Laid Back
Encyclopedia
Laid Back is a Danish Post-punk
group
formed in Copenhagen
by John Guldberg (vocals
, guitar
s, bass
) and Tim Stahl (vocals, keyboards
, drums
, bass) in 1979. They are best known for the hit
s "Sunshine Reggae", "Bakerman" and "White Horse
" from 1982 and 1983, respectively.
support
ing The Kinks
, the band split up, but the duo continued working together. Guldberg set up a small studio
in downtown Copenhagen where the two musicians began exploring the possibilities that were being opened up by new technologies, such as multitrack
tape recorder
s, synthesizer
s and drum machine
s.
Their first album
, simply titled Laid Back, was released in 1981, and the single
"Maybe I'm Crazy" became a number-one hit in Denmark. The next year, the single "Sunshine Reggae" was released, and became another chart
-topper in their home country; it was later included on the band's second album, Keep Smiling, in 1983, and went on to become a number-one single in Italy
, West Germany
, and nineteen other countries around the world. In the US
, however, it was the single's B-side
that became the band's only big hit. "White Horse
" is a funk
-influenced dance
track with a memorable bassline
and ambiguous, drug
- and/or sex
-themed lyrics
("white horse" being slang
for heroin) that became popular in US club
s. After the song was re-released as an A-side on both 7-inch and 12-inch
vinyl
, it went on to spend three weeks at number one on Billboard
's National Disco Action charts; it was also a crossover
success, reaching the top five on the Hot Black Singles
chart while peaking at number 26 on the Billboard Hot 100
in early 1984. Its relatively poor performance on the Hot 100 is most likely due to the track's controversial lyrics (including the word "bitch"), which prevented it from receiving radio
airplay
in much of the country. In 1988, the English
group New Order
(with whom Laid Back admire each other), re-orded their best-selling album Technique
, heavily influenced by Laidback style, especially the song "Fine Time
" in which their singer Bernard Sumner paid tribute to Laidback's singing style, singing at somes times on top voice, others singing or even talking with over-deep voice. In 1989, the American rap
act 2 Live Crew
sample
d "White Horse" heavily for their single "Get the Fuck Out of My House"; it was later sampled for Monifah
's 1998 hit "Touch It".
Laid Back's next two albums, Play It Straight (1985) and See You in the Lobby (1987), and singles such as "Abu Dhabi" and "Tricky Kind of Thing", were released to little fanfare and limited chart success. The duo made a return to European charts in 1989 with the single "Bakerman" (featuring Danish singer Hanne Boel), which peaked at number nine on the West German charts, and number 44 in the United Kingdom
in early 1990. It was accompanied by an unusual video
, directed
by Lars von Trier
, which featured the band skydiving while "playing" their instruments. Hoping to capitalize on this success, their label re-released "White Horse" (as "White Horse '89") with new remix
es, although this was a commercial disappointment.
Over the course of the following two decades, Laid Back continues to work together, and have since released four albums, a handful of singles, and two greatest hits
compilation
s (Laidest Greatest in 1995 and Good Vibes - The Very Best of Laid Back in 2008). The duo also composed the soundtrack
of the 2001 feature film
Flyvende Farmor, for which they were awarded a Robert, the Danish equivalent of an Oscar. That same year, an exhibition
of the band's artwork, including pieces that appeared on their records and promotional
poster
s, took place in Copenhagen. In 2003 they featured on the track 'Tango' by danish band Hæst, produced by Umpff. They continue to make sporadic live performances, as well, including high-profile shows at the Isle of Wight Festival
in 2004, and the Roskilde Festival
in 2005. A remix of "Bakerman" by British DJ
Shaun Baker
reached number one in Greenland
in 2006.
In 2010 Laid Back returned with the single 'Cocaine Cool'.
Post-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
group
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
formed in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
by John Guldberg (vocals
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s, bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
) and Tim Stahl (vocals, keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, bass) in 1979. They are best known for the hit
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
s "Sunshine Reggae", "Bakerman" and "White Horse
White Horse (Laid Back song)
"White Horse" is a 1983 crossover post-disco single written by Tim Stahl and John Guldberg of the Danish synth-pop duo Laid Back. In the U.S., the single was most successful on the dance chart where it spent three weeks at number one. The single also made the top five on the R&B singles chart and...
" from 1982 and 1983, respectively.
