Swing Out Sister is a British pop musical group best known worldwide for their 1986 hit single
Breakout.
History
Although Swing Out Sister is currently a duo, they began as a trio in the UK. The group was formed by Andy Connell (born Andrew John Connell, Jul 26, 1961, Nottingham; keyboards) and Martin Jackson (drums), and were later joined by Corinne Drewery (born Sep 21, 1959, Nottingham; vocals). The group's name came from a 1945 movie called
Swing Out, Sister, and they reportedly chose the name because there was only one thing they could agree on: they all hated it! Both Connell and Jackson had been playing in other bands prior to forming SOS, while Drewery was actually a fashion designer and model before she became the band's lead vocalist.
It's Better To Travel (1987, debut album)
Together with their producer, Paul Staveley O'Duffy, they signed with
Mercury Records Limited. Prior to their first album, they released the single
Blue Mood in the UK in November 1985. However, it did not chart. In late 1986, the single "Breakout" was released. It peaked at #4 on the UK charts, and #6 in the United States. Consequently, when they released their debut album,
It's Better to Travel, on May 11, 1987, it reached #1 on the UK album charts.
The album registered with listeners for its mix of
jazz and
electropop, with a blend of real horns, synths (arranged subtly, to sound like strings), drums, and xylophones, scored by producer-arranger Richard Niles. The follow-up single to the effervescent "Breakout" was the brooding
Surrender, which featured a trumpet solo performed by John Thirkell. It rose to #7 on the UK charts in January 1987. The next single was the more serious and jazzy
Twilight World. This song was the subject of many remixes and was a dance club favorite worldwide. The final single
Fooled by a Smile returned to the upbeat pop orientation characteristic of "Breakout".
The group was subsequently nominated for two American Grammy Awards in 1988: Best New Artist and Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Group or Duo (for "Breakout").
In addition to long-time partner O'Duffy as well as Thirkell, Swing Out Sister had also enlisted the talents of saxophonist Gary Barnacle (who with Thirkell also comprise the Henpecked Horns, known for their work with
Level 42); percussionist Luis Jardim; guitarist Tim Cansfield; trumpet/fluegelhorn master Jerry Hey; and songwriter-arranger
Jimmy Webb.
Kaleidoscope World (1989)
Original member Jackson, whose acoustic drums drove the "Surrender" single, left the group during the making of the second album,
Kaleidoscope World. Although the liner notes give "special thanks to Martin Jackson" and his co-writing credits appear on the songs
Tainted and
Between Strangers, they also point out that "Swing Out Sister are Corinne Drewery and Andy Connell." Drewery and Connell have since become the core group on all subsequent albums. After leaving Swing Out Sister, Jackson later worked for
Frank Zappa.
Kaleidoscope World was released in May 1989 and achieved critical acclaim. Their turn away from contemporary styles towards retro musical sources on this album would establish the musical path that they would continue to follow with their subsequent albums. The duo found inspiration in
easy listening music, from the likes of
Burt Bacharach, as well as songwriter Webb, who arranged two tracks,
Precious Words and
Forever Blue, the latter "an impeccable example of the band's craft"
1 which was "reminiscent of
John Barry's classic
Midnight Cowboy theme"
2. The incorporation of an orchestra to their recordings realized their sound in a richer, fuller way than their previous effort which relied more heavily on synthesizers. Consequently, this album featured arrangements and a songwriting style that were more classical in inclination. The lead-off single
You on My Mind featured a more sophisticated blend of musical components than their previous efforts, while the upbeat tone of "Breakout" was echoed in the lead USA single
Waiting Game. Further singles included
Where in the World and "Forever Blue".
