Spice Girls had released a teaser announcing news that hinted at a relaunch of their music, and voilà: a new box for their 30th anniversary. It is titled ‘The Singles Collection’ and brings back all their singles, from ‘Wannabe’ to that lackluster track ‘Headlines (Friendship Never Ends)’, with B-sides, rare remixes, and unreleased material. It lands ahead of Christmas, on November 6, in two editions, one on CD and another on vinyl.
And it’s a good thing there’s unreleased material, because their three albums didn’t seem to amount to much. The main lure of the box set lies in the never-before-published demos: the CD edition collects four of them, including ‘Do You Think About Me’, one of the Spice Girls’ earliest recordings. The vinyl edition includes two of these. For a group with a relatively small discography, discovering what the Spice Girls were doing even before ‘Wannabe’ feels more interesting than another hits compilation.
Also receiving special treatment are ‘Step To Me’ and ‘Tell Me Why’, with dedicated discs in both editions. ‘Step To Me’ originally appeared in 1997 as part of a Pepsi campaign. ‘Tell Me Why’ was going to be the third single from ‘Forever’ in 2000, but those plans were scrapped and it now receives single treatment 26 years later.
Both boxes reproduce the original covers of the 14 releases and include five collectible postcards, a numbered card, a commemorative acrylic charm, and a booklet with new messages from the five Spice Girls. The vinyl edition’s booklet will run to 28 pages and the CD edition to 32 pages. Plenty to leaf through while you ponder the reunion tour that will NOT take place.
