A lot of people who visit this site that while I was in high school, I formed and administered Unlimited Too Fan Club. I can’t take credit for the name. That distinction belongs to my mother. The fan club feted the Dutch eurodance group 2 Unlimited. European fans know the group by face. In the USA, they recognize them by sound for some singles, including what was then Get Ready for This, but is now Get Ready due to legal issues regarding sampling issues, something that producer Phil Wilde and I discussed a radio show I hosted a long time ago. They also recognize Twilight Zone.
This isn’t going to be a long article, as I’ve already done that. You can read the article if you please. Instead, I am going to say that today is a special day for the group and fans. Today is the that Get Ready was released in 1991, and so the journey began. The song started as a hit in the clubs, and the producers wanted to try it as a commercial song.
They connected with a Dutch rapper named Ray. He wrote the lyrics in two hours, and he brought in Anita, and the song was out. Everyone thought that it would make a little money. Ray thought he could make enough to open a restaurant. Thankfully, they were wrong.
What was really interesting that in 1995, Get Ready came back in the USA, seemingly overnight. What happened is that a Chicago radio DJ heard it at an NBA game, and from there, it exploded on radio stations nationwide.
All of a sudden, there was demand for a single. It caught their American record labels off guard, so they scrambled to get a re-release out. They also rush-released a music video for the shortened radio edit. It was a combination of the original video and footage of live performances.
Someone at one of the label slapped together the new edit. They completely removed Ray’s vocals.. Just listen to it and you can tell.
The song was and is still being used here in the States. It’s amazing to see. It’s never going to go away, no matter your feelings on the group. Dancing With The Stars really ruined it many years later. It’s way worse, but I digress.
The re-entry was great to see. They were on MTV, they were on the radio and they were snapping up the single. All of that caused the group to peak at #38 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. So now they’re something that no one can take away: they are forever a top 40 act in the USA.
The fan club and myself were interviewed by numerous publications in the USA and around the world. I never looked at it as publicity for me. I did those interviews to promote the club and, of course, 2 Unlimited.
I thought it was hilarious when 2 Unlimited wound up on Beavis and Butt-Head. When they ruthlessly mocked 2 Unlimited, that was a true sign that they truly made it here.
Yes, 2 Unlimited remains a success around the world and their music will live on forever. But don’t take them for granted.
The end, however, might be close at hand, this time forever. In a public post on Instagram, Ray admitted that he thought about quitting last because of the physical toll touring all over Europe. He also cited missing out on important family milestones.
So enjoy 2 Unlimited’s European tour. I would totally not condemn Ray if he called it quits after the current tour, mostly because they haven’t released new songs since 2012.
If Ray is feeling that bad, sooner or later the bottom will fall out. I might suggest that they go off at the head of their class. It’s not lost on me that their last announced (their tour schedule) is October 30th. That’s unusual. Is that a sign of anything?
I just thought I would wish the group congratulations on the success. I met Ray in New York, but we had a falling out. That doesn’t change the fact that I remain a fan always and forever.