1, 2: http://www.asterion.se/sosblog.html
Get In Touch With Yourself (1992)
In May 1992, the group's retro orientation became even more evident in both their sound and image on their third album,
Get in Touch With Yourself. With strong dance rhythms reverberating throughout the entire album, tracks draw influences from 1960s and 1970s
jazz,
pop,
soul, and
funk, including a breezy cover of the
Barbara Acklin late '60s classic
Am I the Same Girl? (which became their last US hit, reaching #1 on the AC chart). The album's title track, a blend of 1970s soul music and modern pop, gained the duo heavy airplay on smooth-jazz radio and was a crossover hit, gaining airtime on adult contemporary stations. The musical influences of
Stevie Wonder,
The Jackson Five, and others would not only become evident in this album but continue on through their later releases. In line with the album theme, Drewery also grew out her hair from her trademark bob which had become a visual signature for their early years.
The Living Return (1994)
Numerous changes were afoot by the time their fourth album,
The Living Return was released in September 1994. The replacement of producer Paul O'Duffy after initial studio sessions with Ray Hayden contributed to a looser, raw feel to the songs that were often the results of studio jam sessions. Though Drewery and Connell still fronted Swing Out Sister, additional musicians (including former 52nd Street bassist Derick Johnson; Pa'lante percussionist Chris Manis; drummer Myke Wilson, formerly of the Jazz Defectors; and trumpet player John Thirkell increased their group to 10 members that replicate the live performances that had been captured on the Japan-only release
Live at the Jazz Cafe. The album featured the single and cover song
La La (Means I Love You), which was also included on the
Four Weddings and a Funeral soundtrack.
Shapes and Patterns (1997)
Few of the band's releases charted highly on the pop listings in Western countries after their successful debut album (though they became radio-airplay staples on jazz stations). The band, however, became extremely popular in Japan. Their song
Now You're Not Here (from their fifth album
Shapes and Patterns, one of several released only in Japan) was used as the theme to a Japanese TV program, and received a Japanese 'Grand Prix' (the equivalent of a Grammy) for best international single in 1997.
Shapes and Patterns was first released in Japan in March 1997, and then in Europe and USA the year after. Producer Paul O'Duffy, who co-wrote half of the songs, was back at the helm. As an orchestra was once again employed (led by Gavyn Wright), the lush arrangements characteristic of
Kaleidoscope World resurfaced. The liner notes, written by Mary Edwards, point out the influences of Bacharach, Webb, and composer John Barry, which are perceptible in the string arrangements and
latin rhythms, as well as that of
Minnie Riperton,
Rotary Connection, and
The Fifth Dimension.
The album included
Stoned Soul Picnic, a cover of
Laura Nyro's original, as well as the original version of
Better Make It Better, which appeared in a different mix on their previous album. A pervasive longing marks songs such as
Now You're Not Here,
Somewhere in the World,
You Already Know, and
Icy Cold as Winter. This album would also mark the beginning of the duo's use of Japanese musicians in their studio sessions.
Filth and Dreams (1999)
Filth and Dreams, their sixth album, proved yet again that Swing Out Sister were eager to reinvent themselves. The album was released in Japan in March 1999, and it remains the only album not released in any other country. This album featured stronger jazz leanings than some of their early pop-oriented albums, and is restrained in mood. The track
Who's Been Sleeping was promoted as a single and released with several remixes. The album has a
trip-hop feel to it. For this record, SOS adapted to the growing popularity of
hip-hop in the late '90s. "Who's Been Sleeping" kicks off the record with an aggressive beat and a few hip-hop flourishes (such as Drewery's counting and uttering "Yeah..." in the background). The rest of the record incorporates such sounds a bit more subtly, through the soaring retro stylings of
Closer Than the Sun and
When Morning Comes, the excitable
lounge of the title track
Filth and Dreams, to the mid-tempo trip-hop of
Invisible and scratch-laced
Sugar Free. Traditional SOS sounds are challenged successfully with the dark if dreamy
If I Had the Heart and
Make You Stay. Background noises, from phone conversations to child's play, are layered in to enrich the record and give the listener much more to cue in on. Drewery strays out of the usual love lyrics and colors a portrait of a darker world (as the title indicates) by singing about more urban subjects such as drugs (the eerie
Happy When You're High) and prostitution ("When Morning Comes"). All of their experimentation works surprisingly well and the result is probably the strongest SOS outing to date. Ironically,
Filth and Dreams is the first SOS record not released in their native England, and is currently the most difficult CD to find.
