Would you be surprised to hear that pop-trio Silent Circle already exists since 1976?!? Yes, it was 22 years ago when keyboardist and composer Axel B. and vocalist Jo Jo Tyson won the first prize at newcomers festival (I wonder if it is still possible to get those records somehow?) But though their first experience was so promising, their ways divorced and Axel B. with drummer CC Behrens stopped their performances. Then all three of them lost each other from their sight. In their mid 20s they met again and decided it's time for their common band to rise from the ashes. Silent Circle were born. Their first single "Hide away - Man is comin'!" impressed the watchers of "Show & Co. mit Carlo".
It was followed by the whole bunch of yet more successful hits: "Touch in the Night" (presented at popular TV show "Formel Eins"), "Stop the Rain in the Night", "Love is just a Word" and "Time for Love"! Meanwhile the whole album "No.1" was released under Blow Up label of Intercord company which included eleven songs. Six people contributed to their composition, and the album came out perfect - no one song was like any other, still they all had that specific mood which distinguished Silent Circle from all other bands of 80ies. Meanwhile Harald Shaefer replaced Axel Breitung at public performances, and band's founder and head devoted himself totally to writing and producing new songs. Silent Circle re-recorded once again "Love is just a Word" - it got excellent rhythm and totally new guitar sound. In total seven songs from first album were released on 7" and 12" singles in different versions.
After incredibly fruitful first year Silent Circle slowed down their hit conveyer gradually to everybody's regret. Bernd Dietrich and Engelbert Simons wrote two more songs for them in 1987. They were released already on Teldec singles, but new contract resulted in no albums. 1988 brought no new songs. The hope for return of Silent Circle appeared in the next year when two more singles with four new songs were published by Coconut. Among them was one of my personal favourites - "I Am Your Believer" (yes, you know this one from Bad Boys Blue album "Game Of Love")! I like Martin's version so much, but looks like BBB won the race and kept on releasing one album after another while "What A Shame" remained the last song by Silent Circle during the next four years...
The long awaited comeback took place in May of 1993 when young recording company from Dresden Fun Music Promotion re-released on CD four versions of their most succesful hit "Touch In The Night", 8 years after this song had entered various charts for several months. It was followed by Hit-Mix 93 (Touch In The Night / Stop The Rain In The Night / Moonlight Affair / Touch In The Night) which was performed in TV program "Stop & Go". "Best of Silent Circle - Volume II" also appeared in May, its contents was almost identical to "No.1" - there were Hit-Mix and instrumental version of "Hide Away" added plus four songs were given in alternative versions.
Shortly after that Axel and Martin composed the first new Silent Circle song in five years - "2night". Four remixes were published on CD-single, and one more version appeared on the next album "Back!" It had definitely much different sound compared to "No.1". "Back!" forwarned the future trends of Eurodance music - it had in 1994 lots of those rhythms we found later on DJ Bobo albums which is no wonder 'cause many of Bobo's songs are written by Axel Breitung too.
Since 1994 we did not see more than one CD-single release every year with other songs from the last album - "Every Move, Every Touch" (original in 1994 and remixed in 1995) and (promotional only) "Egyptian Eyes" with "Take The Chance" and "Desire" in 1996. But we should look into the future with optimism - I have reasons to expect more news coming soon, and I advise you to check out this page and AW Music News periodically to see what happens. The Silent Circle history has not finished yet, and new chapters are to be written!
