Reach for the Stars: 1996–2006: Fame, Fallout and Pop’s Final Party

by Michael Cragg

Using the arrival of the Spice Girls as a jumping-off point, this fascinating new narrative will explore, celebrate and contextualise the thus-far-uncharted period of British pop that flourished between 1996 and 2006. A double-denim-loving time before the glare of social media and the accession of streaming. The bastions of '00s pop - armed with buoyant, immaculately crafted, carefree anthems - provided entertainment, escapism and fun for millions. It was a heady, chorus-heavy decade - populated by the likes of Steps, S Club 7, Blue, 5ive, Mis-Teeq, Hear'Say, Busted, Girls Aloud, McFly, Craig David and Atomic Kitten, among countless others - yet the music was often dismissed as inauthentic, juvenile, not 'worthy' enough: ultimately, a 'guilty pleasure'. Now, music writer Michael Cragg aims to redress that balance. Using the oral-history format, Cragg goes beneath the surface of the bubblegum exterior, speaking to hundred's of the key players about the reality of their experiences. Compiled from interviews with popstars, songwriters, producers, choreographers, magazine editors, record-company executives, TV moguls and more, this is a complete behind-the-scenes history of the last great movement in British pop - a technicolour turning-point ripe for re-evaluation, documented here in astonishing, honest and eye-opening detail.

Genres: Nonfiction, Music, History, Pop Culture, Cultural, Ebooks, Adult

522 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2023

Reviews

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

reading vlog: https://youtu.be/WtBQWp107Vc

oh i adored this! this is just pure fun and nostaglia, and the interviews with the pop stars + those behind the scenes has been pieced together in such a masterful way! loved it loved it loved it

[Michael Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Foot kickin', finger clickin', leather slapping, hand clappin', hip bumpin', music thumpin', knee hitchin', heel and toe, floor scuffin', leg shufflin', big grinnin', body spinnin', rompin' stompin', pumpin' jumpin', slidin' glidin', here we go. Good book.

[Peter Boyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reach for the Stars takes a delightful look at British pop music from the years 1996 to 2006. It was a more innocent time, before the dawn of the internet - radio, Top of the Pops and magazines like Smash Hits were the main ways teenagers learned about their favourite bands. CD singles sold in vast amounts and reaching the number one position in the weekly charts was still a meaningful and much-coveted achievement.

The book begins with the Spice Girls, who changed everything. Their cheeky attitude and catchy tunes made pop music exciting again. They influenced so many new bands around that time - All Saints were seen as edgier version, whereas Five were imagined as a male equivalent. But we also hear from other groups that didn't make quite the same impression - the likes of A1 and Girl Thing. It's fascinating to hear them discuss their reasons for not quite succeeding.

It's told in an oral history format, which makes it a pacy and gossipy read. We hear directly from many of the stars and they're not afraid to hold back. The members of Five talk openly about how much they disliked one another. S Club 7 and the Sugababes tell us about their grueling schedule, which didn't stop them partying and turning up to Saturday morning TV shows still drunk from the night before. The Spice Girls talk fondly about the house they all shared before they made it, assigning Victoria bathroom cleaning duty and taking care of Emma who was living away from home for the first time.

However, I'm also wondering if the oral history structure holds it back a bit, because the analysis Cragg provides at the start of each chapter is so astute and hilarious. I would have happily devoured more of that. Nevertheless this is a fun and hugely entertaining read - an essential tome for the discerning pop music fan.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up

[Lydia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super interesting - obviously it appeals to me as this is bang on my era of pop, and it's such an broad collection of reminiscences, both good and bad. The oral history format has both its benefits and limitations: without so much (obvious) editorialising, it feels like you're getting as close as possible to "how it really was" and it's very interesting to have different perspectives presented side by side, with the truth probably somewhere in the middle. However, it does also mean it occasionally feels like its repeating the same beats, and like some avenues go unexplored, particularly when it comes to the darker side of the popstar's journey (for more on that, highly recommend the documentary "Boybands Forever" which is a lot more stark in how shit it all was). The last section on the X Factor also feels like it should be its own book, really, but I appreciate that was not what Cragg was focused on here! Hopefully someone else writes that one.

