Silverbird - LEO SAYER****

Innocent Bystander/Goodnight Old Friend/Drop Back/Silverbird/The Show Must Go On/The Dancer/Tomorrow/ Don't Say Its Over/Slow Motion/Oh Wot A Life/Why Is Everybody Going Home

Silverbird was the debut album from the pop singer-songwriter Leo Sayer. In his early days he was responsible for several inventive and distinctive singles. Features the UK No. 2 hit The Show Must Go On. (UK:2)

“There's quite a variety of styles at play here, a little bit of folk, music hall, piano balladry, acoustic singer-songwriter and even a smattering of rock.”

“While nothing really comes close to the hit in terms of quality, I also enjoyed the fragile The Dancer, sung in falsetto, the set opener Innocent Bystander and the sprightly rocker Oh What A Life. Some of the songs do sound a little undercooked and don't linger long in the memory.”

“Very muted, under modulated LP with the vocals often buried in the far or middle distance. The weak sound on the excellent The Show Must Go On undermines it. The Dancer is a forgotten classic with a sublime vocal.”

“If you like a variable voice, inventive pop arrangements and good music, then don't miss this recording.”

“Silverbird was his first album quite a few years before he metamorphosed into the popster that most know. In the beginning, he was a melancholic intriguing figure in pop/rock music, arguably ahead of or outside of his time. In these early days he created a dark aura of irony, isolation, vulnerability and emotional depth that was at once highly personal, in some ways relatable and powerful enough to make him, as an artist, songwriter and performer, an intriguing figure that seemed to be verging on the nightmarish.”

“Set to a backdrop of mournful, eerie string arrangements and a sparse piano based band, the songs are dark, strange and disturbing, and ultimately captivating. The themes are isolation and loneliness; a youthful cocktail of depression, separation, failure and angst, with an underlying desperation for love and connection.”

“There is not a weak track here, but the outstanding song Dancer is as moving a song as you will hear anywhere. The only sadness is knowing that, after a couple more decent albums, Leo descended into pop mediocrity and succumbed to the lure of the fast buck.”