Silver Convention

Silver Convention was a West German Euro disco recording act of the 1970s. The group was originally named Silver Bird Convention or Silver Bird.

Career

The group was initiated in Munich by producers and songwriters Sylvester Levay and Michael Kunze. The group was named after Levay, "Silver" being Levay's nickname. Kunze had in the late 1960s been a pop lyricist who wrote protest songs in German; when these tunes went out of style, he began producing pop records and commercials.^[2] Levay had developed a taste for American music while growing up in Yugoslavia, eventually becoming a music arranger and lyricist.^[2]

Using female session vocalists Gitta Walther, Lucy Neale, Betsy Allen, Roberta Kelly, & Jackie Carter for their first recordings, they scored a successful single in the United Kingdom in 1975 with the song "Save Me", which peaked at #30.^[3] They were only a studio group, and realized then that they would need to find professional entertainers for presentation to the public.

As Silver Convention they scored two major U.S. and Canadian hit singles. "Fly, Robin, Fly," of which the complete lyrics consisted of only six different words (Fly, Robin, Up, To, The, Sky), maintained three weeks at #1 in late November and early December 1975, and won the group a Grammy Award for Best R&B Instrumental Performance. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the R.I.A.A. in December 1975.^[4] Initially the song was titled "Run, Rabbit, Run", changed by the writers moments before the recording took place. Their next success "Get Up And Boogie", which also consisted of only six different words (Get, Up, And, Boogie, That's, Right), hit #1 in Canada on June 15, 1976,^[5] had 3 weeks at #2 in the U.S in June 1976 and also peaked at #7 in the UK, in May 1976. Their next release, "No No Joe," only scored #60 in September 1976. The further singles released by the trio attempted to duplicate the sound that had made them successful briefly, but they were only minor successes. At this time, Linda G. Thompson left the group and was replaced by New Yorker Rhonda Heath, who was chosen over other hopefuls at an open casting call to become the newest singer for the group.^[6]

Michael Kunze wrote the lyrics on the first two albums under the pseudonym Stephan Prager. During this time the three singers released their own solo work. McLean and Thompson achieved hit singles with "Lady Bump" and "1, 2, 3, 4 ... Fire!", and "Ooh What a Night" respectively. Wulf's solo effort was only a moderate success.

Silver Convention represented Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest 1977 with "Telegram", finishing eighth. The entry had only English lyrics (with considerably more words than their past hits), but was allowed to enter in spite of the language rule being reintroduced this year, because the song was chosen to represent Germany before the reintroduction was announced. In 1994, Rhonda Heath returned to Eurovision, providing backing vocals and keyboards for the German entry "Wir Geben 'Ne Party" performed in German by Mekado. This entry did better than Silver Convention's effort, finishing third out of the 25 entries in Dublin.

With a new producer (John Davis), and a revised line-up of singers (Suzie McClosky aka Zenda Jacks, Rhonda Heath and Ramona Wulf), Silver Convention was successful again during 1978 with the album Love in a Sleeper. The 12" single release from the LP was "Spend the Night With Me" backed with "Mission To Venus".

Levay also worked with Giorgio Moroder, and Kunze began work with Jim Steinman. The solo careers of the three singers ended quickly and they left the music industry, since interest in the disco scene was declining during this period. Levay and Kunze later collaborated on the successful Vienna productions of the musicals Elisabeth, Mozart! and Rebecca.

First U. S. Concert for Braniff Airways

Silver Convention's first United States Concert was held at Dallas, Texas, in the North Hangar of Braniff International Airways Operations and Maintenance Base at Dallas Love Field Airport on Wednesday evening, February 23, 1977. The group had traveled from Acapulco, Mexico, where they had also performed on February 19, 1977 for Braniff during a special party dubbed Three Evenings To Remember. The airline threw the promotional party to announce its new Ultra Elegance Campaign and debut new air and ground crew uniforms by Haute Couturier Halston. Silver Convention penned a song titled "Ultra Ultra" specifically for Braniff to commemorate the carrier's new inflight service which they performed in Acapulco and at the Dallas concerts. The day after the Love Field concert, the group traveled to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to tape an interview for the syndicated Mike Douglas Show.^[7]

Cover versions

American jazz flautist Herbie Mann recorded a cover version of "Fly, Robin, Fly" for his 1976 album, Bird in a Silver Cage, which was co-produced and arranged by Sylvester Levay.^[8] The Australian/British string quartet Bond also recorded a version of "Fly, Robin, Fly" for their 2004 album, Classified. In 2003, German lifestyle company Apartment20 produced a version of "Fly, Robin, Fly," which featured Ramona Wulf on lead vocals and in the video for the song.

