The Spice Girls have released a £277 anniversary box set called The Singles Collection, but fans have complained that its 14 CDs are padded out with dozens of remixes rather than the reunion many had hoped for.
The group announced the collection on Thursday, 24 hours after teasing that a major announcement was coming, saying it marks 30 years since the release of their debut single Wannabe.
Box set prices and format
The Singles Collection has been billed as the first-ever complete collection of all the group's singles, including B-sides and previously unreleased recordings. Several versions are available for pre-order, with the most expensive being a £277.99 bundle containing 14 seven-inch vinyls, a 14 CD pack, a poster and stickers. The cheapest option is a £94.99 CD-only box set.
Victoria Beckham, Mel B, Geri Halliwell, Emma Bunton and Mel C had promised the collection would include "a few surprises from the vault." But the tracklisting shows the 14 CDs are largely filled with multiple remixes of the same hits.
Tracklisting revealed
CD one contains 13 versions of Wannabe, including karaoke and instrumental editions and one without Mel B's famous rap. The only other track on the disc is the single's original B-side, Bumper to Bumper.
CD two follows the same pattern, with 12 remixes of the group's second single, Say You'll Be There, alongside its B-side, Take Me Home. CD 13 adds further club remixes of Wannabe, while CD 14 contains demos of the band's hits, four of which have never been released before.
One of the lesser-known B-sides in the collection is Spice Invaders, a companion track to Spice Up Your Life featuring the five members talking over a backing track. According to the story behind it, songwriters Paul Wilson and Andy Watkins were scrambling to finish a B-side for the lead single from the group's second album. With time running out, their label, Virgin, told them to just make something, so microphones were placed in front of the group and they were told to talk about anything they liked. Wilson then added what he called a "hideous bubblegum" backing track to complete the B-side.
Fan reaction
Despite voicing disappointment at the announcement on Thursday, fans sold out three of the collections in less than 24 hours, including the £277 set. Many had been hoping for a reunion tour announcement when the group first teased the news on Wednesday.
One fan commented on the group's Instagram post: "I'll tell you what I want! What I really really want.....A TOUR WITH ALL 5!!!" Another wrote: "We want a tour. Nothing else but that," while another said simply: "What a waste of excitement."
Another begged: "Guys we want two things- Spice World on streaming platforms and a tour with the full line-up. Please make it happen," and one quipped: "I hear the millennial sign of devastation from across the world."
Reunion tour scrapped
All five members have repeatedly spoken about wanting to mark the 30th anniversary somehow. In March, plans for a Spice Girls 30th Anniversary tour were axed after the group failed to agree on details for a comeback, despite all five having been in talks over a series of concerts. It was later reported the group could not reach an agreement, and the plans were scrapped.
Weeks earlier, a Netflix project to mark the anniversary had also been cancelled, with sources claiming Geri Halliwell in particular had been reluctant to commit. Mel C confirmed there was no reunion in the works, telling The Smallzy Show on KIIS Radio: "No, there is no reunion. We are communicating all the time. We want to do something, who knows when. But I still feel very optimistic and I keep my fingers crossed that you will see the Spice Girls together at some point in the future."
In April, it was reported that Geri had reconnected with the band's former manager, Simon Fuller, and flew to Miami to try to agree a deal. In February, Victoria Beckham rejoined the group on Instagram for a singalong at her London home, marking 30 years since the band first formed and coming amid a family fallout with her eldest son, Brooklyn.
Mel C appeared on Good Morning America in November to promote her ninth album, Sweat, and was asked whether the Spice Girls would reunite. Crossing her fingers, she said: "I remain optimistic. It's our thirtieth anniversary next year. We toured in 2019, we did a few stadium shows in the UK and it was incredible. We're just so proud of the legacy that we have and we have fans now from new generations who are just loving the Spice Girls so I would like to get back on stage with the girls. We're talking and we're seeing what opportunities are out there. The thing that stops us is we feel so precious about it, we want to make sure it's the right thing and agree on the right thing."
Victoria has previously said she would not rejoin the band, insisting her fashion career is her focus and that being in the Spice Girls was just four years of her life. Speaking to Andy Cohen on Sirius XM in October, she said: "Before I was in the Spice Girls, I was so self-conscious, and they made me feel that I was good enough. But being on stage, I realised as fun as it is, it's not ultimately what I want to do anymore. I don't know if I could even still sing. I mean, I was never that great. It would be tempting. But could I take on a world tour? No I can't. I have a job."
