Neon Ballroom

Silverchair

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 16, 1999)
• Original Release Date: March 16, 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B00000I927
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (368 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #17,167 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #72 in	Music > World Music > Australia & New Zealand
  #87 in	Music > Hard Rock & Metal > Grunge

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
It's the easy way out to dwell on a group's supposed "maturation," but considering the members of Silverchair were 14 when they released their debut album and are a whopping 20 years old with this outing, it's entirely appropriate, not to mention accurate. From a band of any age, though, Neon Ballroom is a stunner of an album. And it's also leaps and bounds beyond the Australian trio's two previous efforts, good if derivative grunge/classic-rock fare interpreted by impressionable young musicians. From the epic, dramatic opening cut, "Emotion Sickness," to "Ana's Song (Open Fire)," Neon Ballroom is a 12-song collection rife with emotions laid bare and songs fully realized with lush strings and piano (courtesy of David Helfgott, the inspiration for the movie Shine.) Silverchair singer/songwriter Daniel Johns outdoes himself with the sonic diversity and fragility of his tunes, especially the ethereal, delicate ballads, with the powerful "Dearest Helpless" smacking of Kurt Cobain at his most beautifully tormented. From the gentle "Miss You Love" to the punky-aggro "Spawn Again" to the flat-out speedy rocker "Satin Sheets," Silverchair have created a haunting, edgy, seductive soundtrack to a young life deeply felt. --Katherine Turman

Entertainment Weekly
The Australian, grunge-obsessed rapscallions who scuffled through a bratty Frogstomp debut have ... matured into a disciplined rock cadre.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Silverchair Continue Progression on NEON BALLROOM...4.5 stars..., January 8, 2007

By	M. Jarrett "SoundgardenFanForLife" (New England, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Back in 1995 when FROGSTOMP came out, Silverchair's three members were only 15 years old, but needless to say many were impressed with their skills at such an age. Their debut was a fierce blend of aggression and angst packaged neatly in nuggets of throttling guitar rock. FREAK SHOW still had its fair share of metallic grunge but also balanced it off with some varied textures. NEON BALLROOM continues their experiments with melody while sprinkling in some orchestration, keyboards, and lush arrangements to add depth to their sonic assault. While NEON BALLROOM does have its share of Kurt Cobain-esque moments, more often than not its a very impressive trip through all 12 tracks.

Take for instance the lush opening track "Emotion Sickness", which features piano great David Helfgott on keyboards. Here vocalist/guitarist Daniel Johns, bassist Chris Joannou, and drummer Ben Gillies showcase a completely sparse yet lavish six minutes of glossy but dramatic rock. It doesn't hurt that the song sounds like it could be many different suites, but there are moments during the song where Silverchair sound much older than their years. First single "Anthem For The Year 2000" is an arena-sized nugget of stadium metal that makes you want to stomp your feet more than not. It's the gentler moments that really surprise you, from the gentle, sweeping grandeur of "Miss You Love" to the silvery power ballad that is "Ana's Song (Open Fire)", which tells the tale of Daniel Johns battle with anorexia. But Silverchair still love to show that they can rock, such as the fierce and angry guitars that dominate the grindcore of "Spawn Again", which is a fiery slice of animal defense. "Satin Sheets" has punk attitude written all over it with the thrashing guitars and pounding drums. Again, so many texures to be found on BALLROOM. Other tracks like "Point of View" and "Black Tangled Heart" mix together the majestic and the monster.

Overall, Silverchair really display a sense of craft and majesty on NEON BALLROOM. Whether you like this side of Silverchair or not depends on your dedication to the changes a young band will go through. BALLROOM displays some real strength and progress, one that would come to full realization on DIORAMA.

P.S. Look for Silverchair's new album YOUNG MODERN due out April.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars beautiful and touching..., December 6, 1999

By	Bredette C. Thomas "A List Books" (CA, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Where should I start? This album has changed my life. I have been a fan of theirs for about 5 years now, since the first day I heard "Tomorrow" on the radio. I was ten, and yes I liked them because they sounded like those Seattle grunge bands. They have so much maturity for their age, and I think many of their fans have evolved along with them, myself included. I think the song that compares best to a majority of Neon Ballroom songs is the song "Cemetary" off of Freak Show. Nevertheless, this album was a huge leap from Freak Show, and I know alot of people who hate them now for trying to appeal to teenyboppers. It's completely untrue and unfounded, and obviously you listened with a closed mind and didn't think about the lyrics. I sat in my room and I sobbed because the lyrics affected me so much, and I could understand so much of what Daniel was saying through those lyrics. It has helped me out of my depression that I have been fighting since the age of eight. Emotion Sickness is my favorite song of theirs and is so beautifully written and performed. When I saw them live I almost had a heart attack when this song began. This band has come so far from their last album, and I wish I could write things as meaningful and touching for someone as Daniel has for me. If you only like silverchair because they used to sound like nirvana, then go buy a nirvana album and don't waste your time whining about how much they suck now. And if you are some Britney Spears wannabe teeny bopper that is just getting this because of Ana's Song, or because you think Daniel is hot, I don't know if your bubble-gum chewing head of yours can comprehend the lyrics. You can give it a try, but don't blame me if your head explodes.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Some people don't think this album deserves 5 stars?, August 22, 2000

By	"mlca" (Newton, Massachusetts USA) - See all my reviews

This CD's incredible. Seriously. I mean, if you're considering buying it you should. I hadn't really thought about Silverchair for a while but one day my friend randomly mentioned them and for some reason the name stuck in my head and I ended up buying the album. This was about a month ago and I haven't stopped listening to the album since I got it. Its so real, Daniel Johns really put all his emotion into this album. It shows musically and lyrically. Theres a love ballad (miss you love), a fast punky song (Satin Sheets), a hard rock song about animal rights (Spawn Again), a song about his battle with anorexia (Anas Song), theres litterally everything. Its a really diverse album. I no longer just think of silverchair as the Australian "Tomorrow" band, I think of them as one of the best bands out there. Silverchairs music is often kind of angry but its not like some of the stuff out there thats just angry for the sake of being angry, they actually put reason into their music. Trust me, don't pass up this album. You won't regret buying it.