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Living Tradition Review January 2008
When you bring together two seasoned professional singers each with their own solo standing, to write, record and perform like this there is a risk that the result might disappoint. There is no fear of that in this case. Johnny and Mike toured together in 2005 and 2006 and the audiences loved it. They will love this, too, and I think one reason might be that it is really a trio album. Mick Dolan has done
a superb job at his studio in Trelash. North Cornwall and I reckon his name deserves to be in bigger print! Postcards From Cornwall is one of my favourites on this CD. Another of many highlights is the down-home rootsy blues of Main Man's Ear in which the two voices come together so well you wonder why they left it so long to get around to this. The country reworking of Karine Polwart’s The Sun's Coming Over The Hill is glorious as is the mayhem of Robbie Robertson's Up on Cripple Creek. Oh ... and don't be in too much of a hurry to take the CD out of the player ... there’s an absolute gem that will reward your patience. There are three songs on this CD co-written by Mike and Johnny. One of which is called We Had it All.
No need for the past tense, boys.
Phil Thomas
Although neither Coppin nor Silver have achieved much more than cult status, it's certainly no indication of their song-writing abilities. Like so many who make their living largely within the folk and roots circuit, it's chiefly their main reliance on acoustic guitar and song writing, rather than interpreting Traditional music, that has been the pair's forte. Coppin, as part of folk rockers Decameron in the early 70s and latterly via solo material and collaborations with the poet and writer Laurie Lee, and Silver, originally signed to Elton John's Rocket Records in the early 70s and since working with folk, pop and mainstream performers in addition to recording a series of solo albums, have both steadfastly ploughed their own musical furrows.
Breaking the Silence, their first studio collaboration, works particularly well with Silver's song writing displaying a sharpness of delivery and deftness of touch reminiscent of Richard Thompson, and a rootsy blues at times bringing to mind the work of Ralph Mc Tell. Coppin's voice, the higher of the two in timbre, is more suited to some of the gentler material such as his vision of a rural idyll, 'Rydal', where his voice hints at the soaring strength of John Denver.
Silver's songs of broken and damaged relationships, 'Wrong Side of Midnight' and 'Not a Matter of Pride', told from the woman's point of view, are knowing yet sensitive explorations of the human spirit. The duo's self-penned material stands out amidst the occasional cover versions (an exception being Coppin's elegant reading of Karine Polwart's ‘The Sun's Coming Over The Hill’).
Danny Moore
FOLK ROOTS - December 2007
Breaking the Silence- Johnny Coppin and Mike Silver
“Two of our top singer-songwriters breathing fresh life into songs from their celebrated back catalogues, plus three fine new compositions and four covers. The two men admire and respect each other’s work, and they get together fabulously on this harmony-rich, simple live-in-the-studio recording.�
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The following extract was copied and pasted directly from Mike’s Website Message Board
Subject: MIKE WOWS SOUTHPORT! Sunday 19th March 2006
Name: Clive Pownceby Date Posted: Mar 24, 06 - 8:16 AM
Email: jean@pownceby.fsnet.co.uk
Message: Mike's appearance at the famous Bothy Folk Club in this north-west town was a winner from start to finish. He's played the Bothy many times before and there was an eagerness in the club room tonight, almost 3 years since he'd last been in town. That anticipation was rewarded with an acoustic glow of a performance - songs of real substance, put over in heartfelt, everyday language - the Mike Silver stock-in-trade in fact.
Elusive romance, wry reflections on the commonplace and ascerbic observations on the wrongs in this troubled world of ours are all grist to this songwriter's mill.
When it all comes together so perfectly as on the shimmering 'Certain Something' the two-way empathy is palpable and if encores could go on and on, the cows would've been home before us!
A speedy return then Mike, we're missing you already, but as the MC so aptly said at the end of the evening "It's just goodnight, it's not goodbye." Where would you rather be tonight? An answer isn't neccessary!
