Spice (album)

Spice is the debut studio album by the British girl group the Spice Girls. It was first released on 19 September 1996 by Virgin Records. The album was recorded at Olympic Studios in Barnes, London between 1995 and 1996, by producers Matt Rowe and Richard Stannard, and the production duo Absolute. The album is a pop record with an inclusion of styles such as dance, R&B and hip hop. It is considered to be the record that brought teen pop back, opening the doors for a wave of teen pop artists. Conceptually, the album centered on the idea of Girl Power, and during that time was compared to Beatlemania.

Spice was a huge worldwide commercial success. The album peaked at number one in more than 17 countries across the world, and was certified multi-platinum in 27 countries, platinum in 14 countries and Gold in 3 countries, including an 10× Platinum certification in the UK and Canada by the British Phonographic Industry and the Canadian Recording Industry Association, 8× Platinum in Europe by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry and 7× Platinum in the US by Recording Industry Association of America. It became the world's top-selling album of 1997 selling 19 million copies in over a year. In total the album sold 30 million copies worldwide, becoming the biggest-selling album in music history by a girl group and one of the most successful albums of all time.

Spice

A spice is a seed, fruit, root, bark, berry, bud or vegetable substance primarily used for flavoring, coloring or preserving food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are parts of leafy green plants used for flavoring or as a garnish. Many spices have antimicrobial properties. This may explain why spices are more commonly used in warmer climates, which have more infectious disease, and why the use of spices is prominent in meat, which is particularly susceptible to spoiling. A spice may have other uses, including medicinal, religious ritual, cosmetics or perfume production, or as a vegetable.

History

Early history

The spice trade developed throughout South Asia and Middle East in around 2000 BCE with cinnamon and pepper, and in East Asia with herbs and pepper. The Egyptians used herbs for embalming and their demand for exotic herbs helped stimulate world trade. The word spice comes from the Old French word espice, which became epice, and which came from the Latin root spec, the noun referring to "appearance, sort, kind": species has the same root. By 1000 BCE, medical systems based upon herbs could be found in China, Korea, and India. Early uses were connected with magic, medicine, religion, tradition, and preservation.

Album

Albums of recorded music were developed in the early 20th century, first as books of individual 78rpm records, then from 1948 as vinyl LP records played at 33 ¹⁄₃ rpm. Vinyl LPs are still issued, though in the 21st century albums sales have mostly focused on compact disc (CD) and MP3 formats. The audio cassette was a format used in the late 1970s through to the 1990s alongside vinyl.

An album may be recorded in a recording studio (fixed or mobile), in a concert venue, at home, in the field, or a mix of places. Recording may take a few hours to several years to complete, usually in several takes with different parts recorded separately, and then brought or "mixed" together. Recordings that are done in one take without overdubbing are termed "live", even when done in a studio. Studios are built to absorb sound, eliminating reverberation, so as to assist in mixing different takes; other locations, such as concert venues and some "live rooms", allow for reverberation, which creates a "live" sound. The majority of studio recordings contain an abundance of editing, sound effects, voice adjustments, etc. With modern recording technology, musicians can be recorded in separate rooms or at separate times while listening to the other parts using headphones; with each part recorded as a separate track.

Spice 1

Robert L. Green, Jr. (born July 2, 1970), better known by his stage name Spice 1, is an American rapper born in Corsicana, Texas. He has consistently been releasing solo and group albums since 1992. Spice 1 was ranked number 56 in The Source magazine's Top 115 Hip-Hop Artists from 1988–2003. His self-titled debut was also listed in The Source's 100 Best Rap

JiveRecords (1991-1999)

Spice's stage name is an acronym for "Sex, Pistols, Indo, Cash, and Entertainment". He was first discovered by rapper Too Short. In 1991 he put out his first release, Let It Be Known EP, which was not widely distributed. In 1992, he released his self-titled debut Spice 1, a vivid and fatalistic gangsta rap album. He followed it with an even more bitter and nihilistic release, 187 He Wrote, in 1993.

Spice 1 released six albums under Jive Records along with one greatest hits album. Though was reported by Jive that he had an album called "Full Metal Jacket", Spice 1 has stated that this information was false. The album was never released and it is uncertain whether any songs were recorded for the project. He was supposed to collaborate with 2Pac on an album called "One Nation", along with other west and east coast rappers.