Swing out Sister new cd

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Roberto Pinardi

Swing out Sister new cd

Post by Roberto Pinardi »

The new Swing out Sister's cd "Where our love grows" is a very "Bacharachian" cd!

bye
Roberto
moogaboo

Post by moogaboo »

This album is absolutely beautiful. Every song is catchy and flawlessly produced. It gets a US release tomorrow (Shanachie is the label), but it's already been out in the UK and Japan for months. I can't recommend it highly enough!
pljms
Posts: 865
Joined: Tue Feb 24, 2004 8:43 am
Location: London

Re: Swing out Sister new cd

Post by pljms »

Thanks to my inexcusable tardiness this album is still 'new' to me. What was I thinking of not following up Roberto's recommendation? Was I thinking at all? Was there just too much beautiful sophisticated music released in 2004 for me to just casually ignore it? I think not. Even by SOS's standards 'Where Our Love Grows' is a gorgeous album but what distinguishes it from the others I think is the use of a vocal ensemble (Corinne, Andy and producer Paul Staveley O'Duffy multi-tracked) on some of the tracks, probably best illustrated by 'Let the Stars Shine' and 'Caipirinha'.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CHmKmb3mlIM

https://m.youtube.com/watch?t=42s&v=GXqag9H7Ms4
Paul
blueonblue
Posts: 1540
Joined: Fri Oct 06, 2006 3:22 am

Re: Swing out Sister new cd

Post by blueonblue »

Their "Masterpiece" !

'blue'
Martin Johnson
Posts: 462
Joined: Fri Sep 10, 2010 7:41 am

Re: Swing out Sister new cd

Post by Martin Johnson »

They actually do have a new album out now in 2018 entitled 'Almost Persuaded' which is self released and a PledgeMusic project. More on that when I get hold of a copy.

Yes, I also came to 'Where Our Love Grows' much later than I should have done given its reputation. With the instrumental tracks and the vocal ensemble tour-de-force that is 'Caipirinha', there are less out and out songs than is usually the case. However, Corinne Drewery's voice is a thing of beauty on this album, particularly on 'From My Window':

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GgZUzWs_ctE
Hank
Posts: 130
Joined: Thu Apr 13, 2006 7:51 pm

Re: Swing out Sister new cd

Post by Hank »

Thanks for the tip. I've been really enjoying this album.
Sara D
Posts: 391
Joined: Mon Oct 27, 2008 4:32 am

Re: Swing out Sister new cd

Post by Sara D »

I seem to be the only person here who actually got this album at the time of its release, although I have to admit it was given to me as a gift. Swing Out Sister have been reinventing the past in their own image for three decades now and despite their music revealing all kinds of different influences from 60s pop and film scores to Latin jazz, they have perfected the knack of coming up with beautiful original material which somehow manages not to be derivative. A personal favourite of mine from the 'Where Our Love Grows' album is 'Love Won't Let You Down', as it's that increasingly rare entity these days, an upbeat love song.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ikEZ4PnndPU
pljms
Posts: 865
Joined: Tue Feb 24, 2004 8:43 am
Location: London

Re: Swing out Sister new cd

Post by pljms »

Sara D wrote:..,,,,,,A personal favourite of mine from the 'Where Our Love Grows' album is 'Love Won't Let You Down', as it's that increasingly rare entity these days, an upbeat love song.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ikEZ4PnndPU
Yes, as a lyricist Corinne Drewery tends to avoid angst and self pity like the plague. 'Love Won't Let You Down' went down a storm when I saw them play it live several years ago and with many in the audience singing along with the chorus's vocal refrain. Performing live just as a 7 or 8 piece group means that the songs are re-jigged somewhat and it's interesting watching them rehearse the song with a scaled-down arrangement, including a new section before the key change.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Rkeu7fn9cow
Paul
Martin Johnson
Posts: 462
Joined: Fri Sep 10, 2010 7:41 am

Re: Swing out Sister new cd

Post by Martin Johnson »

I love the more laid back arrangement heard in the rehearsal of 'Love Won't Let You Down' and in any other era the song would have been the big hit in the U.K. it was in Japan at the time I was based there. Living in Tokyo between 1997 & 2004 it was easy to be under the misapprehension that Swing Out Sister's success there was replicated all over the globe.

