Mr. Raffles (Man, It Was Mean)

Last updated

"Mr. Raffles (Man, It Was Mean)"
Steve Harley Mr Raffles (Man It Was Mean) 1975 Single Cover.jpg
Single by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel
from the album The Best Years of Our Lives
B-side "Sebastian (Live)"
Released23 May 1975
Recorded1974
Genre Rock
Length
  • 4:34 (album version)
  • 3:03 (single version)
Label EMI
Songwriter(s) Steve Harley
Producer(s)
Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel singles chronology
"Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)"
(1975)		"Mr. Raffles (Man, It Was Mean)"
(1975)		"Black or White"
(1975)

"Mr. Raffles (Man, It Was Mean)" is a song by the British rock band Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, released on 23 May 1975 as the second and final single from their third studio album The Best Years of Our Lives . [1] [2] The song was written by Harley, and produced by Harley and Alan Parsons. "Mr. Raffles (Man, It Was Mean)" reached number 13 in the UK Singles Chart. [3]

Contents

Background

"Mr. Raffles (Man, It Was Mean)" was released as the follow-up single to "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)" which reached number one in the UK in February 1975. After The Best Years of Our Lives had reached the UK top 5 in March, "Mr. Raffles" was released in May. It reached number 13 in the UK Singles Chart and remained in the top 50 for six weeks. [3]

The song's titular character refers to the author E. W. Hornung's fictional thief A. J. Raffles. Speaking to Mojo in 2010, Harley said about the song,

"Raffles was a master thief. He was a con artist too. I use his name to invoke a religious allegory, yes. We see religion and its leaders in our own ways: Sham: "Man, it was mean to be seen in the robes you wore for Lent, you must've known that it was Easter." The Devil within: "Then in Amsterdam you were perfect fun. You never let on you had a gun and then you shot that Spanish Dancer." Truthfully, I always think these references and allusions are obvious to listeners, and it feels a little pretentious to explain. It's not T. S. Eliot, I know, but I was a serious young man!" [4]

Release

"Mr. Raffles (Man, It Was Mean)" was released by EMI Records on 7-inch vinyl in the UK, Belgium, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. It was released in Yugoslavia by Jugoton. [5] [6] For its release as a single, "Mr. Raffles" was edited down by a minute and a half to make a three-minute version. This single version remained exclusive to the single until it was included as a bonus track on the 2014 'Definitive Edition' of The Best Years of Our Lives. [7]

The B-side is a live version of "Sebastian", originally recorded by Cockney Rebel for their 1973 debut album The Human Menagerie . Produced by Harley and Parsons, it was recorded at the Hammersmith Odeon, London, on 14 April 1975. In addition to the five main members of Cockney Rebel, the recording also features drummer Stuart Elliott's younger brother Lyndsey Elliott on additional percussion and guitarist Snowy White, who joined the band on The Best Years of Our Lives tour as rhythm guitarist. [8] [7]

Promotion

The band performed the song on the UK music show Top of the Pops , which was broadcast on 5 June 1975. [9] Although the audio from the performance survives, the footage was later wiped by the BBC and is presumed lost. [10]

The song has been performed live by Harley and the band on many occasions, and various live versions have been recorded for official releases. In April 1975, the song was included as part of the band's set at the Hammersmith Odeon. The concert was filmed and released as a film titled Between the Lines. [11] A 1989 performance of the song during the band's concert at Brighton was included on the VHS release The Come Back, All is Forgiven Tour: Live . [12] Another version appears on the 1995 album Live at the BBC , which Harley recorded during a session for Nicky Campbell in 1992. [13]

Critical reception

On its release as a single, Sue Byrom of Record Mirror wrote, "If there's one thing the new Harley & Cockney Rebel doesn't seem to be on first hearing, it's commercial. Changes of rhythm, taped cheers, little touch of palm-tree music here and there... commercial? But then you listen again, and again, and yup, somehow it looks like Stevie's going to do it again!" [14] Colin Irwin of Melody Maker described the song as "curiously tuneless affair", but with "enough wayward charm to take it in[to] the chart". He noted the "off-beat continental feel", the "underlying Caribbean flavour that breaks out towards the end" and Harley's "usual exaggeratedly pained" vocal. Irwin predicted the song would be a hit, but felt the song would not repeat the success of its predecessor. [15]

Daily Mirror wrote, "A very peculiar song from Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel. Sounds from the bullring, the fairground and the South Seas cover up something very creepy indeed. A hit." [16] The Irvine Herald stated, "It must be hard to follow such a successful disc as 'Smile' but the Rebel has come up with the right one. Back to the same pace as their first hit. Harley has got a very distinctive voice. Won't be a chart-topper, but a biggie all the same." [17]

