Advertise on podcast: A Journey Through Stock Aitken Waterman

In Episode 80 — the final regular episode of A Journey Through SAW — we heard about "Free To Love Again" by Suzette Charles, which was one of the final singles released during Mike Stock and Pete Waterman's working relationship. Now, 33 years after that track came out in the UK, Suzette's debut album is finally about to be released. Comprising faithfully re-recorded versions of the original six tracks that Suzette previously worked on with Mike at PWL and five brand-new songs, Suzette Charles is the long-awaited resolution to a thread that has been dangling for SAW fans since 1993. In this special episode, Suzette and Mike discuss how they reunited to collaborate musically again and how the album came together, including what it was like to recreate the original songs and the inspiration for the new tunes. Support the show Subscribe for bonus material at chartbeats.com.au/saw Instagram: @chartbeatsau Threads: @chartbeatsau, @matthew_denby360 Bluesky: @chartbeatsau, @matthewdenby.bsky.social Facebook: Chart Beats: A Journey Through Pop Email: [email protected]

To celebrate five years of A Journey Through SAW, Gavin and Matt are back for a special episode. And so is Mike Stock, who joins us in an interview conducted on the Calrec Soundfield Microphone to answer some long-held questions and discuss some of the best deep cuts in the SAW catalogue. Find out whether "Turn It Into Love" was written for Kylie Minogue or Hazell Dean, why "Who's Gonna Catch You" was recorded by so many people and who actually sang on the Delage records. Hear about the tricky second albums for Rick Astley and Sinitta, and the problematic process of putting Lonnie Gordon's album together. Plus, Mike talks about working with Judas Priest, Erik, O'chi Brown, Bananarama and more, and gives his verdict on classic albums by Mel & Kim, Donna Summer and Boy Krazy. Support the show Subscribe for bonus material at chartbeats.com.au/saw Instagram: @chartbeatsau Threads: @chartbeatsau, @matthew_denby360 Bluesky: @chartbeatsau, @matthewdenby.bsky.social Facebook: Chart Beats: A Journey Through Pop Email: [email protected]

To mark reaching the end of the journey through every single produced by Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman from 1984-1993, Gavin and Matt celebrate the music of the Hit Factory by counting down our listeners' favourite 20 singles from the list of 200 we have discussed on the podcast. What will be number 1?  (Subscribers, numbers 50-21 are counted down in the bonus material at chartbeats.com.au/saw-bonus) Support the show Subscribe for bonus material at chartbeats.com.au/saw Instagram: @chartbeatsau Threads: @chartbeatsau, @matthew_denby360 Bluesky: @chartbeatsau, @matthewdenby.bsky.social Facebook: Chart Beats: A Journey Through Pop Email: [email protected]

Shortly after Mike Stock left PWL in 1993, he purchased a building to house a brand-new studio complex and record label, Love This, and reunited with Matt Aitken to resume their songwriting and production work together. Although, over the next few years, the duo would release many more cover versions than original songs, having success with the likes of Nicki French, Jocelyn Brown & Kym Mazelle, John Alford, Newton (in Australia) and Robson & Jerome. Mike Stock joins us for one final time to recap the highlights from the Love This era and give his rationale for the emphasis on remakes, He also discusses working with Simon Cowell on quite a few projects, including the theme to kids' TV show Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers and how the problems plaguing Love This, such as a dispute with the London Underground over rail work that compromised his studios and issues surrounding the release of "Santa Maria" by Tatjana, resulted in the label being shut in 1997. Mike goes on to talk about some of the work he's done since, such as tracks by pop acts Scooch and Girls@Play, and what he would like his overall musical legacy to be. Matt Aitken, Miriam Stockley and Julian Gingell also feature to share their memories of this era.  Support the show Subscribe for bonus material at chartbeats.com.au/saw Instagram: @chartbeatsau Threads: @chartbeatsau, @matthew_denby360 Bluesky: @chartbeatsau, @matthewdenby.bsky.social Facebook: Chart Beats: A Journey Through Pop Email: [email protected]

