Silent Running - Deep

Silent Running – Deep

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Though they ended up being a well produced AOR sounding outfit, life for Silent Running did not start out as such. No, life began as a punk oriented outfit, but the whole new romantic and synth pop scene changed their sound and future direction.

Written by: gdmonline

ARTIST: Silent Running
ALBUM: Deep
LABEL: Atlantic
SERIAL: 7 82006-2
YEAR: 1989
CD REISSUE: Discogs Reissue List
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Northern Ireland

LINEUP: Peter Gamble – vocals, guitars * Tony Scott – guitars * Richard Collett – bass, vocals

Additional Musicians: Gary Kirby – drums * Paul Rocks – keyboards

TRACK LISTING: 01 Deep In The Heart Of Nowhere * 02 Everything Your Heart Desires * 03 Angel Of Mercy * 04 Strength Of Our Love * 05 When Will I Learn * 06 Flame Of Love * 07 Sunshine In The Rain * 08 Local Hero * 09 Deliverance * 10 Something So Wrong

WEBLINKS: Site Link

Background

Belfast Northern Ireland hasn’t really produced that many identities in the melodic rock industry. Go West fanatic and all round AORster Chris Irvine would be the one exception, with this band Silent Running being the other.

Though they ended up being a well produced AOR sounding outfit, life for Silent Running did not start out as such. No, life began as a punk oriented outfit, but the whole new romantic and synth pop scene changed their sound and future direction.

Silent Running’s first album ‘Shades Of Liberty’ for EMI, got a bit of press back in 1985, featuring a couple of singles including ‘Emotional Warfare’ and ‘Young Hearts’, but their Simple Minds musical inclinations smelled of clone warfare.

The band changed labels to Atlantic for their second excellent album ‘Walk On Fire’, released in 1987. Moving onto 1989, and by this stage of precedings, Silent Running had taken on the spirit of band like The Outfield and INXS, both in terms of their music, and by trimming themselves to a trio, though minus a drummer.

The band seemed as if they were becoming a studio entity, with the album being carved up into two sessions, one half produced by John Eden, the other half produced by the band themselves.

The Songs

‘Deep In The Heart Of Nowhere’ with a bluesy and slide guitar backdrop tries to recreate a sense of belonging from their early history. Chanty vocals and a stomping backbeat would’ve got the Guiness flowing nicely in many an Irish bar during 1989.

‘Everything Your Heart Desires’ could be a more melodic sounding U2, whereas ‘Angel Of Mercy’ reminds me of INXS ‘Never Tear Us Apart’ in terms of mood and drama.

Moving into AOR territory is ‘Strength Of Our Love’, and from this point onward, the album takes a big melodic swing, probably due to tracks 5 to 10 being produced by John Eden. ‘When Will I Learn’ based on a simple arrangement is embellished with a ton of keys and vocal parts.

The synths kick in big time on the pumping ‘Flame Of Love’. Think Billy Idol and ‘Rebel Yell’, and you’ll have a fair idea how this song sounds. ‘Sunshine In The Rain’ is a superb uplifting track with a big luscious sound, in particular those impressive pulsing bass lines.

‘Local Hero’ by contrast is an understated tune with a jangly midwest feel to it, whereas ‘Deliverance’ goes the other way, with a big stompy INXS vibe making its presence felt. Closing out with ‘Something So Wrong’, this semi-ballad is a sweeping track, emotive lyrics, half paced drums and atmospheric layers.

In Summary

As you can see, the songs on the album are quite wide and varied. Despite heavy touring in their native Ireland, the band folded shortly after the release of ‘Deep’, ensuring that all their three albums would be difficult to track down in later years.

Earlier fans of the band would’ve turned away after their debut, as both ‘Walk On Fire’ and ‘Deep’ are quite some way removed from their original direction moulded in the style of Simple Minds and U2. On the other hand, AORsters and melodic rockers would’ve welcomed them with open arms. Oh well, you can’t please everybody.

Video

Deep In The Heart Of Nowhere

Silent Running - Deep In The Heart Of Nowhere

Flame Of Love
SILENT RUNNING - Flame Of Love (1989)

Everything Your Heart Desires
Silent Running - Everything Your Heart Desires


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