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Laid Back (properly spelled Laidback) is a Danish Post-punk group formed in Copenhagen by John Guldberg (vocals, guitars, bass) and Tim Stahl (vocals, keyboards, drums, bass) in 1979. They are best known for the hits "Sunshine Reggae" and "White Horse" from 1982 and 1983, respectively.

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 clubs. 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 sampled "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 remixes, although this was a commercial disappointment.

 

Albums (5)
Songs (46)
Vinyl Vinyl
Laid Back
Laid Back
Songs 10 Comments 0
0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 / 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Added on 11 July 2011
Released 1981
Format Vinyl
Type
Length 0:00
N discs 1
Label Ultraphone
Genre All Genres
Price 0.00 €
Cat N 6.24925 AS
...Keep Smiling
Laid Back
Songs 8 Comments 0
0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 / 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Added on 11 July 2011
Released 1983
Format Vinyl
Type
Length 0:00
N discs 1
Label Metronome
Genre All Genres
Price 0.00 €
Cat N 815 299-1
Play It Straight
Laid Back
Songs 9 Comments 0
0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 / 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Added on 11 July 2011
Released 1985
Format Vinyl
Type
Length 0:00
N discs 1
Label Medley Records
Genre All Genres
Price 0.00 €
Cat N MDLP 6260
See You In The Lobby
Laid Back
Songs 9 Comments 0
0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 / 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Added on 11 July 2011
Released 1987
Format Vinyl
Type
Length 0:00
N discs 1
Label WEA
Genre All Genres
Price 0.00 €
Cat N 254 867-1
Hole In The Sky
Laid Back
Songs 10 Comments 0
0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 / 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Added on 11 July 2011
Released 1990
Format Vinyl
Type
Length 0:00
N discs 1
Label BMG Ariola München GmbH
Genre All Genres
Price 0.00 €
Cat N 210 263

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