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DPY's Hot Spot - Stock, Aitken, Waterman / PWL Picks - #1

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Stock, Aitken, Waterman / PWL Picks - #1

So these past 7-8 months, I've been listening to a ton of SAW-produced songs, and I really have been enjoying a lot of them. And since there's just so many songs produced by them and on the PWL label, I just felt like sharing and discussing some of my favorites. For those who don't know who SAW is, they are a trio by the names of Mike Stock, Matt Aitken, and Pete Waterman, who have written and produced countless Top 40 hits in the UK, especially in the Late 80's. Some of their most famous songs include Dead or Alive's You Spin Me Round (Like A Record), Rick Astley's Never Gonna Give You Up, and Bananarama's cover of Venus. With so many hit songs, most people referred to them as "The Hit Factory".

With their own "upbeat, pumping music" they've produced for most of their artists, they were also known for helping create the "at the time" music genre, Hi-NRG, which would later influence what is now House and Trance. PWL was the record label where SAW would release most of their music on. Some of PWL's producers also included Mixmasters Pete Hammond, Phil Harding, and Ian Curnow.

So to start off with the creation of my first blog, I decided to pick what I think are my Top 3 most personal favorite SAW songs:

Lonnie Gordon - Happenin' All Over Again (1990)


Unlike a lot of SAW artists who came from the UK, Lonnie Gordon was actually raised in New York. Growing up, she already had some success as a lead singer for a number of bands in the U.S., which eventually lead her to working with Supreme Records. In Late 1989, SAW has originally written the song Happenin' All Over Again for Donna Summer, but after a falling out, Lonnie was offered it instead. In 1990, the song peaked at #4 in the UK, and was a HUGE hit all across Europe. The song was later released in the U.S. with a more "House-like" beat to it in 1993. The '93 version would also top the U.S. Dance chart.

Donna Summer - Love's About To Change My Heart (1989)


Most people should know who Donna Summer is. I mean, she was the "Queen of Disco" after all! And working with Giorgio Moroder to create one of the most popular songs of the 70's ever, I Feel Love. A lot of her songs in the Mid 80's, however, weren't quite as big as she did throughout the 70's and the Early 80's. Looking for some extra help, Geffen Records originally contacted the SAW team to collaborate with Donna for a new album, Another Place and Time, in which SAW themselves has stated that it was one of their favorite albums they have ever worked on. However, when Geffen decided to not release the album on their label, the SAW team went up to Warner Bros. Records instead. The first single, This Time I Know It's For Real, was a massive hit in several countries. However, as catchy as that song is, I actually happen to like Love's About To Change My Heart more. It was the 2nd single from Another Place and Time that while it did end up on a few charts, it didn't meet up there with the huge success that This Time I Know It's For Real had. Despite this, the song was a favorite among many of Donna's fans, and is considered her most "powerful" song on the entire Another Place and Time album.

Haywoode - Getting Closer (1985)


Sidney Haywoode is widely known for being one of SAW's earliest successes, however she already had a few Disco hits that reached the charts before then. In 1985, CBS would release Haywoode's first (and only album until 2011, but she had worked some singles until the very Late 80's), Arrival, which contained the 2 SAW-produced songs, Getting Closer and You'd Better Not Fool Around, which sound vastly different than the style SAW would stick with years later. Both songs were club hits, however, the single Roses ended up being her most popular song, peaking at #11 in the UK. Getting Closer would have to be my favorite of the 2 SAW tracks. I feel like it really stands out the most from her Arrival album and it would just stay in your head forever, no matter how hard you try to forget about it.

Well that's about it for today. If a number of people happen to like my first blog post and would like for me to showcase some more SAW/PWL songs, then I would be more than happy to make another entry.

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