Spice Girls Spiceworld 25 LP (Picture Disc)

First released at the height of "Spicemania" and one month ahead of the Girls' big screen debut in their very own film Spice World The Movie, 1997's Spiceworld spent almost one year on the UK Top 40 and includes the No.1 hit singles "Spice Up Your Life," "Too Much," and "Viva Forever" as well as fan favorite, "Stop." Now available on 1LP picture disc vinyl.

Conventional wisdom dictates that Spiceworld should be a weak facsimile of Spice, which itself featured a handful of great singles surrounded by filler. Conventional wisdom, in this case, is wrong - Spiceworld is a better record than its predecessor, boasting a more consistent (and catchier) set of songs and an intoxicating sense of fun. Instead of merely rewriting Spice, Spiceworld consolidates and expands the group's style, adding Latin flourishes ('Spice Up Your Life'), kitschy blues ('The Lady Is a Vamp'), and stomping, neo-Motown blue-eyed soul in the vein of Culture Club ('Stop'). The girls - Mel C. in particular - are actually turning into good vocalists, and each song plays to their strengths, giving each Spice a chance to shine. Best of all, each song has a strong melody and a strong, solid beat, whether it's a ballad or a dance number. It's a pure, unadulterated guilty pleasure and some of the best manufactured mainstream dance-pop of the late '90s.