2025 in 2025: Day 168

Speak - Lindsay Lohan

Compared to A Little More Personal (Raw), this is much more of a teen pop album. Which is not a bad thing. Fun, mostly upbeat, basic lyrics and all easily singalongable.

Highlights: Disconnected, Over, First, Symptoms of You

7/10

Speak for Yourself - Imogen Heap

There was this six month period of 2005 where it seemed like everyone was on the Imogen Heap hype train. Which is crazy, because this album is just nothing!

Highlights: Hide and Seek, The Walk

6.5/10

Speakerboxxx - Outkast

Holy cow, this is so much better than I remember. Or at least much better than The Love Below. They really should have just made one great album instead, because this just straight-up hip-hop coolness. Big Boi is severely underrated and all the features here are rad, as well.

Highlights: Flip-Flop Rock, Last Call, The Way You Move, War

7.5/10

Spellbound - Split Enz

These dudes were the greatest musical act in New Zealand history and this marathon is only convincing me it is not close.

Highlights: Message to My Girl, History Never Repeats, Six Months in a Leaky Boat, I See Red

8/10

Spend the Night - The Donnas

Modern rock bands could learn a thing or two from The Donnas. This album, specifically, where every song is either 'this dude sucks' or 'this dude has a big dong so he should let me ride it'. Lessons learned!

Highlights: I Don't Care (So There), 5 O'Clock in the Morning, Too Bad About Your Girl, Take It Off

9/10

SPICE - SCANDAL

When my girls rock, they rock hard. This is almost the most typically Japanese rock song they have done in years.

8/10

Spice - Spice Girls

Is there a more perfect pop album? Sure, maybe. But these women will forever have my heart. I never really noticed before that there is some heavy UK funk influence in here - which explains why it registered so well with me? And god help the mister that comes between me and my sisters!

Highlights: Say You'll Be There, Who Do You Think You Are?, Love Thing, Wannabe

9/10

Spice: 25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition - Spice Girls

I have already complained about this and there certainly is a lot missing, but what is here is actually decent and it is great to have this much in one place.

Highlights: One of These Girls, Spice Chat 2, Say You'll Be There [7" Radio Edit], If You Can't Dance [Demo Version]

7/10

Spiceworld - Spice Girls

Definitely less funk influence and more of a throwback to 60s pop and soul, in my opinion. But still very awesome. Melvins B and C were the coolest.

Highlights: Do It, Move Over, Stop, Saturday Night Divas

9/10

Spiceworld: 25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition - Spice Girls

Similar to the Spice: 25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition, there is a lot missing here, and instead time is devoted to remixes and live versions. At least we got the other Pepsi song!

Highlights: Step to Me [7" Mix], Outer Space Girls, Spice Girls Party Mix

7/10

Spiceworld Tour Live At Wembley Stadium 20-09-1998 - Spice World

I had this on VHS, but missed out on getting the DVD - which now sells for more than the price of a locomotive. But I also did not watch my VHS all that much, back in the day. It is good, but Geri is missing and it is noticeable. Although they did play a recording of her singing in Spanish during If You Can't Dance. They also announce they are staying together and then broke up two years later...

Highlights: Who Do You Think You Are?, Sisters Are Doin' It For Themselves, Say You'll Be There, We Are Family

7/10

Spike - Elvis Costello

This is only the single Veronica. I actually do not know much of Elvis Costello's works. I keep telling myself to one day do a bit of listen, but then forget and just listen to The Shit...

7.5/10

Spirit - Leona Lewis

I think I enjoyed her second album more? Like, the ballads are impressive... well, a couple are, but the rest is very forgettable.

Highlights: Whatever It Takes, I Will Be, The Best You Never Had, Bleeding Love

6.5/10

The Spirit Room - Michelle Branch

Why do I not have full albums by Michelle Branch? The songs I have by her are pop perfection, yet I have not heard anything else? I make no sense. Oh yeah, this is All You Wanted.

9/10

Spirit: Stallion Of The Cimerron - Bryan Adams & Hans Zimmer

Bryan Adams makes a lot songs for movies and has done since the 90s. This is the rare occasion he made a full album's worth. Well, almost; Hans Zimmer does provide a few songs of pure score. BA is pretty good at evoking emotion, so it makes sense.

