A Journey Through Stock Aitken Waterman Chart Beats

To mark the third anniversary of A Journey Through Stock Aitken Waterman, former PWL remixer Tony King joins us to share his story of going from Phil Harding's assistant to being responsible for a Billboard Hot 100 smash hit thanks to his remix of "Don't Make Me Over" by Sybil. Tony recounts the "weird" way he landed a job at PWL and how his first task was to remix "Packjammed (With The Party Posse)" by Stock Aitken Waterman — in a matter of hours. He also talks about some of his early remixes on tracks by Kylie Minogue and The Reynolds Girls. We follow Tony's journey into the '90s and how crucial his partnership with Asha Elfenbein was to the development of his remix ability. He also weighs in on the changes at PWL in the '90s, including the departure of Matt Aitken and the proliferation of dance sub-labels and European licensing deals.
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The Boy Krazy story is one of the most interesting — and complicated! — in the SAW history. The American girl group was put together through auditions in New York, going through a few line-up changes before the final five-piece, Johnna, Josselyne, Kimberly, Renee and Ruth Ann, signed a deal with PWL Records and flew to London to start recording with Stock Aitken Waterman. Kimberly and Josselyne join us to reminisce about that process and how debut single "That's What Love Can Do" came together. Released in mid-1991 in the UK, it unfortunately didn't connect with the British public, but over a year later, it started picking up steam in the US when a Denver, Colorado radio station put it on high rotation. By 1993, it became one of SAW's biggest hits on the Billboard Hot 100. Kimberly and Josselyne talk us through the highs and lows of that process. And thanks to Mario at Cheer Up (@cheeruppopparty), we're also able to share some of an interview with Johnna, who performed lead vocals on "That's What Love Can Do". Great song, great story!
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It had to happen at some point. In May 1991, the Stock Aitken Waterman era ended when Matt Aitken walked away from his role as one third of the songwriting and production trio. In this episode, he explains what prompted his decision and we explore the changing nature of PWL at the time, which was a contributing factor in the split. Mike Stock also weighs in on Matt's departure and reveals whether he blames his musical partner for leaving. In terms of the music, we look at one of the most polarising singles in the SAW catalogue — and one which was among the last things Matt worked on. The latest Neighbours stars to come to the Hit Factory, Gayle and Gillian Blakeney (aka The Twins) were hoping to follow other SAW stars up the chart, but "All Mixed Up" was a commercial disappointment. It also divides fans like almost no other track. We follow the sisters' story from their early appearances on Australian TV to their deal with Mushroom Records and discuss why their SAW experience wasn't so great and why their single provokes such strong reactions. Plus, we take a quick look at the 1991 remix of "Roadblock", which featured in-demand rapper Einstein.
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The fourth in arguably the best singles run in pop music history was also a first for Stock Aitken Waterman, as external mix team DNA took care of the 7" remix of "Shocked" by Kylie Minogue, Neal Slateford from DNA tells us how the unprecedented remix came about following the runaway success of his and production partner Nick Batt's reinvention of Suzanne Vega's "Tom's Diner". A key component of the "Shocked" remix was the rap by Jazzi P, who also joins us to talk about the triumphs and trials she faced as a female hip-hop artist and how her contribution to the Kylie track came about. We also hear from the song's writers and producers Mike Stock and Matt Aitken, engineer Pete Day and PWL mix team Phil Harding & Ian Curnow about their involvement with "Shocked". Returning guests David Thomas and David Hogan talk us through the styling and music video for the single — and we sum up the importance of the Rhythm Of Love era in Kylie's career.
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She was our very first interviewee back in Episode 1 — and we finally reach the conclusion of Hazell Dean's Stock Aitken Waterman journey with her version of "Better Off Without You", which was released in 1991. The Queen of Hi-NRG joins us once again to discuss recording a song previously cut by Lonnie Gordon and her thoughts about the SAW sound struggling in the early '90s. Girl group Delage were also finding it hard to land a hit with original SAW tune "Running Back For More" missing the mark. Karina and Emma from the group return to chat about the track and Delage's metamorphosis into Eden once they left the Hit Factory. Pat Sharp and Mick Brown also pop in to talk about their 1991 charity cover, "Gimme Some", and we hear from Jason Donovan, Mike Stock and Sharon McPhilemy about "R.S.V.P." — the song that gave Jason's sound and image a makeover. We also look at his first foray into musical theatre and the ramifications of that on his working relationship with SAW.
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While "What Do I Have To Do" by Kylie Minogue stands on its own two feet as a song, the impact of the single was increased greatly due to the striking imagery on display on the single cover and in the music video. Celebrity stylist David Thomas takes us right back to the early years of his career and tells the story of how he was hired to style the video. His desire to take Kylie into a much more fashionable direction was something she was right on board with and their collaboration produced some of the most iconic visual images of her career. Video director David Hogan, who also joins us on the podcast, delivered an edgy, stylish, exciting music video that remains a fan favourite — and he recalls how it came together and some of the challenges posed by particular scenes. Responsible for the phrase "SexKylie" being coined, the video for "What Do I Have To Do" was a huge step in Kylie's career that further proved how in control of her image she now was. 
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