)
(I'm So) Happy Happy (You're Mine)
" Happy Happy " is the only single from the girl group, The Sheilas, released on 17 and 24 September , 2007.The Sheila's are a novelty group, famous for promoting Sheila's Wheels, who advertised for ITV Weather...
" which only reached No. 91 in the UK.
Stock and Waterman collaborated on the UK Eurovision 2010 entry. The song called "That Sounds Good To Me" performed by Josh Dubovie, from Basildon, won the most public votes after performing live on Your Country Needs You! on BBC One. However, it finished in last place in the Eurovision final, receiving only ten points in total.
List of acts that have performed songs written and/or produced by SAW
|
Hazell Dean Hazell Dean is a British dance-pop singer, who achieved her biggest success in the 1980s as a leading Hi-NRG artist. She is best known for the top ten hits "Searchin' ", "Whatever I Do " and "Who's Leaving Who"... Holly Johnson Holly Johnson is an English artist, writer and musician, best known as the lead vocalist of Frankie Goes to Hollywood, and former bassist for Big in Japan.- Big in Japan :... Jason Donovan Jason Donovan is an Australian actor and singer. He initially achieved fame in the Australian soap opera Neighbours, before beginning a career in music in 1988. In the UK he has sold over 3 million records, and his début album Ten Good Reasons was one of the highest-selling albums of 1989... Josh Dubovie Josh James Dubovie is a British singer. He represented the UK at the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest, held in Oslo, Norway in May 2010, finishing last with his performance of "That Sounds Good to Me", written by writers and producers Mike Stock and Pete Waterman of Stock Aitken Waterman and Steve... Judas Priest Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band from Birmingham, England, formed in 1969. The current line-up consists of lead vocalist Rob Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner, bassist Ian Hill, and drummer Scott Travis. The band has gone through several drummers over the years,... Kakko (singer) Kakko is one of the pseudonyms of Yamagata Kakuko , a Japanese actress, TV presenter and former pop singer. Yamagata was born September 23, 1969 in Osaka, Japan... Keith Washington Keith Washington is an American R&B vocalist from Detroit, Michigan who scored a hit single in the United States in 1991 with "Kissing You," which was also used as background music for a General Hospital on ABC... Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue, OBE - often known simply as Kylie - is an Australian singer, recording artist, songwriter, and actress. After beginning her career as a child actress on Australian television, she achieved recognition through her role in the television soap opera Neighbours, before commencing... La Toya Jackson La Toya Yvonne Jackson is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, television personality, actress, businesswoman, philanthropist, activist and former model. She is the fifth child of the Jackson family... Laura Branigan Laura Ann Branigan was an American singer-songwriter and actress of Italian and Irish ancestry. She is best known in the United States for her 1982 Platinum-certified hit "Gloria" and in Europe for the number-one single "Self Control"... Lonnie Gordon Lonnie Gordon is a female Hi-NRG, house and soul singer-songwriter from New York's Bronx, who has scored many chart hits during the 1990s and 2000s.-Early life and career:... Malcolm McLaren Malcolm Robert Andrew McLaren was an English performer, impresario, self-publicist and manager of the Sex Pistols and the New York Dolls... Mandy Smith Mandy Smith is an English dance-pop singer, former model and aspiring counsellor.-Early life:In 1983, at age 13 she started dating 47-year-old The Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman, with the consent of her mother... Mel and Kim Mel and Kim were a British pop duo, comprising sisters Melanie and Kim Appleby. They achieved success between 1986 and 1988 before Melanie succumbed to cancer.-Biography:... Michael Davidson (singer) Michael Davidson is a singer and songwriter.- Career :Michael Davidson contributed to the Madonna movie Who's That Girl with the track "Turn it up" in for Sire Records, which became a huge dance hit in the worldwide charts... Michael Prince This article is about the American industrial designer. For the Egytian author, see Michael Maurice Prince. Michael Prince is an industrial designer and the founder of Beyond Design, Inc., a product and strategic design consultancy located in Chicago, IL. Beyond Design has grown to become one of... Mondo Kane Mondo Kane is a German rock band from Cologne. Their sound has been shaped by musical traditions of the 1970s. The influences of the band, according to their own statements, are heavy metal and hard rock bands such as AC/DC, Danko Jones, Rainbow and Black Sabbath.