Last night on da beeb there was an enjoyable documentary on a favourite subject... Girl Groups.

Like the earlier Glam Rock Kings/Disco Queens shows, it chose 6 groups - The Supremes, The Three Degrees, Sister Sledge, Bananarama, The Bangles, The Spice Girls - who mirrored different aspects of the same story of a group achieving success only for it to go awry. As usual there were some serious inaccuracies - I was hollering at the screen during The Supremes segment - like The Bangles being seen as unique for playing their own instruments with no mention of their forebearers The Runaways and The Go-Gos while the idea that The Spice Girls were the apotheosis of a group managing their own affairs was absurd. If ever there was a group so corporately controlled it was them. But it had some good footage including early shots of the film version of DREAMGIRLS which I am really looking forward to. It's one of my favourite Broadway scores so I can imagine seeing it and mumbling "It's not supposed to sound THAT way" through most of it. The idea of the Diana Ross character in the film being played by Beyonce Knowles is a lovely ironic touch.

The programme got me thinking about who my favourite girl groups are - so here you go with 3 favourite iPod tracks each:

1) The Supremes 1959 - 1970
(Come See About Me - Remove This Doubt - Stop! In The Name Of Love)

2) The Supremes 1970 - 1973
(Stoned Love - Up The Ladder To The Roof - Floy Joy)

3) Martha Reeves and The Vandellas
(Heat Wave - Jimmy Mack - In My Lonely Room)

4) TLC
(Creep - Girl Talk - Ain't Too Proud To Beg)

5) The Marvelettes
(Don't Make Hurting Me A Habit - On The Other Side Of Town - Beechwood 4-5789)

6) The Velvelettes
(Long Gone Lover - Stop Beating Around The Bush - The Boy From Crosstown)

7) The Shirelles
(Baby It's You - Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow - Thing Of The Past)

8) The Ronettes
(Be My Baby - Baby I Love You - Walking In The Rain)

9) Bananarama
(I Heard A Rumour - Love In The First Degree - Shy Boy)

10) All Saints
(Pure Shores - Never Ever - War of Nerves)