Album Spotlight - Swing Out Sister "It's Better To Travel" (Mercury 1987)

This month for the album spotlight Danny takes us to the year 1987 for the brilliant debut album "It's Better To Travel" by the Manchester England band Swing Out Sister.Although Swing Out Sister are currently a duo, they began as a trio in the UK. The group was formed by Andy Connell (keyboards) and Martin Jackson (drums); they were later joined by Corinne Drewery (vocals). According to the group's website, "They christened themselves after an obscure Billie Burke "B"-musical from the '40s [a 1945 movie starring Arthur Treacher, called Swing Out, Sister] because it was the only name they could agree upon - they all agreed they hated it." Both Connell and Jackson had been playing in other bands prior to forming SOS, while Drewery was a fashion designer and model before she became the band's lead vocalist. 52nd Street's Diane Charlemagne was influential in the period just prior to the band signing to Phonogram Records. Connell and Jackson, outside of their usual roles as Manchester musicians in A Certain Ratio and Magazine, were producing Electro tracks for Morgan Khan's Streetwise label with a degree of underground success. This activity triggered interest from a few major labels including Phonogram/Mercury Records. Vocalised songs were asked for, so Connell, who knew Charlemagne through Factory Records, approached her to sing on the Phonogram demos. These demos helped secure Connell and Jackson's major label contract. This was the period in which 52nd Street moved from Factory Records to Virgin Records and as a result, Diane Charlemagne's Swing Out Sister involvement ended. Beginnings and debut album: It's Better to Travel (1985–1987)Together with their producer, Paul Staveley O'Duffy, they signed with Mercury Records. Before 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 reached the number four position on the UK Singles Chart in November 1986, and number six on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States in November 1987. When they released their debut album, It's Better to Travel, on 11 May 1987, it reached number one on the UK Albums Chart. The album blended real horns, synths (arranged subtly, to sound like strings), drums, and xylophones, scored by producer/arranger Richard Niles. The follow-up single to "Breakout" was "Surrender", which featured a trumpet solo performed by John Thirkell. It rose to number seven 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 favourite worldwide. The final single, "Fooled By a Smile", returned to the upbeat pop orientation characteristic of "Breakout".The group were subsequently nominated for two Grammy Awards in 1988: Best New Artist and Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Group or Duo ("Breakout").In addition to long-time partner O'Duffy as well as Thirkell, Swing Out Sister have also enlisted the talents of saxophonist Gary Barnacle (who with Thirkell also comprise the Phantom Horns known for their work with Level 42); percussionist Luis Jardim; guitarist Tim Cansfield; trumpet/fluegelhorn master Jerry Hey; and songwriter-arranger Jimmy Webb.Complete Setlist- 3/7/23BreakoutTwilight WorldAfter HoursBlue MoodSurrenderFooled By A SmileCommunionIt's Not EnoughIt's Better To TravelRecorded live at the She Shack Studio on March 7th 2023.© Copyright Danny Diess