Shapes and Patterns

1997 studio album by Swing Out Sister

Shapes and Patterns

Studio album by

Swing Out Sister

Released| 5 March 1997
Recorded| July 1995 – May 1996
Genre|

* Synth-pop[1]
* jazz pop[1]
* sophisti-pop[2]
* pop-soul[2]
* R&B[2]

Length| 52:14
Label| Mercury
Producer| Paul Staveley O'Duffy
Swing Out Sister chronology
| Best of Swing Out Sister
(1996)  | Shapes and Patterns
(1997)  | Filth and Dreams
(1999)

|
|

Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
AllMusic|  [3]

Shapes and Patterns is the fifth studio album by British pop group Swing Out Sister. It was first released in Japan in March 1997 on Mercury Records,[4] and in Europe and the United States the following year.[citation needed] Producer Paul Staveley O'Duffy, who co-wrote half of the songs on the album, was back at the helm. As an orchestra was once again employed (led by Gavyn Wright), the lush arrangements characteristic of Kaleidoscope World (1989) resurfaced. The album features the track "Now You're Not Here" which was used as the theme to the Japanese programme Mahiru No Tsuki, as well as a reworked version of "Better Make It Better" which had featured on their previous studio album, The Living Return (1994). The album was promoted with the singles "Somewhere in the World" and "We Could Make It Happen."

This album would also mark the beginning of the group's collaborations with Japanese musicians in their studio sessions.

The liner notes, written by composer/singer-songwriter Mary Edwards, points out that the influences of Burt Bacharach, Jimmy Webb, and John Barry are perceptible in the string arrangements and Latin rhythms, as well as Minnie Riperton, Rotary Connection and The 5th Dimension. 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."[5]

## Track listing

[edit]

1. "Somewhere in the World" - 3:45  (Andy Connell/Corinne Drewery/Paul Staveley O'Duffy)
2. "Here and Now" - 5:06  (A. Connell/C. Drewery/P. S. O'Duffy)
3. "We Could Make It Happen" - 5:13  (A. Connell/C. Drewery/P. S. O'Duffy)
4. "Shapes and Patterns" - 0:52  (A. Connell/C. Drewery/P. S. O'Duffy)
5. "Better Make It Better" - 5:23  (A. Connell/C. Drewery)
6. "Something Out of This World" - 5:02  (A. Connell/C. Drewery/P. S. O'Duffy)
7. "Joe Meek's Cat" - 0:23  (C. Drewery/A. Connell/P. S. O'Duffy)
8. "Stoned Soul Picnic" - 5:08  (Laura Nyro)
9. "You Already Know" - 4:34  (A. Connell/C. Drewery/P. S. O'Duffy)
10. "Always" - 5:05  (A. Connell/C. Drewery/P. S. O'Duffy)
11. "Now You're Not Here" - 4:36  (A. Connell/C. Drewery/P. S. O'Duffy)
12. "Icy Cold as Winter" - 5:13  (A. Connell/C. Drewery/P. S. O'Duffy)
13. "Shapes and Patterns" (Reprise) - 1:23  (A. Connell/C. Drewery/P. S. O'Duffy)

## Personnel

[edit]

