Climbed a place to 9 on today's midweeks

And now 8 today!

Yeah this is REALLY good news! Still in the top 10 But does anybody know if they now plan on recording new songs now they are back?

They are discussing it this week..or maybe HAVE discussed it by now..so who knows when we will hear

yep, apparently Lisa called a group meeting at the beginning of the week to discuss the possibility of new material. A few days later, they held a live web chat and I was kinda hoping for some news but the topic was skirted around for some reason and when asked indirectly about it, they gave some flippant reply, so it's not looking too good on that front IMO.
I'm a bit miffed about that to be honest, it kinda feels like they're gonna take the money and run and I'd been trying to convince myself this was more than just a cash-in but it's certainly looking that way now.
I dunno, maybe they did the maths and realised by the time they'd paid writers, producers, a PR team, etc, that they weren't exactly gonna be quids in but you know, everyone loves a good sequel and it would have been great to see them at least give it another go but alas...

The scent of the game has been noticed. This is actually good news. They would have to play coy for a while if something were in the works to iron out logistics. Notice they never say flat out "NO" (as Claire said in regard to crop tops).

They might want to see how the Tour goes first, because who knows what may happen between now and then. Or they may want to see what kind of songs are out there they could use as I'm sure anything new will be scrutinized to death.

I hope you're right but I dunno, I got the impression they weren't that committed to the idea, throwing the 'well if Gary Barlow writes a song for us, then we'd make another album' - why they keep mentioning Gary Barlow I haven't got a clue, personally.

Plus, I was thinking perhaps they wouldn't be aloud to carry on under the Steps name, since it may not necessarily be their intellectual property.

They chose the name themselves, and there were no other members to contend with a la the Sugababes, so they have every right to use the name.

Saying what you have just said is like saying that Madonna should come back and change her name on her next album.....

sorry but I was under the impression that Steps was the invention of Pete Waterman?

ok, I have to correct myself here, apparently, according to wiki -
'Steps are a British pop group created by manager Tim Byrne and writers Steve Crosby and Barry Upton'

The band were put together by Tim Byrne, with Pete Waterman also present at the auditions.

The whole thing was known as "Project Steps" but the band chose the name.

FN: Never quote wikipedia, even to correct yourself, your next door neighbour - and even his cat - can make changes on that site

I had to check wiki just to make sure I didn't imagine the whole 'Pete waterman invented Steps' thing.

But I dunno how it works tbh. I know they've got a new manager for this current project (ie. The UC & tour) but not sure if he has full rights to the group, or if the members have full rights. Otherwise it'd be a bit like the factory workers at Rover opening up a factory next door, making cars and calling them Rover cars - well it just wouldn't be very legal. So I dunno what the situation is on that front tbh.

Its called a convenient answer, and its probably because he is in the public eye so much these days.

I think fans may be getting a little too impatient. STEPS has a lot of things to consider.

They walk a fine line between being preserved in amber in the late 90s and walking all over their "brand". From what I've read from public reaction, its an extremely strong brand. Mostly what I see stated is "I feel happy", "I remember how happy I was" at the thought of STEPS. Thats Marketing GOLD.

If I may digress for a moment, I saw a very good financial documentary on CNBC here in the US about Coca Cola. I dont know how big Coke is in Europe, but its part of Americana. Its iconic. Coca Cola panicked when they lost market share to Pepsi and they changed up the formula to "New Coke". It was an utter disaster. I remember being pissed off at them myself. In this documentary the 3rd highest exec (or something like that) at the company recalled taking a call from an older woman who was crying hysterically about the change. He asked her when the last time she had a Coke, and she said 40 years ago! He asked her why then she was so upset, and she said, "YOU RUINED MY PAST!" Thats how strong our memories color our futures.

So, I truly believe STEPS when they say they want to do this Tour as a nostalgia trip. The split really angered people and they want to set things right. The best way to replace a bad memory is with a good one. Also if there's one thing a performer craves, yes, even over money, its approval from an audience. I really think all 5 want the goodwill back in their lives. That is why despite all the rumors about "will so and so leave", it aint gonna happen. Can you imagine the public backlash if somebody scuttled the Tour by leaving? Their careers would be completely ruined. Not only that, but by this time they are likely contractually obligated to carry thru as millions of £ have been exchanged of YOUR money.

The STEPS women, especially, also have to see what an impact this is having on their families, and only time will tell with that one.

Back to the branding thought, any new material cant trash their legacy if you will, but it has to change. The singers have changed. The audience has changed. Whether their public wants to freeze them in time is to be determined. I hope they dont, because then STEPS becomes their own tribute band.

