Had they not stuck to their convictions, The Tremeloes might have only made their mark as a trivia-question answer connected to the biggest ever British Invasion act. But the band managed to find their own niche and recorded several big hits on both sides of the Atlantic.
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Their biggest smash was a remake of a song Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons had first recorded. The Tremeloes managed to make “Silence Is Golden” their own, however, thanks to some killer harmonies that included some of the highest vocal notes ever laid down on a hit single.
Bigger than The Beatles … Kinda
Unlike many British Invasion bands who formed only after seeing The Beatles and imagining rock and roll stardom as a potential career path, The Tremeloes actually formed back in 1958 in a town called Dagenham. They were labelled Brian Poole and the Tremoloes (yes, the spelling of the name would change down the road as well).
Poole was the lead singer, and the band started out singing beat-style rock that was all the rage at the time. It was while doing that they caught the attention of Decca Records, who was looking for an act for the younger crowd. Decca decided to audition two groups, one of which was The Tremeloes.
The other: The Beatles. When Decca Records chief Dick Rowe left it up to A&R man Mike Smith to decide which band the label should sign, he chose The Tremeloes, allegedly because their London location would be easier to manage than chasing the Fab Four down in Liverpool.
Achieving “Silence”
The Tremeloes found their groove when they adopted an R&B-based sound, which led them to a couple of massive singles in the UK (including, ironically enough, a version of “Twist and Shout,” a song also associated with The Beatles). Alas, with dreams of solo stardom in his head, Poole decided to depart the band in 1966.
That easily could have been the end of the story, but the band’s old buddy Mike Smith was looking for acts at his new gig for CBS Records. The Tremeloes came aboard, now a quartet featuring four instrumentalists who could all sing quite well.
That came in handy when they decided to cover “Silence Is Golden.” It was written by Bob Gaudio and Bob Crewe, a pair who penned many classics for Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Valli and his group recorded it in 1964, but only as a B-side. It meant The Tremeloes’ recording, featuring acrobatic lead vocals by Rick Westwood and his band’s supportive harmonies, sounded fresh when released in 1967.
What is “Silence Is Golden” About?
“Silence Is Golden” comes from the perspective of a guy who pines for a girl being mistreated by some cad. But he can’t say anything for fear she’ll be hurt by it all, leaving him helpless to do anything about it: Silence is golden / But my eyes still see.
The narrator broadens his outlook to include society at large in his diatribe against empty words: Talking is cheap, people follow like sheep / Even though there is nowhere to go. Unfortunately, this won’t help the girl: Pity she’ll be the last one to know. He debates telling her everything, only to decide against it at the last moment: Mind your business, don’t hurt her, you fool.
“Silence Is Golden” went to No. 1 on the UK charts, and it topped out at No. 11 in the U.S. That made it the biggest ever American single for The Tremeloes, a band whose persistence and talent ensured they’d be much more than a footnote in music history.
Photo by Chris Walter/WireImage
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