A Journey Through Stock Aitken Waterman
Hosts Gavin Scott (from Chart Beats: A Journey Through Pop) and Matthew Denby work their way through all the singles produced by Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman (SAW), starting in 1984 with "The Upstroke" by Agents Aren't Aeroplanes and taking in hits by Dead Or Alive, Hazell Dean, Bananarama, Princess, Mel & Kim, Rick Astley, Kylie Minogue, Sinitta, Jason Donovan, Divine, Sonia and more, as well as lesser known chart misses. Bonus interviews and discussion: chartbeats.com.au/saw (Theme music: Switch Me On by Shane Ivers at www.silvermansound.com)
- Update frequency
- every 12 days
- Average duration
- 51 minutes
- Episodes
- 90
- Years Active
- 2021 - 2025
Ep 66: What Do I Have To Do Part 2: the styling and video
While "What Do I Have To Do" by Kylie Minogue stands on its own two feet as a song, the impact of the single was increased greatly due to the striking imagery on display on the single cover and in th…
Ep 65: What Do I Have To Do Part 1: the song and mixes
In 1991, it was another bold step forward for Kylie Minogue, and in the decades since, "What Do I Have To Do" has cemented its place among fans' all-time favourites from her extensive back catalogue…
BONUS: Promoting PWL — Sharp End's Ron McCreight on Kylie, Jason, Sinitta, The Reynolds Girls and more
You can have the best single in the world, but there's little chance of it being a hit if no one hears it. That's where pluggers come in — taking songs to radio and convincing programmers to playlist…
SNEAK PEEK: Kylie by Kylie Minogue and Youthquake by Dead Or Alive track-by-track previews
Check out previews of two of our most popular bonus track-by-track episodes. Gavin and Matt discuss Kylie, the debut album by Kylie Minogue, and, with special guest Barry Stone, talk about the first …
Ep 64: If I Have To Stand Alone to Breakaway
What a tumultuous year 1990 had been for the Hit Factory — and the final four singles produced by Stock Aitken Waterman that year certainly highlight that. What should have been Lonnie Gordon's secon…
Ep 63: Step Back In Time (and Rhythm Of Love)
After the big creative risk that was previous single and video "Better The Devil You Know", Kylie Minogue and Stock Aitken Waterman went for something more playful with follow-up "Step Back In Time".…
Ep 62: Wow Wow Na Na to Make It Easy On Me
Although she had been signed to PWL in the UK for a while and scored a couple of hits with remakes of "Don't Make Me Over" and "Walk On By", Sybil went into the studio with Stock Aitken Waterman in 1…
Ep 61: Hey There Lonely Girl to Rhythm Of The Rain
Although they'd achieved some hits with ballads that they had produced, Stock Aitken Waterman were better known for their uptempo pop/dance tracks, but in mid-1990, four ballads in a row emerged from…
Ep 60: One Thing Leads To Another to Another Night
When they came to work with Stock Aitken Waterman, pop act Yell! had one top 10 hit under their belt already — a remake of Dan Hartman's "Instant Replay". Signed to Simon Cowell's Fanfare label, the …
Ep 59: One Love One World to You've Got A Friend
They'd been on the verge of breaking through for a couple of years, and sisters Romi & Jazz had their hopes up when their record label paired them with Stock Aitken Waterman for their latest single i…
Ep 58: Better The Devil You Know Part 2: the video and legacy
As great a song as it is, "Better The Devil You Know" would not have been anywhere near as impactful as it was without its accompanying music video. A landmark in Kylie Minogue's career, the video tr…
Ep 57: Better The Devil You Know Part 1: the song
After two very successful albums at PWL, but little in the way of artistic control, Kylie Minogue was ready for a change. And in this first part of a two-part special looking at landmark release "Bet…
Ep 56: Hang On To Your Love (and the journey so far) with Jason Donovan
His journey with Stock Aitken Waterman was one of the most successful, with multiple UK number 1 hits and the highest-selling album in Britain in 1989. And now, Jason Donovan joins the podcast to tal…
Ep 55: We Should Be Dancing to Use It Up And Wear It Out
Her time at PWL might not have yielded any hits, but the short-lived pop career of Japanese singer Kakko is the stuff of legend. We take a deep dive into the story behind her debut single, "We Should…
Ep 54: Happenin' All Over Again
New year. New artist. New hit. Stock Aitken Waterman's hit streak continued in 1990 with the breakthrough single for American club artist Lonnie Gordon, who had relocated to the UK in the 1980s and m…
Ep 53: Tears On My Pillow (and We Know The Meaning Of Love)
Any fears that the public had tired of Stock Aitken Waterman were dismissed as 1990 got underway and the latest single by Kylie Minogue became the next UK chart-topper for the trio. Taken from the so…
BONUS: Yoyo on the '80s: Kylie Minogue, Mel & Kim, Dead Or Alive, Rick Astley, Bananarama and more
The name Yoyo is well known to Stock Aitken Waterman fans, appearing on the back covers of dozens of hit singles and albums. The long-time PWL engineer was an integral part of the team from May 1986 …
Ep 52: Listen To Your Heart to Do They Know It's Christmas?
And so our journey reaches the end of the '80s and the conclusion of Stock Aitken Waterman's most commercially successful year. The final three singles released in 1989 were all top 10 hits, includin…
Ep 51: Never Too Late to When Love Takes Over You
Kylie Minogue. Big Fun. Donna Summer. The last time we encountered these three artists, things were going swimmingly for each of them. In the case of Kylie, she had just racked up her seventh UK top …
Ep 50: I Just Don't Have The Heart to Can't Forget You
Teen heartthrobs past and then-present rubbed shoulders as Stock Aitken Waterman wrote and produced the latest hit for music industry veteran Cliff Richard and the final single was lifted from Jason …