Silent Letter (album)

Silent Letter
Studio album by America
Released June 15, 1979
Recorded March - April 1979, AIR Studios, Montserrat
Genre Pop-rock, disco
Length 34:50
Label Capitol 85917
Producer George Martin
America chronology

America Live
(1977)		 Silent Letter
(1979)		 Alibi
(1980)
Singles from Silent Letters
  1. "Only Game in Town"/"High in the City"
    Released: August 1979
  2. "All My Life"/"One Morning"
    Released: October 1979
  3. "All Around"/"1960"
    Released: January 1980
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [1]

Silent Letter is the eighth original studio album by American folk rock duo America, released by Capitol Records in June 1979.

This was the first America studio album following the departure of Dan Peek, the first America release on Capitol Records, and the last to feature George Martin as producer.

It was also their first studio album since their debut to have a title beginning with a letter other than H. The title itself acknowledges the missing "H" by its wry reference to silent letters in the English language.

The album contains fast-paced disco songs, piano power-ballads, often sung by Gerry Beckley, and steady speed pop-rock songs.

The album was not a commercial success, reaching only number 110 on the Billboard album chart. It did produce three minor hit singles. "Only Game in Town" reached 107 on the Billboard singles chart; "All My Life" (number 48 on the Adult Contemporary chart was a big hit in Asia; and "All Around" hit number 45 on the Adult Contemporary chart.

Reception

In his Allmusic retrospective review, music critic Steven Thomas Erlewine noted the band's transition from "folky California soft rock" to adult contemporary. He wrote of the album: "The end result may be flawed, but in an enjoyable way. And compared to the records that preceded it and some of albums that followed it, Silent Letter certainly seems like a latter-day highlight for America."[1]

Track listing

  1. "Only Game in Town" (Casey Kelly/Julie Didier/Lewis Anderson) - 4:12
  2. "All Around" (Gerry Beckley/Dewey Bunnell) - 3:21
  3. "Tall Treasures" (Beckley/Bunnell) - 3:15
  4. "1960" (Beckley) - 3:10
  5. "And Forever" (Bunnell) - 3:11
  6. "Foolin'" (Beckley/Richard Fataar) - 2:53
  7. "All Night" (Bunnell) - 3:19
  8. "No Fortune" (Beckley) - 3:18
  9. "All My Life" (Beckley) - 3:02
  10. "One Morning" (Bunnell) - 2:12
  11. "High in the City" (Beckley/Bunnell) - 3:02

Personnel

Chart positions

Album

Year Chart Position
1979 US 110[2]
AUS 51

Singles

Year Single Chart Position
1979 "Only Game in Town" US[3] 107
"All My Life" US AC 48
1980 "All Around" US AC 45

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Erlewine, Steven Thomas. "Silent Letter > Review". Allmusic. Retrieved August 15, 2011.
  2. ↑ America – America > Charts & Awards > Billboard Album at AllMusic. Retrieved 3 April 2008.
  3. ↑ "America : Allmusic : Billboard Singles". Allmusic. Retrieved April 2, 2015.