This is what Bob Harris said after he played Not A Matter Of Pride on BBC Radio 2 Saturday 12th July:
It is a really lovely song isn’t it and what a story this is? This is Mike Silver. Now Mike has been in touch a couple of times, several times actually during the last few weeks by E-mail he actually emailed me to ask me for a quote. We started playing this track on the programme and it seems to have broken out from there and Wogan’s got behind it as well. The album is now officially out in the UK on Demon Records so rather than write back to you Mike, I thought I’d do an ‘online’ quote which is along the lines of:
“Well, for thirty years he’s been a hidden gem, well now the secret is out, we’ve discovered him and at last people are hearing Mike Silver’s music. This new album is called Solid Silver, its on Demon records and that track is called: Not A Matter Of Pride�.
This is what Jasper Carrot wrote for us when we asked him for a quote:
Quite simply Mike Silver is an outstanding singer and songwriter and his guitar accompaniments are among the best I have heard. I have all of his albums; I actually paid for one of them. Yes! He is that good!
Review of: SOLID SILVER from WEST BRITON
by John Newman:
It was a pleasure to review this album, simply because it is so good - but also a nightmare because finding the words to do it justice was very hard. However, Mike Silver, who performed at Truro Folk Roots Folk Club earlier this year, is obviously not a man who struggles with words. This album is a collection of songs about everyday issues and life experiences, all but two written by Mike himself, they are pieces of lyrical genius that will reach out to a wide audience.
As if that isn't enough, his superb guitar playing adds a sublime dimension to his songs, giving them life and depth. His stunning voice and brilliant playing fit together perfectly, like the pieces of a puzzle. The booklet with the CD is excellent, providing words and backgrounds to the songs, all of which help you to understand how much heart and soul have gone into the album.
For those who are musically minded, details of the guitar tunings Mike has used and the keys are provided, a thoughtful touch.
Mike Silver has a unique style, drawing from many influences including folk, rock, country and blues, all of which are evident, with an end result that is magical and should be a source of inspiration to songwriters everywhere.
Review of: SOLID SILVER from Real Roots Café Holland review by Johanna Bodde:
When people past the age of eighteen require music for that serene Sunday evening surrounded by close friends, they can now pull out that new, eye-catching CD of Mike Silver. “Solid Silver� is a collection of twelve terrifically sung ballads. As the first track starts, with its English Horn arrangement, one is almost overcome by this feeling of being in a quaint old church. Mike has a voice with an impressive range, in which I think I can also detect the results of some vocal training. He plays his acoustic guitars with “open tunings�, frequently with the aid of a capo. The other musicians (mostly German) are also exceptionally good, and make use of tremendously interesting instruments. What would you say for instance of a hollow-neck Dobro, a sitar, a kantele, a sarod, a tin whistle or a specially built Ped-a-Bro? Mike is a born storyteller, who spins little “soap-opera’s� that people can relate to. “Sepia Sunset (Kodachrome Children)� with beautiful vocal harmonies by Christina Lux, is an exceptionally strong track about his mother in a care home. Personally I like the song “Elaina� best, a true story, only her name was changed: “She might have been there for a change in her plans, but I wasn’t home when she called.� “Leaving Song� about roommates who are not helping to carry boxes during a move, has humour and a borrowed line from a James Taylor interview: “I’ll be fine when I find the time to get me nailed down again.� In the meantime I am still curious about that Ped-a-Bro. I would love to see one of those someday. (Johanna Bodde)
Live performance: THE 25th GLENFARG FOLK FEAST
April 2003
Friday the 18th of April saw the beginning of the Silver Jubilee celebrations for the Glenfarg Folk Feast. The two main concerts of the weekend were each topped by an Englishman armed with guitar. Despite this the contrast between the two acts could not have been greater. Saturday night’s audience was treated to the delights of a long-standing friend of the Glenfarg Village Folk Club, Mike Silver. Over the years Mike has played the club on many, many occasions and remains as popular as ever. This was the first time he had topped the bill and he did not disappoint. As is often the case, performing in a small intimate setting where you know your audience can be more nerve wracking than playing a huge venue. Mike was on his third song before he fully relaxed into what was to become one of those special nights where singer and audience entertain one another. Mike invited the Glenfarg crowd to sing “Down South� with him and he was visibly taken aback by the wave of harmonies that swept up from the darkness as he started the first chorus. He went on to share wonderful self-penned songs like “Pretoria� and “Not A Matter Of Pride� accompanied by an audience that could be mistaken for the Glenfarg mixed voice choir. A medley of “Fly Me To The Moon� and “Unchained Melody� as an encore just sent the hairs on the back of the neck into spasms. It was tremendous stuff.
