The Spice Girls are celebrating the 25th anniversary of their iconic 1996 debut album, ‘Spice’, with the release of the extended edition, ‘SPICE 25’, including unreleased songs and new mixes.
Available today (01.09.21), the 7-inch radio mix of mega-hit ‘Say You’ll Be There’ swaps out the original harmonica solo for funky saxophone.
And fans of the legendary girl group can expect two never-heard-before tracks, ‘One Of These Girls’ and ‘Shall We Say Goodbye Then?’, plus the 10 original tracks, on the bumper LP, which is due out on October 29.
There’s also an orchestral version of the beloved ballad ‘2 Become 1’, and early demo versions of ‘Who Do You Think You Are’ and ‘If You Can’t Dance’.
Emma Bunton (Baby Spice) said: “From the first wannabe baby steps to conquering the whole world with a team of Spices, thank you doesn’t seem enough to all of you who have supported us, followed in our footsteps, walked in our great big shoes and who have shared our dreams. It’s been 25 years of pure magic. Spice Girls forever!!!”
Geri Horner (Ginger) commented: “To our diehard and loyal fans; without you there is no us – sending endless love and gratitude. Whoever you are, whatever your dreams – live them, be them. The Spice Girls motto is testament to that.”
Melanie C (Sporty) said: “25 years, wow! I have so many wonderful memories of writing, recording, promoting and touring this album and so many people to thank. This is the record that set us off on our incredible journey. A huge thank you to our fans and family all around the World. Thank you for always being there with your unrelenting support and making our dreams come true. My love and gratitude always.”
Melanie B (Scary) said: “All I ever wanted was to be accepted and to make everyone around me – gay, straight, brown, black, shy or loud like me – to feel they can celebrate who they are and to be free to be themselves. All I hope – 25 years on – is that message has been heard loud and clear. It’s true that in the end love IS all you need so I thank everyone who has ever bought a Spice Girls record or stood in the rain to greet us or got dressed up in pink, in a tracksuit, a ginger wig, a leopard print catsuit or put on Vic’s iconic pout!”
Victoria Beckham (Posh) added: “We couldn’t let 25 years pass without thanking the fans for their incredible support. There are so many people who have played a part in the success of the Spice Girls throughout the years, you know who you are and we thank you.”
The four band members curated the collection themselves from the Virgin archives.
Released on November 4, 1996, ‘Spice’ spent 15 weeks at the top of the Official UK Album Charts on four occasions, spending more than a year in the Top 40.
Stateside, the record topped the US Billboard 200 album chart and was No1 in 13 countries worldwide.
A quarter of a century later, ‘Spice’ has sold more than 23 million copies worldwide, and is 10 x Platinum in the UK.
The ‘Spice 25’ tracklisting:
CD1
1. ‘Wannabe’ (02:53)
2. ‘Say You’ll Be There’ (03:56)
3. ‘2 Become 1’ (Single Version) (04:05)
4. ‘Love Thing’ (03:39)
5. ‘Last Time Lover’ (04:11)
6. ‘Mama’ (05:05)
7. ‘Who Do You Think You Are’ (04:01)
8. ‘Something Kinda Funny’ (04:05)
9. ‘Naked’ (04:26)
10. ‘If U Can’t Dance’ (03:49)
CD2
1. ‘Wannabe’ (Dave Way Alternative Mix) (03:25)
2. ‘Say You’ll Be There’ (7-inch Radio Mix) (04:09)
3. 2 Become 1 (Orchestral Version) (04:05)
4. ‘Mama’ (Biffco Mix) (05:49)
5. ‘Love Thing’ (12-inch Unlimited Groove Mix) (06:25)
6. ‘Take Me Home’ (04:07)
7. ‘Last Time Lover’ (Demo) (04:05)
8. ‘Feed Your Love’ (04:36)
9. ‘If U Can’t Dance’ (Demo) (03:36)
10. ‘Who Do You Think You Are’ (Demo) (03:49)
11. ‘One of These Girls’ (03:33)
12. ‘Shall We Say Goodbye Then?’ (00:53)