A fascinating read, anyway, and it has me listening back to all sorts of bangers from this era, both old favourites and ones I'd totally forgotten (Run for Cover by Sugababes anyone??).

[Bethan Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Completely nostalgic and feeding my special interest, Reach for the Stars covers pop music from basically when I can remember being alive until I turned about 16 and going out and getting obliterated became my special interest instead. It took me a while to get used to the way it was written, but absolutely loved the direct insights from some of my favourite pop stars and the trip down memory lane. 9/10 but in Goodreads terms, 4 stars! ❤️💙💛🩷💚

[Heather O'Donohoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book felt like it was written specifically for me, it was like having a conversation with a friend. It also answered so many questions I had forgotten I even had from this era. Well written and researched and overall a joy to read.

[S.J. Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is easily the best book I've ever read, and I've read Moby Dick, Great Expectations, AND Anna Karenina. This one beats them all.

In this witty and knowing book, the author shows off their intimate and deep knowledge of late 90s and early 2000s pop, taking us behind the scenes to show the machinery of management, music production, and publicity. It covers the period from the late 90s (Spice Girls, Steps) and goes all the way up to around 2006, when the Pop Stars / Pop Idol / X Factor behemoth was starting to take all of the joy and unpredictability out of the whole genre.

It traces the rise and fall of boybands, the commercialisation of UK Garage, the formation of bands like Busted and McFly, and there's also a chapter on Girls Aloud. The book also talks about some of the racist and homophobic experiences, and horrific treatment at the hands of the UK tabloid press, that many of the musicians/singers experienced.

As a big Girls Aloud fan there was some stuff I already knew about the band, but in reading this I learned a lot more about how intertwined the group were with their producers/writers Xenomania, and how much the group had to take control of their own management in the early days.

There's lots of juicy stuff in here, including who nearly made it into which band; how some of the bands ended up splitting, and there's a complete and incredibly fascinating history of the Sugababes and all their line-up changes; and the hilarious chapter on Steps, mostly taken from interviews given by H and Claire of Steps, is worth the cover price alone. If you like pop gossip, and let's face it who doesn't, you will love this book.

Overall it's a great read for somebody who is/was a fan of pop of that era, and even if you weren't, it's a fascinating look at how the pop industry worked at that time, and is an immersive and knowledgeable read about how the pop-sausage used to get made. Bravo Michael Cragg!

[Karis Gorst · Rating 4 out of 5]

if you grew up in the late 90s and early 2000s and are into pop music then is an ESSENTIAL read. i really loved hearing all the behind the scenes of the music industry from the artists themselves, to the record labels, the songwriters and the media.

my favourite chapters were were the ones about the spice girls, s club 7, girls aloud, and the 'boyzone to busted' one.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting and informative. A fascinating look at what was going on behind the scenes from the people that were there, delivering these massive moments of my youth.

My criticism would be the format. It’s lovely that it is almost completely interview based, so you hear the stories first hand, but at the same time it can make it confusing and lacking in context. Some of the interviews clearly happened in small groups, as people respond directly to what has been said. You would then often have another comments interjected from someone else, sometimes from an interview taken years before, and the result can be a bit jarring or at worst confusing. In other cases, there is a bit too much assumed knowledge. I loved pop in the late 90s/early 00’s but can’t remember everything. Did you know that Pete Waterman left the stage when Michelle McManus won Pop Idol? I didn’t. I’m even pretty sure I watched her win live on TV (she got confetti in her mouth but carried on like a pro). But it was mentioned as a throw away line by Pete himself, with no context to explain what had happened so I had to Google it myself to understand what he was trying to say. It would have been a better reading experience to not have to do that and help the book “age” better for those who definitely weren’t old enough to remember these events first hand. Also, far too much use of “AKA”, esp when that acronym was actually applied incorrectly…

But that is where my criticism ends. Utter genius to have an index of everyone - and at the beginning! - to refer back to. I had no idea the impact of 9/11 on bands like five, how the music industry “works” and actually just how outstanding and amazing some of the performers were. I’m not a music expert, but I will be looking at people like Mutya (Sugababes) and Tom Fletcher (McFly) plus many others with a new found respect having read how their talents are respected so much by professionals in their field. A great read if you loved this era of music.