Mike Silver has the ability to send an audience home with that satisfied glow of having been part of a magical and wonderful evening of entertainment. Festival organisers everywhere, as they sit down at their meetings to plan next year’s events, would be well advised to add the name of ‘Silver’ to the list of potential guests.
A letter from one of Mike’s many fans
Uwe, on January, 4th in 2004
Dear Mike,
to keep my promise and because of wanting it from my heart I like to tell you something about your singing and playing at my birthday-party. But ahead of that please excuse the way I use the English language. I’ll try to do my very best, but I surely cannot keep from making mistakes. And that under the eyes of a man you loves his language like many other famous poets. Please have mercy with me.
First I want you to know about the several reactions of my guests about you. There was a young man called Axel (an excellent hobby-piano man and bass-guitarist with whom I made a lot of music in the past) who came to me after your concert. He said that he’s ashamed that he requested you to sing some songs like “You Got A Friend�, because during your gig he realized what kind of fine musician he’d seen and listen. So now I take this occasion to permit you his pardon and admiration. On holy night he listened to your music from CD together with the whole family.
There was a 10 year old child called Felix (a son of a fellow student and friend of my wife) who grew up in a home only with classical music and a little bit of big band styles. His mother told me, that he was so amazed during your singing, that he couldn’t take his eyes from you. After finish he asked his mother: “Das war ein richtig großer Musiker, stimmt’s?� (This was a really great musician, wasn’t he?) And she answered to him that he is right. She called me a few days later on the phone to say that she is still enchanted of this heartfelt evening.
There’s a formerly best friend of mine called Lorenz (a professor for history of music and several other things at the conservatory in Hanover) who told me on Christmas that he was impressed of you, but it’s not his music and he couldn’t find the key to it to enjoy this concert.
There is a very fine church organist and virtuous pianist called Peter, who bought all of your records he can get. He will use some of your lyrics and songs in some special divine services. His wife tells everybody she meets about that evening.
There’s an old girl friend of mine called Andrea (a very professional Viola player at several famous orchestras in and around cologne) who has a little child she sent home with her husband before you started singing. During the first three songs she tried hard to find someone with a mobile telephone. After she got one she called her husband: “Du mußt sofort hierhin kommen! Hier passiert etwas Wunderbares. Da steht einer auf der Bühne. Man sieht ihn an und hört zu und man ist von Herzen glücklich.“ (You must have to come here immediately! Here’s happening something marvelous. There’s someone on stage. You look at him and listen to him and you’re lucky from heart.)
There’s my colleague Andreas (a hip-hop fan and lover of endless disco-nights and raving the whole time through) who bought CD’s from you. I never expected that. To me it’s just a little bit of miracle.
There’s the wife of a very good friend at school times called Steffi, who wasn’t able to speak to me after the end of the concert. She only looked at me with wide-opened eyes. A few weeks later I heard from her husband, that this evening was some kind of revelation to her. She found deep interest in discovering music of the singer/songwriter style.
There’s my first true love called Ute, who guided me to the first time I saw you in Lüdenscheid. She needed over half an hour to realize, that you are here in Gummerbach. She was so thankful that the birthday surprise was a full success. She was never able to imagine to see such famous musicians playing on “my day�.
There are so many positive reactions too I don’t want to add here. But the reason to them is always the same. You turned on a light in their hearts and minds. Not more and not less. But it’s the greatest gift a human being can use.
Please don’t forget this in all kind of good and bad times you’ll walk through.
From Reinhard I heard about troubles with the health of Julie’s father. Please tell her that there are warm thoughts with her, help her to carry the heavy loads life sometimes lays on us. Love, caution and patience are not only the elements of your songs, they are the fundamentals of every kind of partnership. In that I trust although often it’s not possible to the limited human mind to practice.
To you and Julie -I had the luck to look into her eyes and I have to congratulate you having her at your side- a peaceful new year and many little steps forward on the way you both like to go wherever it may lead you.
And now: thank you, thank you, thank you for all good things you’ve done to people wherever they are and first of all you’ve done to this crazy guy from Gummersbach called Uwe
