The Story of Pop: 1998 (Chapter 28)

Rewinding once again to the UK charts of 25 years ago, this is The Story of Pop: 1998. A small disclaimer about this week’s featured hit – you may want to not read this whilst at work. Reasons will become immediately clear when you see why…

• Artist: Another Level
• Song: Freak Me
• Released: 06/07/1998
• Writers / Producers: Keith Sweat / Roy Murray / Anthony Teno West Johnson / Fitzgerald Scott / Cutfather & Joe
• Highest UK Chart Position: #1
• Weeks on Chart: 13

We saw with Billie Piper last week how she was the first signing and discovery of a brand new major label offshoot. And that was also true of this week’s featured artist as well. Back in 1996, having spent time as a nightclub promoter and DJ, and then moving into A&R at London Records, London born Nick Raphael was looking for a new challenge.

He left the label behind All Saints, Bananarama and East 17 after two years to found a new spin off label for BMG, with his former London colleagues Christian Tattersfield and Jo Charrington, called NorthWestSide Records. A more R&B marketed label, Jo put herself forward to find a new boyband with a more soulful and smooth sound.

From scouting and auditions, Bobak Kianoush and Mark Baron – both former models – and Dane Bowers and Wayne Williams – both students at the BRIT School of Performing Arts and Technology – were found, and in late 1997, Another Level were formed.

Their labelmates at the time of signing were *NSYNC (through BMG for the UK) and also under the label was Roc-A-Fella Records, the imprint of a then unknown US rapper, called Jay-Z. Nick’s snapping up of the latter in particular, was to play a big part in the band crossing over and gaining street credibility from their R&B peers, as well as the pop audience.

In fact, Jay-Z appeared as a guest rapper on their first single, “Be Alone No More”. Originally circulated on white label, and building a huge club following, when released in February 1998, it shot into the chart at a respectable #6. With the soulful blend of harmonies, self written tunes and not unattractive good looks, it proved a winning combination.

Fast forward six months to the summer of 1998, and their fanbase had built considerably, after no less a lady than Janet Jackson had chosen them to be her only support act on the UK and European dates of her The Velvet Rope Tour – meaning that interest had built in them further by the time they had a second single ready to go.

Written by legendary New Jack Swing pioneer, singer and songwriter Keith Sweat, and performed by the US R&B group Silk, “Freak Me” was one of those baby making slow jams that was about as explicit as it came in the 90s: “Let me lick you up and down, till you say stop / Let me play with your body baby, make you real hot / Let me do all the things you want me to do / Cause tonight baby, I wanna get freaky with you”.

Whilst it had been a huge Billboard chart topper in the States in 1993, here in the UK it had made very little impact at all, just missing the top 40. But after East 17 had successfully covered Shai’s similarly huge Stateside smash “If I Ever Fall In Love”, reworked as “If You Ever” with Gabrielle, there was suddenly a precedent in place.

With production from then hit team of the moment Cutfather & Joe – who had also been behind Mark Morrison’s huge chart topper “Return Of The Mack” – with their cover, Another Level had a hit on their hands.

It wasn’t met without controversy though, naturally, given its subject matter. When they performed the single during promotion on kids show Blue Peter, for instance, they attracted complaints for singing about loving the taste of whipped cream in a very un-teatime friendly way.

Still, it mattered not, as they managed to do with “Freak Me” here what Silk hadn’t, and 25 years ago this week it became their first and only UK number one hit, shifting an impressive 100,000 copies in it’s first week on sale, eventually being certified gold for sales of 400,000, making it one of the 90s top 20 biggest selling singles by a boyband in the UK.

And whilst they would continue scoring the top 10 hits over the next 18 months such as “I Want You For Myself”, “Bomb Diggy” and “Summertime” – two of which being collaborations with Wu Tang Clan’s Ghostface Killah and TQ – by the time 2000 rolled around, they had all but split up.

Dane however, with his impressive falsetto tones, would carry on into a solo career – first with UK garage outfit True Steppers, most memorably with Victoria Beckham on “Out Of Your Mind” in 2000, and then a couple of top 10 hits in 2001 – and also found himself in two boyband supergroups, first Upper Street in 2006 for MTV documentary Totally Boyband, and then 5th Story on the second series of ITV2’s The Big Reunion in 2014.

As for the team that put them together, of Nick Raphael and Jo Charrington, it was to be the start of a decade long partnership with Sony Music, which BMG was eventually incorporated into, and then Capitol Records for another decade after that, with their roll call of successful signings, including Lemar, JLS, Olly Murs, Paloma Faith, 5 Seconds of Summer and Sam Smith, producing hit after hit. But it was where it all began with Another Level that allowed them to go and forge such incredible success, and why they are widely regarded as one of the industry’s golden A&R teams with an ear for a smash.

Don’t forget to follow our brand new playlist on Spotify – updated weekly so you never miss a song from the story of pop in 1998. And you can leave your memories of the songs below in the comments, Tweet us or message us on Instagram, using the hashtag #StoryofPop1998.