Silent Dance by Solstice, the beginning of a long song of thanksgiving to life

Silent Dance, 2025 Remaster of the debut album by the Solstice from 1984.
 

Solstice is a band formed in the United Kingdom in 1980 by guitarist Andy Glass, initially very popular in live concerts in the '80s, often playing at the Marquee Club and major festivals like Glastonbury and Reading. They released their debut album, Silent Dance, in 1984 and broke up the following year. Before the breakup, there was the first encounter with Steven Wilson who attended one of their concerts where they were the opening act for the Marillion.

Wilson was in fact one of the first fans of Solstice who attended their concerts when he was a boy, a connection that later became professional, with Wilson remixing some of their albums (Prophecy) and serving as a reference point for mixing and mastering on their album Clann, as well as for Silent Dance, of which Wilson remixed part of the original material. 

It's wonderful to discover that an artist and a band who are at the top of my favorites list have had and still have such collaborations. 

The band reformed in the '90s, releasing after Silent Dance the albums "New Life" (1993) and "Circles" (1997), the latter with Clive Bunker on drums, from Jethro Tull, with whom Andy Glass also worked as a sound engineer in the meantime. This was followed by another breakup and a subsequent reunion in 2007 with a new lineup that includes singer Jess Holland.

Their sound is pure energy, with joyful and vibrant atmospheres that always convey positive, sunny vibes, even in the moments of melancholy that inevitably filter into the songs at times. Their musicality always gives me the feeling, when listening again to their repertoire, of a long, beautiful song of thanks to life, created by blending neo-progressive rock, folk, and symphonic rock, with a splendid electric violin and exceptional female vocals and choruses.

One of my favorite bands, I have in fact published reviews of much of their discography, which begins with Silent Dance (1984) and continues with New Life (1993), Circles (1997), Spirit (2010), Prophecy (2013), Sia (2020), Light Up (2022) and reaches today with their latest great album, Clann one of the best of this 2025
 

Current members of the band are Andy Glass on guitars, Jess Holland on vocals, Jenny Newman on violin, Robin Phillips on bass, Pete Hemsley on drums, Steven McDaniel on keyboards and 
Ebony Buckle and Dyane Crutcher on backing vocals.

Silent Dance is their debut album, immediately characterized by their wonderful and harmonious musicality focused on the synergy between guitar, violin, and vocals, blending folk-rock, symphonic rock, and progressive rock—a masterpiece that is, in my opinion, underrated.

The voice of lead singer Sandy Leigh is beautiful, as are Andy Glass's guitar solos together with Marc Elton's violin, not to mention Mark Hawkins's bass, enveloping and melodic, at times funky, for calm and evocative atmospheres.

The original 1984 version suffered from questionable production quality, resolved with subsequent remasterings and a remix of several tracks by Steven Wilson (Earthsong, Return Of Spring, and Find Yourself), and in these tracks the quality is definitely better than the rest of the album.

The album contains 7 tracks for a total duration of about 43 minutes.

- Peace opens the album, beautiful prog with great female vocals, with great lead guitar work and a symphonic sound.
- Earthsong opens with great acoustic guitar, then follows with keyboards, soft drums, and a very melodic bass. The Steven Wilson remix is beautiful.
- Sunrise is a progressive folk track with powerful solos from Marc Elton's wonderful electric violin and beautiful vocal parts.
- Return of Spring is one of the TOP Tracks, instrumental with great violin parts and acoustic guitars, again the Steven Wilson remix is excellent.
- Cheyenne stands out for its beautiful overlapping vocals and a highly impactful rhythmic and percussive section.
- Brave New World stands out for its neo-prog sound and beautiful bass, complex rhythms, guitar with great sustain, and beautiful synth solos.
- Find Yourself closes the album and is the pop track of the album, a nice simple "song," with jazzy notes, warm vocals, and electric piano. The Steven Wilson remix is lovely.

This album had little commercial success but considering the band's journey, it is in my opinion a very important album that lays the foundation for a repertoire that I consider excellent and that has on its side the emotions, harmonies, and sunny, positive atmosphere that would characterize the band's sound from then on, up to today.

Note: All links to the musicians' works are in the TAGS under the article title or on the "Artists" page

Tracklist

Songs / Tracks Listing
1. Peace (6:30)
2. Earthsong (6:38)
3. Sunrise (4:07)
4. Return of Spring (4:53)
5. Cheyenne (5:59)
6. Brave New World (8:46)
7. Find Yourself (6:03)
Total Time 42:56

LineUp

Sandy Leigh - lead vocals
- Andy Glass - guitar, backing vocals
- Marc Elton - violin, keyboards, backing vocals
- Mark Hawkins - bass, bass pedals
- Martin Wright - drums and percussion

With:
- Margaret Phillips - Fender Rhodes (2,7)