Silverbird (album)

Silverbird is the debut solo studio album by English singer-songwriter Leo Sayer. It was originally released in late 1973 by Chrysalis (UK), and Warner Bros. (US). It was co-produced by former British pop teen idol Adam Faith and David Courtney.

Silverbird
Studio album by
Leo Sayer
Released1973
Recorded1973
StudioThe Barn, Sussex; Olympic Studios, London; Nova Studios, London
GenreSoft rock
Length34:53
LabelChrysalis (UK)
Warner Bros. (USA)
ProducerDavid Courtney, Adam Faith
Leo Sayer chronology
Silverbird
(1973)		 Just a Boy
(1974)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Christgau's Record GuideB–[2]

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 No. 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 at Virgin Records' Manor Studios in Shipton-On Cherwell in Oxfordshire. Further recording took place at the Who's lead singer Roger Daltrey's Barn Studio, Burwash, East Sussex, Nova Studios and Olympic Studios, and later at the Beatles' Apple studios. At Daltrey's the recording took further shape with the team creating, amongst others, the unique "The Show Must Go On".[4]

Track listing

All lyrics by Leo Sayer, music by David Courtney.

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 " – 3:32
  6. "The Dancer" – 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
  • Record producer: David Courtney, Adam Faith
  • Engineers: John Mills Apple Studios.Richard Dodd, Keith Harewood, Tom Newman

[5]

Charts

Album
Year Chart Position
1974 Pop Albums 209
UK Albums Chart[6] 2

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

References
  1. Allmusic review
  2. Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: S". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved 12 March 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  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. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 10 March 2015. Retrieved 16 April 2015.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. 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.
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