-History:Friends Timo Lindenschmidt... Morgan-McVey Morgan Mcvey were a mid-1980s pop duo with a background in fashion photography, video direction and modeling, composed on Jamie Morgan and Cameron McVey... Nick Straker Band The Nick Straker Band, from London, England, was a fusion pop music group, led by musician and vocalist Nick Straker, who had a handful of hits on the U.S. Hot Dance Club Play chart. The group also consisted several members of the band New Musik. Their most successful song in the U.S., "A Little... Nitro (band) Nitro was an American glam metal band that formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California in 1987. Formed by vocalist Jim Gillette and guitarist Michael Angelo Batio, the band released two studio albums – O.F.R. and Nitro II: H.W.D.W.S. .-History:Nitro was officially formed in 1987 after the... O'Chi Brown O'chi Brown is a female dance music singer born in Tottenham, London England. She scored two hits on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, the most successful being "Whenever You Need Somebody," which hit #1 in 1986... Pat and Mick Pat and Mick were a British vocal duo consisting of popular radio personalities Pat Sharp and Mick Brown. The royalties from their record sales were donated to Capital FM's 'Help A London Child' charity... Pat and Mick Pat and Mick were a British vocal duo consisting of popular radio personalities Pat Sharp and Mick Brown. The royalties from their record sales were donated to Capital FM's 'Help A London Child' charity... Paul Lekakis Paul Lekakis is a Greek-American actor, model, filmmaker and club music / Hi-NRG singer, who was discovered for his musical and dancing skills at a nightclub while on assignment as a model in Italy.-Music career:... Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100... (as part of Ferry Aid) Pepsi & Shirlie Pepsi & Shirlie were a British pop duo who released two albums, All Right Now in 1987 and Change in 1991.-Career:The act comprised Helen "Pepsi" DeMacque and Shirlie Holliman , who had been Wham! backing vocalists. Holliman's original singing partner, Dee C... Phil Fearon Phil Fearon is a British record producer. He was the lead singer, songwriter and keyboardist for the 1980s band Galaxy.-Career:... Precious Wilson Precious Wilson is a soul singer.-Background:Wilson started out as a backing singer for the all-male group Eruption. The group enjoyed a minor hit when they won a talent competition in 1975 with the song "Let Me Take You Back in Time"... Desiree Heslop Princess is a British singer who found chart success in the mid 1980s. In the late 1970s she worked with the group Osibisa.... |
Reynolds Girls The Reynolds Girls were a British vocal duo, famed for their hit single "I'd Rather Jack" which peaked at number 8 in April 1989 on the UK Singles Chart. It remained on the chart for 12 weeks. Comprising sisters Linda and Aisling , they were signed to the PWL record label after giving Pete... Rick Astley Richard Paul "Rick" Astley is an English singer-songwriter, musician, and radio personality. He is known for his 1987 song, "Never Gonna Give You Up", which was a #1 hit single in 25 countries... Roland Rat Roland Rat is a British television puppet character. He was created, operated and voiced by David Claridge, who had previously been behind the Mooncat puppet in the Children's ITV television programme Get Up and Go! David worked for Jim Henson, then the second series of The Young Ones... Sabrina Salerno Sabrina Salerno , also known in her singing career as Sabrina, is an Italian singer, television hostess, model, actress and record producer... Samantha Fox Samantha Karen "Sam" Fox is an English dance-pop singer, actress, and former glamour model. In 1983, at the age of 16, she began her topless modeling career on Page Three of The Sun, and went on to become a popular pin-up girl... Same Difference Same Difference can refer to:* Same Difference, a British singing duo* Same Difference , an album by Swedish death metal band Entombed* Same Difference , a show which aired on Channel 4... Sequal (band) Sequal was a Latin Freestyle female duo from Miami, composed of Angie Vollaro and Maria Christensen. The duo was founded in 1984 by producer Lewis A. Martineé, who was also responsible for the group Exposé. The group's first releases in 1985–86 were on independent label Joey Boy Records and became... Sidney Haywoode Haywoode is an English female singer. She is best known for the 1986 UK Top 20 hit single, "Roses". She later also recorded under the name Sid Haywoode.