Hideaway (Cockney Rebel song)

Last updated

"Hideaway"
Cockney Rebel Hideaway 1974 Denmark Single Cover.jpeg
Single by Cockney Rebel
from the album The Human Menagerie
B-side "Loretta's Tale"
Released1974
Genre Rock
Length3:52
Label EMI
Songwriter(s) Steve Harley
Producer(s) Neil Harrison
Cockney Rebel singles chronology
"Judy Teen"
(1974)
"Hideaway"
(1974)
"Psychomodo"
(1974)

"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 , [1] "Hideaway" was released in 1974 as a single in Denmark only. [2] It was written by Harley and produced by Neil Harrison.

Contents

Background

Following the commercial success of the band's debut single "Sebastian" on the European continent, as well as the band's 1974 follow-up "Judy Teen", EMI Records decided to release "Hideaway" as a single in Denmark only. Neither Harley or Cockney Rebel had any input regarding the release of the single. [2] "Hideaway" was first performed by Harley during his days of busking in the early 1970s, before Cockney Rebel were formed in late 1972. Having trained as a journalist for three years, Harley embarked on his musical career through "floor-spotting" within London folk clubs in 1971–72. [3] In 1972, Harley began busking in London, in subways and walkways under and in such places as Hyde Park Corner, Marble Arch, Leicester Square and Covent Garden. [4]

Like the entire The Human Menagerie album, "Hideaway" was recorded sometime during June and July 1973 at Air Studios in London. [5] At that time, the studios were located in Oxford Street above a department store. [6] "Hideaway" was the first song the band recorded during the sessions, and it would also appear as the opening track on the album. [7]

In 1975, Dutch singer Yvonne Keeley covered "Hideaway" as the B-Side to her EMI single "Concrete and Clay". Both tracks were produced by Harley, who was Keeley's boyfriend at the time. The single did not enter the UK Top 50. [8]

Release

"Hideaway" was released by EMI Records on 7" vinyl in Denmark only. [9] The single's B-Side, "Loretta's Tale", was also taken from The Human Menagerie, and was written by Harley and produced by Harrison. [10] The single was issued with a black-and-white picture sleeve, featuring a photograph of the band. [11]

Later in 1976, EMI released a 7" vinyl extended play in the UK, containing four of the band's tracks, with a song appearing from each of their albums. The first of the four tracks was "Hideaway", chosen to represent The Human Menagerie. [12] [13]

Following its original release on The Human Menagerie and as a single, the song has appeared on a number of Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel compilations, including 1975's A Closer Look , [14] 1980's The Very Best Of Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel and 1992's Make Me Smile - The Best of Steve Harley And Cockney Rebel. [15] In addition, the song has appeared on two various artist compilations; the 1981 Arcade release Listen to the Music, [16] and the 1991 EMI release This is Rock For Ever. [17]

On the 2012 anthology Cavaliers: An Anthology 1973-1974 , a previously unreleased, early version of "Hideaway" was included on disc three. [18]

Promotion

The song was performed at the band's concerts of the time. In 1974, they made their first appearance on BBC's Old Grey Whistle Test, where one of the songs they performed was "Hideaway". [19] This live version would later appear on disc four of Cavaliers: An Anthology 1973-1974, along with another 1974 performance of the song for the BBC "In Concert". [18]

In April 1975, Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel performed the song during their concert at the Hammersmith Odeon, London. The performance was filmed and released as a film titled Between the Lines. [20] The footage, including an audio version, was later included on the 2014 definitive edition of The Best Years of Our Lives album. [21]

In recent years, the song has been occasionally performed live by Harley. In November 2012, the band performed the song live at the Birmingham Symphony Hall. On the night, Harley and the band, supported by an orchestra and chamber choir, performed the first two Cockney Rebel albums in their entirety, including "Hideaway". It was released on CD and DVD in 2013 as Birmingham (Live with Orchestra & Choir) . [22]

Critical reception

In a review of The Human Menagerie, Geoff Thompson of the Bracknell Times described "Hideaway" as a delightful track on which Harley "sounds a dead-ringer for Bryan Ferry". [23] In their review of the album, US magazine Billboard picked "Hideaway" as the album's best cut. [24] Gary Tannyan of The StarPhoenix commented, "'Hideaway' starts off with Crocker leading in with a classical guitar bit and overdubbing that with his bee-like buzzing violin. Elliott's drumming is crisp and Reame-Smith's electric piano provides fine vibraphone-like aquatic shimmers." [25]

In a 2004 review of the album, Geoff Barton of Classic Rock said: "It's about time The Human Menagerie was recognised as a classic. It begins hesitantly with "Hideaway", but builds insidiously until the arrival of the fifth track, the immense and immortal "Sebastian"". [26] On the webzine Get Ready to Rock!, a 2013 review of the Birmingham (Live with Orchestra & Choir) album commented how the album opened with the "beguiling and delicate touch of "Hideaway", which could easily fit into Mark Knofler's current set, albeit without the guitar." [27]

Track listing

7-inch Single

  1. "Hideaway" - 3:52
  2. "Loretta's Tale" - 4:13

Personnel

Cockney Rebel
Additional personnel

Related Research Articles

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

Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel are a British glam rock band from the early 1970s from London. Their music covers 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> Musical artist

Steve Harley is an English singer and songwriter, best known as frontman of the rock group Cockney Rebel, with whom he still tours, albeit with frequent and significant personnel changes.