In the 1996 book Rock: The Rough Guide, authors Jonathan Buckley and Justin Lewis noted that the song "found Harley at his lyrical best". [18] In a retrospective review of The Best Years of Our Lives, Donald A. Guarisco of AllMusic described the song as a "surreal yet romanticized portrait of a convention-flaunting outlaw" and added, "The odd lyrics work thanks to the phenomenal tune backing them up, which contrasts gentle verses built on piano and acoustic guitar with choruses that work in a surprising but slickly integrated reggae beat". [19] In another AllMusic review of the 1975 compilation A Closer Look, Guarisco described the song as "an impressionistic tune that layers surreal, Bob Dylanesque wordplay over a lushly produced musical backdrop that mixes keyboard-driven soft pop with reggae." [20]

Track listing

7-inch single

  1. "Mr. Raffles (Man, It Was Mean)" – 3:03
  2. "Sebastian" (Live Version) – 10:49

Personnel

Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel

Production

Charts

Chart (1975)Peak
position
UK Singles Chart (The Official Charts Company) [3] 13

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel</span> British glam rock band

Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel were an English rock band from the early 1970s from London. Their music covered a range of styles from pop to progressive rock. Over the years they have had five albums in the UK Albums Chart and twelve singles in the UK Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Harley</span> English singer and songwriter (1951–2024)

Stephen Malcolm Ronald Nice, known by his stage name Steve Harley, was an English singer-songwriter and frontman of the rock group Cockney Rebel. He had six UK hit singles with the band in the mid-1970s, including "Judy Teen", "Mr. Soft", and the number one "Make Me Smile ".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)</span> 1975 single by Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel

"Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)" is a song by the British rock band Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, which was released in 1975 by EMI as the lead single from the band's third studio album The Best Years of Our Lives. The song was written by Harley, and produced by Harley and Alan Parsons. In February 1975, the song reached number one on the UK chart and received a gold certification from the British Phonographic Industry in October 2021. It spent nine weeks in the Top 50, and as of 2015, has sold over 1.5 million copies worldwide. The song is one of the most-played songs in British broadcasting history.

<i>The Psychomodo</i> 1974 studio album by Cockney Rebel

The Psychomodo is the second studio album by Cockney Rebel, released on 2 June 1974 by EMI. It was produced by Steve Harley and Alan Parsons.

<i>The Best Years of Our Lives</i> (Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel album) 1975 studio album by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel

The Best Years of Our Lives is the third studio album by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, which was released by EMI in 1975. It was the first album to feature Harley's name ahead of the band's. The album was produced by Harley and Alan Parsons, and contains the band's only UK number one, the million-selling "Make Me Smile ".

<i>Timeless Flight</i> 1976 studio album by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel

Timeless Flight is the fourth studio album by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, which was released by EMI in 1976. It was written and produced by Steve Harley.

<i>Face to Face: A Live Recording</i> 1977 live album by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel

Face to Face: A Live Recording is a live album by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, which was released by EMI in 1977. It was produced by Steve Harley and Tony Clark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">(I Believe) Love's a Prima Donna</span> 1976 single by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel

"(I Believe) Love's a Prima Donna" is a song by the British rock band Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, which was released in 1976 as the second single from their fifth studio album Love's a Prima Donna. It was written and produced by Harley. The song reached No. 41 in the UK and would be the band's last charting single before their split in 1977.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Star for a Week (Dino)</span> 1993 single by Steve Harley

"Star for a Week (Dino)" is a pop-rock song by British singer-songwriter Steve Harley, which was released as a promotional single in 1993 from his third solo album Yes You Can. The single coincided with the UK release of the album that year (Yes You Can had been released in Europe in 1992). It was the second single to be released from the album, following "Irresistible" as a European single in 1992. "Star for a Week (Dino)" was written by Harley, and produced by Harley and Matt Butler.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Big Deal</span> 1974 single by Steve Harley

"Big Big Deal" is a song by British singer-songwriter Steve Harley, which was released as his debut, non-album solo single in 1974. The song, which was written and produced by Harley, would be his last release before scoring the UK number one hit "Make Me Smile " in 1975. "Big Big Deal" also preceded the formation of the second line-up of Harley's band Cockney Rebel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black or White (Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel song)</span> 1975 single by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel

"Black or White" is a song by British rock band Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, released on 14 November 1975 as the lead single from their fourth studio album Timeless Flight (1976). The song was written and produced by Harley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Psychomodo</span> 1974 single by Cockney Rebel

"Psychomodo" is a song by the British rock band Cockney Rebel, fronted by Steve Harley. It was released in 1974 as the lead single from their second studio album The Psychomodo. "Psychomodo" was written by Harley, and produced by Harley and Alan Parsons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tumbling Down (Cockney Rebel song)</span>

