Starsailor are an English post-Britpop band, formed in 2000, an indie rock quartet whose debut single,
"Fever," earned them the title of "Britain's best new band" in February 2001, Starsailor continue the rich lineage of Travis, Coldplay, and other anthemic pop/rock bands. Formed in Wigan by music students James Walsh (vocals/guitar), James Stelfox (bass), and Ben Byrne (drums), the band went through several guitar-heavy embryonic lineups before the arrival of keyboardist Barry Westhead (keyboards) cemented its sound.
Starsailor took their name from Tim Buckley's acclaimed 1970 album and, with their lineup in
place, played their first London show at the Heavenly Social in April 2000. At the same time, a demo tape containing the tracks "Fever," "Coming Down," and "Love Is Here" began circulating around the music industry. A queue of record companies had formed by that summer, many of them eager to sign the nascent band, and EMI won the race for their signature. After spending January 2001 on an NME-sponsored tour with JJ72 and Amen, Starsailor released the "Fever" single to critical praise.
After achieving their first U.K. Top Ten hit with the single "Alcoholic," Starsailor's debut effort, Love
Is Here, arrived in September 2001 to much critical fanfare, and a European tour closed out a highly successful year. The following year kicked off with the American release of Love Is Here in January, followed by a North American tour and a performance at the SXSW festival in March.
Phil Spector was originally slated to produce the band's sophomore album, Silence Is Easy. The
resulting recording sessions at London's Abbey Road proved to be frustrating, however, with Spector and the band butting heads on several issues. Starsailor eventually switched gears by asking Danton Supple (Morrissey, Elbow, Doves) and John Leckie (Radiohead, the Stone Roses, Ride) to helm the production instead, and the album arrived in 2004.
The band has released five studio albums, and have scored ten Top 40 hit singles in the UK. Their first
album Love Is Here was released in 2001, followed by Silence Is Easy (2003) and On the Outside (2005). After the release of its fourth album All the Plans (2009), the band entered into extended hiatus until 2014, during which its members were involved in individual projects.
Starsailor announced their reunion on 23 May 2014 and began performing worldwide. Good Souls: The
Greatest Hits was released in September 2015, and featured two new songs. A fifth studio album All This Life was released in 2017.
STARSAILOR - LOVE IS HERE 2001
Lyrics reflect battles with self-discovery, independence, and being lovelorn; however, they're matches
of a survivor. "Talk Her Down," one of the album's most gnarling tracks, bounces with light psychedelic patterns, and "Good Souls" is probably Starsailor's closest rock & roll moment. The live soundscape found on Love Is Here sets up the simplistic beauty of this new band. They didn't go for a grand bombast of crashing guitars and angst-ridden stories similar to Oasis and Manic Street Preachers. They go for something more positive as well -- each song soars with intricate musicianship and melodic lushness. Wigan native Richard Ashcroft would be pleased.
Starsailor – Love Is Here
Label:Capitol Records – CDP 7243 5 36448 2 6-V
Format:CD, Album, Promo, Numbered
Country:US
Released:2001
Genre:Rock
Style:Indie Rock, Alternative
TRACKS
01. Tie Up My Hands 5:46
02. Poor Misguided Fool 3:51
03. Alcoholic 2:56
04. Lullaby 4:13
05. Way To Fall 4:29
06. Fever 4:03
Mixed By [Additional], Producer [Additional] – Steve Osborne
Producer – Mark Aubrey, Starsailor
07. She Just Wept 4:12
08. Talk Her Down 4:11
09. Love Is Here 4:41
10. Good Souls 4:53
11. Coming Down 14:30
LINE - UP
James Walsh – vocals, guitar
James Stelfox – bass guitar
Ben Byrne – drums
Barry Westhead – keyboards
SESSION AND TOURING MEMBERS
Mark Collins – guitar and vocals (2003–2004, 2006, 2014)
Richard "Echoboy" Warren – guitar, vocals and harmonica (2005–2006)
Pete Greenwood – guitar (2008–2009)
Flac Size: 304 MB
STARSAILOR - SILENCE IS EASY 2003
Starsailor's sophomore effort, Silence Is Easy, was hotly anticipated largely upon the announcement that the melodic and earnest quartet from Chorley, England, would be working with legendary producer Phil
Spector. It also didn't hurt that Starsailor's debut release, Love Is Here, was generally received upon its release as one of the best British rock albums of 2002. Built around the songwriting and lead vocals of James Walsh, the band fit nicely alongside similarly minded mellow Brits Doves and Coldplay. Mixing alternative rock aesthetics with a melodic pop sensibility, Silence Is Easy finds the band in pretty much the same place as before with slightly better songwriting, a more mature vocal performance by Walsh, and tastefully grandiose production.
