Timeless Flight

Timeless Flight
File:Timeless Flight.jpg
Studio album by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel
Released	1976
Genre	Glam rock, progressive rock
Label	EMI
Producer	Steve Harley
Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel chronology
The Best Years of Our Lives (1975)The Best Years of Our Lives1975 Timeless Flight (1976) Love's a Prima Donna (1976)Love's a Prima Donna1976

Timeless Flight is the fourth studio album by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, released in 1976.

Background

After Steve Harley formed a new line-up of his band Cockney Rebel, the 1975 album The Best Years of Our Lives which spawned the band's number-one, million-selling single "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)", was met with commercial success. The band soon worked on their next studio album Timeless Flight, which was released the following year.

The album spawned two singles. The leading single was "Black or White", released in November 1975. Despite the previous single "Mr. Raffles (Man, It Was Mean)" managing to enter the top 15 earlier in the year, "Black or White" failed to make an appearance in the UK Top 100 Chart at all, which in turn gave the UK's music press the chance to predict Harley's commercial eclipse. Harley revealed in an interview with Record Mirror & Disc in February 1976: "I knew it was either going to be massive - top three - or a complete stiff. It turned out to be a stiff." The second single "White, White Dove" followed in February 1976, but was also a commercial failure. The song featured Lindsay Elliott, drummer Stuart Elliott's younger brother on congas. Despite the lack of success for both singles the album entered the UK Top 20, peaking at #18. It lasted six weeks on the chart, having debuted at #23. The band received 40,000 advance orders for the album in America, despite the lack of a hit single.

The album was recorded in London, at Trident Studios, EMI Studios and Scorpio Sound Studio. The entire album was remixed, mastered and cut at EMI Studios. On the album guitarist Jim Cregan used a number of guitars during the recording sessions, including a Martin D18, 1956 Fender Telecaster, Gibson SG Standard and an Ovation acoustic with built-in pick-up.

The album's creation was in a more relaxed environment than the The Best Years of Our Lives, which had been made quickly under considerable pressure. In the Record Mirror & Disc magazine Harley revealed "It took about three months altogether and so much hard work went into it that as far as I'm concerned, it has to be the best I've done so far." Harley also revealed his thoughts on the reviews the album had received from the UK press: "I can't believe it. I never expected good reviews. I thought with this one I'd have to fight harder than ever before." Later in January 2004 Harley was interviewed by Graham Edmondson, where he chose the album as his own personal favourite of all his work: "Well, years ago I would have said "Timeless Flight" because it got the worst reviews. It's my precious boy, my favourite child. It was such a change for me and the critics weren't ready. It's like I heard Mick Jagger say about one of the Stones albums, it was his favourite because it was nobody else's! I never realised it was the favorite album of so many people. "Nothing is Sacred" is on there and when I started to play that live I sensed it was something they really wanted to hear. Now it's a real blinder and it meant a lot to a lot of people to hear it. And "Red is a Mean Mean Colour" is a really personal song for me. There's a lot of personal stuff in there. "All Men Are Hungry" is another I like to sing. It's a song people can relate to."

The opening track "Red Is a Mean, Mean Colour" speaks of the concept of communism, and was considerably shortened during the recording stage. Despite being picked as a stand-out track by the UK music press Harley felt the editing had eclipsed the lyrical message of the song. He revealed "I haven't achieved what I set out to do with that one. People say it's long - winded lyric, but really I was explicit as I could be. When it started out, it had 10 verses and I edited it down drastically. It's about the concept of a communist and you can't sum up a man in one sentence for Christsakes." "All Men Are Hungry" was inspired by a trip Harley took to Belgrade. In 2004 he recalled "Not everybody was in Belgrade and not everybody can see exactly what I saw that morning but everyone can reflect on the idea that everyone has a need and not everybody is fulfilled. Everybody needs space and time and that's what the song is about." The song "Understand" was originally written by Harley for Patricia Paay, sister of Yvonne Keeley, who was Harley's backing vocalist and girlfriend of the time. Paay wished for Harley to produce her first album, and the result was Beam of Light, released in 1975. Aside from "Understand", Paay also recorded a version of Cockney Rebel's 1973 European hit "Sebastian".

Release

The album was initially released via EMI on vinyl in the UK and US, as well as across Europe including Germany, Finland, the Netherlands and Scandinavia. In 1991 the album received its first CD release from EMI, which featured two bonus tracks - the B-Side "Throw Your Soul Down Here" from the "White, White Dove" single, and a live version of the track "Mad Mad Moonlight", which had originally appeared on The Best Years of Our Lives album. This live version was initially the B-Side to the "Black or White" single. In 1997 a Russian version of this CD album was issued. On 26 September 2011 BGO Records re-issued the album on CD, which included the same bonus tracks.

Promotion

The band embarked on a British tour to promote the album, and this was followed by a tour of Europe and Scandinavia, then a concert at Wembley in April 1976, and finally a tour in the States.

A music video was created for "Black or White" at Abbey Road with Mick Rock directing, who also took the photographs and designed the album's sleeve. The song was also performed on the Dutch TV show Top Pop. In the UK, the song was performed live on the ITV music programme Supersonic, although the broadcast was wiped, and therefore unseen ever since. "White, White Dove" was also performed on the show on a separate occasion, and this remains in existence.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Steve Harley.

