Before there was Coldplay, there was The Silencers, a English band who combined the arena rock leanings of U2, Big Country and The Alarm with a softer soulful side. Singer Jimmie O'Neil's voice skillfully glides from a heartfelt yell to a flawless falsetto.
The bands debut CD "A Letter From St. Paul" is a document of pop joy and solid musicianship. It features the catchy cuts
"I See Red," "Bullets And Blue Eyes" and "Painted Moon." All three of which were just as good as the alt rock pop that was ruling the radio in the mid 1990s.
The Silencers toured in 1986 as the opening act for British pop gods Squeeze. I had a chance to see them live and was blown away by how great they were.
I even interviewed the young band backstage after their Boston show. They were four wide eyed lads hoping for a break here in America. A break that sadly would never come. They followed the tour with Squeeze by hitting the road in England with The Alarm then started work on the second CD.
The follow up "A Blues For Buddha" was full of maturity is poetry and prose but no "Hits" per say. There is beauty there is the songs "Scottish Rain" and "Razor Blades Of Love" that went mostly undiscovered. It was produced by U2 producer Flood, sparking of comparisons between The Silencer and the then breaking Irish band. Comparisons I'm sure were designed to propel The Silencers into the public eye.
For the band's third CD 1990's "Dance To The Holy Man" The Silencers added 2 additional members to create a bigger beefed up sound. The disc has some bright moments, the best of which are "Robinson Crusoe In New York" and "Bulletproof Heart," but the wave of grunge rock hit and washed away any hope the band had to succeed beyond cult status. I never heard their 4th CD "Seconds Of Pleasure" that only saw the light of day in England.
The Silencers kept at it until 2004 when they released their final studio CD "Come." In 2007 original guitarist Cha Burns died of lung cancer at age 50. Though The Silencers never had the success of Simple Minds or U2, they did leave behind on testament to their genius, the debut CD "A Letter From St. Paul." It's now out of print but if you stumble on it in a used CD bin or your own collection it will be worth your while to give it another listen. It's an under rated classic that deserves your appreciation.
The bands debut CD "A Letter From St. Paul" is a document of pop joy and solid musicianship. It features the catchy cuts
"I See Red," "Bullets And Blue Eyes" and "Painted Moon." All three of which were just as good as the alt rock pop that was ruling the radio in the mid 1990s.
The Silencers toured in 1986 as the opening act for British pop gods Squeeze. I had a chance to see them live and was blown away by how great they were.
I even interviewed the young band backstage after their Boston show. They were four wide eyed lads hoping for a break here in America. A break that sadly would never come. They followed the tour with Squeeze by hitting the road in England with The Alarm then started work on the second CD.
The follow up "A Blues For Buddha" was full of maturity is poetry and prose but no "Hits" per say. There is beauty there is the songs "Scottish Rain" and "Razor Blades Of Love" that went mostly undiscovered. It was produced by U2 producer Flood, sparking of comparisons between The Silencer and the then breaking Irish band. Comparisons I'm sure were designed to propel The Silencers into the public eye.
For the band's third CD 1990's "Dance To The Holy Man" The Silencers added 2 additional members to create a bigger beefed up sound. The disc has some bright moments, the best of which are "Robinson Crusoe In New York" and "Bulletproof Heart," but the wave of grunge rock hit and washed away any hope the band had to succeed beyond cult status. I never heard their 4th CD "Seconds Of Pleasure" that only saw the light of day in England.
The Silencers kept at it until 2004 when they released their final studio CD "Come." In 2007 original guitarist Cha Burns died of lung cancer at age 50. Though The Silencers never had the success of Simple Minds or U2, they did leave behind on testament to their genius, the debut CD "A Letter From St. Paul." It's now out of print but if you stumble on it in a used CD bin or your own collection it will be worth your while to give it another listen. It's an under rated classic that deserves your appreciation.
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