-Career:... Sigue Sigue Sputnik Sigue Sigue Sputnik were a British new wave band created in 1982 by the former Generation X bassist Tony James. The band had three UK Top 40 hit singles, including the song "Love Missile F1-11".-Early years:... Splash (band) Splash are a UK-based show band. They are one of the UK's premier corporate and wedding entertainment bands with over 12 years experience in the entertainment industry.-Current Line Up:* Marc Andrew - Vocals* Iain MacKinnon - Guitar/Vocals... Stephan Remmler Stephan Remmler is one of three members of the German band Trio. He performed most of the vocals for the band's songs... Steve Walsh (musician) Steve Walsh is a singer and songwriter best known for his work as a member of the progressive rock band Kansas.-Introduction:The keyboardist/vocalist/songwriter/producer/percussionist is best known for his visionary work with Kansas... Suzette Charles Suzette Charles is an American singer and entertainer.-Career:Born in Mays Landing, she represented New Jersey in the 1983 Miss America pageant held in Atlantic City, New Jersey... Sybil Lynch Sybil Lynch is an American R&B/pop singer, more popularly known as Sybil.-Career:Sybil has been recording since 1986 and is best known for her covers of Dionne Warwick's hits "Don't Make Me Over" and "Walk On By," which were released in 1989 and 1990, respectively... The Cool Notes The Cool Notes were a mid 1980s pop group who had a string of chart hits in the UK between 1984 and 1986. The band, who formed in South London, consisted of seven members of both vocal and instrumental talent. They are best known for their UK number 11 hit, "Spend The... The Fat Slags The Fat Slags is a comic strip appearing in the "alternative" British comic Viz. The characters made their debut in 1989. The eponymous slags are Sandra Burke and Tracey Tunstall, known to other characters as San and Tray. They are depicted as overweight, eating large amounts of food, mainly chips,... The Sheilas The Sheilas are a pop girl group who found fame with Stock Aitken Waterman, after they were featured in an advertising campaign for the car insurance company Sheilas' Wheels.The Sheilas are Emma Robbins, Carly Romain and Cathi Ogden... The Three Degrees The Three Degrees are an American female vocal group. Formed in 1963 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,, the group has always been a trio though there have been a number of personnel changes and a total of fourteen women have represented the group so far. The original members were Fayette Pinkney,... Thereza Bazar Thereza Bazar is a British-Canadian singer, best known as one half of the pop duo, Dollar.- Career :Bazar first found fame in her teens as a member of 1970s group Guys 'n' Dolls, who scored a 1975 hit with There's A Whole Lot Of Lovin and went on to have a short hit career, which also included... William Tarmey Bill Tarmey is an English actor, singer and author, best known for playing Jack Duckworth on the soap opera Coronation Street. First appearing in the role in 1979, he played it continuously from 1983 to 2010.-Life and career:Tarmey was born in Ardwick, Manchester... World Wrestling Entertainment World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales... Worlds Apart (boyband) Worlds Apart were a multi-national boy band of the 1990s that featured Marcus Patrick in the original group and Totally Scott-Lee's Nathan Moore in one of the later incarnations of the band... Yell! Yell! was a British pop duo, consisting of Paul Varney and Daniel James , who were produced by Nigel Wright and Stock, Aitken and Waterman... |
UK number-one hits
The following SAW produced hits made it to the top of the UK pop chart:- 1985 "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)"You Spin Me Round " is a song by British band Dead or Alive on their 1985 album Youthquake. The song was the first UK number-one hit by the Stock Aitken Waterman production trio. Released in November 1984, the record reached number one in March 1985, taking seventeen weeks to get there...
", Dead or Alive - 1987 "RespectableRespectable (Mel and Kim song)"Respectable" was a UK number one single for one week in March 1987 for Mel and Kim. Written and produced by Stock Aitken Waterman, it was the team's second number one...
", Mel and Kim - 1987 "Let It BeLet It Be (song)"Let It Be" is a song by The Beatles, released in March 1970 as a single, and as the title track of their album Let It Be. It was written by Paul McCartney, but credited to Lennon–McCartney. It was their final single before McCartney announced his departure from the band...
", Ferry Aid, a cover of the 1970 Beatles' hit - 1987 "Never Gonna Give You UpNever Gonna Give You UpA group of London dance producers, called The Rickrollerz made a house music cover version of "Never Gonna Give You Up" on that day, and in honor of that event....