Although both Matt Aitken and Mike Stock had left the building, PWL Records continued to release music — and in this epilogue episode, we look at some of the artists who succeeded and some that didn't hit the mark in the few years after the demise of Stock Aitken Waterman. Former PWL MD David Howells joins us to discuss the challenges of starting afresh with new talent to replace Mike and Matt, and talks about what prompted his own departure from the business he had helped steer since the mid-'80s. With a strong focus on dance music at PWL in the '90s, one of the more consistent acts — in terms of quality and chart success — was Loveland. Paul Taylor returns to explain how the group behind hits like "Let The Music (Lift You Up)" and "I Need Somebody" came about, and how PWL's Manchester business received much of Pete Waterman's attention at this point. Paul also discusses his own unceremonious exit from the group. Meanwhile. Slamm remained signed to PWL and were put to work with Gary Miller on increasingly poppy music, with singer Johnny Wilks recapping that era of the band's journey for us. Then, we finish by looking at how Pete's initial run with PWL ended in 1996 and who the songwriters and producers were that would provide him with a second wave of success in the following years with acts like Steps, Tina Cousins and Westlife. Support the show Subscribe for bonus material at chartbeats.com.au/saw Instagram: @chartbeatsau Threads: @chartbeatsau, @matthew_denby360 Bluesky: @chartbeatsau, @matthewdenby.bsky.social Facebook: Chart Beats: A Journey Through Pop Email: [email protected]

Every journey has an ending, and in this episode, we reach the final three singles produced by Mike Stock and Pete Waterman in 1993 — and discuss the events surrounding the termination of the partnership as Mike left PWL. Former Miss America Suzette Charles joins us to talk about her singing/acting/pageant career and how she turned up at PWL demanding an audience with Pete. Her eventual collaboration with Mike yielded underrated gem "Free To Love Again" and five other fan favourite tracks that went unreleased at the time. She also fills us in on her studio reunion with Mike in the past few months and what we can expect from their recent work together. Sybil returns to discuss her final Stock and Waterman single, "Stronger Together", and reflect on her pop career. Plus, Johnny Wilks from Slamm talks about releasing a remake of "Virginia Plain" — the final SW production in the '90s. Then, we hear from Mike about his decision to leave PWL and what brought him and Pete, and then all of SAW back together again in the 2000s and beyond. Support the show Subscribe for bonus material at chartbeats.com.au/saw Instagram: @chartbeatsau Threads: @chartbeatsau, @matthew_denby360 Bluesky: @chartbeatsau, @matthewdenby.bsky.social Facebook: Chart Beats: A Journey Through Pop Email: [email protected]

The top 40 resurgence was over, with the next few Stock and Waterman singles released in 1993 struggling on the UK chart. But it wasn't for want of trying. Tapping into the same piano house sound that had yielded hits for Sybil (with and without West End), "Looks Like I'm In Love Again" by Key West featuring Erik had come to PWL via Eddie Gordon's Sanctuary imprint. The man behind Key West (and the writer of the song), music industry legend Richard Hewson joins us to discuss his decades-long career, working as an arranger for some of the biggest names in music and as an artist in his own right as The RAH Band. He reveals the story behind "Looks Like I'm In Love Again" and how Erik ended up taking over from the original vocalist. Eddie also shares his memories of that project and reveals how girl group Eternal almost signed to PWL. Meanwhile, Sybil returns to discuss her next single, a remake of "Beyond Your Wildest Dreams", and how she navigated her career in both the UK and the US. For something completely different, PWL snapped up five-piece band Slamm — and their vocalist, Johnny Wilks, talks us through that unexpected decision and recalls the making of their first single for the label, "Energize". Plus, there's the final Pat & Mick release and one last WWF Superstars single. Support the show Subscribe for bonus material at chartbeats.com.au/saw Instagram: @chartbeatsau Threads: @chartbeatsau, @matthew_denby360 Bluesky: @chartbeatsau, @matthewdenby.bsky.social Facebook: Chart Beats: A Journey Through Pop Email: [email protected]

The commercial resurgence at PWL continued in 1993, with all four of the singles covered in this episode becoming UK hits. Still on her hot streak following the success of "The Love I Lost" with West End, Sybil returned to the top 5 with original tune "When I'm Good And Ready", which was credited to her alone. Sybil tells us what she thought of the song, which was poppier than her usual efforts, and Mike Stock shares his thoughts about the single coming together and its various mixes and remixes. After the disappointment of "Last Thing On My Mind", Bananarama were back in the top 30 with their remake of "More, More, More". Mike also discusses that track and the Please Yourself album. Meanwhile, another track was made with the World Wrestling Federation Superstars, with "Wrestlemania" reaching the top 20, and Coronation Street star Bill Tarmey visited the Hit Factory for a successful charity remake of "One Voice". Pete Day recalls working on both those singles, which came to PWL courtesy of Simon Cowell.  Support the show Subscribe for bonus material at chartbeats.com.au/saw Instagram: @chartbeatsau Threads: @chartbeatsau, @matthew_denby360 Bluesky: @chartbeatsau, @matthewdenby.bsky.social Facebook: Chart Beats: A Journey Through Pop Email: [email protected]