Highlights: Here I Am (End Title), Sound the Bugle, Don't Let Go, This is Where I Belong

7/10

"Albums" listened to so far: 1595

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2025 in 2025: Day 105

Join The Dots: B-Sides & Rarities 1978-2001 - The Cure

Being a chronological collection, the first disc is mostly post-punk early The Cure. I am a bit conflicted as to the inclusion of a song that was re-recorded here, though. Robert Smith's voice is so different it really sticks out. Disc 2 is where we get stuff that I prefer; 80s darkwave is where The Cure are best. And Throw Your Foot may well be the most pure 80s pop song they made. Disc 3 is also my jam, but it is wild that this only covers 1 album and then a bunch of soundtrack songs (that are all stupendous). But then I am one of those weirdos that appreciates Wish. Half of disc 4 is just remixes and alternate versions. It is fun to think that this collection is 20 years old now - which almost covers the same period of this collection - so maybe we will get a volume 2 at some point? It would be far less exhaustive, considering they have only released 3 albums in that time (as opposed to the 11 they released between 1978 and 2001 - plus all the singles and EPs), but it would mean I could get rid of those b-sides collections I had to listen to earlier...

Highlights: The Exploding Boy, Burn, Pillbox Tales, Throw Your Foot, Sugar Girl, Snow in Summer, Play, Halo

6.5/10

Join With Us - The Feeling

This album starts off strong and the title track is absolute fire. From there, it is a bit average. Still somewhat enjoyable, but just does not quite click for me. Maybe I judge too harshly, since their first album was just a big bag of fun?

Highlights: Join With Us, I Thought It Was Over, Without You, The Greatest Show on Earth

6.5/10

Josie and The Pussycats: Music from the Motion Picture - Josie and The Pussycats (and DuJour?)

This movie, like Spiceworld: The Movie, is my favourite kind of comfort comedy. I love it and quote it to myself all the time. And this soundtrack is the kind of girly pop punk that ticks all of my boxes. I just read that Bif Naked sang some stuff on this and last night I saw her music video to promote Ready to Rumble. Coincidence!

Highlights: 3 Small Words, Pretend to Be Nice, Spin Around, Shapeshifter

9/10

Journey's Greatest Hits - Journey

A grand collection of Journey doing Journey things; rockin' and balladin' and touchin' and squeezin' and lovin'!

Highlights: Any Way You Want I, Be Good to Yourself, Ask the Lonely, Don't Stop Believin', Faithfully, Wheel in the Sky

9/10

joy - YUKI

I consider this album to be YUKI really finding her footing. But her voice had not quite caught up to what she was trying to do. And, again, live versions of these songs are even better. This album is just an absolute gem.

Highlights: WAGON, キスをしようよ, JOY, ハローグッバイ

8/10

Judgment Night: Music From the Motion Picture - Various Artists

From a terribly underwhelming movie came the most insane soundtrack the world would ever see; popular grunge and metal bands teaming up with rap and hip-hop stars. Revolutionary. And, amazingly, it all works so well. A hardcore good time. 

Highlights: Just Another Victim - Helmet & House of Pain, Fallin' - Teenage Fanclub & De la Soul, Me Myself & My Microphone - Living Colur & Run DMC, Missing Link - Dinosaur Jr. & Del the Funky Homosapien

8.5/10

Juno: Music from the Motion Picture - Various Artists

I think I got this free with the DVD of the movie. And I am not sure if I have watched the movie since I got it on DVD. I think the only DVDs I watch are the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series and Air Bud? Blu-ray or UHD all the way, baby! This is peak late-00s indie hipster folk and it is barely tolerable.

Highlights: All The Young Dudes - Mott the Hoople, Dearest - Buddy Holly, All I Want Is You - Barry Louis Polisar

5.5/10

Jupiter - Bump of Chicken

It is Bump of Chicken doing Bump of Chicken things. Nothing outstanding. All rather enjoyable in the background.

