Best of the Nineties

Posted by spriglet On Sunday 4 September 2011 23:44 0 comments
With Friends officially off our screens (until they do a film, no doubt) and someone in my Twitter timeline reminding me of the, er, star that is Samantha Mumba this evening, I got thinking about the nineties (as I often do, actually). The nineties were bloody brilliant. We all got mobile phones, Gameboys, Walkmans, and spent our Saturday mornings watching Live & Kicking and Kenan & Kel. It was amazing. 

Even better though was the music; from the best boybands ever (East 17, 5ive and Backstreet Boys for those of you looking blank) to the arrival of the Spice Girls, every time I hear music from that wonderful decade I can't help but smile. It probably helps that I was growing up at the time so unlike my parents who were still hoping Cliff Richard would make it back in the charts, I was busy learning the words to the Saved by the Bell theme tune and dancing to Gina G in my friend's bedroom (true story).

As well as adding some of the greatest hits to mine and Emma's Spotify Musical Prozac list, I thought I'd mention a few of the nineties tunes that you may have forgotten. Seeing as Take That, Hanson and even New Kids on the Block have made a comeback in recent years, I personally hope some of the following crop up on The X Factor sometime and give their 'I was famous once' sob story...

The Honeyz
A poor man's Eternal, they could have been like Destiny's Child, but... they weren't. But they did have attitude and that's why Won't Take It Lying Down is awesome, even if the video does look like a car advert. 

Big Brovaz
Don't worry, they're not all going to end with a super cool 'z'. I saw these live and they could sing and everything. Honestly.  Shame about the songs, but I still loved Baby Boy (and its Friends inspired video) and I definitely have their album somewhere...

Samantha Mumba
Huge kudos to the guy who reminded me of this one... I mean how could we forget all those hits? OK, there were only about three. Maybe two. But Always Come Back to Your Love is a catchy little number. And just look at those complex dance moves! Add to Spotify, tick.

Whigfield
Well, you can't get ready for a Saturday Night without them, can you?

Mark Morrison
The remake of Return of the Mack makes me mourn the nineties more than anything. Is NOTHING sacred anymore? This version was underage-disco-tastic.

Obviously, these are not the actual best artists from the nineties but the point is, we don't want to forget anyone. From the bloody awful Cotton Eye Joe to the bloody brilliant denim-clad B*Witched (who have also attempted a comeback with weird Fifth Element hair), there is just too much to mention. If only TOTP could be put on repeat somewhere. E4, now that you've got space...?

What are your favourite nineties memories?

Goodbye, Friends

Posted by spriglet On 22:33 1 comments
It's the end of an era today, with Friends being shown for the last time on E4 - no more reruns of Ross's tan ("I'm an EIGHT!"), Phoebe's Smelly Cat or Monica's hoovering of hoovers. It is a sad day. 

Even if you own the boxset, it's not quite the same as the reassurance of knowing that if there is nothing good on TV then there's a good chance you can catch an episode of our favourite guys and girls thanks to E4 and its +1 buddy. Better dust off the DVD player then...

Along with the rest of my team (thankfully also Friends fans), I quote Friends daily. It has something that can be applied to any situation, whether it's a tan gone wrong (see above), trying to speak French (Joey), or metaphors (Rachel, 'You're a shoe you're a shoe you're a shoe!'). 

So, in honour of my favourite ever TV series and its last day on our screens, I thought I'd post a few of the best scenes... I think Ross is coming out as the most memorable. What's your favourite clip?















Goodbye Friends, we'll miss you.


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