Silver Sun are a British power pop band, who formed in 1995 in Camden, London.[2] They released their self-titled debut album in 1997, and after two major label releases that saw moderate success, the band released two further albums independently. Their sound is a combination of harder-edged alternative rock and classic power pop, with an emphasis on multi-layered vocal harmonies.

Silver Sun
OriginCamden, London, England
GenresIndie rock, power pop, Britpop[1]
Years active1995–2020
LabelsPolydor, Invisible Hands
MembersJames Broad (deceased)
Richard Buckton
Paul Smith
Richard Sayce

Career

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They were initially called Sun..! and released their first EP under that name.[2] They were forced to alter the name soon afterwards, and chose 'Silver' after the Beatles' original name, the Silver Beetles; also the Beatles song "It's All Too Much" from "Yellow Submarine" has a line "Set me on a silver sun, for I know that I'm free". The single "Lava" was their first under the new name. Groups such as Super Furry Animals also wrote music in a similar style at the time, although there are also notable parallels with US bands such as Jellyfish and the earlier output of Weezer.[3]

Their eponymous debut album was released in 1997, and was characterised by prominent vocal harmonies and energetic choruses.[3] It was also the first album to be co-produced by Nigel Godrich, who went on to produce for Radiohead and Paul McCartney. The song "Golden Skin" was featured on the soundtrack of the 1990s British comedy film Shooting Fish.

The band toured extensively during 1997 and 1998, headlining and supporting Sleeper, James, Gene, Mansun and Ash. They also played Glastonbury, Reading, Lowlands and the V Festivals in 1997.

The band's second album Neo Wave was released the following year and was produced by Al Clay. It contained their biggest hit "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late", a cover of the Johnny Mathis ballad which the band originally recorded for fun during a B-side recording session. The EP release also contained a version of Rush's "Xanadu" which the band condensed into a four-minute pop song, as well as a cover of My Bloody Valentine's "You Made Me Realise".[2]

In 1999, the band were dropped by Polydor Records and spent some time out pursuing other projects. Richard Buckton wrote tracks with producer Pete Woodroffe for Spice Girl Melanie C amongst others. Paul Smith took time out to gain a degree in sound technology. Richard Sayce formed the group Malibu with wife George, and James Broad continued writing further Silver Sun material.

The band released a third album, Disappear Here, in 2005, this time on the Invisible Hands label. This album was remarkable in that lead singer Broad was the sole artist to appear on the recordings, having played all musical instruments and sung all of the vocals. In spite of this, the full original line-up played at the accompanying gigs.

In a more recent rare foray into the mass-media, their song "Last Day" was used on the Hollyoaks soundtrack on 24 January 2006, the band having signed a deal with the programme in 1997 allowing them to use material.

Their fourth album, Dad's Weird Dream, was released in Japan on 11 September 2006. However, the decision was taken to remix it for the UK market, where it was released on 4 December 2006. One track, "Fallen" was remixed by Nigel Godrich, working with the band for the first time since their debut, and was available as an iTunes exclusive EP. Unlike its predecessor, the entire original line-up has participated in the recording, although Sayce is only credited with backing vocals, as the band used programmed drums for the album.

In June 2009, Broad uploaded "The Pain Don't Come So Easy", which he describes as a "new Silver Sun song", to YouTube under his user name, "lordmelbury". In December of that year, he released a new track, "Access", as a digital only download on iTunes.

Between August and October 2011, James Broad posted four songs on his SoundCloud page, under the user name "lordmelbury", and these, too, are in the Silver Sun style.

In April 2012, Silver Sun released a live, digital album containing songs from their first two albums titled Live! - More Than You'll Ever Need, and in August 2013, they released a fifth studio album, also a digital-only release, A Lick and a Promise. James Broad was listed as the sole songwriter and performer. It contained one song that had previously been available on YouTube, "The Pain Don't Come So Easy", and two on James Broad's SoundCloud page, "Little Wonder" and "Small Town Affair". The original line-up of Silver Sun reformed to support Sleeper at the Shepherd's Bush Empire in London on 2 December 2017.

James Broad died of cancer in October 2020.[4]

Discography

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Silver Sun discography
Studio albums6
EPs2
Live albums1
Compilation albums2
Singles10

Studio albums

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Year Information Chart positions
UK
[5]
JP
[6]
1997 Silver Sun
  • Released: 9 May 1997
  • Label: Polydor
30 60
1998 Neo Wave
  • Released: 5 October 1998
  • Label: Polydor
74
2005 Disappear Here
  • Released: 18 April 2005
  • Label: Invisible Hands Music
2006 Dad's Weird Dream
  • Released: 4 December 2006
  • Label: Invisible Hands Music
2013 A Lick and a Promise
  • Released: 22 August 2013
  • Label: Invisible Hands Music
2020 Switzerland
  • Released: 26 April 2020
  • Label: Self-released

Live albums

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Year Information
2012 Live – More Than You'll Ever Need
  • Released: 23 April 2012 (Digital only release)
  • Label: Invisible Hands Music

Compilation albums

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Year Information
1997 You Are Here
  • Released: 26 March 1997 (Japan only B-sides collection)
  • Label: Polydor
B Is for Silver Sun
  • Released: 6 November 1997 (Japan only B-sides collection)
  • Label: Polydor

Extended plays

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Year Information Chart positions
UK Singles Chart[7][5]
1996 Sun..! EP
  • Released: 2 August 1996
  • Label: Polydor
142
1998 Too Much, Too Little, Too Late
  • Released: 14 September 1998
  • Label: Polydor
20

Singles

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Year Title Album Chart positions
UK Singles Chart[5]
1996 "Lava" Silver Sun 54
1997 "Last Day" 48
"Golden Skin" 32
"Julia" 51
"Lava" (re-release) 35
1998 "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late" Neo Wave 20
"I'll See You Around" 26
2004 "Bubblegum" Disappear Here
2005 "Immediate"
2007 "Fallen" Dad's Weird Dream

Compilation appearances

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References

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  1. ^ "Oh, what a lovely day to drink some English tea: Britpop in 2005 / In Depth // Drowned In Sound". Drownedinsound.com. 21 January 2005. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  2. ^ a b c Strong, Martin C. (2000). The Great Rock Discography (5th ed.). Edinburgh: Mojo Books. pp. 875–876. ISBN 1-84195-017-3.
  3. ^ a b Colin Larkin, ed. (2000). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Nineties Music (First ed.). Virgin Books. p. 355. ISBN 0-7535-0427-8.
  4. ^ James Broad of Silver Sun has died - NME
  5. ^ a b c Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 498. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  6. ^ "Japan: Album positions". oricon.co.jp. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
  7. ^ "UK Chartlog". zobbel.de. Retrieved 17 February 2010.
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