Swing Out Sister - "Breakout" C/D

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Perhaps their new album might get the attention it deserves if reviewers concentrated on the album as opposed to wasting half their allotted word count with meaningless waffle about Japanese markets.

Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Thursday, 3 March 2005 15:46 (nineteen years ago) link

This song is a gemstone.

BARMS, Thursday, 3 March 2005 15:47 (nineteen years ago) link

haha the first time i ever saw vh1 i remember thinking 'damn they play ALOT of swing out sister'

j blount (papa la bas), Thursday, 3 March 2005 15:47 (nineteen years ago) link

The last time I heard'em on the radio was that cover of "Am I The Same Girl?" in 1992.

Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Thursday, 3 March 2005 16:05 (nineteen years ago) link

I adore this song. Great horn break and tentative "rap" section.

I also suspect it is why I have a weakness for moon-faced women with dark bobbed hair.

Could never understood the bit with the braceleted arms in the video, though.

The Mad Puffin, Thursday, 3 March 2005 16:05 (nineteen years ago) link

I also suspect it is why I have a weakness for moon-faced women with dark bobbed hair.

can i get a shoutout for the girl in the george michael "father figure" video?

jbr (Jody Beth Rosen), Thursday, 3 March 2005 16:08 (nineteen years ago) link

http://www.home.no/cheznobby/215b6920.jpg

jbr (Jody Beth Rosen), Thursday, 3 March 2005 16:25 (nineteen years ago) link

i like to think of her as a heroin addict that way 'monkey's about her also!

j blount (papa la bas), Thursday, 3 March 2005 16:31 (nineteen years ago) link

TS: 'Breakout' vs 'Digging Your Scene'

Sven Bastard (blueski), Thursday, 3 March 2005 16:31 (nineteen years ago) link

This song is great. Always a treat to catch it now and then on VH1 Classic.

righteousmaelstrom, Thursday, 3 March 2005 16:34 (nineteen years ago) link

For some reason 'Digging your scene' popped into my head when I looked at this thread, too.

Jerry the Nipper (Jerrynipper), Thursday, 3 March 2005 16:37 (nineteen years ago) link

I am so happy that so many people on ILM love this song! But what's with the "Shattered Dreams" bashing?

The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Thursday, 3 March 2005 16:41 (nineteen years ago) link

Next thing you know everyone's going to be talking about how bad "When Will I Be Famous?" is, like you weren't ALL reprazentin' for Bros back in the day...

The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Thursday, 3 March 2005 16:42 (nineteen years ago) link

I love "Shattered Dreams" – especially the bongo solo!

Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Thursday, 3 March 2005 16:49 (nineteen years ago) link

The followup single "I Don't Want to Be A Her" (which I don't remember) gets mad love on VH-1 Classic too.

Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Thursday, 3 March 2005 16:49 (nineteen years ago) link

For some reason 'Digging your scene' popped into my head when I looked at this thread, too.

it was nice to hear it at your birthday drinks!

btw JtN i hear you have done very good things with a Go-Betweens song

Sven Bastard (blueski), Thursday, 3 March 2005 16:52 (nineteen years ago) link

ugh. i guess i'll have to be the first detractor. i've never ever enjoyed this tune. maybe the track's not so terrible, but her singing is very flat, not meaning out of tune, but faux joyful or something. or maybe it's just that the video's forced wackiness put me off the tune itself.

andrew m. (andrewmorgan), Thursday, 3 March 2005 17:45 (nineteen years ago) link

this Hancock Fabrics store is driving me nuts. must...breakout.

andrew m. (andrewmorgan), Thursday, 3 March 2005 17:47 (nineteen years ago) link

The video is very much of its time: Drewery on a catwalk? lots of strobe lights? Very 1987 fashionista. I just remember that SOS and "Actually"-era PSB reflected Thatcherite England very well.

Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Thursday, 3 March 2005 17:47 (nineteen years ago) link

Next thing you know everyone's going to be talking about how bad "When Will I Be Famous?" is, like you weren't ALL reprazentin' for Bros back in the day...

I was a fairly rockist 14-year-old and emphatically did not like Bros. 'Digging Your Scene' is great. 'Breakout' is OK. 'Shattered Dreams' remains awful.

Alba (Alba), Thursday, 3 March 2005 18:31 (nineteen years ago) link

i remember thinking 'Shattered Dreams' was okay at the time, but i was what, 8?

