Silver Convention (named after songwriter Sylvester Levay’s nickname of “Silver”) was formed in Munich, Germany and burst onto the music scene in 1975 with their recording of “Save Me” — a track originally sold into 16 countries (including the US) at MIDEM, the global music business conference.

It became the title track of their debut album, which hit #1 on the Billboard R&B chart and #10 Pop, introducing the world to “The Munich Sound,” which would soon be known as Eurodisco.

The album’s second single was the smash hit “Fly Robin Fly.” It not only topped the disco charts for three weeks, it did the same on the pop charts the following month. The single sold over one million copies and was award a gold disc by the R.I.A.A. in December of 1975. It became the band’s signature song, winning Best R&B Instrumental Performance at the 1976 Grammy Awards.

Omnivore Recordings, in association with Good Time Records, is proud to announce an expanded reissue of this classic debut. Save Me returns with five bonus tracks, including both commercial and promotional 12″ mixes of songs including the ubiquitous “Fly Robin Fly.”

Packaging features the original international cover art (with the US artwork replicated inside), a 12-page color booklet featuring photos and ephemera, and new, insightful liner notes from writer, Joe Marchese outlining the genesis of the project and the global hit record it became.

1. Save Me
2. I Like It
3. Fly, Robin, Fly
4. Tiger Baby
5. Son Of A Gun
6. Always Another Girl
7. Chains Of Love
8. Heart Of Stone
9. Please Don’t Change The Chords Of This Song
10. Fly, Robin, Fly (12” Version) [Bonus Track]
11. Tiger Baby (12” Version) [Bonus Track]
12. Always Another Girl (US Promo 12”) [Bonus Track]
13. I Like It (Special Disco Edit) [Bonus Track]
14. Save Me Again [Bonus Track]

Although the first two Silver Convention LP’s were available on CD for a short time in the early 1990’s, they quickly disappeared from the market. Now re-released as an Expanded Edition via Omnivore Recordings, Save Me is now back out and ready for its next turn in the spotlight.

As for some inside information garnered down the years, and with regard the single Fly, Robin, Fly, on the record were Penny McLean, Ramona Wulf and Linda Böseherr aka “G. Thompson” (a singer who was in many groups, such as Love Generation, Les Humphries Singers, the Hornettes and, of course, here in Silver Convention).

The track was already getting some serious radio play, but word quickly spread that when Save Me also became a big hit, that attractive people were needed to represent the group on stage and in videos. Personally, and that aside, Silver Convention would have sounded oh-so much better with a string orchestra backing them, but that’s just my personal opinion.

Anyway, as with other songs on the album, the female singing was reduced to a minimum, these very same-named ladies barely featuring in the videos and live performances, but that might have been down to the fact that it was too expensive for the producers - Silvester Levay and Michael Kunze (alias Stephan Prager) - who had these ladies under contract with Jupiter; and so others were chosen for presentation on TV and such.

Another single from the album was Always Another Girl/I Like It, but it was not as successful as the other two. Indeed, the successor to Fly, Robin, Fly was the newly produced Get Up And Boogie, which (like the album of the same name) was also sung by Penny, Ramona and Linda. Two songs have also been added here as 12” versions - Fly, Robin, Fly and Tiger Baby - but, in truth, Fly, Robin, Fly is just one part Fly, Robin, Fly, Up, Up To The Sky and one third time the string intermezzo has been extended, and the same applies to Tiger Baby; which was simply stretched from 4:16 to almost 9 minutes through endless repetitions.

The bonus tracks also feature a differently mixed single version of Save Me, which is missing the entire saxophone intermezzo along with a quite stunning Always Another Girl (US Promo 12”) and a even-more-disco Special Disco Edit of I Like It.

Official Purchase Link