Silver Condors ‘Silver Condors’

 

Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#847 in the Series) is the self-titled debut from Silver Condors

Silver Condor is one of those bands that didn’t develop much of a following. With some of the ingredients of their first album, it is kind of amazing that it went as unnoticed as it did. First of all, the lead guitarist was Earl Slick who played on John & Yoko’s Double Fantasy album and David Bowie’s Young Americans and was on the Diamond Dogs Tour. Slick was introduced to Joe Cerisano, vocalist and principal songwriter for Silver Condor, by Ian Hunter from Mott the Hoople. To finish it off, the album was produced by Mike Flicker, who is credited with discovering Heart as well as producing bands from Poco to  Al Stewart to even the Clocks.

Condor’s debut album was made for AOR stations and had a sound similar to Survivor and a bit of a precursor of bands like Night Ranger. The guitar playing alone on this album is worth at least one listen.  Slick keeps the music tight and the solos are often to the point. Cerisano’s vocals have a sweet and very palatable sound.  The entire album is an easy listen and has some bursts of brilliance thanks to the guitar licks or some catchy hooks. The influence of the styles similar to Silver Condor carried through the rest of the decade.  Forerunners of the glam metal/hair band scene such as Twisted Sister and Night Ranger had their first album debut in 1982, a year after Silver Condor. In a way, Silver Condor was a bit of a trailblazer. 

One of the downsides to this album is that some of the lyrics are a little over the top. With lines like “I need your love for the sake of survival” and “Now that I’m in touch with my feelings” it’s hard to put too much weight on the poetic significance of most of the songs. The more I listen to this album, the harder it is to tell if the band is kind of in on the joke. In a way it is kind of genius, the album can be seen as a fun kind of parody and another way it can be approached with sincerity. The music for the most part is lighthearted accompanied with these over the top serious lines. But this isn’t the kind of album one listens to if looking for introspection. This album first and foremost is just plain old fun rock and roll.

When I developed an interest in collecting vinyl albums, one of my first memories was from Silver Condor. The particular album that came into my possession was a promo of their debut that had been sent to a local radio station. Inside the sleeve there was a promotional letter addressed “Hey! Record People!” It was an entire page explaining why all the DJs should be playing the album. The letter made each member of the band sound like some kind of all-star heavy hitter in the music industry. It also said that every station in the Southwest was playing at least two of the songs off of the album. Come to think of it, the letter kind of fit in with the album’s lyrics quite well. Overly serious in a tongue-in-cheek kind of way.

“You Could Take My Heart Away” was the only Top 40 hit from the album. Surprisingly, it wasn’t even mentioned as one of the tracks to play on the promo letter. I really enjoyed “Carolina” due to its southern rock inspirations as well as “Standin’ In the Rain” and “Sayin’ Goodbye.” Earl Slick does a great job of keeping the groove together and the vocals have such a unique sound.

Before writing this piece, I had only passively listened to this album a couple of times. After listening to it a few more times with more attention, I have come to appreciate it much more. If you approach Silver Condor in the right state of mind it is actually pretty rewarding. It really is a fun album with what I feel is a criminally overlooked vocalist. The album is well balanced and has a good pop sensibility. If you are looking for a fun glam metal predecessor, put on Silver Condor and crank up the volume.

– Jay Kretchmar, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma USA

Track Listing

Side One

1. For The Sake Of Survival  3:31      
2. Angel Eyes  3:53
3. Sayin’ Goodbye  3:51       
4. Carolina (Nobody’s Right, Nobody’s Wrong) 5:24              

 Side Two

1. The One You Left Behind 3:12   
2. We’re In Love 3:07          
3. You Could Take My Heart Away 2:55       
4. It’s Over 3:02     
5. Standin’ In The Rain 3:44              
6. Goin’ For Broke 4:12       

Personnel

• Joe Cerisano: Lead Vocals
• Earl Slick: Lead Guitar
• John Corey: Keyboards, Rhythm Guitar
• Jay Davis: Bass
• Claude Pepper: Drums

Here are some tracks on a playlist