|
''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.〔https://books.google.com/books?id=L2kGAQAAMAAJ&q=steve+harley+black+or+white+cockney+rebel&dq=steve+harley+black+or+white+cockney+rebel&hl=en&sa=X&ei=D1ENUd_-LuOL0AWzxYCoBg&ved=0CC4Q6AEwADgK〕 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."''〔http://www.harleyfanzone.com/70/Scrapbook/1977/Hard_Harted_Harley/Hard_Harted_Harley.htm〕 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.〔http://www.theofficialcharts.com/search-results-album/_/Timeless+Flight#album〕 The band received 40,000 advance orders for the album in America, despite the lack of a hit single.〔http://www.harleyfanzone.com/70/Scrapbook/1977/Hard_Harted_Harley/Hard_Harted_Harley.htm〕 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.〔http://www.discogs.com/Steve-Harley-Cockney-Rebel-Timeless-Flight/release/1331706〕 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.〔http://www.harleyfanzone.com/70/Scrapbook/1976/Timeless/Cregan_Guitar.htm〕 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."''〔http://www.harleyfanzone.com/70/Scrapbook/1977/Hard_Harted_Harley/Hard_Harted_Harley.htm〕 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."''〔http://www.harleyfanzone.com/70/Scrapbook/1977/Hard_Harted_Harley/Hard_Harted_Harley_2.htm〕 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."''〔http://www.harleyfanzone.com/Interviews/Harley04.htm〕 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."''〔http://www.harleyfanzone.com/70/Scrapbook/1977/Hard_Harted_Harley/Hard_Harted_Harley_2.htm〕 "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."''〔http://www.harleyfanzone.com/Interviews/Harley04.htm〕 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".〔http://www.discogs.com/Patricia-Paay-Beam-Of-Light/release/1467295〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Timeless Flight」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|