Using the arrival of the Spice Girls as a jumping-off point,this fascinating new narrative will explore,celebrate and contextualise the thus-far-uncharted period of British pop that flourished between 1996 and 2006. A double-denim-loving time before the glare of social media and the accession of streaming.
The bastions of'00s pop - armed with buoyant,immaculately crafted,carefree anthems - provided entertainment,escapism and fun for millions. It was a heady,chorus-heavy decade - populated by the likes of Steps,S Club 7,Blue,5ive,Mis-Teeq,Hear'Say,Busted,Girls Aloud,McFly,Craig David and Atomic Kitten,among countless others - yet the music was often dismissed as inauthentic,juvenile,not'worthy'enough: ultimately,a'guilty pleasure'. Now,music writer Michael Cragg aims to redress that balance.
Using the oral-history format,Cragg goes beneath the surface of the bubblegum exterior,speaking to hundred's of the key players about the reality of their experiences. Compiled from interviews with popstars,songwriters,producers,choreographers,magazine editors,record-company executives,TV moguls and more,this is a complete behind-the-scenes history of the last great movement in British pop - a technicolour turning-point ripe for re-evaluation,documented here in astonishing,honest and eye-opening detail.
Publisher: Bonnier Books LtdISBN: 9781788707244Number of pages: 528Weight: 779 gDimensions: 240 x 162 x 45 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
'A brilliant,celebratory,gossipy history of 90s pop. Great stories and interviews. If that's your era,you'll love it.'- Richard Osman
'We know everything about our current crop of pop stars because they begrudgingly have to make TikToks every morning. In Reach for the Stars,Michael delves into the pre-internet pop era,speaks to the people that (just about) survived it and makes some extraordinary discoveries. I can't think why anyone wouldn't love this book.'- Greg James,radio and TV presenter
'A truly hilarious pop culture nostalgia fest!'- Jack Rooke
'Nobody buys books. No one's going to read this. No one's going to read these sorts of things. They just don't.'- Louis Walsh
'An outstanding music book. England's Dreaming for people with a working knowledge of 5ive.'- Fergal Kinney
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