U.K. sophisti-pop act Swing Out Sister is getting a new box set from Cherry Red in July – and it’s a good excuse for us to shine a light on both collections the label has recently planned for the group. Known for their international 1987 hit “Breakout,” the group – primarily consisting of singer Corinne Drewery and keyboardist Andy Connell, along with the talents of producer Paul Staveley O’Duffy, who’s produced nearly all the group’s albums – have released decades’ worth of jazzy originals and covers across some 10 studio albums and counting….
The Year In Review: The 2022 Gold Bonus Disc Awards, From A to Z – Part Two
Happy 2023! Welcome, friends, to The Second Disc’s 13th Annual Gold Bonus Disc Awards! A lot has happened in the last twelve months, but as we look to a new year with optimism and a hopeful spirit, we recognize the many roles music has played in our lives. With that spirit in mind, The Second Disc wishes to recognize 2022’s cream of the catalogue music crop – those exemplary reissues and box sets, big and small, that proved to be truly outstanding for music lovers worldwide. Despite the many delays caused by…
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Surrender: Cherry Red Collects Swing Out Sister Albums, Bonus Tracks on New Box
Swing Out Sister burst onto the scene in 1986 with “Breakout.” The first song on the group’s first album, the sleek admonition reached the top ten on both sides of the Atlantic as well as the top of the U.S. Adult Contemporary chart. With Corrine Drewery’s lead vocal soaring over a fizzy cocktail of funky bass, brash horns, bubbly synths, a sweet string arrangement, and a driving snare drum, “Breakout” bridged the gap between contemporary and retro. It launched Swing Out Sister to international fame and a discography that’s so far encompassed…
Release Round-Up: Week of October 14
Diana Ross, Why Do Fools Fall in Love / Silk Electric / Ross / Swept Away / Eaten Alive / Red Hot Rhythm and Blues (Expanded Editions) (Funky Town Grooves) Why Do Fools Fall in Love: Expanded Edition (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) Silk Electric: Expanded Edition (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) Ross: Expanded Edition (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) Swept Away: Deluxe Edition (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) Eaten Alive: Deluxe Edition (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) Red Hot Rhythm and Blues: Deluxe Edition (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) Funky Town…
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Swing Out Sister’s “Travel” Expansion Breaks Out with New Track List
Well, this certainly doesn’t happen often: a previously-reported expanded edition of U.K. pop group Swing Out Sister’s debut LP is undergoing some 11th-hour changes, actually picking up a few bonus tracks for good measure. When it was initially announced, the 25th anniversary edition of It’s Better to Travel from Universal’s U.K. arm featured the original nine-track LP and 11 bonus tracks over two discs. While there were plenty of B-sides and remixes to go around, many of them were previously available on compilations or other import editions of the album. (In particular, our…
Find a Way, Say What You Want to Say with Swing Out Sister Deluxe Reissue
The term “sophisti-pop” may not be used much in rock criticism nowadays, but when they were, it was easy to acknowledge Swing Out Sister as a key artist of the movement. The Manchester-bred band stood head and shoulders above many of their keyboard-oriented contemporaries in mid-’80s England for mixing jazzy horn sections and lush synth-strings into their upbeat, snappy tunes. And this summer, the band’s original label, Mercury Records, is commemorating the band’s quarter-century mark with an expansion of their lauded debut LP, It’s Better to Travel. Swing Out Sister, then a…