Highlights: 天体観測, ハルジオン, メロディーフラッグ, ダイヤモンド

7/10

Just Blaq - MBLAQ

This is purely the song Oh Yeah, to further my random K-Pop collection of miscellaneous songs. It is a fun upbeat track.

8/10

Just the Beginning Tour 2017 - Ayumi Hamasaki

This is the tour finale, I think? The tour was 3 parts and I went to the final of part II and then the opening night of part III. So while it is not a show I attended, it is great to have a document of that tour. Even if they were not shows with a live band and Ayu's voice on this is clearly tired. Still an absolutely killer setlist. And this arrangement of Ourselves needs to be preserved for eternity. 

Highlights: Ourselves, FLOWER, Memorial address, SEVEN DAYS WAR

8/10

Justified - Justin Timberlake

When this came out, I had no interest in NSYNC or Justin Timberlake. In fact, I would say I actively disliked him. And his falsetto annoyed me. But Like I Love You broke me down with how danceable it is. And then he followed it up with more super dance fun. I definitely think this album is a mixed bag and half of Pharrell's stuff is tired and played out, but Timbaland is in classic Timbaland form, so it sounds like JT just guesting on some Missy tracks or something. 

Highlights: Rock Your Body, Like I Love You, (Oh No) What You Got, Right For Me

7/10

"Albums" listened to so far: 908

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Music Talk: Spice Girls

 Readers of this bLog may or not be aware of my love for the Spice Girls. I guess it would depend on a) if we are friends in real life (not bloody likely), and b) if we have been friends for a long time (even less bloody likely). All you need to know is that I have a box in storage that contains a bunch of Spice Girls VHS tapes and some fold out poster book. I had a sticker book as well, but I didn't manage to complete it. For shame! Needless to say, 1998 meant singing Spice Girls songs and corrupting all my workmates into enjoying their music as well. Imagine a bunch of 18/19 year-old dudes getting high and listening to Spice Girls or watching a Spice Girls concert - because that was what we did after work most nights. 

Anyways... they released 25th anniversary editions of their first two albums, and I held off purchasing them for multiple reasons; I was disappointed with the content on the bonus discs, the price was a bit off, and quite frankly I don't listen to them anymore. In fact, I think a few years ago I was looking in my iTunes and it was showing Spiceworld had never been played! That doesn't mean I don't still love them, because I certainly do! In fact, during one of our glorious lockdowns and watched some documentary on Spice Girls and girl power - which was actually very interesting, even if none of the Spice Girls themselves were actually involved. But read my bLog: the only music in English I listen to these days is Prince, Elvis or Kiss. Mostly Prince. I've eased up a bit on that lately and have been revisiting some stuff I haven't listened to in years. So when I saw that I could get the 25th Anniversary edition of Spice for cheap, I decided to jump on it. But then, being a completist, this meant I needed to buy the 25th Anniversary edition of Spiceworld as well - well, waiting for it to be on some sort of special as well. And while I didn't get it quite as cheap, it was still discounted enough for me to dash to the counter with it. Here's hoping Forever gets the same treatment, because that album is an underrated gem that even I didn't appreciate in 2000. I had clearly lost coolness in the space of 2 years.

Anyways, I'm sitting here giving them a listen and I'm reminded that Spice and Spiceworld are seriously just the best pop albums. And the remasters sound great. But boy, these bonus discs are almost a waste of time. Hilariously, I had somehow removed Viva Forever from my iTunes some years ago, and since all of my compact discs are boxed up in storage, it always felt like way too much hassle to go and find it just to replace that one song. So it 's quite nice to be able to listen to that song once again.

I think Spice World is going to need a good viewing on Sunday morning. Funnily enough, I have also just recently purchased the DVD. I had ordered it many many years ago, but it was actually stolen out of my mailbox. I know this, because the thief left the empty post bag in my driveway. But honestly, I can't really blame them; as far as musical comedies go, it is one of the best and wasn't so easy to find on DVD, so I hope they enjoy the movie as much as I do. And then I just started waiting for a blu-ray... and now I've given up on that entirely, so it seemed sensible to just bite the bullet and get my Spice Girls collection back to a more current state. 

And then somehow this has segued into me listening to Kiss?