Aug 2003 Short Richard Carpenter Article Mention

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

I found this on the BBC website.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/totp/news/2003/08/26/6481.shtml?_s_club

Who is S Club anyway? Wonder what this new batch of songs were?

If you can't get there here is the article:

Reach For The States

It's all very well taking the Lisa Scott Lee 'celebrity boyf and saucy lads mag shots' route to creating a name for yourself once your multi-million-selling pop band goes pop (you reading this, Rachel Stevens?), but some performers have that bit more class.

Rachel's former bandmate Jo O'Meara has set her sights on making her mark on the most lucrative pop market in the world, America, and she's got some fairly influential mates to help her along.

There's S Club's former manager Simon Fuller for starters, but you could have guessed that he'd be along for the ride. No, the big news is that Richard Carpenter, songwriting genius behind '70s brother-sister easy-listening duo the Carpenters has decided that Jo's impressive tonsils are the perfect vehicle for a batch of new songs he's been working on.

A member of Simon's team at 19 Management told the Sun: "She was stunned to find out Richard Carpenter wanted to work with her - she's a massive fan and it was a huge ego boost. And working with Richard could really help Jo crack America...It would mean staying in the US for long periods but that hasn't put her off one bit."

Attagirl, Jo. We always knew you had it in you!




26/08/2003

 

[newvillefan]

Hi there

S Club are a pop band from the UK, mostly manufactured bubblegum stuff but irresistible if you like bright shimmering harmonies and catchy hooks (count me in!)

They were S Club 7 to begin with, but band member Paul Cattermole left last year and the group disbanded shortly afterwards. People shouldn't underestimate their track record though, they have had a string of UK top 5s and a few number ones - personally I think they're great!

Jo O'Meara was the lead singer in the band - she has a strong singing voice, a bit 'reedy' at times but by far the best talent in the band. Towards the end of the group's shelf life, Jo backed out of all the choreography while on tour (amazing live!), due to back problems

but I digress!

They also made a number of TV shows, including LA7, Hollywood 7, which were basically a vehicle for the songs, and these have been exported to other countries including the US. Apparently, the story goes that Richard's kids watched these on TV and Richard, having heard Jo's voice, thought she would be perfect for a number of songs he's been working on.

So there you go - I hope this fills in some of the gaps for you!

Stephen

 

[Harry]

Our previous discussion of this can be found here.

Harry
...awaiting more news about this, online...

 

[PJ]

Latest update is that Richard is currently in the studio with Jo O' Meara in LA recording several new tracks

Jo has a strong voice and with good songs , arrangements & production should be able to move away from previous predominant teen appeal to wider audience .....

Universal UK are planning debut single in January / February 2004 and ideally Album for Spring 2004 if production work goes to current plans

Will keep a look out for updates -especially with Richard recordings etc

Peter