Customer Reviews

Get In Touch With Yourself

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Get In Touch With Yourself" is SOS's best pop album. Thewhole CD is full of songs (if marketed correctly) that could've donewell on radio. Everyone in the whole world heard "Am I The Same Girl", but (unless you live in Japan) North Americans missed out on great cuts like "Who Let The Love Out", "Circulate", "Understand", "Incomplete Without You" and "Notgonnachange". I agree with other reviewers who enjoyed "Don't Say The Word", "Everyday Crime" and the title track. Gee, I just about mentioned the whole CD!

I realize that Hip Hop, pretty girls, guy groups and people who look good on MTV sell - there's no substitute for great music. Great music will sell. The public has responded again and again. The best music out there rarely breaks into the top ten. My contention is Mercury never really tried. Listen to this CD and you'll know exactly what I mean.

"Get In Touch With Yourself" isn't SOS's best album. Many reviewers here felt that it was. I know one thing for sure - you're going to love this CD a lot! END

This Swing Out Sister album is da bomb! Got a case of the blues? This CD will rock you into good spirits in no time. It's that lively! It's also good for an instant flashback to the 70s. Check out songs Everyday Crime, I Can Hear You but I Can't See You, and Incomplete w/o You. We're talking real groovy music here!
This is the first CD I would recommend for anyone starting off on an SOS venture.
Why? Because all of what SOS is known for is represented right here in this one CD. It's got the retro-pop (Everyday Crime, Incomplete w/o You), the whimsy (Don't Say a Word), the cool-jazz-pop (Understand, Circulate), and the remakes (Am I the Same Girl) all in one CD. The music here is also easy on the ears, and the songs do not require a strong SOS addiction to enjoy. Every song is upbeat and bursting with flavor. Corinne and Andy may not have been able to deliver exceptional songwriting at the time (you'll need to hear their current albums for that), but if you're looking for pure delicious fun, this album will certainly do.
I'd have to say that this is SOS at their prime! (For the masses, that is.) Get in Touch With Yourself represents a time when SOS satisfied many ears. It also marked an end to their cool, eighties-synth, jazz-pop, dance era.
If you like this album, then you must get in touch with some of their later works. You'll find that they're still cool, but the music is for a distinct, more sophisticated listener.
Don't ask if this is my favorite album, because frankly, they're all good!

I don't know what to say about this album. This has to be one of the best pop albums I've ever heard, or at least Swing Out Sister's best album. "Get In Touch With Yourself" is even better than the loungey "It's Better To Travel". On this outing, the minor-key melodies captivate you and Corinne's vocals make it all the better. I don't exactly know how to classify this album. I'd say it's pop/R&B because Andy experiments with some Isaac Hayes-type sounds ("Everyday Crime" is the ultimate 70's throwback song). There's still a jazzy kind of feel here, but much less horns and a lot more groove. The reason I bought this album was because of the remake "Am I The Same Girl?", but that's not even the best song on the album. When I was little, I used to hear songs by S.O.S. and Basia and thought they were the same artist, but a couple years ago I realized they weren't. Their styles are somewhat similar however. There's not one bad song on here. "Get In Touch With Yourself" tries its darndest not to sound like Marvin Gaye's "What's Goin' On?" and "Don't Say The Word" has a "look at me, I'm happy!" type of vibe. My top 5 are "Am I The Same Girl?" (the horns make the song a clasic), "Everyday Crime" (my favorite one), "I Can Hear You But I Can't See You" (wonderful instrumental that's similar to "Everyday Crime"), "Understand" (the bridge is the best part), and "Incomplete Without You" (the minor-key melody is great). This is a nice lil' addition to anyone's collection. If you don't have this, well... shame on you.

Swing Out Sister is one of the few groups who have remained true to their music. The have an uncanny ability to take various types of music, such as jazz, latin, r&b, rock, and pop, and create music that can only be decribed as sophisticated, timeless, and fun. If you love real music. Give this a try!

Love this cd ! It is one that I play more often than any of their other releases. This one is soulfully consistent and just has a deep groove and vibe througout. Whether you want to classify this as pre-neo soul or an homage to 70's soul, SOS does not miss a beat.Could lead singer Corinne Drewery's vocals be more bluesy and soulful? Sure. However, she has never claimed to be a blues or soul singer; Her vocals still possess the finesse to go either way(pop or R&B) without alienating fans of either musical genres... A couple of tracks,including one instrumental, have a 70's-Isaac Hayes "Shaft" atmosphere! Not a single minute on this cd is fodder or filler. This one receives high marks.

Swing Out Sister has an unusual talent: they are able to switch genres from album to album without ever losing their own distinctive sound. And it ALWAYS works! "Get In Touch With Yourself" would be the first time (but not the last) they experimented with 70's style beats, strings, and hooks.

It's always a treat to hear Swing Out's instrumentals, and they've included two of them here. "I Can Hear You But I Can't See You" would have been perfect for a mystery/suspense soundtrack, while "Everyday Crime" sounds like it could have been lifted from a Pam Grier film. Both songs are heavily influenced by Isaac Hayes without being a carbon copy.

There is no filler on this album. Some songs are dark and deep (the title track, "Who Let The Love Out"), some are light, airy("Incomplete Without You"), and some are just fun ("Am I The Same Girl?"). But they are all very good songs that you will enjoy more and more as time goes on.

Also recommended: Swing Out's "Shapes and Patterns" album. That one essentially continues where this left off, but with more of a slightly psychedelicized pop sound.

At times in most people's lives we have synchronicities of things
coming together totally unexpectedly, and often involving things about which
we did nothing to create the circumstances. Because of 3 such synchronicities
involving SOS I am very much a fan of theirs, and I think they are vastly
underrated, though clearly they have some ardent fans.

SOS fans know the name of their first album, "It's Better To Travel."
I used to travel a lot for business, and on 3 different occasions I heard
SOS albums, and I know I appreciated the music more because I was on a
high from traveling.

The first occurred in 1987, when I was in Cleveland, OH, and heard
what I thought was merely a Top 40 song, "Break Out," from the first
album. It really fit in with my mood, and I took note of it. In 1989 I
was working in Holland for a month, and I heard "The Waiting Game" (from
"Kaleidoscope World") a number of times, and recognized the singer's
beautiful voice and the commercial but very potent rhythms. Yet I still
hadn't made the connection between traveling and their albums.

In July, 1992, I was working in Singapore for a month. One afternoon
I was in a department store and saw the cassette of "Get In Touch With
Yourself." Ah hah, I thought, these are my friends from the past, I
think I'll buy this. I played the you-know-what out of that cassette
for the remainder of my time on that trip, incl. other trips I made
elsewhere in Asia. The most poignant experiences I had were in Thailand,
where I was by myself, but "Get In Touch With Yourself" was a great companion.
I'll never forget riding around Bangkok in what is called a "tuk tuk,"
an only partially covered 3-wheeled vehicle, great for scooting around
traffic, but very poor in a city with pollution that makes our worst
cities' air seem clean! I remember listening to "Don't Say The Word" over
and over while seeing the sights and choking on the smog! That is easily my
favorite song on the album.

So then I got it, the synchronicity that it is indeed better to
travel, and SOS's music makes great listening traveling or not! Recently
I got that old cassette out and played it and had some memories. I
think that this album is still fantastic and timeless, and I don't
understand some of the negative reviews at all. Except for the second
song I think that all the songs are excellent, neither overstated nor
understated, perfectly balanced between the singer's incredible voice
and the fine pop melodies. I recently lost a pet, and the song "My Life
Is Incomplete Without You" really hits home.

Finally, thanks to amazon.com's very reasonably priced new and used
options, I have purchased the 3 CD's that came after this one. I haven't
gotten the latest CD yet, but the other two are very, very good, but
for obvious reasons "Get In Touch With Yourself" is my favorite!

P.S. After I wrote this review I got the CD and will add that
the order on the CD is much different than on the cassette -
I'm glad I had the cassette when I was traveling! The only
song I don't really care for is the 3d song on the CD,
whereas it's the 2d on the cassette.

This album has two US hits,NOTGONNACHANGE(this is the official layout of the title) and AM I THE SAME GIRL?. AITSG has the sound of the late Motown great Marvin Gaye. Fans of Swing Out Sister are also fans of Gaye,The Supremes,Stevie Wonder,The Jackson 5,The Temptations and The Four Tops.

If you want to listen to the best jazzy-sensual-pop music around earth, run right now to your record store and buy this one. We always complain about CD`s that only have a couple of good songs, well people, every single song included in this CD is SUPERB !!! The famous I Am The Same Girl hit is included, but trust me, all other songs are as equal or probably better. Its is by far SOS best recording.

"I have enjoyed SOS for some time and recently picked up this CD. I am, to say the least, very pleased that I did. This is one of their best. Good bass. Corinne's vocals are superb. This CD moves from beginning to end.