Epilogue 1: PWL 1994-96

A Journey Through Stock Aitken Waterman

Although both Matt Aitken and Mike Stock had left the building, PWL Records continued to release music — and in this epilogue episode, we look at some of the artists who succeeded and some that didn't hit the mark in the few years after the demise of Stock Aitken Waterman. Former PWL MD David Howells joins us to discuss the challenges of starting afresh with new talent to replace Mike and Matt, and talks about what prompted his own departure from the business he had helped steer since the mid-'80s. With a strong focus on dance music at PWL in the '90s, one of the more consistent acts — in terms of quality and chart success — was Loveland. Paul Taylor returns to explain how the group behind hits like "Let The Music (Lift You Up)" and "I Need Somebody" came about, and how PWL's Manchester business received much of Pete Waterman's attention at this point. Paul also discusses his own unceremonious exit from the group. Meanwhile. Slamm remained signed to PWL and were put to work with Gary Miller on increasingly poppy music, with singer Johnny Wilks recapping that era of the band's journey for us. Then, we finish by looking at how Pete's initial run with PWL ended in 1996 and who the songwriters and producers were that would provide him with a second wave of success in the following years with acts like Steps, Tina Cousins and Westlife.

Support the show

Subscribe for bonus material at chartbeats.com.au/saw
Instagram: @chartbeatsau
Threads: @chartbeatsau, @matthew_denby360
Bluesky: @chartbeatsau
Facebook: Chart Beats: A Journey Through Pop
Email: [e-mail]