It seems that I'm not the only poof who remembers the Teen Queens! A couple of people have asked after them since I uploaded one of their songs in my post on "The Dance Offensive", so I thought I should elaborate on the brief but fabulous Teen Queens phenomenon. As previously mentioned, the girls were a product of the infamous Westside Records label, which appeared to exist for the sole purpose of providing music to be played on "E Street". If that sounds derogatory, I don't mean it to be. Westside Records churned out some of the best Aus-pop of the 90s. Naturally, they released a couple of stinkers (check out Bruce Samazan's rap number!) but the overall quality and consistency of their output is nothing short of amazing.
The Teen Queens turned up on one episode of "E Street" and never left. Their music was played constantly on the show, which played a very significant role in their success. The girls scored a string of hit singles and released one relatively unsuccessful album called "Get Happy" before their bubble burst and they broke up. However, the band remains an interesting curiosity due to their unusual choice of music (they basically covered old songs from the 60s) and the fact that one of their members was a certain Kellie Hoggart, who went on to bigger things with Hi-5.
Cover versions of "Love How You Love Me" and "Be My Baby" were the Teen Queens' most successful singles. The videos give you a pretty good indication of their rather elaborate retro image. The girls look like they stepped right out of an episode of "Gidget" in the video for "Love How You Love Me", while the clip for "Be My Baby" would have Sandra Dee's knickers dripping!
I've included a relatively rare remix of "Be My Baby". The concept of an early 90s dance remix of a song imitating the style of the 1960s takes a while to get your head around, but I think it's great. I would have loved them to have recorded more upbeat numbers. I'm sure it would have helped stretch their rather narrow range and made them less of a novelty.
One of the Teen Queens most poptastic moments is their cover of "I Can't Help Myself". Their version is rather gorgeous and showcases their sweet melodies. This doesn't quite match La Toya's cover of the song but it comes fuckin' close!
I've already posted "Baby, It's You" but it's far from my favourite Teen Queens number. This one is just a bit too "nana" for me. A couple of readers have enjoyed it, so give it a try if the other songs push your dirty buttons!
