It's Better to Travel

It's Better to Travel
Studio album by Swing Out Sister
Released 11 May 1987
Recorded 1985-1987
Genre Pop, jazz, rock
Length 63:45
Label Mercury
Producer Paul Staveley O'Duffy
Swing Out Sister chronology
It's Better to Travel
(1987)		 Kaleidoscope World
(1989)
Singles from It's Better to Travel
  1. "Breakout"
    Released: October 1986
  2. "Surrender"
    Released: January 1987
  3. "Twilight World"
    Released: April 1987
  4. "Fooled by a Smile"
    Released: July 1987

It's Better to Travel is the debut album by the British sophisti-pop band Swing Out Sister, released in 1987 on Mercury Records. Upon its release, the album reached number one on the UK Albums Chart. [1]

Contents

Information

This was Swing Out Sister's debut album and contained the hit single "Breakout", which reached number 4 on the UK pop chart in November 1986 and number 6 on the US pop chart in November 1987. Subsequent singles released from It's Better to Travel include "Surrender", "Twilight World" and "Fooled by a Smile". The original vinyl and cassette release comprised the first nine tracks shown below. The remaining tracks were added to the subsequent CD release.

The album also garnered the band two American Grammy Award nominations for Best New Artist and Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Group or Duo ("Breakout") at the ceremony held in 1988.

For this album, Swing Out Sister consisted of vocalist Corinne Drewery, keyboardist Andy Connell and drummer Martin Jackson. Jackson would depart the group during the recording of their second album, Kaleidoscope World.

The title for the album was derived from a quote by the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson: "To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive, and the true success is to labour."[1]

Track listing

LP & Cassette Version

  1. "Breakout" - (3:46)
  2. "Twilight World" - (Superb, Superb, Mix) - (6:27)
  3. "After Hours" - (4:48)
  4. "Blue Mood" - (4:18)
  5. "Surrender" - (3:53)
  6. "Fooled by a Smile" - (4:06)
  7. "Communion" - (4:40)
  8. "It's Not Enough" - (3:46)
  9. "Theme (From - 'It's Better to Travel')" - (4:32)

CD version

  1. "Breakout" - (3:46)
  2. "Twilight World" - (Superb, Superb, Mix) - (6:27)
  3. "After Hours" - (4:48)
  4. "Blue Mood" - (4:18)
  5. "Surrender" - (3:53)
  6. "Fooled by a Smile" - (4:06)
  7. "Communion" - (4:40)
  8. "It's Not Enough" - (3:46)
  9. "Theme (From - 'It's Better to Travel')" - (4:32)
  10. "Breakout" (NAD Mix) (5:50)
  11. "Surrender" (Stuff Gun Mix) - (6:40)
  12. "Twilight World" (Remix) - (6:09)
  13. "Communion" (Instrumental) - (4:39)

Reviews

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [2]

Caroline Sullivan of Melody Maker described the songs on It's Better to Travel as "spanking, sparkling, radio-friendly little tunes, dressed up in some Dagworthy/Galliano fashionwear and committed to vinyl by a good-looking girl and two male partners."[1] Lucy O'Brien of New Musical Express mentioned a "lush, laidback funky mix with nifty horn section" and stated that "it should be less a case of Swing than Break Out Sister."[1]

Singles

Song Year Chart Position
"Breakout" 1986 UK Singles Chart 4[3]
"Breakout" 1987 Billboard Hot 100 6[4]
"Breakout" 1987 Billboard Adult Contemporary 1[5]
"Breakout" 1987 Billboard Club Play 12[6]
"Surrender" 1987 UK Singles Chart 7[3]
"Surrender" 1988 Billboard Adult Contemporary 37[5]
"Surrender" 1988 Billboard Club Play 22[6]
"Twilight World" 1987 UK Singles Chart 32[3]
"Twilight World" 1987 Billboard Club Play 9[6]
"Twilight World" 1988 Billboard Hot 100 31[4]
"Twilight World" 1988 Billboard Adult Contemporary 7[5]
"Fooled by a Smile" 1987 UK Singles Chart 43[3]

References

  1. ^ a b c Album info SwingOutSister.com. Retrieved 4 April 2009.
  2. ^ Allmusic review
  3. ^ a b c d UK Singles Chart info Chartstats.com. Retrieved 4 April 2009.
  4. ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 8th Edition (Billboard Publications)
  5. ^ a b c Hyatt, Wesley (1999). The Billboard Book of #1 Adult Contemporary Hits (Billboard Publications)
  6. ^ a b c Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco 1974-2003, (Record Research Inc.)
Preceded by
Now That's What I Call Music 9 by Various Artists		 UK number-one album
23 May 1987 – 5 June 1987		 Succeeded by
Live in the City of Light by Simple Minds
Swing Out Sister
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)
Singles
"Blue Mood"  • "Breakout"  • "Surrender"  • "Twilight World"  • "Fooled by a Smile"  • "You on My Mind"  • "Where in the World"  • "Waiting Game"  • "Forever Blue"  • "The Windmills of Your Mind"  • "Am I the Same Girl"  • "Notgonnachange"  • "La-La (Means I Love You)"  • "Better Make It Better"  • "Now You're Not Here"  • "Heaven Only Knows"  • "Somewhere in the World"  • "We Could Make It Happen"  • "Who's Been Sleeping"  • "Through the Sky"  • "Love Won't Let You Down"  • "Secret Love"  • "Something Every Day"
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