I think fans should be very vocal about giving feedback to the group, as I am sure SONY people are probably trawling places like this for feedback.

Well lets look at STEPS..... They own the name - so no one but them have the right to use it without permission.

Go and look at The Sugabes..... The management own the name, so the current line up are the only ones who have the right to perform

Got my album today. Can't believe i'm admitting this but I was excited when it came through the letterbox!

(ok, stream of thought, so just bare with me).


It can be viewed as a genuine retrospective, or as a cynical cash-in but I'm prepared to give them the benefit of the doubt at this point HOWEVER, if an opportunity like this lands in their laps (that of potentially continuing their career as STEPS) and they turn it down, then that does kinda suggest that there's no creative integrity involved and it's purely a way of making a quick buck. Which is fair enough, they put on a good nostalgia show and close the book and every leaves happy but there ain't no going back from that decision. They won't ever have this opportunity again, not without having the excuse of touring new material.

And it just seems crazy to let something like this pass them them by whilst we are all currently in the grip of Steps-mania, it seems the perfect time to announce a full come back and ideally, they have to announce that now, otherwise that window of opportunity will soon be gone and they'll be yesterdays news (again). And that's whats so frustrating, what are they playing at?

But as I mentioned in a previous post, that decision isn't necessarily theirs to make but the record company's, since it was the record company that invited them in on this current project in the first place, they clearly are the ones in control.

Personally, I think they could have pulled it off. It wouldn't be like it was years ago, with endless promotion, in fact, there's very few places to promoting music like this anymore, just the occasional daytime show, like they've been doing recently. So it would be less full on for them.

It has to be said, that new material wouldn't necessarily set the charts alight again though, they'd be a bit like Erasure. Nobody, apart from the loons gives a toss about new material but it just gives them an excuses to tour every few years and most of their tour audience is there purely for a nostalgia trip and for the spectacle.

Basically, what I'm saying is without new material this is nothing more than a nostalgia trip but it'll be a short trip at that, which is a shame.

To be honest every time i have seen an interview (on here and on telly), it always very much Lee and Lisa saying they want to do new music, and Claire and H saying, hold on a minute, lets see what happens.

Maybe it is just a case that Claire is scared of the vocals becoming a big issue again (as seen on the documentary Lisa seemed to show it could), or that shes not sure that she wants to get in to that situation again. With H he wants to adapt, and seems very happy in his life in the countryside, with a bit of theater work. If that is the case then why should anyone do something they don't want to.

As for a cash in, could it just be H and Claire wanted to do this to give Steps a proper ending, as they felt bad about the old one, and they only ever saw it as a bit of a goodbye tour.

I see everyone's points and agree with some of them. However I come back to the thought that its a little too early to speak of them in the past tense. This is all coming on rapidly and I dont think its a bad thing to be cautious. After all, they are not even sure how the Tour will be received. Will people not like the changes to that? Will people say, its a nice memory to tuck away but dont do any more? They dont know yet.

I think even Faye has been cautious about proceeding, and I can understand that the band really have to see how this impacts their private lives.

Maybe what they can do is record something on the lead up to the Tour and test the waters with leaking it out and see what the reaction is instead of doing a full blown promotion. I dont think if they dont rush out an announcement right now that they've missed the boat, as I think public interest will spike again right before or right after the Tour. Heck you guys waited (not so patiently) for 10 years whats a few months more?

I think they do have the potential to do new material, and I think now they could formulate a schedule that would take into account separate individual projects if they so choose.

The album sold just over 20,000 last week. Still holding up well

Steps: The Platinum Collection Boxset

Eh? This sounds like a $ony ca$h in.

I'm buying it!

I think they are making a mistake if they decide to record a new studio album. This success they are enjoying right now is due to nostalgia and the impact the Living series had due to the unknown animosity behind the original split.

I dont think there is a place for new Steps music, they belong in the past

Steps 1.0 would belong in the past. However, artists have been known to evolve their music. Compare Madonna's initial efforts to her later ones and its quite different. Compare the Beatles early frothy efforts to their later material.

I think Steps will need to slowly re-educate the public to a new sound if they proceed so people can let go of the past and embrace whatever the new material would be.

One telling thing I noticed rewatching Ep 4 of the Reunion. When they are sitting around the table listening to Dancing Queen Faye says near the end, "I'll be glad when we record new material".

Does anyone have the sales figures so far for TUC?

I guess you forget that the Gold Tour DVD was DUBBED due to audio recording problems? Check the bottom of the DVD case.

Check the back of all the old stuff, you'll find the EBUL logo on the back of them.