[Enric Zapatero · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exciting, emotional and a trip down memory lane full of 90s and 00s nostalgia. As a gay Spanish kid who lived and breathed for the UK pop scene, this brings back so many memories and completes the whole picture with an insight look into an industry full of too many dark moments. It's bitersweet to get into the hardest moments of our favourite popstars, but also refreshing to hear the stories from their own voices. And this books reveals the final and only truth about Geri and the car and Some Girls!!!

Tonight I will hold my Girls Aloud Singles Box Set, my Spice memorabilia, my Singstar game including Superstar by Jamelia and feel so happy to have lived such an important time in the history of pop culture. Thank you, Michael!

[Hayley · Rating 3 out of 5]

4 stars for enjoyment, 3 stars for the depth.
I really enjoyed the oral history format but it did feel like some passages were rushed through.
It gave me some nostalgia for the 90s whilst also highlighting how toxic the working culture was for these groups and how rampant homophobia was.

[Judith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love oral history books, and even though the bands/music in this aren't my thing, I still really enjoyed reading it and it was really interesting.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book!! Took me a second to get into it as I already knew all the spice girls stuff but as soon as I got into the next chunk of the book I was hooked. 1996 to 2006 was my childhood and I remembered the vast majority of everything mentioned in this book, but the extra details made it so so interesting! The X Factor chunk made me feel a bit sick, along with a few other moments mentioned; the music industry needs to sort itself out, but I have a feeling it’s still just as bad as it was then!

Read this if you loved/love the Spice Girls, Five, S Club 7, Sugababes, Busted, McFly, Girls Aloud and you remember who Shayne Ward is 🤣♥️

[Sarah AF · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh the long, lonely nights watching the slow, slow edging up the reservation queue for the ONE copy of this book that Lancashire Libraries has in stock...

1996-2006 was *my* era of pop. The songs that I go back to when I need a boost, the songs that are attached to so many childhood memories, the songs that are, frankly, absolutely bops and I felt all those feelings shine through in Cragg's exploration of the era. Told through interviews with those at the heart of the pop industry, both the pureness of the joy and enthusiam at being caught up in that world but also the brutalness of the schedule and urgency for success came across so well. Pop's burnout, a fate which was so closely entwined with that of Woolworths, came as the well-oiled machine of the pop industry stalled in the face of the digital age.

More than that though, it dug right into some really thoughtful aspects when it comes to the treatment of pop; the inherent sexism and homophobia that is attached to the critical snobbery when it comes to music genres that predominantly appeal to women and gay men.

While the book did gloss over some of the deeper dives into reasons for bands splitting and members leaving, this is an absolute must read for anybody who lived this era of music because, frankly, we all need to know that Geri Halliwell locked herself in a car after being informed she wasn't getting to record "Some Girls" (bop).

[jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Boyzone were going to bring you flowers and Five were going to fuck you down the side alley."


truly the peak of British pop music

[Donna Scott · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was looking forward to reading for non-fiction November, especially after seeing it recommended so heartily on The Wheel.

In many ways the writing style reminded me of the journalistic quirkiness of my once beloved Smash Hits, the way Matt Cardle is described as a "sensible hat-botherer", for example. This was in the only chapter that Cragg allowed himself to dominate the narration. He is to be commended on giving the vast majority of the book over to the voices of the pop stars themselves, particularly as many of them were from tightly managed and controlled singing groups, and not allowed to air thoughts, ideas, romantic relationship details or their sexuality for fear of alienating their child or childish fans.

The style of the book is very reminiscent of a Channel 5 Talking Heads documentary. Most chapters are dedicated to a single pop group and its members' experiences of fame, with a few exceptions, rather than a chronological examination of the cultural drivers in pop over the decade under examination.