Silver Convention's hit, "Get Up and Boogie," was re-tooled for a 2009 commercial for the "Snuggie" (sleeved blanket). The song was also covered by American industrial metal band Static-X, and released as a bonus track for the album Cannibal, in 2007.

"Thank You, Mr. DJ", a B-side of the "No, No, Joe" single was sampled by the Australian alternative rock band Regurgitator for the track "The Song Formally Known As" from their second album, Unit.^[9]

American alternative rock band the Bloodhound Gang sampled "Get Up and Boogie" for the main riff of their 1996 song "Lift Your Head Up High (And Blow Your Brains Out)", released on their album One Fierce Beer Coaster. The sample was played as is during performances of the song with Lupus Thunder, but Daniel P. Carter replaced it with a live guitar part.

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Singles

See also

• List of number-one hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the Hot 100 (U.S.)
• List of number-one dance hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance chart

References

Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest
Participation 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Artists 1950s Walter Andreas Schwarz Freddy Quinn Margot Hielscher Margot Hielscher Alice & Ellen Kessler 1960s Wyn Hoop Lale Andersen Conny Froboess Heidi Brühl Nora Nova Ulla Wiesner Margot Eskens Inge Brück Wenche Myhre Siw Malmkvist 1970s Katja Ebstein Katja Ebstein Mary Roos Gitte Cindy & Bert Joy Fleming Les Humphries Singers Silver Convention Ireen Sheer Dschinghis Khan 1980s Katja Ebstein Lena Valaitis Nicole Hoffmann & Hoffmann Mary Roos Wind Ingrid Peters Wind Maxi & Chris Garden Nino de Angelo 1990s Chris Kempers & Daniel Kovac Atlantis 2000 Wind Münchener Freiheit Mekado Leon Stone & Stone Bianca Shomburg Guildo Horn Sürpriz 2000s Stefan Raab Michelle Corinna May Lou Max Gracia Texas Lightning Roger Cicero No Angels Alex Swings Oscar Sings 2010s Lena Lena Roman Lob Cascada Elaiza Ann Sophie Jamie-Lee Kriewitz
Songs 1950s "Im Wartesaal zum großen Glück" "So geht das jede Nacht" "Telefon, Telefon" "Für zwei Groschen Musik" "Heute Abend wollen wir tanzen geh'n" 1960s "Bonne nuit ma chérie" "Einmal sehen wir uns wieder" "Zwei kleine Italiener" "Marcel" "Man gewöhnt sich so schnell an das Schöne" "Paradies, wo bist du?" "Die Zeiger der Uhr" "Anouschka" "Ein Hoch der Liebe" "Primaballerina" 1970s "Wunder gibt es immer wieder" "Diese Welt" "Nur die Liebe läßt uns leben" "Junger Tag" "Die Sommermelodie" "Ein Lied kann eine Brücke sein" "Sing Sang Song" "Telegram" "Feuer" "Dschinghis Khan" 1980s "Theater" "Johnny Blue" "Ein bißchen Frieden" "Rücksicht" "Aufrecht geh'n" "Für alle " "Über die Brücke geh'n" "Lass die Sonne in dein Herz" "Lied für einen Freund" "Flieger" 1990s "Frei zu leben" "Dieser Traum darf niemals sterben" "Träume sind für alle da" "Viel zu weit" "Wir geben 'ne Party" "Verliebt in Dich" "Planet of Blue" "Zeit" "Guildo hat euch lieb!" "Reise nach Jerusalem – Kudüs'e seyahat" 2000s "Wadde hadde dudde da?" "Wer Liebe lebt" "I Can't Live Without Music" "Let's Get Happy" "Can't Wait Until Tonight" "Run & Hide" "No No Never" "Frauen regier'n die Welt" "Disappear" "Miss Kiss Kiss Bang" 2010s "Satellite" "Taken by a Stranger" "Standing Still" "Glorious" "Is It Right" "Black Smoke" "Ghost"
(Note: Entries scored out are when Germany did not compete)