Spice Girls Reunion

By: Shannon Gossage

Okay, so the reunion of the Spice Girls took a hit when Mel B, a.k.a. Scary Spice, refused to join the rest of the girls for a reunion earlier this month at the benefit concert Live 8. But now it seems that they are getting together to release a new album. The term "getting together" should be used loosely. Reportedly, the girls could not agree on where to record, so naturally they are recording from different parts of the world. Allegedly, Melanie Chisholm and Emma Bunton are recording in London and Victoria Beckham is reportedly laying down her tracks in Madrid. Geri Halliwell is vacationing in the south of France and will be doing her recording there, while Melanie Brown is doing her part in Los Angeles.

The girls will be marking the tenth anniversary of their hit song Wannabe next year with the release of a greatest hits album that will include a number of new songs. The original plan was to head back into the studio together, but tensions arose when Mel B refused to team up with the girls publicly for their first live performance as a fivesome in almost seven years at Live 8. Said a source, "The girls are in different countries and couldn’t agree on a place to meet. There’s tension after Mel B refused to make a comeback for Live 8, so they agreed to get on with it separately."

The girls exploded onto the scene in 1996 when they released their number one single Wannabe. They enjoyed their success with a number of albums, a movie, and tons of Spice Girls merchandise. They rode the wave of fame until 1998 when the spice known as Ginger (Geri Halliwell) decided to pursue a solo career and left the other spices on their own. Scary (Brown), Baby (Bunton), Posh (Beckham), and Sporty (Chisholm) tried their hand as a quartet, but didn’t achieve the overwhelming success of the original lineup. Who knows if they can recreate the old fervor with the release of their greatest hits album? Considering they can’t even record in the same building together, that seems doubtful.