", Rick Astley - 1987 "I Should Be So LuckyI Should Be So Lucky"I Should Be So Lucky" is a pop-dance song performed by Australian singer Kylie Minogue. The song was written and produced by Stock Aitken Waterman for Minogue's debut album Kylie .The song was released as the album's second single in December 1987...
", Kylie Minogue - 1989 "Especially for YouEspecially for You"Especially for You" was the fifth international single released from singer Kylie Minogue in time for the Christmas 1988 market and is a duet with Jason Donovan. It did not appear on her debut album but was included on Jason Donovan's 1989 debut album Ten Good Reasons. The track did appear on the...
", Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan - 1989 "Too Many Broken HeartsToo Many Broken Hearts"Too Many Broken Hearts" is a popular song by Australian singer Jason Donovan.Written and produced by Stock, Aitken and Waterman it was Donovan's first solo number one single for two weeks in March 1989, though he had made number one with his duet with Kylie Minogue "Especially for You" in January...
", Jason Donovan - 1989 "Hand on Your HeartHand on Your Heart"Hand on Your Heart" is a dance-pop song performed by Australian singer Kylie Minogue and written by Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman...
", Kylie Minogue - 1989 "Ferry Cross the MerseyFerry Cross the Mersey"Ferry Cross the Mersey" is a song written by Gerry Marsden. It was first recorded by his band Gerry and the Pacemakers and released in late 1964 in the UK and in 1965 in the United States. It was a hit on both sides of the Atlantic, reaching number six in the United States and number eight in the...
", Christians, Holly Johnson, Paul McCartney, Gerry Marsden and SAW, a cover of the Gerry and the Pacemakers' 1964 hit - 1989 "Sealed with a KissSealed with a Kiss"Sealed with a Kiss" is the title of a song written by Peter Udell and Gary Geld. It was first recorded by The Four Voices in 1960 as a single, but their recording was not a hit....
", Jason Donovan, a cover of the Brian HylandBrian HylandBrian Hyland is an American pop recording artist who was particularly successful during the early 1960s. He continued recording into the 1970s...
single - 1989 "You'll Never Stop Me Loving YouYou'll Never Stop Me Loving You"You'll Never Stop Me Loving You" is a debut single by Sonia.Written and produced by Stock, Aitken and Waterman, it was the first and only number one single for the Liverpudlian singer. The song reached number one on the Billboard Dance/Disco Chart...
", Sonia - 1989 "Do They Know It's Christmas", Band Aid II
- 1990 "Tears on My PillowTears on My Pillow"Tears on My Pillow" is a doo-wop song written by Sylvester Bradford and Al Lewis in 1958. The composition was first recorded by Little Anthony and the Imperials on End Records and was that group's debut recording under that name. Their original recording of the song became a Billboard Top 10 Pop...
", Kylie Minogue's cover of the 1958 song by Little Anthony and the Imperials
In addition to these, Bananarama's "Venus" and Rick Astley's "Together Forever" both held the number one position in the U.S. pop charts, although they were less successful in the UK.
Parodies of Stock Aitken and Waterman
- "This is the Chorus" by Morris Minor and the MajorsMorris Minor and the MajorsMorris Minor and the Majors was a band led by the comedian and writer Tony Hawks. They were made vaguely famous by their 1988 song, "Stutter Rap ". The song aimed to parody the then popular Beastie Boys. The other two members were Rusty Wing and Phil Errup .It reached No. 4 in the UK Singles...
. - British experimental music duo, Stock, Hausen & Walkman, chose their name as a play on words, referencing SAW, composer Karlheinz StockhausenKarlheinz StockhausenKarlheinz Stockhausen was a German composer, widely acknowledged by critics as one of the most important but also controversial composers of the 20th and early 21st centuries. Another critic calls him "one of the great visionaries of 20th-century music"...
and the SonySony, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
's WalkmanWalkmanWalkman is a Sony brand tradename originally used for portable audio cassette, and now used to market Sony's portable audio and video players as well as a line of Sony Ericsson mobile phones...
