Silverchair anyone?

sixstringsupplies

Right, so I am 33 and my favourite band of all time is a little known band (in the UK at least) called Silverchair. They are GODS in Australia but apart from a cult following overseas they are not that well known. I came across them in my teens in the late 90s, Daniel Johns is one hell of a guitar player. Sadly after 1999 they went a bit shit with every album after Neon Ballroom in 1999. 

Anyway, since COVID and how busy every online retailer is, I've not had the chance to properly chill out and listen to music. I've spent all weekend so far re-living my teens and lsitening to some 90's grunge. 

I love the passion and emotion in this live gig from 1999 when they were at their peak. Like I say, they were whack after that, as sadly many Silverchair fans know.

DiscoStu

They were like a poor man's Nirvana but they certainly had their moment. Daniel Johns married Natalie Imbruglia so he did alright for himself.

sixstringsupplies

DiscoStu said:

They were like a poor man's Nirvana but they certainly had their moment. Daniel Johns married Natalie Imbruglia so he did alright for himself.

yeah he did well there!

Winny_Pooh

Preferred Bush, Silverchair deffo rode that grunge wave. 

Dopesick

‘Frogstomp’ had some tunes which in itself isn’t bad considering they were 14 or something. ‘Freak Show’ turned up the angst factor and I enjoyed it as a kid but looking back it’s a bit naff. ‘Neon Ballroom’ is their best I think as they finally escaped the grunge hangover and decided to find their own sound. Didn’t even know they released anything afterwards tbh.

andyp

Used to love Silverchair. My mate and I bought Frogstomp when it was pretty much brand new out. I listened to it hundreds of times back then. Freak Show wasn’t as good I don’t think, and I’ve not listened to them in years. I’ll need to go and look them up again, I know I’ll still remember every wee bit of Frogstomp when I hear it.

I must’ve been 15-16 at the time and I think they were the same kind of age as me and my mate and we thought it was amazing that kids our age has a famous band.

Creed_Clicks

Didn't care for the first album, but a fantastic effort for a bunch of young fellas. Other albums had their moments. Diorama, for me, was one of their better efforts and the live album (from faraway stables) shows they could do it live too. Young Modern wasn't bad, but was a totally different sound which turned a lot of people off. Daniel Johns seems to have slowly disappeared up his own arse, but to be fair, the music I would have liked to have made when I was 15 would be 100% different to when I was 30.
He made a decent album with Paul Mac called The Dissociatives.
I think this is one of the better SC songs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hE3Cdbzsaw

This probably gave a nod to where SC would go on their last album

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=penG5_T9Ns0

Philly_Q

My brother was a fan but probably didn't get beyond the first four albums (I see there was only one more).

I thought they were OK but their sound/style changed too much - they were probably too successful too young, and had to do their growing up, and making their mistakes, in public.

Last time I saw a picture of Daniel Johns he looked all emaciated and fucked up.  I hope he's OK.  Come to think of it, he always reminded me of Adam Rickitt out of Coronation Street....they're doppelgangers.

sixstringsupplies

For me Neon Ballroom was a masterpiece. I used to listen to it on long car journeys when my parents would drove down to the south of France (before the days of budget airlines) in the late 90s

Diorama and young modern I thought were a shambles in comparison and I went off them. 

love freak show, frog stomp has some belters.

i think Daniel Johns had written 2-3 number one hits before he was 19, Too much too young as they say but a major shame the band split. 

Creed_Clicks

@sixstringsupplies you may well have stopped on a campsite I worked on if you did any overnighters in Vandanesse!
I know Daniel Johns is dabbling in some odd electro stuff now, wonder what the other 2 are up to? Counting their money? I assume Paul Mac is still involved in music. Didn't he produce them at one stage?

sixstringsupplies

@Creed_Clicks sounds familiar! We used to get the ferry and drive from Cherbourg all the way down to Bordeaux, Annecy or the Alpes if it was a ski holiday) and would often stop over in those "Formule 1" hotels over night on the way down. 

The other 2 are counting their money. I think Ben Gilles had a bar that recently burnt down in a fire. Daniel Johns last week tweeted a photo of him playing a guitar for the first time in years (the Les Paul in the video linked above) sparking rumours of a reform. 

Apparently he was "finished with guitar music". His electro stuff is utter garbage. 

Paul Mac i think was introduced into Neon Ballroom, hence the introduction of slight orchestral music into the album, but it wasn't too overdone, the albums after that were far too orchestral for my liking, I think they all fell out over the direction it was all heading in. Supposed to be a rock band after all. 

Creed_Clicks

@sixstringsupplies Yeah, his electro stuff is pretty bad alright...

PolarityMan

I listened to freakshow for the first time in about 10 years a few weeks ago..its still a great album...slave is a total banger.

theimageofall

Neon Ballroom is one of my favourite albums. I think it is a masterpiece and the only way is down from there...which I, sadly, found was the case.

sixstringsupplies

PolarityMan said:

I listened to freakshow for the first time in about 10 years a few weeks ago..its still a great album...slave is a total banger.

yeah that opening riff is so good! 

PolarityMan

that one and the one right after with the harmonics....such an awesome intro. 

sixstringsupplies

PolarityMan said:

that one and the one right after with the harmonics....such an awesome intro. 

indeed. It's my "go to" riff when in drop tuning to check it's tuned properly!

Creed_Clicks

Had a listen to Neon Ballroom again, and feel that if the strings and brass wasn't on the album it wouldn't make a difference to the songs. I suppose I can't fault them for trying something different.