Hi-Yo Silver!
Encyclopedia
Hi-Yo Silver! was a musical solo project by Bjørn Kulseth, the former lead singer and songwriter of the Norwegian rock band The Act
. The only Hi-Yo Silver! album was entitled Away and was released in 1988.
, producer Steve Forward and Bjørn Kulseth spent the next five weeks in UK recording studios owned by Phil Manzanera
and Manfred Mann
: The Gallery in Chertsey
and The Workhouse in South London
respectively.
The resulting album was credited to Hi-Yo Silver! and entitled Away, which in combination is the command that the cartoon/film hero The Lone Ranger
gives to his horse Silver at the end of every story as they ride away in search for new adventures.
Even though the Hi-Yo Silver! album features a few country & western
touches such as pedal and lap steel guitar, the over all sound is more contemporary late 1980s pop music with sequencers, synthesizers and even some dance oriented grooves.
In fact the first version of the cover, with a portrait of Kulseth taken late at night at great expense in front of a joyride in the Gothenburg
fairground Liseberg
, was rejected by EMI
for looking too "country". So the released cover features Kulseth sitting in the shuttle of a space rocket, wearing a fringed silver leather jacket and cradling his newly silver painted Gretch-guitar with the name "Silver" engraved on the neck.
Despite a big budget from EMI and much acclaim from the media, Away proved to be a commercial failure when it was released in Norway in March 1988. By then though, Kulseth and his younger brother Stein Kulseth had already started a new roots rock band called The Contenders
.
The Act
The Act was a popular and critically acclaimed Norwegian rock band in the mid 1980s. They toured extensively and released the album September Field.-Band members:*Bjørn Kulseth – vocals, guitars*Rune Krogseth – vocals, guitars...
. The only Hi-Yo Silver! album was entitled Away and was released in 1988.
History
The first and thus far only solo album by the Norwegian singer and songwriter Bjørn Kulseth was recorded in the summer of 1987. After a week of preproduction in the Pan Studio in Skjetten north of OsloOslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
, producer Steve Forward and Bjørn Kulseth spent the next five weeks in UK recording studios owned by Phil Manzanera
Phil Manzanera
Phil Manzanera is a musician and record producer. He is the lead guitarist with Roxy Music. In 2006 Manzanera co-produced David Gilmour's album On An Island and played in Gilmour's band for tours in Europe and North America...
and Manfred Mann
Manfred Mann
Manfred Mann was a British beat, rhythm and blues and pop band of the 1960s, named after their South African keyboardist, Manfred Mann, who later led the successful 1970s group Manfred Mann's Earth Band...
: The Gallery in Chertsey
Chertsey
Chertsey is a town in Surrey, England, on the River Thames and its tributary rivers such as the River Bourne. It can be accessed by road from junction 11 of the M25 London orbital motorway. It shares borders with Staines, Laleham, Shepperton, Addlestone, Woking, Thorpe and Egham...
and The Workhouse in South London
South London
South London is the southern part of London, England, United Kingdom.According to the 2011 official Boundary Commission for England definition, South London includes the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Southwark, Sutton and...
respectively.
The resulting album was credited to Hi-Yo Silver! and entitled Away, which in combination is the command that the cartoon/film hero The Lone Ranger
The Lone Ranger
The Lone Ranger is a fictional masked Texas Ranger who, with his Native American companion Tonto, fights injustice in the American Old West. The character has become an enduring icon of American culture....
gives to his horse Silver at the end of every story as they ride away in search for new adventures.
Even though the Hi-Yo Silver! album features a few country & western
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
touches such as pedal and lap steel guitar, the over all sound is more contemporary late 1980s pop music with sequencers, synthesizers and even some dance oriented grooves.
In fact the first version of the cover, with a portrait of Kulseth taken late at night at great expense in front of a joyride in the Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
fairground Liseberg
Liseberg
Liseberg is an amusement park located in Gothenburg, Sweden, the park opened in 1923. Liseberg is one of the most visited amusement parks in Scandinavia, attracting around 3 million visitors annually. Among the noteworthy attractions is the wooden roller coaster Balder, voted twice as the Best...
, was rejected by EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
for looking too "country". So the released cover features Kulseth sitting in the shuttle of a space rocket, wearing a fringed silver leather jacket and cradling his newly silver painted Gretch-guitar with the name "Silver" engraved on the neck.
Despite a big budget from EMI and much acclaim from the media, Away proved to be a commercial failure when it was released in Norway in March 1988. By then though, Kulseth and his younger brother Stein Kulseth had already started a new roots rock band called The Contenders
The Contenders (band)
The Contenders were one of the most popular Norwegian roots rock bands of the early 1990s, playing more than 200 gigs and releasing three albums.-Band members:*Bjørn Kulseth – vocals & guitars*Stein Kulseth – vocals, piano, accordion, guitar & mandolin...
.
Musicians
- Ian Porter – programming and keyboards
- John Lingwood – drums
- Dave Bronze – bass
- Robin Boult – guitars
- Tommy Willis – lap steel guitar
- Vic Collins – pedal steel guitar
- Matt Irving – keyboards
- Chris Batchelor – trumpet
- Frank Mead – saxophone
- Steve Sidelnyk – percussion
- John Wilson – backing vocals
- Tim Haine – backing vocals
- The Sapphires – backing vocals
- Bjørn Kulseth – vocals and guitars
Singles
- Get Rich (In A Hurry) b/w Top Of The World
(EMI Odeon 1988) - Nervous In The Night b/w My Father's Name Is Dad
(EMI Odeon 1988) - Nervous In The Night 12" Takeoff Mix
b/w My Father's Name Is Dad & Nervous In The Night
(EMI Odeon 1988)