. - "Kylie is So Lucky" (spoof of 'I Should Be So Lucky' by Kylie Minogue) on Spitting ImageSpitting ImageSpitting Image is a British satirical puppet show that aired on the ITV network from 1984 to 1996. It was produced by Spitting Image Productions for Central Television. The series was nominated for 10 BAFTA Awards, winning one for editing in 1989....
.
See also
- Mike Stock
- List of songs written or produced by Stock Aitken Waterman (in chronological order, including US and UK chart positions)
- The Hit Factory: The Best of Stock Aitken WatermanThe Hit Factory: The Best of Stock Aitken WatermanThe Hit Factory : The Best of Stock Aitken Waterman is a compilation album released in 1987 by Stylus Records in association with PWL Records. The collection brought together some the biggest hits by British production team Stock Aitken Waterman...
. (1987 UK compilation album released by Stylus Records). - The Hit Factory Volume 2The Hit Factory Volume 2The Hit Factory Volume 2 is a compilation album released in November 1988 by Fanfare Records and PWL Records. It was an album featuring hits produced by British production trio Stock Aitken Waterman who were at their peak at the time of the albums release. The first compilation The Hit Factory: The...
. (1988 UK/Japan compilation album released by Fanfare RecordsFanfare RecordsFanfare Records was a British record label that was founded by Iain Burton . The label also gave Simon Cowell his first break in the music industry. Burton and Cowell worked together at Fanfare Records for eight years. The label was most successful during the mid 1980s to early 1990s...
and PWLPWLPete Waterman Entertainment is the production company one-time pop and dance record label owned by pop mogul Pete Waterman. The label, originally PWL, is most famous for being the home of hit record producers Stock Aitken Waterman....
.) - The Hit Factory Volume 3The Hit Factory Volume 3The Hit Factory Volume 3 is a compilation album collecting the biggest hits of the award winning British music production trio Stock Aitken Waterman during their most successful era...
. (1989 compilation album released by Fanfare RecordsFanfare RecordsFanfare Records was a British record label that was founded by Iain Burton . The label also gave Simon Cowell his first break in the music industry. Burton and Cowell worked together at Fanfare Records for eight years. The label was most successful during the mid 1980s to early 1990s...
and PWLPWLPete Waterman Entertainment is the production company one-time pop and dance record label owned by pop mogul Pete Waterman. The label, originally PWL, is most famous for being the home of hit record producers Stock Aitken Waterman....
.) - A Ton of Hits: The Very Best of Stock Aitken WatermanA Ton of Hits: The Very Best of Stock Aitken WatermanA Ton of Hits : The Very Best of Stock Aitken Waterman is a compilation album released in the UK in November 1990 bringing together the hits of Stock Aitken Waterman in a continuously sequenced mix. It was released by Chrysalis Records on their subsidiary label Dover Records...
. (1990 compilation released on Chrysalis RecordsChrysalis RecordsChrysalis Records was a British record label that was created in 1969. The name was both a reference to the pupal stage of a butterfly and a combination of its founders names, Chris Wright and Terry Ellis...
' Dover Records sub-label.) - The Hit Factory: Pete Waterman's Greatest HitsThe Hit Factory: Pete Waterman's Greatest HitsThe Hit Factory: Pete Waterman's Greatest Hits is a compilation album featuring music produced by Pete Waterman. It was released by Universal Music in 2000 and reached #3 in the UK compilation Top 20 chart, achieving a Gold BPI award....
. (2000 compilation issued by UniversalUniversal Music GroupUniversal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
.) - Stock Aitken Waterman GoldStock Aitken Waterman GoldStock Aitken Waterman Gold is a compilation album released in 2005 by Sony BMG, PWL Records and EBUL.-Overview:The triple CD collection brings together the biggest hits of British producers Stock Aitken Waterman with the tracks featured on the album originally released between 1984 and 1991, the...
. (2005 compilation released by PWLPWLPete Waterman Entertainment is the production company one-time pop and dance record label owned by pop mogul Pete Waterman. The label, originally PWL, is most famous for being the home of hit record producers Stock Aitken Waterman....
in association with Sony BMG). - Morton, Sherman & BellucciMorton Sherman BellucciMorton , Sherman and Belluci were among the founders of the New Beat musical movement in Belgium in 1987. Combined, they released over 100 recordings under various names in less than a year during the peak of the movement....