Sven Bastard (blueski), Thursday, 3 March 2005 18:42 (nineteen years ago) link

The chorus of "Shattered Dreams" is wonderful, especially when the singer strains to hit that high note.

Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Thursday, 3 March 2005 18:44 (nineteen years ago) link

I remember being very depressed by the video as a little kid, thinking, 'Is adulthood really that bland, that this is happiness, this is fun, this is BREAKING OUT?' Six years later I broke out in acne. I get the song better now.

Bernard E. Morris, Thursday, 3 March 2005 18:58 (nineteen years ago) link

The song's wonderful and is even more fun if you sing it while tossing things hither and yon in a fabric shop.

But as jazz-pop goes, it's not quite as good as "My Ever-Changing Moods."

Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Thursday, 3 March 2005 19:26 (nineteen years ago) link

C/D - Style Council!!!

Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Thursday, 3 March 2005 19:28 (nineteen years ago) link

It's been a gradual evolution from pop to jazz to lounge, but, after the too-jazzy-for-its-own-good The Living Return in 1994, the band discovered Burt Bacharach and Jimmy Webb and settled into a comfortable groove channeling the general feel of the best '60s and '70s work of those artists.

I'm thinking a cover of "Year of the Cat" is in their future. She comes in incense and patchouli .....

ffirehorse (firehorse), Thursday, 3 March 2005 22:21 (nineteen years ago) link

I remember being very depressed by the video as a little kid, thinking, 'Is adulthood really that bland, that this is happiness, this is fun, this is BREAKING OUT?' Six years later I broke out in acne. I get the song better now.

Funny, that's how I felt the first time I saw the video for "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun."

ffirehorse (firehorse), Thursday, 3 March 2005 22:22 (nineteen years ago) link

Bernard E Morris, you are completely awesome.

The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Thursday, 3 March 2005 22:25 (nineteen years ago) link

I bought Breakout and Shattered Dreams when they came out in 1987 (aged about 14). This isn't necessarily a sign of quality though, as I also bought Star Trekin' at about the same time.

The Horse of Babylon (the pirate king), Thursday, 3 March 2005 22:29 (nineteen years ago) link

Well, I bought Living in a Box, so .....

ffirehorse (firehorse), Thursday, 3 March 2005 22:32 (nineteen years ago) link

"Living In A Box" IS OUTSTANDING!!!!!

The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Thursday, 3 March 2005 22:33 (nineteen years ago) link

Time to start another thread: the best sophisti-pop songs of 1987, in descending order:

SOS - "Breakout"
Johnny Hates Jazz - "Shattered Dreams"
Living in a Box - "Living in a Box"
Curiosity Killed The Cat - "Misfit"

Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Thursday, 3 March 2005 22:34 (nineteen years ago) link

Would you consider "When Smokey Sings" and Level 42's "Running in the Family" sophisti-pop?

Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Friday, 4 March 2005 02:25 (nineteen years ago) link

YES!

I was never a "When Smokey Sings" fan. I'm glad it was such a big hit (and my classic '80s station plays it A LOT) but the song is a pallid homage. If you're going to bow to Smokey, your lyrics better approach his, and "Lexicon of Love" was the last time Martin Fry even approximated it.

Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Friday, 4 March 2005 02:28 (nineteen years ago) link

Level 42!!!!! "Something About You" is just fantastic.

See also: "Broken Wings" by Mr. Mister.

The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Friday, 4 March 2005 04:46 (nineteen years ago) link

I'm partial to "When Smokey Sings." How many other songs begin with the word "debonair"?

John Fredland (jfredland), Friday, 4 March 2005 09:00 (nineteen years ago) link

search: my CD80 Yuppie-Pop! thread

Sven Bastard (blueski), Friday, 4 March 2005 10:35 (nineteen years ago) link

'Breakout' was 1986 yo.

Alba (Alba), Friday, 4 March 2005 10:49 (nineteen years ago) link

http://www.roganjosh.net/b3ta/hitlerboogie.gif

NickB (NickB), Friday, 4 March 2005 10:54 (nineteen years ago) link

I'm sorry, that's actually shit.

NickB (NickB), Friday, 4 March 2005 10:58 (nineteen years ago) link

I like it!

Alba (Alba), Friday, 4 March 2005 10:58 (nineteen years ago) link

Surely this thread should be called "Bweakout"?