Work
Guldberg and Stahl met in the mid-1970s, and played together in a group called The Starbox Band. After a poorly-received showConcert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
support
Opening act
An opening act or warm-up act is an entertainer or entertainment act that performs at a concert before the featured entertainer...
ing The Kinks
The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
, the band split up, but the duo continued working together. Guldberg set up a small studio
Studio
A studio is an artist's or worker's workroom, or the catchall term for an artist and his or her employees who work within that studio. This can be for the purpose of architecture, painting, pottery , sculpture, scrapbooking, photography, graphic design, filmmaking, animation, radio or television...
in downtown Copenhagen where the two musicians began exploring the possibilities that were being opened up by new technologies, such as multitrack
Multitrack recording
Multitrack recording is a method of sound recording that allows for the separate recording of multiple sound sources to create a cohesive whole...
tape recorder
Tape recorder
An audio tape recorder, tape deck, reel-to-reel tape deck, cassette deck or tape machine is an audio storage device that records and plays back sounds, including articulated voices, usually using magnetic tape, either wound on a reel or in a cassette, for storage...
s, synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
s and drum machine
Drum machine
A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...
s.
Their first album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, simply titled Laid Back, was released in 1981, and the single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
"Maybe I'm Crazy" became a number-one hit in Denmark. The next year, the single "Sunshine Reggae" was released, and became another chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
-topper in their home country; it was later included on the band's second album, Keep Smiling, in 1983, and went on to become a number-one single in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
, and nineteen other countries around the world. In the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, however, it was the single's B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
that became the band's only big hit. "White Horse
White Horse (Laid Back song)
"White Horse" is a 1983 crossover post-disco single written by Tim Stahl and John Guldberg of the Danish synth-pop duo Laid Back. In the U.S., the single was most successful on the dance chart where it spent three weeks at number one. The single also made the top five on the R&B singles chart and...
" is a funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
-influenced dance
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
track with a memorable bassline
Bassline
A bassline is the term used in many styles of popular music, such as jazz, blues, funk, dub and electronic music for the low-pitched instrumental part or line played by a rhythm section instrument such as the electric bass, double bass, tuba or keyboard...
and ambiguous, drug
Drug
A drug, broadly speaking, is any substance that, when absorbed into the body of a living organism, alters normal bodily function. There is no single, precise definition, as there are different meanings in drug control law, government regulations, medicine, and colloquial usage.In pharmacology, a...
- and/or sex
Sex
In biology, sex is a process of combining and mixing genetic traits, often resulting in the specialization of organisms into a male or female variety . Sexual reproduction involves combining specialized cells to form offspring that inherit traits from both parents...
-themed lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
("white horse" being slang
Slang
Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...
for heroin) that became popular in US club
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
s. After the song was re-released as an A-side on both 7-inch and 12-inch
12-inch single
The 12-inch single is a type of gramophone record that has wider groove spacing compared to other types of records. This allows for louder levels to be cut on the disc by the cutting engineer, which in turn gives a wider dynamic range, and thus better sound quality...
vinyl
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
, it went on to spend three weeks at number one on 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...
's National Disco Action charts; it was also a crossover
Crossover (music)
Crossover is a term applied to musical works or performers appearing on two or more of the record charts which track differing musical tastes, or genres...
success, reaching the top five on the Hot Black Singles
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
chart while peaking at number 26 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in early 1984. Its relatively poor performance on the Hot 100 is most likely due to the track's controversial lyrics (including the word "bitch"), which prevented it from receiving radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
airplay
Airplay
* Airplay is the amount of time a song is played on the radio.It may also refer to:* AirPlay, an audio & video streaming technology from Apple Inc.* Airplay , Foster & Graydon music project from 1980* Citroën C1, Citroën C1 Airplay...
in much of the country. In 1988, the English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
group New Order
New Order
New Order are an English rock band formed in 1980 by Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris...
(with whom Laid Back admire each other), re-orded their best-selling album Technique
Technique (album)
Technique is the fifth studio album by New Order, released in 1989 via Factory Records. Partly recorded on the island of Ibiza, it incorporates Balearic beat and acid house influences into the group's electro/rock sound...
, heavily influenced by Laidback style, especially the song "Fine Time
Fine Time
"Fine Time" is a song by New Order released in 1988 and the first single from their 1989 album Technique. The B-side "Fine Line" is simply the A-side without Bernard Sumner's vocals....
" in which their singer Bernard Sumner paid tribute to Laidback's singing style, singing at somes times on top voice, others singing or even talking with over-deep voice. In 1989, the American rap
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
act 2 Live Crew
2 Live Crew
2 Live Crew was a hip hop group from Miami, Florida. They caused considerable controversy with the sexual themes in their work, particularly on their 1989 album As Nasty As They Wanna Be.- Early career :...
sample
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
d "White Horse" heavily for their single "Get the Fuck Out of My House"; it was later sampled for Monifah
Monifah
Monifah is an American female R&B singer-songwriter.-Career:In 1996, her debut album, Moods...Moments was released. In 1997, she contributed the Heavy D. produced "I Still Love You" to the soundtrack of the film, Sprung. Monifah's second album was Mo'hogany. Released in the last quarter of 1998,...