1. "Red Is a Mean, Mean Colour" - 4:29
2. "White, White Dove" - 5:37
3. "Understand" - 7:15
4. "All Men Are Hungry" - 4:51
5. "Black or White (And Step on It)" - 5:48
6. "Everything Changes" - 2:23
7. "Nothing Is Sacred" - 5:43
8. "Don't Go, Don't Cry" - 5:04

Re-release bonus tracks

9. "Throw Your Soul Down Here" - 4:03
10. "Mad, Mad Moonlight" (live) - 5:09

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
Q magazine
Sounds magazine	favourable
Words magazine	favourable
Street Life magazine	mixed
The Miami News (USA)	favourable

Donald A. Guarisco of Allmusic wrote "Steve Harley followed up the ambitious fusion of pop and artsy glam rock he perfected on "The Best Years of Our Lives" with this even more ambitious and artsy outing. Unfortunately, "Timeless Flight" neglects the strong pop hooks that made "The Best Years of Our Lives" so appealing. Much of Timeless Flight finds Harley getting bogged down in deliberately impenetrable wordplay and songs that, despite slick arrangements, are rather hookless vehicles for the verbose lyrics. However, a few highlights shine through for the patient listener. That said, the appeal of these occasional gems isn't enough to make the album consistently engaging, and "Timeless Flight" can only be recommended to Steve Harley completists as a result." Guarisco picked the two tracks "Red Is a Mean, Mean Colour" and "Black or White" as recommended AMG tracks.

In the Sounds magazine of 21 February 1976 writer Geoff Barton reviewed a live performance of the band at the Glasgow Apollo. In his review he spoke of the album: "For the first half dozen or so listenings, the band's current album "Timeless Flight" appears both unremarkable and confounding - which accounts for my rather rambling review a few weeks back. With successive spins, however, you begin to find it gently imposing and, ultimately, quite compelling."

In the Words magazine, Wyn Carter said "Timeless Flight is the new album from the ultra-talented Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel who are definitely on a higher plan that most pop groups in that it takes a little time to get fully into what they're doing, but it's so rewarding when you finally make it. The fact that Steve is so popular means that many disc buyers appreciate being treated intelligently so this album will uplift you further with both words and music. "Black or White" is included with highlight tracks "Understand" and "Nothing is Sacred" and of course Steve wrote and produced everything. First class musicianship from the Rebel too!"

Angus Mackinnon reviewed the album for Street Life. Summing his thoughts on the album he said "Timeless Flight is good music, questionable lyrical support systems. Or rather, if you dig the words the record's a Slumberland smooth double bed affair - and if you don't, you can just sleep on the floor."

One UK magazine review commented "This is not as consistently good or disciplined as "The Best Years of Our Lives", but then I never expected it to be. Harley's a man of erratic talents and self-control and it was virtually impossible that his work would return to a mixture of brillance and boredom, peppered equally with successes and excesses. Despite all the imperfections, I'll be surprised if "Timeless Flight" doesn't end up among my favourite five albums of '76." Another UK magazine featured a review by Jonathan Barnett, who noted "Timeless Flight is an important work by a critically underrated talent - few people it is, indeed, who are able to write startlingly honest and commercial material."

In the Miami News of 28 May 1976, music critic Jon Marlowe reviewed the album, and wrote "Timeless Flight is not the masterpiece that many feel Harley is striving to create. What it is, though, is a fine record that shows Harley obcessed with cabaret and color this time out. At first it is not that easy to listen to but then, Harley has never made himself easily accessible."

Q magazine writer Martin Aston reviewed the album in October 2003, following the BGO CD release. He stated "Abandoned by his original charges, Harley was vindicated when Cockney Rebel Mark II topped the charts with "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)". He blamed 1976's sapping heatwave for the fact that his next move traded such pop perfection for a dense, tricky, almost anti-glam party line that exploited his new crew's session-musician skills. Timeless Flight bears plenty of Harley's melodic hallmarks, but some complex tripwires keep popping up: "Black or White" is a rare showing of Rebel soulfulness but the tempo is lethargic; "White, White Dove's" borderline-poppy chorus is scuppered by skittish, borderline-jazz rock flourishes. A fans-only purchase."

Chart performance

Chart (1976)	Peak position
Dutch Albums Chart	18
UK Albums Chart	18

Personnel

Band

• Steve Harley - lead vocals, producer, liner notes
• Jim Cregan - guitar, backing vocals
• George Ford - bass guitar, backing vocals
• Duncan Mackay - keyboards
• Stuart Elliott - drums, percussion

Additional musicians

• Lindsey Elliott - percussion
• Madeline Bell - backing vocals
• Pete Clarke - backing vocals
• Yvonne Keeley - backing vocals
• Patricia Paay - backing vocals
• Barry St. John - backing vocals
• Larry Steele - backing vocals
• Liza Strike - backing vocals
• Leroy Wiggins - backing vocals
• Joy Yates - backing vocals

Production

• Tony Clark - remixing
• Chris Blair- master cut
• Mick Rock - art direction, cover design, photography
• Michy - sleeve art
• Seamus Egan - liner notes