White, White Dove

Last updated

"White, White Dove"
Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel White White Dove.jpg
Single by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel
from the album Timeless Flight
B-side "Throw Your Soul Down Here"
Released13 February 1976
Genre Rock
Length
  • 5:37 (album version)
  • 4:15 (edited version)
Label EMI
Songwriter(s) Steve Harley
Producer(s) Steve Harley
Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel singles chronology
"Black or White"
(1975)		"White, White Dove"
(1976)		"Here Comes the Sun"
(1976)

"White, White Dove" is a song by the British rock band Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, which was released in 1976 as the second and final single from their fourth studio album Timeless Flight . [1] The song was written and produced by Harley.

Contents

Background

As the second single to be released from Timeless Flight, "White, White Dove" followed the commercial failure of "Black or White", which failed to enter the UK Singles Chart when released in November 1975. "White, White Dove" was released shortly after Timeless Flight, but despite the album's top 20 success in the UK, "White, White Dove" also failed to reach the UK top 50. It did however reach number six in the UK Star Breakers Chart on 13 March 1976. [2]

"White, White Dove" was recorded at Trident Studios in London, and remixed and cut at Abbey Road Studios, London. [3] The song features Lindsay Elliott, the younger brother of the band's drummer Stuart Elliott, on congas.

Release

"White, White Dove" was released by EMI Records as a 7-inch single in the UK, Germany, Belgium, Portugal and Australia. [4] [5] Some versions of the single featured an edit of "White, White Dove", which cut the album version down by over a minute. [6]

The single's B-side, "Throw Your Soul Down Here", was written and produced by Harley. [7] It was exclusive to the single and remained so until it was included as a bonus track on the 1991 EMI CD release of Timeless Flight. [8] The song was recorded at AIR Studios, London, after the Timeless Flight sessions. It features Herbie Flowers on double bass and B. A. Robertson on piano.

Promotion

To promote the song's release as a single, the band performed the song live on the UK ITV music programme Supersonic . The performance has surfaced on YouTube in recent years. [9]

Critical reception

On its release as a single, Ray Fox-Cumming of Record Mirror & Disc predicted the song would be a hit. He commented, "I was not convinced that this was the best track to be single number two from Timeless Flight, but now, edited down, it does make sense. It's still not one of Harley's strongest songs, but the funky guitar patterns, well-paced vocal and sterling production all help to make it man enough for the job of chart-breaching." [10] Caroline Coon of Melody Maker was positive of the song in her review, but felt it had "less chart potential" than "Black or White". She wrote, "This is a subtly different mix from the album track. Slightly edgier, just emphasising the anger which gapes like an infinite black pit under the funky, wildly ecstatic percussion and popping bass lines. Not only is this sound supremely confident, swimming straight up the current Seventies feel, pitched right on the pulse of what is relevant in music today, but Harley's whole tone is thrusting forward in the direction to where sound will be in the Eighties." [11]

Roxana Read of the Neath Guardian commented, "Bearing olive branches, peace and contentment, Harley is back with 'White, White Dove'. Perhaps this one will get no further than 'Black or White'. Certainly not a 'Judy Teen'. Excellent, though." [12] Jim Green of Trouser Press noted the B-side, "Throw Your Soul Down Here", to be "a moody entreaty". [13] In a review of Timeless Flight, Stewart Parker, for his "High Pop" column in The Irish Times criticised the song for being "aimless and tuneless". [14] Graham Scott of The Evening Times (Little Falls, New York), considered the song to be musically similar to the Rolling Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil". He added, "What it's all about I'm not sure, but the music's certainly good." [15] In a 2003 review of Timeless Flight, Martin Aston of Q felt the song's "borderline-poppy chorus is scuppered by skittish, borderline-jazz rock flourishes". [16]

Track listing

7-inch single

  1. "White, White Dove" – 5:37
  2. "Throw Your Soul Down Here" – 4:04

7-inch single (Australian release)

  1. "White, White Dove" (Edited Version) – 4:15
  2. "Throw Your Soul Down Here" – 4:04

Personnel

White, White Dove

Throw Your Soul Down Here

Production

Charts

Chart (1976)Peak
position
UK Star Breakers Chart [2] 6

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 ".

