STEPS WEEKEND!

THE TRACKS

Human Touch-From the Buzz Special Edition. Recalls early Sonia/Kylie

Words Of Wisdom -Early Steps Ballad. B-side on the debut single and written by the same team behind Scooch!

HeartBeatGarage Remix-Steps attempt to sound like Britney with brilliant results.

Human Touch-WIP Edit-A remixed version of this bonus track appeared on the Greatest Hits Cd/LastDance. We adore both versions.

To Be Your Hero-H confesses that he'll be never split the atom in two but "just like superman" he'll come to my rescue. The thought of H wearing his underpants on the outside makes us run to our Scooch b-sides but the girls finally come in to make this a Steps gem. This first appeared as a b-side on Loves Got A Hold Of My Heart release and was written by Dan Frampton and Paul Waterman, the son of Pete!

BONUS:

Bananarama-Last Thing On My Mind-The original version of the Steps hit single. Bananarama's original sounds somewhat like a Spanish christmas song sung in English. It clearly lacks that special effect on the Steps cover which always sounded like a hamster munching down on a metal chocolate bar. As you do.


THE COMMENT

Both myself and Robpop were never really Steps fans when the group sold out stadiums, stormed the charts and produced dolls to dance with Barbie and Sindy. It is only now we see that beyond the boringness of the vocalists, Steps were utterly seductive. This appeal only comes forth after the inclusion of intoxication. They are stunning after 5 drinks, they are everything you ever wanted after 6 and you take them home without question after 7. In the morning-after you freak at the monster you've strained your body with the night before but by then its far too late. You've been soaked and no towel will ever wash away the sticky feeling of joy that the band coffers to the listener. Thence, Steps were brilliant, lame and essential music for any lagging house party.

Steps also gave you orders how to dance in a uncomfortable Facist direction. Steps created an army of joyful and regimented disco troopers. They were the calm after the chaos that was the Spice Girls tornado. Like the 5 girls, Steps were the perfect 90's pop band. Ordered, bland and produced. I don't mean produced as in manufactured but rather constuctured by starch and stability. Spice Girls gave you abandonment while S Club gave you youth. Steps gave you orders, homework and expection. Its no wonder Kylie's comeback video, Spinning Around, stole this very method to appease her conservative fanbase. Out with the Manics and in with the toe curling bum slapping whiggle that the kids can do, practice and enjoy. Indeed, the Steps sound was not ABBA on Speed but tapped into a Kylie wavelength that Kylie herself was doing her best to repress with people like Nick Cave.

Steps were genetically modified to the extreme. The voices held absolutely no emotion. We know this when we hear the originals of the many Steps covers like Banarama, BGEE's and Diana Ross. They were thus tasteless. Tasteless but seductive. The absolute 90's British Pop Band. This era saw the rise of IKEA, New Labour and reality TV. It was all about YOU! and how YOU! could shape YOUR! space and living. All of this was of course prepackaged and generalised so the one could find something unique in the expanse of the uniformed everything. Steps must be commended for this. The distinctiveness of 5,6,7,8 was an error and they never repeated such difference ever again. Indeed Lee would never see equal exposure on a Steps single beyond the debut. The singles that followed became somewhat like one entire song that was quite apart from their first. They became generalised. The ballads, the summer dance hits and the samples; all monochrome, assimilated and ever so delirious.

Thence, DONTSTOPTHEPOP totally regrets never being a part of Steps Army. So now we're stepping back in time and dipping into the Steps realm that we missed out first time round. Steps you were great, the music scene is dull without you and while your solo efforts are grand DONTSTOPTHEPOP commands a reunion now!

Come back to Really Saying Something/Don'tStopthePop for tons more Steps classics!