<i>The Human Menagerie</i> 1973 studio album by Cockney Rebel

The Human Menagerie is the debut studio album by Cockney Rebel, which was released by EMI in 1973. It was produced by Neil Harrison.

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

The Psychomodo is the second studio album by Cockney Rebel, which was released by EMI in 1974. 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 ".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freedom's Prisoner</span> 1979 single by Steve Harley

"Freedom's Prisoner" is a song by British singer-songwriter Steve Harley, which was released in 1979 as the only single from his second solo album The Candidate. The song, which was written and produced by Harley and Jimmy Horowitz, reached number 58 in the UK Singles Chart.

<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">Big Big Deal</span> 1974 single by Steve Harley

"Big Big Deal" is a song by the 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, which was released in 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">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).

<i>Birmingham (Live with Orchestra & Choir)</i> 2013 live album by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel

Birmingham is a live album by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, featuring the Orchestra of the Swan and Chamber Choir. It was recorded live at the Birmingham Symphony Hall on 24 November 2012, and was released on both CD and DVD in 2013. A DVD version of the performance was also released at the same time.

<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>Cavaliers: An Anthology 1973–1974</i> 2012 compilation album by Cockney Rebel featuring Steve Harley

Cavaliers: An Anthology 1973–1974 is a remastered four-disc box-set anthology by Cockney Rebel, released in 2012. The set chronicles the recording career of the original line-up of Cockney Rebel, between 1973 and 1974. It includes both of the band's albums The Human Menagerie (1973) and The Psychomodo (1974), as well as all the singles and non-album B-Sides. It also features early alternative versions and mixes of tracks from both albums, as well as live sessions for the BBC, including a John Peel session and on the Old Grey Whistle Test.

<i>The Cream of Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel</i> 1999 compilation album by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel

The Cream of Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel is a compilation album by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, released by EMI Gold in 1999. It features material from Cockney Rebel, Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel and Harley's solo career. It contains sixteen tracks, covering Harley and the band's career from Cockney Rebel's 1973 album The Human Menagerie to Harley's 1979 album The Candidate, as well as the 1982 non-album single "I Can't Even Touch You".

References

  1. "Cockney Rebel - The Human Menagerie at Discogs". Discogs.com. 20 July 2014. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  2. 1 2 "Cockney Rebel - Hideaway / Loretta's Tale - EMI - Denmark - 6C 006-05562". 45cat.com. 12 October 2011. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  3. "Steve's Biography". Steveharley.com. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
  4. Booklet of 2012 compilation album Cavaliers: An Anthology 1973-1974
  5. "Cockney Rebel – The Human Menagerie (2015, Vinyl)". Discogs.com. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
  6. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 9 November 2016. Retrieved 9 January 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel - Birmingham (Live with Orchestra and Choir) DVD - Disc One
  8. "Yvonne Keeley - Concrete And Clay". 45cat.com. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
  9. "Singles 1973-74". 28 November 2009. Archived from the original on 28 November 2009. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
  10. "Cockney Rebel - Hideaway / Loretta's Tale (Vinyl)". Discogs.com. 26 May 2015. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  11. "Images for Cockney Rebel - Hideaway / Loretta's Tale". Discogs.com. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  12. "Steve Harley And Cockney Rebel* - Hideaway (Vinyl)". Discogs.com. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  13. "Steve Harley And Cockney Rebel - Hideaway / Mr. Soft - EMI - UK - PSR 392". 45cat.com. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  14. "Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel - A Closer Look (Vinyl, LP) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 26 April 2013.
  15. "Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel Discography". Discogs.com. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  16. "Various - Listen To The Music". Discogs.com. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  17. "Various - This Is Rock For Ever (Vinyl, LP)". Discogs.com. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  18. 1 2 "Cockney Rebel Featuring Steve Harley - Cavaliers: An Anthology 1973-1974 (CD)". Discogs.com. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  19. "Cockney Rebel-Hideaway". 14 April 1975. Retrieved 9 October 2016 via YouTube.
  20. "Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel - Between The Lines - April 14th 1975 - Hammersmith Odeon" . Retrieved 9 October 2016 via YouTube.
  21. "Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel - The Best Years Of Our Lives - Definitive Edition (CD, Album)". Discogs.com. 14 April 1975. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  22. "Birmingham - Live With Orchestra & Choir: Amazon.co.uk: Music". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 25 February 2014.
  23. Thompson, Geoff (6 December 1973). "Sounds of the times". Bracknell Times. p. 9.
  24. "Billboard". 4 May 1974.
  25. Tannyan, Gary (25 April 1974). "Music Box". The StarPhoenix .
  26. "Classic Rock Human Menagerie". 10 December 2014. Archived from the original on 10 December 2014. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
  27. "Album review: STEVE HARLEY & COCKNEY REBEL – Birmingham Live With Orchestra & Choir - Get Ready to ROCK! Reviews | Interviews | BlogGet Ready to ROCK! News | Reviews | Interviews | Radio". Getreadytorock.me.uk. 16 September 2013. Retrieved 9 October 2016.