Reviewed by Phil Taylor (see his Music Observer blog here)
Release date: 14/05/24
A few months ago, I reviewed a song called Falling (read the review here), which forms a small part of an album released in May by legendary Leicester sax and synth pop band The Swinging Laurels.
That album is called Return to the Future. If you’re lucky enough to get your hands on one of the limited edition copies you’ll be looking at a lovingly created package which includes a 10-track vinyl album and a CD which hosts 7 bonus singles as well as those album tracks. It’s a beautiful physical product that still has touches of a DIY feel in places, which seems very appropriate as part of the story of The Swinging Laurels.
The vinyl comes in a striking pink outer sleeve. Inside you’ll find a sheet of sleeve notes with black and white photos of “The Swinging Laurels cast from the past” on the reverse, an inner envelope resplendent with candid colour photos of the band in action, and a gorgeous transparent blue vinyl record.
As the sleeve notes explain, the album is a collection of songs – both demos and releases – made between 1983 and 1996 (and recorded on equipment including reel-to-reel tape and Minidisc): a 13-year span of eclectic recordings which illustrates the colour and dynamism of the group which was The Swinging Laurels. In some ways, too, it barely scratches the surface of what the band achieved in their time, playing scores of gigs across the UK (and well beyond) and by all accounts having a whale of a time doing it. More on that shortly – let’s look at the album more closely.
There are five tracks per side: the “pink side” includes tracks recorded at the band’s own Happy House Studio, here in Leicester as well as one (Stay) recorded at Woodbine Studios in Leamington Spa. Most were laid down in the 1980s, and you can almost feel the energy of that decade coming through those tracks: the primarily analogue and relatively low-tech environment, coupled with a giddy, future-looking sensibility. In an era long before hi-fidelity, digital recording and editing became available to almost everyone, music was made more simply and arguably with more blood, sweat and tears.
The fourth pink track Be Someone is relatively modern in contrast. This one was originally released on an EP in 1996 and emits a kind of purity coupled with a more polished and mellow aesthetic and some more sophisticated production tricks. It’s a good example of the diversity of sound that The Swinging Laurels produced – particularly when you hear it play into track 5, Stay, a much older recording: a pure 80s vibe with wobbly keyboards, early electro beats and multi-tracked vocals drenched in reverb.
The “yellow side” of the LP traverses the 80s, and again includes a track recorded at Woodbine Studios (Falling). That song, which I described in my previous review for Music in Leicester as “a neat package of synth-led songwriting, of unbridled happiness and colour” has a neat little tale attached to it which seems to typify the “almost big time” story of The Swinging Laurels. The track was due to be released on Albion Records but that plan was paused to make way for a deal with Virgin Records (brokered, wonderfully, by Culture Club drummer Jon Moss) … which ultimately fell through.
The yellow tracks include another made at Do Not Erase Studio in Fulham, south-west London (The Shelter), and the closing song of the LP, I’ll Talk To You. This one clocks in at an almost-epic 6 minutes meaning there’s time here for the band to play with drama much more than then they usually do, building sounds more gradually. The track also features a highly satisfying slap bass and some shockingly metallic electric guitar sounds.
There are many more of those stories to be found in a book written by saxophonist John Barrow. In How NOT to make it in the pop world (sub-titled diary of an almost has-been), John recounts his memories from more than 30 years in the pop music world. This is a man who name-drops countless pop and rock stars including Boy George, Sinead O’Connor and Ali Campbell; who appeared twice on Top Of The Pops; and who persuaded Frank Benbini of Fun Lovin’ Criminals to write the book’s Foreword. But, in his own words, he’s a man “always on the periphery, never quite hitting the pay dirt.”
In the Introduction, John succinctly cuts through to the truth behind the pop music industry. “The industry exists by allowing gullible kids to believe the myth. A dream machine that feeds off its own legend.” We still see that today, even as the industry struggles to reshape itself in the face of stars who can literally rise to stardom overnight thanks to social media and viral trends.
The book is a very entertaining read. But there’s no bitterness to John’s writing – he simply tells it as it was, unrolling page after page of anecdotes, and also providing a fascinating and essential historical record of an important piece of the UK’s pop music world. Many of his stories are very funny and sometimes the exploits he talks of border on the outlandish (some others unfortunately reflect the views of the time). What always shines through is John’s honesty and positivity as he interacts with the many diverse personalities who were part of his career. He may not have a Ferrari in the driveway, but he’s certainly had a lot of fun over the past few decades. The Swinging Laurels makes up a great part of the book, of course (although it doesn’t get going until chapter 17!), and it’s good to get a different perspective and level of insight into that band as you listen to their music collected as never before on Return to the Future.
Whatever your musical taste, and whether or not you were part of The Swinging Laurels’ original journey, I recommend you sample their music in 2024. Bands like this are an integral part of the music ecosystem and should never be forgotten. There’s always a place for their contribution. The music is timeless too – a track recorded in 1983 can speak just as clearly now as then. Individuals, like John Barrow and his former bandmate Gaz Birtles, who work so hard to preserve it should be celebrated.
Return to the Future was released by Leicester independent label Scatola Rosa, and can be ordered from Rough Trade online (click here) (with just over 300 copies available). John Barrow’s book is available widely online (buy it from here). You can keep up with The Swinging Laurels on Facebook (click here).