Somewhere Deep in the Night (2001)
A seventh album,
Somewhere Deep In The Night, was recorded in France, and released in May 2001 in Japan (with subsequent release in Europe and USA). It was dedicated to their friend Kazuhiko Yanagida. While it is quintessential Swing Out Sister, with lush orchestral arrangements, the melodic tunes often feature melancholy, languid, or introspective atmospherics and are more sombre in tone. Many of the tracks are instrumental, or only feature vocalised harmonies
sans lyrics. One song even features a soliloquy in French. O'Duffy, who produced the album, also has co-writing credits on all the songs, and provided backing vocals along with Connell and Cansfield.
Due to declining sales, their record label
Universal dropped them from their contract in America. Consequently, they signed on with
Shanachie Records.
Where Our Love Grows (2004)
Undeterred, the duo bounced back with their eighth studio effort,
Where Our Love Grows. It was released in Japan on April 28, 2004 with the UK edition following in July.
GQ reviewed it and called it "indisputably their finest record to date". The album features a return to a rich, upbeat retro sound, with tracks like
Love Won't Let You Down,
When the Laughter Is Over, and
Let the Stars Shine, that fuses jazz, soul, R&B, latin, and easy listening music. Samples of
Roger Nichols & The Small Circle Of Friends and
Herbie Mann were incorporated also into some songs.
Beautiful Mess (2008)
Late 2005 saw Swing Out Sister return to their studio in London to commence recording of their new album. The band planned on making a second tour of the US in 2006. However, due to recording commitments, this had to be canceled. In 2006, they composed
incidental music for the ITV1 drama
The Outsiders. August 2007 saw a new single
Secret Love.
The new album from the band was entitled
Beautiful Mess and was released by Japanese record company
Avex Trax on February 27, 2008. The title is taken from one of the tracks on the album. Prior to its release, in late December 2007, two other tracks were made available for download:
Butterfly and
Something Every Day.
2008 Asian Tour
In 2008, Swing Out Sister went back on tour and appeared at the Jakarta Convention Center, then toured several venues in Japan including Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, and Fukuoka, and in the Philippines, filling up the Araneta Coliseum in Manila. The SOS Asian tour was reportedly a success and they may appear again soon in the UK, Europe, and America this summer.
Miscellaneous
The song
O pesadelo dos autores from the album
The Living Return (1994) features a medley of cover versions of "Brazilian Rhyme", "Celebration Suite", "Come With Me", "My Cherie Amour", "The Smiling Hour", and "Butterfly".
In 2002, Swing Out Sister and female Japanese singer
Akiko recorded
Waters of March, an English cover version of legendary Brazilian singer-songwriter
Antônio Carlos Jobim's
Aguas de Marco.
Albums
It's Better to Travel (1987) UK #1, US #40
Kaleidoscope World (1989) UK #9
Another Non-Stop Sister (1989)
Get in Touch With Yourself (1992) UK #27
Swing Out Singles (1992)
Live at the Jazz Cafe (1993)
The Living Return (1994)
The Big Elsewhere (1996)
Shapes and Patterns (1997)
Swing 3 (1997)
The Best of Swing Out Sister (1997)
Filth and Dreams (1999)
Somewhere Deep In The Night (2001)
Cafe Orange: Swing Out Sister Cafe Best (2002)
Where Our Love Grows (2004)
Live in Tokyo (2005)
Beautiful Mess (2008)
See also:
Swing Out Sister’s official MySpace page
Swinghistory - a compleat chronicle of the dashing duo by Björn Wahlberg
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swing_Out_Sister (version of Jun 17, 2008)
http://www.swingoutsister.com/
http://www.asterion.se/sos.html
Antônio Carlos Jobim
