Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Cliff Richard - Silver

1983 marked the twenty-fifth anniversary of British singer-songwriter Cliff Richard. Appropriately, his album that year was entitled Silver which is celebrating its thirtieth anniversary this month. It charted at number 65 in Australia, number 57 in Germany, number 47 in New Zealand, number 42 in the Netherlands, number 18 in Norway, and number 7 in the UK.


Side one starts with "Silver's Home Tonight", a mid-tempo tune about two people realizing that they truly belong together.

"Hold On" actually first appeared as a B-side to one of Richard’s 1981 single for “Wired For Sound“. Since it did not make the cut for that album, it resurfaced here in 1983.

"Never Say Die (Give a Little Bit More)" was released as the first single; it charted at number 81 in Australia, number 73 on the US Billboard Hot 100, number 63 in Germany, number 35 in New Zealand, number 21 in Belgium, number 19 in Ireland, number 15 in the UK, number 13 in Sweden, and number 9 Norway. I definitely do not remember this one from the charts back in the day, but I certainly like the rhythm to it.

With another bouncy beat, "Front Page" points out that heartbreak and loneliness are not earthshaking events. It is something everyone goes through and has to learn to move on from.

"Ocean Deep" was the B-side to the third single, and it charted at number 72 in the UK. I like how the rich orchestration builds on this beautiful number.

Side two begins with "Locked Inside Your Prison", a synth heavy song that fits in perfectly with the early 80’s new wave movement. The saxophone solo gives the song a touch of the early days of rock too.

The second single "Please Don't Fall In Love" stalled at number 95 in Australia, but it did go to the top 10 in the UK (number 7) and Ireland (number 5). The singer who has far from his girlfriend urges her not to fall for another man in his absence.

"Baby You're Dynamite", the third single, hit number 46 in Australia, number 35 in Belgium, number 27 in the UK and number 16 in Ireland. This one tells of an irresistible attraction to a volatile relationship. The music video for it is kind of funny, with him pursuing a number of women who clearly have had enough of him.

The melody of "The Golden Days Are Over" is haunting, much like memories of the past. A UK pop band named Bucks Fizz released a cover of this one as a single in 1984.

"Love Stealer" closes out the record with a pounding percussive beat. In my mind, this definitely should have been a single as it was my favorite from the record easily.

The 2002 CD re-release featured two more bonus tracks as well.

Most of my exposure to Cliff Richard came from around 1980, with a few hits that flew up the charts here in the US and his duet with Olivia Newton-John on the Xanadu soundtrack. Silver shows that this 60’s teen heart-throb still had quite a bit more gas left in the tank; today at age 73 (his birthday was October 14th) he continues to record and perform.

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