Cragg has taken interviews with key players and spliced them into sections of dialogue in a way that flows in the same manner as a filmed documentary. The journalism is therefore minimal, but also cleverly subtle in a way. The pop stars could all be sat in a circle in a church hall, taking turns to share the stories of their pain for all we know. Siobhan from the Sugarbabes will make one statement, then Keisha from the Sugarbabes will make another statement, and then their producer will remember the same event from a slightly different perspective: this is the only type of challenge really allowed to the interview format as written; Cragg pretty much stays out of it.

Whilst this leads to a blocky magazine -format style of paragraph that's easy to read, it also belies the cut-and-shut style of editing that you can spot if you look close enough. Occasionally there will be a paragraph that should have followed what Siobhan said a few pages ago, not what Keisha just in the last paragraph. Other people's memories and dialogue are the only things Cragg utilizes to confirm or contradict a contributor's statements.

There appears to be no fact-checking of dates or deeper analysis into certain phenomenon, case in point, Belle and Sebastian's BRIT awards win. It seems the real scandal was that they won at all. A bit of misremembering here, and a bit of omission there... it wasn't exactly B&S's fan base that was galvanised to vote for them, but basically students. People who were old enough to have access to an internet-connected PC were more likely to vote for the Scottish underdog. Two years later, when I had a computer of my own, I had a shortcut on my PC to vote for Darius Danesh, same thing. But the vote didn't materialize out of thin air - B&S were a choice! Honestly, I think Steps are great for what they do, but they come across very sour in this section. I get the impression Cragg agrees with: "Who the **** are Belle & Sebastian?"

Oh and apparently "5,6,7,8 [...] would have been number one were it not for those pesky Welsh polemicists Manic Street Preachers and their snappily titled 'If You Tolerate This Then Your Children Will Be Next'," says Cragg. Yeah, maybe don't say, in one of your very few narrative paragraphs, that you think a song about how fascism is a bad thing might somehow split opinion...No, it's not what you meant, but what are words but monuments put from pen to paper?

There is also a sloppiness when it comes to writing about prejudice and language. I'm glad the discussion about 'what is urban' is there, but "authentic" either implies 'writes own songs' or 'comes across as working class' - sometimes used by people who write their own songs, to talk about other songwriters (who live in Kentish Town!).

And that's my biggest beef with this book. I learned perspectives but not necessarily the context: historical, cultural, or political. The only mention of Tony Blair was when members of Boyzone recalled meeting him. But also you have arguments like "The internet - which had tried to kill off the music industry altogether via illegal file-sharing sites such as Napster - was opening up a new avenue for beleaguered A&Rs". So, the internet is sentient? I knew it! Plus apart from some of Cragg's own previously published articles in The Guardian, there are no other references. The book is probably 95% interview, but at least I can be honest and say I have not fact-checked that statistic.

I did quite enjoy Reach For the Stars, but as my musical tastes are quite wide, I didn't appreciate the snark towards non-frothy pop. And in terms of a cultural analysis, it reached for the stars, but didn't quite get there.

[Carolyn Drake · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fizzingly entertaining look at the last two decades of the pop era when telly appearances and chart positions were make or break, when gossip in the tabloids fuelled sales, and before social media and streaming changed everything. Michael Cragg's intros and inserts are sharp and entertaining - particularly his shorthand descriptions of bands (Westlife are 'stool-botherers', for example), and although the aural history format gives the book a real sense of getting the story straight from the bands' mouths, I would have been even happier with more of Michael. He unashamedly loves pop, without any of that 'guilty pleasures' nonsense, and that's why his witty side-eyes are funny and not cruel. He doesn't shy away from including some of the hair-raising lack of care given to some of the shockingly young stars, so there is a gritty undercurrent to the enjoyable froth.

[Rachel Lewis · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can see everyone else loves the oral history format of this and I respect that but it doesn’t suit me. I found it distracting and reminiscent of those Netflix-type talking head documentaries that have ten people saying the same thing over and over for an episode.

The concept and history I love, but the execution made it difficult for me personally to follow.

[Amiee Alanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pure pop nostalgia! I grew up right in the middle of this account of 90s and 00s pop from the Spice Girls all the way through to The X Factor. It was wonderful relieving my youth (although I feel very old now) and finding out the true stories behind the imposed smiles of my favourite bands. Really engaging and informative! Loved it.

