It was about pop. It was about getting on the front cover of Smash hits. It was about making lots of money... lots of money. It was the 1980`s.
Stock Aitken and Waterman were a force to be reckoned with. a little independent label that punched well above it weight. Modelled on the early Mowtown label style of "you come to us, we`ll make you a star - but we`ll make you over" they could (and did to an extent) take anyone and make them an instant star. Indeed, "produced by Stock Aitken and Waterman" began to appear on the front covers as stickers on some releases - such was the pull. I was young enough to have enjoyed the the production on their records and still be enamoured by the pop package that they so brilliantly sold again and again. Had I been in my 20`s ..or even been around the age of 16 when they were in full throttle, I doubt very much I`d have listened to their glossy pop, let alone bought their 12".... and remixes! .. and you know, they were not always loved, they were actively reviled in some corners and some of those people were people who had worked with them.
In fact, stock and Aitken were as much an employee as Rick Astley or Kylie Minouge .. although they never publicly challenged the view that they were a trio - which would infer some degree of equality amongst the work - Waterman was the boss. He wasn`t actually writing the songs - just the cheques - but got a credit all the same. the other two, lived in the studio ..going from one hit to another.. Pete (who must be noted gave The Specials their break back in the early 80`s) wasn`t behind the control desk, and didn`t want to be, and didn`t have to - he employed these two songwriters to create what we now look back as "The hit factory"
They were the first British production team to successfully merge Electronic Dance/house music and Pop, for the sake of pop - which sounds odd in today’s day and age but, back then, those genres were very, very clearly defined - Curiosity killed the cat were pop, so were Hue and Cry, so were Deacon blue and Wet Wet Wet ... (still the age were boyband actually meant "boys who play in a band - who look nice") Pop and dance music as fusion had been done before, but never so bombastic and plastic ....... and profitable.
This doc takes you from the beginnings ( it started far back in the 80`s than most people imagine) to the end of their reign, just as grunge and gangsta hip hop were coming around the corner....
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