Shapes and Patterns
Encyclopedia
Shapes and Patterns is a 1997 album by the British pop group Swing Out Sister
. It was first released in Japan
in March 1997, and then in Europe and USA the year after. Producer Paul Staveley O'Duffy
, who co-wrote half of the songs, was back at the helm. As an orchestra was once again employed (led by Gavyn Wright
), the lush arrangements characteristic of Kaleidoscope World
resurfaced.
This album would also mark the beginning of the group's collaborations with Japanese musicians in their studio sessions.
Mercury Records
distributed Shapes and Patterns in the United States. In an interview with Paul Sexton of Billboard
magazine, a marketing executive from Mercury described the challenge associated with promoting the album in the U.S. due to the evolution of the group's music: "When you have a band like Swing Out Sister, you'd have a tough time pinpointing their sound. It's pop, it's urban, it's adult, it's jazz. Europe and Japan don't adhere to those rules as much as America does. It crosses over so many lines, and that's where Swing Out's strength is."
Additional Personnel
Swing Out Sister
Swing Out Sister are a British "sophisti-pop" group best known worldwide for their 1986 song "Breakout". Other hits include "Surrender", "Twilight World", "Waiting Game" and a remake of "Am I the Same Girl?" Though album sales in the U.S. and Europe have levelled off since the early 1990s, the...
. It was first released in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in March 1997, and then in Europe and USA the year after. Producer Paul Staveley O'Duffy
Paul Staveley O'Duffy
Paul O’Duffy is a British record producer, composer, mixer. He is best known for producing Swing Out Sister's Grammy-nominated multi-platinum debut album, for his BMI nomination as 'Producer of the Year' in 1987, and work with John Barry and other film score producing...
, who co-wrote half of the songs, was back at the helm. As an orchestra was once again employed (led by Gavyn Wright
Gavyn Wright
Gavyn Wright is a British violinist and orchestra leader with the London Session Orchestra and Penguin Cafe Orchestra, best known for his orchestral arrangements on pop productions as well as numerous TV and movie soundtracks Gavyn Wright is a British violinist and orchestra leader with the London...
), the lush arrangements characteristic of Kaleidoscope World
Kaleidoscope World (Swing Out Sister album)
Kaleidoscope World is the second studio album by the British band Swing Out Sister. It was released in 1989 and features the singles "Where In The World?" , "You On My Mind" , "Forever Blue" , and "Waiting Game"...
resurfaced.
This album would also mark the beginning of the group's collaborations with Japanese musicians in their studio sessions.
Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
distributed Shapes and Patterns in the United States. In an interview with Paul Sexton of Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
magazine, a marketing executive from Mercury described the challenge associated with promoting the album in the U.S. due to the evolution of the group's music: "When you have a band like Swing Out Sister, you'd have a tough time pinpointing their sound. It's pop, it's urban, it's adult, it's jazz. Europe and Japan don't adhere to those rules as much as America does. It crosses over so many lines, and that's where Swing Out's strength is."
Track listing
CD & Cassette Version- "Somewhere in the World" (3:45) (Andy ConnellAndy ConnellAndrew John "Andy" Connell is an English musician and composer. Along with Corinne Drewery, he is part of the duo that makes up Swing Out Sister....
/Corinne DreweryCorinne DreweryCorinne Drewery is the lead singer of the pop music band, Swing Out Sister.-Early life:Drewery grew up in Nottingham and the Lincolnshire village of Authorpe and went to South Reston Primary School, then Monks' Dyke High School and King Edward VI Grammar School in nearby Louth, then Lincoln College...
/Paul Staveley O'DuffyPaul Staveley O'DuffyPaul O’Duffy is a British record producer, composer, mixer. He is best known for producing Swing Out Sister's Grammy-nominated multi-platinum debut album, for his BMI nomination as 'Producer of the Year' in 1987, and work with John Barry and other film score producing...
) - "Here and Now" (5:06) (A. Connell/C. Drewery/P. S. O'Duffy)
- "We Could Make It Happen" (5:13) (A. Connell/C. Drewery/P. S. O'Duffy)
- "Something Out of This World" (5:02) (A. Connell/C. Drewery/P. S. O'Duffy)
- "Shapes and Patterns" - (1:23) (A. Connell/C. Drewery/P. S. O'Duffy)
- "Better Make It Better" (Redux) - (5:23) (A. Connell/C. Drewery)
- "Joe Meeks Cat" - (0:23) (A. Connell/C. Drewery/P. S. O'Duffy)
- "Stoned Soul PicnicStoned Soul Picnic (song)"Stoned Soul Picnic" was a song from 1968. The most known version of the song was recorded by The 5th Dimension, and was the first single released from their album of the same title. It was the most successful single from that album, reaching #3 on the U.S. Pop chart and #2 on the Billboard R&B chart...
" (5:08) (Laura NyroLaura NyroLaura Nyro was an American songwriter, singer, and pianist. She achieved considerable critical acclaim with her own recordings, particularly the albums Eli and the Thirteenth Confession and New York Tendaberry, and had commercial success with artists such as Barbra Streisand and The 5th...
) - "You Already Know" (4:34) (A. Connell/C. Drewery/P. S. O'Duffy)
- "Always" (5:05) (A. Connell/C. Drewery/P. S. O'Duffy)
- "Now You're Not HereNow You're Not Here"Now You're Not Here" is a song from Swing Out Sister's fifth album Shapes and Patterns, was used as the theme to a Japanese TV program, and received a Japanese 'Grand Prix' for best international single in 1997....
" (4:36) (A. Connell/C. Drewery/P. S. O'Duffy) - "Icy Cold as Winter" (5:13) (A. Connell/C. Drewery/P. S. O'Duffy)
- "Shapes and Patterns" (Reprise) - (1:23) (A. Connell/C. Drewery/P. S. O'Duffy)
Personnel
Swing Out Sister- Andy ConnellAndy ConnellAndrew John "Andy" Connell is an English musician and composer. Along with Corinne Drewery, he is part of the duo that makes up Swing Out Sister....
- Keyboards - Corinne DreweryCorinne DreweryCorinne Drewery is the lead singer of the pop music band, Swing Out Sister.-Early life:Drewery grew up in Nottingham and the Lincolnshire village of Authorpe and went to South Reston Primary School, then Monks' Dyke High School and King Edward VI Grammar School in nearby Louth, then Lincoln College...
- Lead Vocals
Additional Personnel
- Dah Len - Photography