Ferlin Husky (noodle vague), Friday, 4 March 2005 11:07 (nineteen years ago) link

So are Breathe considered sophisti-pop?

zaxxon25 (zaxxon25), Friday, 4 March 2005 12:46 (nineteen years ago) link

did they have any jaunty tracks or was it all just slumberous (new word) ballads?

Sven Bastard (blueski), Friday, 4 March 2005 12:47 (nineteen years ago) link

Slumberous yuppie ballad fite: Captain of Her Heart vs. Mmm mmm mmm mmm

NickB (NickB), Friday, 4 March 2005 12:51 (nineteen years ago) link

"Captain of Her Heart" was awesome! How dare you!

Ferlin Husky (noodle vague), Friday, 4 March 2005 12:53 (nineteen years ago) link

Awesome snoresome!

NickB (NickB), Friday, 4 March 2005 12:55 (nineteen years ago) link

It's even better if you mix it with "Captain of Your Ship" as featured in early 90s Muller Rice adverts.

Ferlin Husky (noodle vague), Friday, 4 March 2005 12:56 (nineteen years ago) link

Jesuschristgreatgodalmighty! 'Soul Train' video right here. Shame the sound is so rubbish, butwhatchagonnado?

NickB (NickB), Friday, 4 March 2005 13:07 (nineteen years ago) link

Man, all I need now is to hear 'Ask The Lord' and 'Ed's Funky Diner' and my head will explode.

NickB (NickB), Friday, 4 March 2005 13:10 (nineteen years ago) link

DON'T STOP TO ASK

― Exile in lolville (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, February 28, 2012 7:08 PM (nine years ago) bookmarkflaglink

NOW YOU'VE FOUND A BREAK TO MAKE IT LAST

― wolf kabob (ENBB), Tuesday, February 28, 2012 7:12 PM (nine years ago) bookmarkflaglink

WOO-OOH-OOH

― Exile in lolville (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, February 28, 2012 7:12 PM (nine years ago) bookmarkflaglink

YOU'VE GOT TO FIND A WAY SAY WHAT YOU WANT TO SAY

― Jurgis Rudkus // Dick Butkus (Pillbox),

So who you gonna call? The martini police (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 3 July 2021 20:14 (two years ago) link

I remember being very depressed by the video as a little kid, thinking, 'Is adulthood really that bland, that this is happiness, this is fun, this is BREAKING OUT?'

If it were made now it'd show the unmistakeable highlights of adulthood such as binge-watching a tv series, eating at a new restaurant, ordering clothing online...

dell (del), Saturday, 3 July 2021 20:35 (two years ago) link

six months pass...

DON'T STOP TO ASK

― Exile in lolville (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, February 28, 2012 7:08 PM (nine years ago) bookmarkflaglink

NOW YOU'VE FOUND A BREAK TO MAKE IT LAST

― wolf kabob (ENBB), Tuesday, February 28, 2012 7:12 PM (nine years ago) bookmarkflaglink

WOO-OOH-OOH

― Exile in lolville (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, February 28, 2012 7:12 PM (nine years ago) bookmarkflaglink

YOU'VE GOT TO FIND A WAY SAY WHAT YOU WANT TO SAY

― Jurgis Rudkus // Dick Butkus (Pillbox),

― So who you gonna call? The martini police (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, July 3, 2021

So who you gonna call? The martini police (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, 30 January 2022 02:03 (two years ago) link

breakout

OneSecondBefore, Monday, 31 January 2022 20:34 (two years ago) link

I've been really into this band's first album lately. It's like an entire album of 90's anime opening themes. I guess its sound may even have been the inspiration for a lot of those themes.

OneSecondBefore, Monday, 31 January 2022 20:35 (two years ago) link

'blue mood' is a jam:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrtFz2MD3o8

o shit the sheriff (NickB), Monday, 31 January 2022 20:41 (two years ago) link

five months pass...

