Silent Letter (album)

Silent Letter is the eighth studio album by American folk rock duo America, released by Capitol Records in June 1979.

Silent Letter
Studio album by
America
ReleasedJune 15, 1979
RecordedMarch - April 1979, AIR Studios, Montserrat
GenrePop rock
Length34:50
LabelCapitol 85917
ProducerGeorge Martin
America chronology
America Live
(1977)		 Silent Letter
(1979)		 Alibi
(1980)
Singles from Silent Letters
  1. "Only Game in Town"/"High in the City"
    Released: August 1979
  2. "All My Life"/"One Morning"
    Released: October 1979
  3. "All Around"/"1960"
    Released: January 1980
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]

This was the first America studio album following the departure of Dan Peek, the first America release on Capitol Records, and the last to feature George Martin as producer.

It was also their first studio album since their debut to have a title beginning with a letter other than "H". The title itself acknowledges the missing "H" by its wry reference to silent letters in the English language.

The album contains fast-paced disco songs, piano-based power ballads (often sung by Gerry Beckley), and midtempo pop rock songs.

Reception

In his Allmusic retrospective review, music critic Steven Thomas Erlewine noted the band's transition from "folky California soft rock" to adult contemporary. He wrote of the album: "The end result may be flawed, but in an enjoyable way. And compared to the records that preceded it and some of albums that followed it, Silent Letter certainly seems like a latter-day highlight for America."[1]

The album was not a commercial success, reaching only number 110 on the Billboard album chart. However, it did produce three minor hit singles. "Only Game in Town" bubbled under the Hot 100 chart, peaking at # 107. "All My Life" and "All Around" narrowly missed the Top 40 on the Adult Contemporary chart, peaking at # 48 & 45 respectively. The former was a big hit in Asia.

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Only Game in Town"Lewis Anderson, Julie Didier, Casey Kelly4:12
2."All Around"Gerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell3:21
3."Tall Treasures"Beckley, Bunnell3:15
4."1960"Beckley3:10
5."And Forever"Bunnell3:11
6."Foolin'"Beckley, Ricky Fataar2:53
7."All Night"Bunnell3:19
8."No Fortune"Beckley3:18
9."All My Life"Beckley3:02
10."One Morning"Bunnell2:12
11."High in the City"Beckley, Bunnell3:02

Personnel
  • Gerry Beckley – vocals, guitars, keyboards
  • Dewey Bunnell – vocals, guitars
  • Mike Woods – lead guitar
  • David Dickey – bass
  • Willie Leacox – drums
  • Jim Calire – keyboards, sax solo
  • Tom Walsh – percussion

Chart positions

Album

Year Chart Position
1979 US 110[2]
AUS 51

Singles

Year Single Chart Position
1979 "Only Game in Town" US[3] 107
"All My Life" US AC 48
1980 "All Around" US AC 45
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References
  1. Erlewine, Steven Thomas. "Silent Letter > Review". Allmusic. Retrieved August 15, 2011.
  2. America – America > Charts & Awards > Billboard Album at AllMusic. Retrieved 3 April 2008.
  3. "America : Allmusic : Billboard Singles". Allmusic. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
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