Swing Out Sister

* Andy Connell – keyboards
* Corinne Drewery – lead vocals

Additional musicians

* Tim Cansfield – guitars
* Luís Jardim – bass guitar, percussion
* Andrew Small – drums (1, 2, 5)
* Gota Yashiki – drums (3, 4, 6-13), rhythm programming (3, 8, 9)
* Steve Sidelnyk – rhythm programming (4, 6, 9, 13)
* Larry Williams – saxophones (1, 4, 9, 13)
* Snake Davis – saxophones (3, 6), flute (3, 6), horn arrangements (3, 6)
* Hideyo Takakuwa – flute (11)
* Osamu Koike – saxophones (11)
* Takuo Yamamoto – saxophones (11)
* Bill Reichenbach, Jr. – trombone (1, 4, 9, 13)
* Fayyaz Virji – trombone (3, 6)
* Yoichi Murata – trombone (11), bass trombone (11), horn arrangements (11)
* Gary Grant – trumpet (1, 4, 9, 13), flugelhorn (1, 4, 9, 13)
* Jerry Hey – trumpet (1, 4, 9, 13), flugelhorn (1, 4, 9, 13), horn arrangements (1, 4, 9, 13)
* Steve Sidwell – trumpet (3, 6), flugelhorn (3, 6)
* Toshio Araki – trumpet (11), flugelhorn (11)
* Masahiko Sugasaka – trumpet (11), flugelhorn (11)
* Robin Smith – string arrangements (1, 2, 8), string conductor (1, 2, 8)
* Gavyn Wright – string conductor (1, 2, 8)
* The London Session Orchestra – strings (1, 2, 8)
* George Chandler – backing vocals
* Leon Daniels – backing vocals
* Derek Green – backing vocals
* Stevie Lange – backing vocals
* Sylvia Mason-James – backing vocals
* Melodie Sexton – backing vocals
* Beverley Skeete – backing vocals
* Lance Ellington – backing vocals (7)
* Miriam Stockley – backing vocals (7)
* Frank Campbell – vocal arrangements (7)

### Production

[edit]

* Bas Hartong – A&R
* Paul Staveley O'Duffy – producer, mixing
* Ben Darlow – engineer
* Jon Bailey – assistant engineer
* Steve Cook – assistant engineer
* Ben Georgiades – assistant engineer
* Scott Howland – assistant engineer
* Valerie Jaquot – assistant engineer
* Tatsuya Shimokawa – assistant engineer
* Yutaka Shimoyama – assistant engineer
* Ibi Tijani – assistant engineer
* Yutaka Uematsu – assistant engineer
* P. R. Brown – design, digital illustration
* Dah Len – photography[6]
* Paul E. Swanson – additional photography
* Bennett Freed – management

## Sales and certifications

[edit]

Certifications for Shapes and Patterns Region  | Certification | Certified units/sales

|
|

Japan (RIAJ)[7] | Gold  | 100,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Gordon, Alex (1 January 1998). "Swing out Sister". In Knopper, Steve (ed.). MusicHound Lounge: The Essential Album Guide. Detroit: Visible Ink Press. p. 454.
2. ^ a b c Stanley, Leo. Swing Out Sister - Shapes and Patterns (1997) Review at AllMusic. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
3. ^ "Shapes and Patterns - Swing Out Sister - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
4. ^ "Swing Out Sister – Shapes And Patterns (1997, CD)". Discogs. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
5. ^ Hyatt, Wesley (1999). The Billboard Book of #1 Adult Contemporary Hits (Billboard Publications), page 382.
6. ^ Album details SwingOutSister.com. Retrieved 19 May 2009.
7. ^ "Japanese album certifications – Swing Out Sister – Shapes and Patterns" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved 22 July 2022. Select 1997年3月 on the drop-down menu

* v
* t
* e

Swing Out Sister

* Andy Connell
* Corinne Drewery

* Martin Jackson

Studio albums|

* It's Better to Travel (1987)
* Kaleidoscope World (1989)
* Get in Touch with Yourself (1992)
* The Living Return (1994)
* Shapes and Patterns (1997)
* Filth and Dreams (1999)
* Somewhere Deep in the Night (2001)
* Where Our Love Grows (2004)
* Beautiful Mess (2008)
* Almost Persuaded (2017)

Singles|

* "Blue Mood"
* "Breakout"
* "Surrender"
* "Twilight World"
* "Fooled by a Smile"
* "You on My Mind"
* "Where in the World"
* "Waiting Game"
* "The Windmills of Your Mind"
* "Am I the Same Girl"
* "Notgonnachange"
* "La-La (Means I Love You)"

Related topics|

* Discography

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

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