Some people stop at nothing
If you're searching for something
Lay down the law, shout out for more
Breakout and shout, day in, day out

Shard-borne Beatles with their drowsy hums (Chinaski), Friday, 1 July 2022 22:47 (one year ago) link

Breakout

Shard-borne Beatles with their drowsy hums (Chinaski), Friday, 1 July 2022 22:47 (one year ago) link

LAY DOWN THE LAW
SHOUT OUT FOR MORE
BREAKOUT AND SHOUT
DAY IN DAY OUT
BREAKOUT

― the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, November 12, 2012

― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, May 10, 2020 6

― meticulously crafted, socially responsible, morally upsta (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn),

Malevolent Arugula (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 1 July 2022 22:49 (one year ago) link

LAY DOWN THE LAW AND BREAK IT
WHEN DREWERY COMES HOME

Andy K, Friday, 1 July 2022 22:55 (one year ago) link

three weeks pass...

I’d fallen off a horse and fractured my skull. I was incapacitated – I couldn’t move – so with nothing to do but recover, I started scribbling down loads of notes.

!!!

Malevolent Arugula (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 25 July 2022 14:42 (one year ago) link

"Theme (From It's Better to Travel)" reminds me of the Orb's "Spanish Castles in Space"

you can see me from westbury white horse, Monday, 25 July 2022 20:54 (one year ago) link

"Theme" really isn't what I expected from Swing out Sister:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNHvQqqELVU

I wonder if they played it as an overture in concerts? Or if it was the two blokes in the band trying to show that they could do film soundtracks. It sounds like a mixture of incidental music from Star Cops crossed with battle music from a SNES game.

The lead singer's mother is apparently "the doyenne of England's hedgehog ladies":
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedgehog_Care

Ashley Pomeroy, Tuesday, 26 July 2022 21:15 (one year ago) link

I like the suggestion of it the closer to the album but the overture to the concerts - very "Pimpf"

you can see me from westbury white horse, Tuesday, 26 July 2022 21:18 (one year ago) link

nine months pass...

Some people stop at nothing
If you're searching for something
Lay down the law, shout out for more
Breakout and shout, day in, day out

― Shard-borne Beatles with their drowsy hums (Chinaski),

the dreaded dependent claus (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 6 May 2023 14:46 (eleven months ago) link

three months pass...

Interview with Corinne on the Ace Records Podcast here -- good listen!

https://soundcloud.com/ace-records-ltd/the-ace-records-podcast-28-corinne-drewery

Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 30 August 2023 02:27 (eight months ago) link

A bump for the morning!

Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 30 August 2023 14:49 (eight months ago) link

this song always cheers me up

I can't turn a fart into a question (Neanderthal), Wednesday, 30 August 2023 15:19 (eight months ago) link

A bump for the morning!

This strikes me as very fitting for the whole sophstipop aesthetic

the new drip king (DJP), Wednesday, 30 August 2023 15:40 (eight months ago) link

those "Breakout" horns are the equivalents of bumps in the morning

the dreaded dependent claus (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 30 August 2023 15:56 (eight months ago) link

four months pass...

I love "It's Better to Travel" so much. Been looking for more albums that hit that sound (which it seems the band departed from immediately and permanently). So far the closest I've found is "En Cavale" by Isabelle Antena, which hits on a similar glossy, jazzy Sophisti-pop type sound. Any other tips?

OneSecondBefore, Friday, 26 January 2024 20:28 (three months ago) link

Though I am listening to their "Live at the Jazz Cafe" record for the first time right now and... dang! This is really good, and really not what I expected!

OneSecondBefore, Friday, 26 January 2024 20:36 (three months ago) link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dgme2q7GOF0

Dip In The Pool's 'Retinae' definitely has its moments!

blazin' squab (NickB), Friday, 26 January 2024 20:39 (three months ago) link

Oh yeah, that's a good pull! I like that album a lot too. Kind of a quieter energy to it than Swing Out Sister but it does hold a very similar appeal. Great clarinet on there too!

OneSecondBefore, Friday, 26 January 2024 20:45 (three months ago) link

yeah its definitely more 'Twilight World' than 'Breakout'

blazin' squab (NickB), Friday, 26 January 2024 20:48 (three months ago) link

Ended up checking out Shapes and Patterns because it was their highest-rated album on rym. pretty straightforward and pleasant Burt Bacharach-style music but certainly not as fun or compelling as "Breakout". But interesting to learn about their second life in Japan - "Now You're Not Here" from Shapes and Patterns was a huge hit and they're pretty well-known there

Vinnie, Friday, 26 January 2024 21:16 (three months ago) link

This Dip in the Pool song rules

you can see me from westbury white horse, Saturday, 27 January 2024 04:29 (three months ago) link


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