Nothing like a million-selling debut album to catapult you from London’s pub circuit to opening for the Rolling Stones and working with Phil Spector. But so it goes for Starsailor.
Singer James Walsh’s sometimes mopey, always soulful voice is a blend of Van Morrison and Nick Drake. And it’s caught on with fans, starting with the band’s 2002 debut, “Love Is Here.” The foursome’s new disc, “Silence Is Easy,” hit stores Tuesday, and includes two tracks produced by Phil Spector, who came out of a 20-year retirement to work with the Manchester natives. (Spector was subsequently charged with murdering an actress found dead of a gunshot wound in his California mansion.)
Starsailor bassist James Stelfox talked about the new album and the band’s erroneous low-key image:
Spector (who’s produced everyone from the Ramones to Tina Turner) specifically requested to work with you on the new album and you only used two tracks from the sessions. What’s up?
We did a whole bunch of songs with Phil–six or seven tracks–but we felt it was going in a different direction than what we wanted. The tracks are still around. We’re not sure what will happen to them. Maybe keep them for a rainy day when we run out of songs.
He’s long been known in the industry as a kind of eccentric madman. How was it to work with him?
He’s a really sweet guy. Really charming gentleman, I thought. He was like the old uncle who’d tell you all these great stories about the Beatles and the Stones, y’know?
So how’d you guys nab a spot opening for the Rolling Stones?
Mick Jagger’s a fan. He asked if we were available. … It was great. [We performed] in front of 80,000 people each night. I don’t think many people could see us–big old crowd that was. We were having a bit of a laugh that we were opening for the Rolling Stones.
The new album is called “Silence Is Easy.” Is it?
The title was sort of an answer to our critics in Britain. We were never the rock stars like the Gallagher brothers from Oasis and Blur and bands like that. We’ve always been perceived by the press as just letting the music do the talking. But we drink, and we take drugs occasionally–we just don’t go and tell the press that we do it all the time. What we do in our spare time is our business.
Maybe you need to do some more outlandish stuff to get the press’ attention?
If you’re a rock star like Liam Gallagher, and you’re an asshole, you’re going to be well covered. So maybe we’ll start getting high in front of people … that might boost our success.
Starsailor
When: 7 p.m. tonight
Where: Metro, 3730 N. Clark St. 773-549-0203.
Tickets: $12
