[Sam]

... In Australia anyway.

Spice Girls comeback falls on its Headlines
By Kathy McCabe
November 15, 2007 12:

THE Spice Girls may reap millions from concert tickets and sponsorship deals from their corporatised comeback but their new single Headlines (Friendship Never Ends) is officially a dud.

Savaged by critics, the song has failed to receive major airplay in Australia and limped to a No.20 debut on the British charts with online sales of less than 5000 copies.

While fans feared the group's diva tantrums could kill the comeback, it seems a lack of interest could do the job before their egos do.

The British supergroup's "girl power" has been eclipsed in the UK this week by the release of the debut album from X-Factor winner Leona Lewis.

Her album Spirit is on target to become the highest-selling debut in UK chart history and is currently outselling the Spice Girls' long-awaited Greatest Hits collection by four to one.

In Australia, the release of Greatest Hits last Saturday suffered a major hiccup when a limited edition "golden ticket" CD/DVD version failed to direct fans to a website to enter a competition to win double passes to see the Spice Girls.

Some record stores reported frustrated fans demanded their money back when the link contained on the "black" version CD didn't work.

The Spice Girls' local label EMI Music Australia promised fans online that retailers would swap the faulty CDs or they could receive the competition link directly from the record company.

While the reunion and imminent world tour has been one of the most anticipated comebacks in recent years, it appears the Spice Girls are struggling to reclaim their teen pop audience as the Spice Women.

They face strong competition from returns from The Eagles, who have sold more than three million copies worldwide of their new album Long Road Out Of Eden, Kylie Minogue's X and a raft of Led Zeppelin reissues. But the five women are determined to deliver a memorable career swansong, according to Mel C, who was reluctant to reform the band and has threatened to walk out before their world tour starts on December 2 at the first sign of tantrums.

"This is our final farewell. We wanted an opportunity to get together to really celebrate everything we've achieved and give a great big thank you to our fans," she said. "We just want to make this the best pop show that a British band has ever put on."

SOURCE: http://www.news.com.au/entertainment...l?from=mostpop