Starsailor – Silence Is Easy
Label: EMI – 7243 5 91741 2 9
Format: CD, Album, Copy Protected
Country: Europe
Released: Sep 15, 2003
Genre: Rock
Style: Alternative Rock, Indie
TRACKS
01. Music Was Saved 3:00
02. Fidelity 2:23
03. Some Of Us 3:38
04. Silence Is Easy 3:41
Producer – Phil Spector
05. Telling Them 4:52
06. Shark Food 3:36
Engineer – Chris Brown , John Leckie
Producer – John Leckie
07. Bring My Love 2:21
08. White Dove 3:53
Producer – Phil Spector
09. Four To The Floor 4:14
10. Born Again 6:04
Engineer [Additional] – Britt Myers
11. Restless Heart 2:02
LINE - UP
James Walsh – vocals, guitar
James Stelfox – bass guitar
Ben Byrne – drums
Barry Westhead – keyboards
ADDITIONAL MEMBERS
Cello – Andy Nice (tracks: 5, 7, 9), Emily Isaac (tracks: 5, 7, 9), Helen Thomas (tracks: 5, 7, 9), Ian Burdge (tracks: 5, 7, 9), Sarah Willson (tracks: 5, 7, 9)
Double Bass – Arnulf Lindner (tracks: 5, 7, 9)
Percussion – Luis Jardin (tracks: 5, 7, 9)
Viola – Emily Frith (tracks: 5, 7, 9), Fiona Griffith (tracks: 5, 7, 9), Lucy Theo (tracks: 5, 7, 9), Rob Spriggs (tracks: 5, 7, 9), Sophie Sirota (tracks: 5, 7, 9), Vince Green (tracks: 5, 7, 9)
Violin – Alison Blunt (tracks: 5, 7, 9), Anna Giddey (tracks: 5, 7, 9), Anna Morris (tracks: 5, 7, 9), Brian Wright (tracks: 5, 7, 9), Calina De La Mare (tracks: 5, 7, 9), Catherine Browning (tracks: 5, 7, 9), Claire Raybould (tracks: 5, 7, 9), Gillon Cameron (tracks: 5, 7, 9), Gini Ball (tracks: 5, 7, 9), Howard Gott (tracks: 5, 7, 9), Katherine Watmough (tracks: 5, 7, 9), Louise Peacock (tracks: 5, 7, 9), Ruth Gottlieb (tracks: 5, 7, 9), Sally Herbert (tracks: 5, 7, 9), Tim Myall (tracks: 5, 7, 9), Wendy De St Paer (tracks: 5, 7, 9)
Flac Size: 269 MB
STARSAILOR - GOOD SOULS - THE GREATEST HITS 2015
Label: Parlophone – 0825646050703
Format: CD, Compilation
Country: Argentina
Released: Oct 16, 2015
Genre: Rock
Style: Indie Rock, Alternative Rock
TRACKS
01. Good Souls 4:58
02. Silence Is Easy 3:40
03. Alcoholic (Single Version) 3:30
04. Give Up The Ghost 3:18
05. In The Crossfire 3:18
06. Poor Misguided Fool 3:51
07. Four To The Floor (Radio Edit) 3:50
Percussion – Luis Jardim
Strings [Arrangements] – Leo Abrahams
08. This Time (Radio Edit) 3:31
09. Fever (Radio Edit) 4:01
10. Born Again (Radio Edit) 4:44
11. Lullaby 4:11
12. Keep Up Together (Radio Edit) 3:47
13. Way To Fall 4:29
14. All The Plan (Radio Edit) 3:04
15. Hold On 3:35
Strings [Arrangements] – Barry Westhead, Harry Rutherford
16. Tell Me It's Not Over 3:24
17. Tie Up My Hands 5:47
18. Fidelity 2:22
BONUS TRACK
19. Four To the Floor (Thin White Duke Mix) 8:12
Remix – Thin White Duke
It is if you were making the blog for me. Again something i don't know. I have a gap from the beginning of the 90s. During this time, music had taken a back seat to other interests. I than spent twenty years dealing primarily with philosophy and literature, which still today. But from a certain point on it became more and more difficult to have a general overview of the music. Anyway, thanks for the new discovery.
ReplyDeleteEverything here again was very, very cheap.
ReplyDeleteThat's were joy ariser.
Great band, great music - I have always loved Starsailor and I am excited that they will release a new album soon. You wouldn't have their cover of "Where the Streets Have No Name", would you? The only song I have never heard in their catalogue....
ReplyDeleteNo, I don't.
Delete