Back in 1986, a surprise international hit arrived on radios, and MTV’s video days, called “Breakout”. The song was from Swing Out Sister, a three-member band from Manchester (UK), currently a duo. Fronted by the charming Corinne Drewery, whose voice carried a flashy, smooth style that appealed to just about anyone, the band became an international phenomena with the release of their It’s Better To Travel album back in 1987. That album contained the previously mentioned hit, “Breakout”, and climbed to Number One on the UK charts, hitting 40 on the US charts (pretty dang good).
After that exposure, the band released eight more studio works including the popular jazz album, Beautiful Mess, in 2008. After the success of It’s Better To Travel, the band saw a slow but sure slipping of fan interest despite having a series of popular songs that included “You On My Mind”, “Where In the World”, and “Forever Blue” from Kaleidoscope World (1989) . The next in line was Get in Touch With Yourself, released in 1992. It yielded a popular cover of “Am I The Same Girl”, and “Notgonnachange”
The jazz-infused Pop that Swing Out Sister created was a refreshing set, and made a strong fanbase for themselves. It didn’t hurt that Corinne Drewery could sing like a bird, and look great as well.
On October 6, Salvo Records will release The Essential Swing Out Sister, providing a wide range of songs that include the above mentioned hits as well as a few remixes, a single edit (“Waters Of March”), and a previously unreleased version of “Big Blue”. Of course, songs not to be ignored from It’s Better To Travel, “Twilight World” , and “Fooled By A Smile”, are included as well.
The Essential Swing Out Sister Track-List:
1. Breakout
2. Surrender
3. Twilight World (Superb, Superb Mix)
4. Fooled By A Smile
5. Where In The World
6. Waiting Game
7. You On My Mind
8. La La (Means I Love You)
9. Am I The Same Girl?
10. Notgonnachange (Frankie Knuckles Classic Club Mix)
11. Precious Words
12. Heaven Only Knows
13. Waters Of March (with Akiko) (single edit)
14. Somewhere Deep in the Night
15. Love Won’t Let You Down
16. Forever Blue (Previously unreleased Big Band version)
17. The Windmills Of Your Mind
For Shari, who loved (and made me fall in love with) this band.
[#8230;] The Essential Swing Out Sister arrives on October 6 via Salvo Records, with seventeen tracks (and could have used a few more). See here! [#8230;]