<i>Loves a Prima Donna</i> 1976 studio album by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel

Love's a Prima Donna is the fifth studio album by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, which was released by EMI in 1976. It was produced by Harley, and would be the band's last album before splitting in 1977.

<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>Hobo with a Grin</i> 1978 studio album by Steve Harley

Hobo with a Grin is the debut solo album by British singer-songwriter Steve Harley, which was released by EMI in 1978. The album was produced by Harley, except for "Roll the Dice", which was produced by Michael J. Jackson. Jackson also acted as additional producer on the album.

<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">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">Someone's Coming</span> 1979 song by Steve Harley

"Someone's Coming" is a song by English singer-songwriter Steve Harley, released in 1979 as the second and final single from his 1978 debut solo studio album, Hobo with a Grin. The sonsg was written by Harley and Jo Partridge, and was produced by Harley.

<i>The Cockney Rebel – A Steve Harley Anthology</i> 2006 compilation album by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel/Steve Harley

The Cockney Rebel – A Steve Harley Anthology is a remastered three-disc box-set anthology by Steve Harley, released in 2006. The anthology features material from Cockney Rebel, Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel and Harley's solo career. It covers all of Harley's albums, spanning over 33 years, from 1973's The Human Menagerie to 2005's The Quality of Mercy. The anthology was released by EMI Music UK. It was released on CD in the UK only. Today, the physical CD release is out-of-print.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mr. Raffles (Man, It Was Mean)</span> 1975 single by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel

"Mr. Raffles " 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. The song was written by Harley, and produced by Harley and Alan Parsons. "Mr. Raffles " reached number 13 in the UK Singles Chart.

<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">A Friend for Life</span>

"A Friend for Life" is a song by British singer-songwriter Steve Harley, which was released by Intrinsic Records in 2001 as a non-album single. The song was written by Harley and former Cockney Rebel guitarist Jim Cregan, and produced by Cregan. Harley's first release of new material since his 1996 album Poetic Justice, "A Friend for Life" was later included on Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel's sixth studio album The Quality of Mercy (2005).

<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.

"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.

<i>Beam of Light</i> (Patricia Paay album) 1975 studio album by Patricia Paay

Beam of Light is the second studio album from Dutch singer Patricia Paay, which was released by EMI in 1975.

References

  1. ↑ "Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel - Timeless Flight at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  2. 1 2 "Star Breakers". Record Mirror & Disc . 13 March 1976. p. 2.
  3. ↑ "Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel - Timeless Flight (Vinyl, LP, Album) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2 February 2013.
  4. ↑ "Timeless Flight". Harleyfanzone.com. Archived from the original on 22 November 2014. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  5. ↑ "Steve Harley And Cockney Rebel - White, White Dove / Throw Your Soul Down Here - EMI - UK - EMI 2409". 45cat. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  6. ↑ "Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel - White, White Dove (Edited Version)".
  7. ↑ "Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel - White, White Dove (Vinyl) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  8. ↑ "Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel - Timeless Flight (CD, Album) at Discogs". Discogs.com. 14 April 1975. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  9. ↑ YouTube. "Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel - White White Dove (1976)". YouTube. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  10. ↑ Fox-Cumming, Ray (14 February 1976). "Singles". Record Mirror & Disc . p. 23.
  11. ↑ Coon, Caroline (7 February 1976). "New Singles: Harley's wild dove". Melody Maker . p. 3.
  12. ↑ Read, Roxana (12 February 1976). "Pop Round". Neath Guardian . p. 4.
  13. ↑ Green, Jim (June–July 1976). "Green Circles". Trouser Press . No. 14. p. 37. ISSN   0164-1883.
  14. ↑ Parker, Stewart (2008). High Pop: The Irish Times Column, 1970-1976 - Stewart Parker - Google Books. ISBN   9781904652571 . Retrieved 29 June 2013.
  15. ↑ "Welcome to nginx". news.google.com. Archived from the original on 11 April 2013. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  16. ↑ "Timeless Flight Review". Harleyfanzone.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 9 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.