It's Showtime Synergy!

Looking back at my childhood, I realise I never really had a chance – as if it wasn’t bad enough to be brought up on a steady diet of musicals and disco, one of my favourite cartoons as a kid was Jem.

Jem was an American cartoon series about a singer, Jem, her band the Holograms, and their adventures. Catch phrases from the show included "Showtime, Synergy!" and "Outrageous!" (the latter usually associated with supporting character Kimber).

We loved her so much in our house, that my sister had a Jem doll, and at the tender age of 9, I choreographed a routine to ‘Twilight in Paris’ for her and her friend to perform at the school talent show.

Looking back (once I’ve gotten over the sheer horror of how I displayed camp tendencies at such a young age), my preference has shifted from the clearly frigid Holograms to the wild Misfits (clearly those girls knew how to have a good time) – and can’t help noticing more than a passing musical resemblance between Girls Aloud songs and those of the Misfits.

I’ve done a trawl round the net and have a few gems (geddit? gediit? groan.) to share with you – the quality is not great, but the original tracks were on cassette.

If there’s a bring Jem back campaign anywhere round the internet – let me know where to sign.

Jem & The Holograms

MP3: Gettin’ Down To Business (Expired)
MP3: Glitter ‘n’ Gold (Expired)
MP3: Music is Magic (Expired)
MP3: Only The Beginning (Expired)
MP3: Truly Outrageous (Expired)
MP3: Twilight in Paris (Expired)

The Misfits

MP3: Makin’ Mischief (Expired)
MP3: Outta My Way (Expired)
MP3: Takin’ It All (Expired)
MP3: Winning Is Everything (Expired)