[Aimee Willyeo · Rating 3 out of 5]

At the time most of these popstars were around i was so young and just loved the music and all the videos but after reading this you realise how mistreated quite a lot of them were. It was interesting reading how the industry worked for different artists. My only negative is that I do feel it could have been a few pages less

[Chris Best · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely brilliant collection of first hand accounts of an amazing era of pop music. It covers so much ground but also feels like it only scratched the surface as well. It leans into the nostalgia, but doesn't trade off it. The interviews themselves tell the stories excellently - even if some of the back up material occasionally gets things slightly wrong (Ant and Dec actually left CD:UK a full half decade prior to it being canned by ITV - everyone knows that!!!!)

It's an unashamed celebration. Don't you dare call any of these bands - or this book itself - a guilty pleasure.

[Sarah Williamson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this! Right up my street! Loads of gossip but also really interesting facts and stories told in a humorous way but doesn’t take the piss out of those artists. Have also just watched the bbc boyband programme and all these artists were just used and thrown away.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent read but if I read “AKA” one more time I might scream.

[coolboi3000 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fun and nostalgic. Loved the bits about sugababes n girls aloud x x

[Carole · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a delicious trip down memory lane! Any millennial who likes pop needs to get this book! I loved it so much and made a great playlist from all the songs mentioned!

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Man I miss Smash Hits

[Dom Hewett · Rating 5 out of 5]

louis walsh greatest anime villain of all time

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting enough from a how-the-sausage-gets-made perspective. It’s a useful peek into a part of the music industry that is pretty much gone, one where a few Svengalis and workshops full of writers with a magic touch could take adolescents, work them ragged, and be guaranteed success. The appeal of pop is that it’s aspirational: Stars are regular people, only better. Girls and boys next door with permanent smiles, people who are simultaneous familiar and untouchable. Everything they do is stage-managed and they’re probably on the verge of a nervous breakdown, but they project an image of carefree ease that makes people think anything is achievable. It’s interesting to hear from a lot of those same people long after they’ve fallen to earth, to hear their perspective from the other side. Of course there’s a “survivorship bias” because only some of the members of the big groups spoke to the author, but as you’d expect, this was a world in which certain industry veterans and executives did very well for themselves on the backs of young people being put through the tabloid wringer, and where girls in particular had to grow up very fast.

The part I found most interesting, even though for the life of me I couldn’t name a single song by the group, was about Hear’say - the first group formed off a TV show, before Pop Idol and X Factor, they rose fast and they fell hard, and the public schadenfreude was real. Myleene Klass fortunately came out the other side with a solid career, and her comments here show that she has a wise head on her shoulders. I think what we forget with all these young people who live their lives in public is that their time in the spotlight is engineered to be short, yet their fame leaves a long trail, so that even if they’re past it by age 25, they’ll still be tabloid fodder in their 40s. And that’s horrifying. Imagine paying for the rest of your life for a few years of success, never able to leave behind who you were in adolescence. The lucky ones diversify their skills and find new careers. The unlucky ones, like the late Paul Cattermole of S Club 7, become pitiable. And somewhere in the middle is the nostalgia circuit. While I’m sure that Girls Aloud are financially set for life, many others saw far less, even though they made some executives extremely rich.

Decent enough. But…I am done with these “oral history” formats. Thinking of the Factory Records book, I’m afraid it just lends itself too easily to a kind of laziness and lack of critical engagement with the subject matter. The author’s insights, when he gave them, were good, but the odd paragraph here and there doesn’t suffice. I think it would have been a more interesting book if he had taken a straightforward approach and incorporated quotes into a narrative. Also: There’s just a little too much obsequiousness for my liking, a bit too much of a tendency to call every person a legend and every output brilliant, but perhaps I’ve missed the point and I’m not the target market because other than really liking the Spice Girls at age 12 and having a soft spot for some Girls Aloud songs, I wasn’t that into pop, I wasn’t a fawning fan. Because all the subjects are speaking for themselves without the filter of the author, there isn’t enough distance to critically evaluate a lot of what they’re saying, and that’s disappointing.

[Felicity Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gossipy oral chronology of the best years of pop - loved it