42 years on stage in a single line-up. Is this possible in today's world? The answer is "Yes" if we're talking about the iconic Danish pop band Laid Back.
Laid back. Start
It all started quite by accident. The group members repeatedly repeated the coincidence of circumstances in their numerous interviews. John Gouldberg and Tim Stahl found out about each other in the late 70s of the last century. They were brought together by the unsuccessful project "The Starbox Band". Having performed several times as an opening act for a rock band T, and without gaining popularity, the team fell apart.
But a bad experience prompted John and Tim to create their own musical group. Especially since they had a lot in common. And, first of all, they were united by a love for British pop music. This is how a duo called Laid Back was born, playing electronic pop music.
Successful debut
First of all, a small studio was founded in Copenhagen. The latest technologies were used to record tracks. Experiments in this area led to the release of the single "Maybe i'm Crazy". The use of modern equipment made it possible to record the debut collection in the shortest possible time.
"Laid Back" was released in 1981, and immediately became popular not only in Copenhagen, but also in many Danish cities. The album was a mix of disco with some weird electronics mixed in.
Kind, positive lyrical texts and stylish original musical accompaniment won the hearts of the people of Denmark. The duet began to be recognized, and their songs sounded from all the “irons”.
"Stop Drug"
At the beginning of his career, only the inhabitants of Denmark and South America knew about the work of Laid Back. The 1982 single "Sunshine Reggae" became one of the most successful. The English-speaking duo gained international fame with the 12-inch single from 83 "White Horse". Funk-influenced dance music with a catchy base was popular in American dance clubs.
"White Horse" is an anti-drug themed track. The song is about people who are lured into the drug culture. Drugs are commonplace at that time. Drugs have become an everyday paraphernalia of the youth movement. Laid Back opposed the psychotropic trend, which was quite unusual.
The last part of the track used foul language. But for broadcast on the radio, the text was slightly edited. Today it can be heard without censorship. The track climbs to the top of the Billboard National Disco Action, and the successful ascent ends there. In the States, despite the support of Prince, the track becomes very popular, but the album did not receive due fame. And the rest of the compositions went unnoticed by the general public.
Further attempts to record something worthwhile were unsuccessful. The '85 Play It Straight release and the '87 See You in the Lobby album were moderately successful, but lacked bombing tracks. And none of them could become as popular as "White Horse".
Again Laid Back on the buzz
In the late 80s, a composition called "Bakerman" "shot". The duo recorded it in collaboration with another famous Dane, Hanna Boel. The group returned to the charts again. The song became popular in many European countries, but was a moderate success in Britain.
For example, in Germany, it rose to 9th place, and in England, the track is located only on the 44th line of the British hit parade. The video for this song was also unexpected. Director Lars Von Trier came up with an extraordinary move. After jumping out of the plane, the musicians, in free fall, manage to play musical instruments and sing. For the 90th year it was fresh and extraordinary.
European popularity
With the love of American listeners, the duet did not work out. But in Eastern Europe there were no problems with fans and no. Electronic dance music still resonates in the hearts of fans today. And even though there are fewer and fewer albums lately, "Laid Back" do not stop their activities.
A new round in their joint work was the music for films. The assessment of this in 2002 was the award, the Danish Robert - an analogue of the American Oscar. The music for the film "Flyvende Farmor" won the hearts of the strict jury and fell in love with the audience. They also paint pictures. At the beginning of the XNUMXs, their personal exhibition took place. And yet the main business of their lives was and remains music.
New era. XNUMXs
Brother Music is Laid Back's personal label founded in the first decade of the millennium. And the first single was "Cocaine Cool", a song written 30 years ago. Unreleased compositions remained relevant, and the musicians decide to release a modernized mini-collection. "Cosyland" and then "Cosmic Vibes" are released in 2012.
While maintaining their unique identity, musicians are constantly adding something new to their sound. This is how the 2013 compilation “Uptimistic Music” turned out. The vocalist Red Baron, sound engineer and producer took part in the recording of this album.
Forty years of creative activity
40 years on stage, with the same line-up and in the same studio - is there anyone else who could boast of this? For their uniqueness and recognition in the world of music, Laid Back was awarded the Årets Steppeulv award in 2019. In honor of them, a collection of author's things with the symbols of the group was released. But most importantly - the 12th studio album "Healing Feeling" and ongoing creative activity.