's 1998 hit "Touch It".
Laid Back's next two albums, Play It Straight (1985) and See You in the Lobby (1987), and singles such as "Abu Dhabi" and "Tricky Kind of Thing", were released to little fanfare and limited chart success. The duo made a return to European charts in 1989 with the single "Bakerman" (featuring Danish singer Hanne Boel), which peaked at number nine on the West German charts, and number 44 in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in early 1990. It was accompanied by an unusual video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
, directed
Music video director
A music video director is driven by a given music track. These are called music videos and are then used as promotional tools for popular music singles...
by Lars von Trier
Lars von Trier
Lars von Trier is a Danish film director and screenwriter. He is closely associated with the Dogme 95 collective, although his own films have taken a variety of different approaches, and have frequently received strongly divided critical opinion....
, which featured the band skydiving while "playing" their instruments. Hoping to capitalize on this success, their label re-released "White Horse" (as "White Horse '89") with new remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
es, although this was a commercial disappointment.
Over the course of the following two decades, Laid Back continues to work together, and have since released four albums, a handful of singles, and two greatest hits
Greatest hits
A greatest hits album is a music compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular artist or band...
compilation
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
s (Laidest Greatest in 1995 and Good Vibes - The Very Best of Laid Back in 2008). The duo also composed the soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
of the 2001 feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
Flyvende Farmor, for which they were awarded a Robert, the Danish equivalent of an Oscar. That same year, an exhibition
Art exhibition
Art exhibitions are traditionally the space in which art objects meet an audience. The exhibit is universally understood to be for some temporary period unless, as is rarely true, it is stated to be a "permanent exhibition". In American English, they may be called "exhibit", "exposition" or...
of the band's artwork, including pieces that appeared on their records and promotional
Promotion (marketing)
Promotion is one of the four elements of marketing mix . It is the communication link between sellers and buyers for the purpose of influencing, informing, or persuading a potential buyer's purchasing decision....
poster
Poster
A poster is any piece of printed paper designed to be attached to a wall or vertical surface. Typically posters include both textual and graphic elements, although a poster may be either wholly graphical or wholly text. Posters are designed to be both eye-catching and informative. Posters may be...
s, took place in Copenhagen. In 2003 they featured on the track 'Tango' by danish band Hæst, produced by Umpff. They continue to make sporadic live performances, as well, including high-profile shows at the Isle of Wight Festival
Isle of Wight Festival
The Isle of Wight Festival is a music festival which takes place every year on the Isle of Wight in England. It was originally held from 1968 to 1970. These original events were promoted and organised by the Foulk brothers under the banner of their company Fiery Creations Limited...
in 2004, and the Roskilde Festival
Roskilde Festival
Roskilde Festival is a festival held south of Roskilde in Denmark and is one of the six biggest annual music festivals in Europe . It was created in 1971 by two high school students, Mogens Sandfær and Jesper Switzer Møller, and promoter Carl Fischer...
in 2005. A remix of "Bakerman" by British DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
Shaun Baker
Shaun Baker
Shaun Baker is a DJ from the north of England but has for over 20 years been based in Paderborn, Germany. He has been playing the worldwide club scene over 20 years. Together with his friend and partner Sebastian Wolter he also produces music...
reached number one in Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
in 2006.
In 2010 Laid Back returned with the single 'Cocaine Cool'.
Albums
- 1981: Laid Back
- 1983: Keep Smiling
- 1985: Play It Straight
- 1987: See You in the Lobby
- 1990: Hole in the Sky
- 1993: Why Is Everybody in Such a Hurry
- 1995: Laidest Greatest
- 1999: Unfinished Symphonies
- 2005: Happy Dreamer
- 2008: Good Vibes - The Very Best of Laid Back
Singles
- "High Society Girl" (1982)
- "Sunshine Reggae" (1983)
- "White HorseWhite Horse (Laid Back song)"White Horse" is a 1983 crossover post-disco single written by Tim Stahl and John Guldberg of the Danish synth-pop duo Laid Back. In the U.S., the single was most successful on the dance chart where it spent three weeks at number one. The single also made the top five on the R&B singles chart and...
" (1983) - "Party at the White House" (1987)
- "It's a Shame" (1987)
- "Bakerman" (1989)
- "Highway of Love" (1990)
- "Bet It on You" (1990)
- "Key to Life" (1999)
- "Beautiful Day" (2003)
- "People" (2005)
- "Happy Dreamer" (2005)
- "Cocaine Cool" (2010)
See also
- The official website of the band
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart