Silverbird (album)

Silverbird
Studio album by Leo Sayer
Released January 1974
Recorded 1973
Genre Soft rock
Length 34:53
Label Chrysalis (UK)
Warner Bros. (USA)
Producer David Courtney and Adam Faith
Leo Sayer chronology
Silverbird
(1974)		 Just a Boy
(1974)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Robert ChristgauB-[2]

Silverbird is the debut solo studio album by English singer-songwriter Leo Sayer. It was originally released in January 1974 by Chrysalis (UK), and Warner Bros. (US). It was co-produced by former British pop teen idol Adam Faith and David Courtney.

Sayer began his career as a recording artist under the management guidance of Adam Faith, who signed Sayer to the Chrysalis label in the UK and Warner Bros. Records in the USA. His debut single "Why Is Everybody Going Home" failed to chart, but he shot to national prominence in the UK with his second single, the plaintive music hall-styled song "The Show Must Go On", which Sayer memorably performed on British television wearing a pierrot costume and make-up. The single went quickly to #2 on the UK chart,[3] as did this debut album, for which Sayer wrote nine of the eleven tracks; the other two tracks were co-written with Courtney.

Recording

The recording of "Silverbird" was a difficult and somewhat experimental process, Adam Faith and David Courtney were having loads of ideas but had no real experience in record production. The writers were inspired however and the album started to come together with further recording taking place at the Who's lead singer Roger Daltrey's Barn Studio, Burwash, East Sussex, and later at the Beatles' Apple studios. Here the recording took further shape with the team creating, amongst others, the unique "The Show Must Go On".[4]

Track listing

All songs written by Leo Sayer, except where noted

Side one

  1. "Innocent Bystander" – 3:02
  2. "Slow Motion" – 1:44
  3. "Drop Back" – 3:29
  4. "Silverbird" – 1:12
  5. "The Show Must Go On " (David Courtney, Leo Sayer) – 3:32
  6. "Dancer" (David Courtney, Sayer) – 4:30

Side two

  1. "Tomorrow" – 4:12
  2. "Don't Say It's Over" – 3:15
  3. "Goodnight Old Friend" – 2:50
  4. "Oh Wot a Life" – 2:53
  5. "Why Is Everybody Going Home?" – 4:14

Personnel

[5]

Production

[5]

Charts

Album

Billboard (North America)

Year Chart Position
1974 Pop Albums 209

UK Albums Chart (United Kingdom)

Year Chart Position
1974 UK Albums Chart 2

Single

UK Singles Chart (United Kingdom)

Year Single Chart Position
1973 "The Show Must Go On" UK Singles Chart 2

[6]

References

  1. ↑ Allmusic review
  2. ↑ Christgau, Robert (1974). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice (New York). Retrieved 10 March 2015.
  3. ↑ Rice, Jo. The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits, first ed., Guinness Superlatives Ltd, Middlesex, UK, p.181. ISBN 0-85112-250-7
  4. ↑ http://www.leosayer.com/biography/leos-story-so-far
  5. 1 2 Allmusic.com album credits
  6. ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 483. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.

External links

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