All of the beauty, sophistication, craftsmanship and joy of the album 'Where Our Love Grows' remains for the follow-up, 'Beautiful Mess'. This album is a much more intimate, small group affair than its predecessor but no less well produced and it contains a song that judging by its reception at the two most recent London shows of theirs that I've attended seems to have become a real favourite with the fans, the sublime 'Butterfly':

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=boWnN7ff30g
Blair N. Cummings
Posts: 1123
Joined: Fri Jun 11, 2004 4:14 pm

Re: Swing out Sister new cd

Post by Blair N. Cummings »

I`ve listened to a few of these tracks now - and they`re certainly "pretty" enough, but my decaying mind keeps being thrown back to Roger Nichols and the Small Circle of Friends.
I`d provide a link but these don`t always effectively cross the Atlantic. Try Spotify.
Blair N. Cummings
Posts: 1123
Joined: Fri Jun 11, 2004 4:14 pm

Re: Swing out Sister new cd

Post by Blair N. Cummings »

Having just checked out Spotify, it seems that their first, great album is inexplicably not available, so here`s the first of YouTube trail:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoCh8V2 ... U4mtLbWT-X
Good luck!
pljms
Posts: 865
Joined: Tue Feb 24, 2004 8:43 am
Location: London

Re: Swing out Sister new cd

Post by pljms »

Blair, SOS are obviously fans of that album because they sample the strings part of 'I Can See Only You' on their 'When The Laughter Is Over' from the 'Where Our Love Grows' album. I hasten to add that Nichols and co duly get a writing credit.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YcOVTlIdPCs
Paul
Martin Johnson
Posts: 462
Joined: Fri Sep 10, 2010 7:41 am

Re: Swing out Sister new cd

Post by Martin Johnson »

In another thread Paul mentioned that SOS featured Wives and Lovers in their set the night they supported Bacharach at the Royal Albert Hall in the mid-90s. I was also there that night and I too remember Wives and Lovers being performed in some shape or form. However, instead of a complete rendition I think what we actually got was a small portion of the tune at the tail-end of a medley of their 'Who Let the Love Out' and 'Coney Island', performed here at the Jazz Cafe in Camden Town, London in '92. I wasn't at this show but my youngest sister was and she remembers it as the hottest gig she ever went to, and she wasn't just referring to the temperature in the standing only room:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=J68ylgERTSw
nowmedical
Posts: 333
Joined: Thu Dec 07, 2006 4:51 pm
Location: london

Re: Swing out Sister new cd

Post by nowmedical »

Speaking as someone who was at both concerts ...brag brag ... I remember SOS rightly being in awe of who they were supporting. Their concert at the Jazz Cafe was truly superb - we had a table upstairs in the restaurant overlooking the stage, and forget the food the place was rocking.

Does anyone else remember Burt's RAH concert? I think it was before he'd settled into his now longstanding concert format, and I remember him waxing lyrical about his racehorses.

Martin you and I seem to frequent the same places - bet I'd recognise you!
pljms
Posts: 865
Joined: Tue Feb 24, 2004 8:43 am
Location: London

Re: Swing out Sister new cd

Post by pljms »

What I remember about Bacharach's set at the RAH in '97, nowmedical, apart from it lasting no longer than about 75 minutes, was the fact that he left out classics like 'I Say a Little Prayer' and yet included 'Heartlight', hence the long talk about his race horses and in particular the one named after Neil Diamond's US hit. Swing Out Sister played for about 45 minutes and charmed everybody with their obvious excitement at supporting Burt. It later transpired that they'd interrupted a Japanese tour to be there. Apart from that thrilling medley posted above by Martin of 'Who Let the Love Out', 'Coney Island Man' and 'Wives and Lovers', I recall them playing 'You On My Mind', 'Am I The Same Girl' and the inevitable 'Breakout'.

I envy anyone who attended SOS's Jazz Cafe gig in '92 and it's amazing to think that until then they'd hardly played a concert anywhere. When they finally started touring they stunned audiences and impressed the critics not only with their virtuosity and the complexity of the arrangements but at just how jazzy and funky they were. It helped in that regard that they were touring on the back of their very upbeat, soul and r'n'b infused album 'Get In Touch With Yourself', the one that owes next to nothing to the influence of Bacharach, Webb and John Barry.
Paul
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