Things were looking up at the Hit Factory in early 1993. Mike Stock and Pete Waterman found themselves in the UK top 5 with back-to-back singles — something that hadn't happened in three years. And the latest of those big hits came from a remake of "The Love I Lost" released by West End featuring Sybil. The story behind the single is an intriguing one, with various mixes and multiple people having input on the track along the way. Significant among those people was Eddie Gordon, who'd spent the previous few years working on major hits for record companies like MCA, Motown and Atlantic. With his background in soul, funk and R&B, he was employed by PWL both to find songs and artists for new imprint Sanctuary Records and to develop his idea to cover "The Love I Lost" as West End (a name he'd used as a pseudonym for various projects). Eddie joins us to talk about the selection of Sybil as vocalist for the single and how he, Tony King and Asha Elfenbein (as AKA) remixed the original production, with their mixes becoming hot property in clubs before the track was reworked yet again for commercial release. He also provides insight into the business of PWL in the early '90s with new sub-labels and imprints. Plus, Sybil returns to the podcast to share her memories of "The Love I Lost" coming together, the elements of the track she insisted be changed and its success. Support the show Subscribe for bonus material at chartbeats.com.au/saw Instagram: @chartbeatsau Threads: @chartbeatsau, @matthew_denby360 Bluesky: @chartbeatsau, @matthewdenby.bsky.social Facebook: Chart Beats: A Journey Through Pop Email: [email protected]

Before we begin our journey through Mike Stock's final year working with Pete Waterman at PWL, we have a preview of what's still to come. Plus, we share the first 10 minutes of our recent Greatest Hits by Kylie Minogue bonus episode To hear the full Greatest Hits by Kylie Minogue bonus episode and all the other extra content, you can subscribe at chartbeats.com.au/subscribe Support the show Subscribe for bonus material at chartbeats.com.au/saw Instagram: @chartbeatsau Threads: @chartbeatsau, @matthew_denby360 Bluesky: @chartbeatsau, @matthewdenby.bsky.social Facebook: Chart Beats: A Journey Through Pop Email: [email protected]

To wrap up 1992, Stock and Waterman worked with two new artists and two returning favourites. In the case of Kylie Minogue, it was to be her final single released with PWL. Fittingly, her version of "Celebration" was lifted from Greatest Hits and gave her a final UK top 20 hit before departing for new musical adventures. We hear from Phil Harding & Ian Curnow, who produced the track (which later had additional production added by Stock and Waterman). Also, music video director Gregg Masuak joins us again to discuss the shoot in Rio de Janeiro. Bananarama were also back for an even more ABBA-influenced single, "Last Thing On My Mind", which wouldn't be a hit for them but, years later, would give Steps their first UK top 10 single. Mike Stock shares his thoughts on both versions. In terms of the new artists, sibling duo Fresh released "Did I Say Ti Amo" and, thanks to Simon Cowell, PWL embarked on a collaboration with the World Wrestling Federation Superstars, resulting in a top 5 hit for "Slam Jam". Mike and former PWL engineer Pete Day recall the WWF project coming together. Support the show Subscribe for bonus material at chartbeats.com.au/saw Instagram: @chartbeatsau Threads: @chartbeatsau, @matthew_denby360 Bluesky: @chartbeatsau, @matthewdenby.bsky.social Facebook: Chart Beats: A Journey Through Pop Email: [email protected]

Summer 1992 didn't yield much in the way of Stock and Waterman productions. But in August that year, there was a sudden rush of releases, kicked off by a curious novelty record: a remake of "Summer Holiday" by Fat Slags, characters from Viz. Former PWL engineer Pete Day helps us get to the bottom of who exactly performed on the track. Meanwhile, Kylie Minogue got one step closer to departing the Hit Factory with new single "What Kind Of Fool (Heard All That Before)", which was included on her Greatest Hits album. Mike Stock and Terry Blamey tell us about the song, which sounded like classic SAW. Speaking of classics, Nancy Davis had another shot at success with a cover version of Jackie Wilson's "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher And Higher". And the new-look Bananarama returned to work with Mike and Pete Waterman on "Movin' On", their first single as just the duo of Sara Dallin and Keren Woodward.  Support the show Subscribe for bonus material at chartbeats.com.au/saw Instagram: @chartbeatsau Threads: @chartbeatsau, @matthew_denby360 Bluesky: @chartbeatsau, @matthewdenby.bsky.social Facebook: Chart Beats: A Journey Through Pop Email: [email protected]

In early 1992, Boy Krazy were still a year away from their belated massive success in the US with "That's What Love Can Do" and they followed up that debut single in the UK with "All You Have To Do". Now a four-piece, the girl group shifted musical gears, releasing a more club-influenced track, but once again it failed to connect. Ruth Ann, Kimberly and Josselyne discuss that single as well as "Good Times With Bad Boys", which was released in America after "That's What Love Can Do" had been a hit. The ladies also give their thoughts on the situation involving Johnna being positioned by the label as lead vocalist. Meanwhile, Pat & Mick returned to PWL for their annual cover version — a remake of "Shake Your Groove Thing", with Pat Sharp sharing his memories of the music video. We also hear from Mike Stock about PWL's latest signing Nancy Davis and her debut single, "If You Belonged To Me". And Steve Anderson is back on the podcast to tell the Brothers In Rhythm story and recall how he and Dave Seaman were commissioned to remix "Finer Feelings" by Kylie Minogue — and that single's connection to her post-PWL work. Support the show Subscribe for bonus material at chartbeats.com.au/saw Instagram: @chartbeatsau Threads: @chartbeatsau, @matthew_denby360 Bluesky: @chartbeatsau, @matthewdenby.bsky.social Facebook: Chart Beats: A Journey Through Pop Email: [email protected]

Following their launch in 1991 with debut single "Get Ready For This", Eurodance duo 2 Unlimited enjoyed a string of more than a dozen hits around the world. What does that have to do with Stock Aitken Waterman? Well, in the UK, the act fronted by Ray Slijngaard and Anita Doth was signed to PWL Records at a time when the Hit Factory's in-house productions were often struggling on the charts. Techno tracks like "Twilight Zone", "Maximum Overdrive", "Let The Beat Control Your Body", "The Real Thing", "Tribal Dance" and chart-topper "No Limit" were the sound of the future, while, as we've seen, more traditional pop/dance tunes were having a tough time of it. In this bonus episode, we explore the success PWL enjoyed with 2 Unlimited and what it meant for the working relationship between Pete Waterman and Mike Stock. Ray joins us to share his perspective on the rise of 2 Unlimited and the approach PWL took with the duo's tracks in the UK, initially using instrumental versions rather than ones with Ray's raps on them. He also discusses his personal and professional relationships with Anita and producers Jean-Paul de Coster and Phil Wilde, and the current status of 2 Unlimited. Support the show Subscribe for bonus material at chartbeats.com.au/saw Instagram: @chartbeatsau Threads: @chartbeatsau, @matthew_denby360 Bluesky: @chartbeatsau, @matthewdenby.bsky.social Facebook: Chart Beats: A Journey Through Pop Email: [email protected]

There was no denying the popularity of rave and techno in the UK in 1991, and Stock and Waterman went all clubby as the year drew to a close — with help from some key collaborators. DJs Paul Taylor and Danny Bennett (aka Danny Hibrid) from Angels nightclub visited PWL to work with Tony King on remixing Kylie Minogue album track "I Guess I Like It Like That". The result: a completely new single, "Keep On Pumpin' It", which came out in its own right. Paul and Tony tell the story of this club classic, which was issued to clubs as a white label ahead of its commercial release. Meanwhile, the unlikely pairing of Malcolm McLaren and Alison Limerick were brought together to work with SW on "Magic's Back", the theme song to Malcolm's documentary, The Ghosts Of Oxford Street. Alison talks about the project and her own run of '90s club classics, like "Where Love Lives", "Make It On My Own" and "Time Of Our Lives". And, as we commence our journey into 1992, the third single from Let's Get To It was Kylie's remake of "Give Me Just A Little More Time", which was backed by rave-inspired B-side "Do You Dare".  Support the show Subscribe for bonus material at chartbeats.com.au/saw Instagram: @chartbeatsau Threads: @chartbeatsau, @matthew_denby360 Bluesky: @chartbeatsau, @matthewdenby.bsky.social Facebook: Chart Beats: A Journey Through Pop Email: [email protected]