"Tumbling Down" is a song by the British rock band Cockney Rebel, fronted by Steve Harley. It was released in 1975 as the third and final single from the band's second studio album The Psychomodo (1974). The song was written by Harley, and produced by Harley and Alan Parsons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">(Love) Compared with You</span> 1977 single by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel

"(Love) Compared with You" is a song by the British rock band Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, released in 1977 as the third and final single from the band's fifth studio album, Love's a Prima Donna (1976). Released as a single in America only, the song was written and produced by Harley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judy Teen</span> 1974 single by Cockney Rebel

"Judy Teen" is a song by the British rock band Cockney Rebel, fronted by Steve Harley. It was released as a non-album single in 1974, and became the band's first UK hit, after their debut single, "Sebastian", was only a hit in continental Europe. "Judy Teen" was written by Harley, and produced by Harley and Alan Parsons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mr. Soft</span> 1974 single by Cockney Rebel

"Mr. Soft" is a song by the British rock band Cockney Rebel, fronted by Steve Harley, which was released in 1974 as the second single from their second studio album The Psychomodo. The song was written by Harley, and produced by Harley and Alan Parsons. "Mr. Soft" peaked at number 8 in the UK Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sebastian (song)</span> 1973 single by Cockney Rebel

"Sebastian" is a song by the British rock band Cockney Rebel, fronted by Steve Harley. It was released as the band's debut single in 1973 from their album The Human Menagerie. The song was written by Harley and produced by Neil Harrison.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hideaway (Cockney Rebel song)</span> 1974 single by Cockney Rebel

"Hideaway" is a song by the British rock band Cockney Rebel, fronted by Steve Harley. Released as the opening track on the band's 1973 debut album The Human Menagerie, "Hideaway" was released in 1974 as a single in Denmark only. It was written by Harley and produced by Neil Harrison.

"The Best Years of Our Lives" is a song by the British rock band Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, released in 1975 as the title track from the band's third studio album The Best Years of Our Lives. In 1977, a live version of the song was released as a single from the album Face to Face: A Live Recording.

<i>A Closer Look</i> (Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel album) 1975 compilation album by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel

A Closer Look is a compilation album by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, which was released by EMI Records in the United States in 1975. It features material recorded by the original Cockney Rebel as well as the reformed Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel line-up.

References

  1. ↑ Hancock, David (24 May 1975). "Rebel's next – with 11 minute B-side". Record Mirror . p. 3.
  2. ↑ "Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel - The Best Years Of Our Lives at Discogs". Discogs.com. 1975. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 "STEVE HARLEY | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Official Charts .
  4. ↑ "Mr. Raffles (Man it Was Mean) by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel Songfacts". Songfacts.com. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
  5. ↑ "The Best Years Of Our Lives". Harleyfanzone.com. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  6. ↑ "Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel - Mr. Raffles (Man, It Was Mean) at Discogs". Discogs.com. 1975. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  7. 1 2 "Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel – the Best Years of Our Lives - Definitive Edition (2014, CD)". Discogs . 2014.
  8. ↑ "Roger Waters International Fan Club Home Page".
  9. ↑ ""Top of the Pops" Episode dated 21 October 1976 (1976) - Soundtracks". Uk.imdb.com. Retrieved 24 February 2013.[ permanent dead link ]
  10. ↑ YouTube (12 January 2011). "Cockney Rebel-Mr Raffles TOTP's". YouTube. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  11. ↑ YouTube (10 December 2012). "Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel - Mr Raffles - April 14th 1975 - Hammersmith Odeon". YouTube. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  12. ↑ "Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel: Greatest Hits [VHS]: Steve Harley: Amazon.co.uk: Video". Amazon.co.uk. 20 October 1989. Retrieved 7 December 2012.
  13. ↑ Thompson, Dave (26 June 1995). "BBC Live in Concert - Steve Harley: Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 December 2012.
  14. ↑ Byrom, Sue (31 May 1975). "Singles". Record Mirror . p. 25.
  15. ↑ Irwin, Colin (31 May 1975). "New singles - Harley risks a new departure". Melody Maker . p. 13.
  16. ↑ "Short Plays". Daily Mirror . 28 May 1975. p. 13.
  17. ↑ Freck; Jay Jay (30 May 1975). "Platter Chatter". The Irvine Herald. p. 6.
  18. ↑ (Firm), Rough Guides (1996). Rock: the rough guide - Jonathan Buckley, Justin Lewis, Rough Guides (Firm) - Google Books. ISBN   978-1-85828-201-5 . Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  19. ↑ Guarisco, Donald A. "The Best Years of Our Lives - Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel: Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  20. ↑ Guarisco, Donald A. "A Closer Look - Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel: Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.