Face to Face: A Live Recording

Background

Following the release of the band's fifth studio album Love's a Prima Donna in October 1976, the band embarked on an eight-date UK tour in December to promote it. After finishing recording the album in September, guitarist Jim Cregan left Cockney Rebel and joined Rod Stewart's touring band. He was replaced on the December tour by Jo Partridge. During the tour, the band's concerts at London's Hammersmith Odeon, Birmingham Odeon, Glasgow Apollo and Newcastle City Hall, were recorded for a possible live album, using the live mobile recording studios RAK Mobile and La Maison Rouge. Later in February 1977, the band played a one-off charity concert at the London Rainbow in aid of the homeless in Northern Ireland. This show was also recorded for possible use on the live album.

In a February 1977 issue of Melody Maker, a few days ahead of the London Rainbow show, Harley revealed that he was in the process of listening to the tracks recorded on the December tour. Speaking to Harvey Kubernik about the tour, Harley said:

"We did eight concerts and every night was great. I'm not just saying that. Jimmy had left to join Rod Stewart's band and Jo Partridge brought new energy. It was our fourth major tour and the fans were on my side from the word go. They're a great audience. It was the best concert tour I've done in my life. I've never enjoyed playing so much in my career."

Over the next few weeks, Harley worked on mixing the live recordings and selecting the best tracks. For the live album project, Tony Clark was hired as the album's engineer and co-producer. The tracks were mixed at both Abbey Road Studios and Air Studios in London. They were later mastered by Ken Perry at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles.

Speaking of the upcoming live album in his interview with Record Mirror's Ray Fox-Cumming, Harley said:

"Quite frankly, I've always been much bigger as a live performer than I have on plastic. It will probably be my next album release. Basically it will be the whole of the one-and-a-half hour show I did on the last tour. We recorded the concerts at Glasgow, Birmingham, Newcastle, Hammersmith and The Rainbow, so there are plenty of versions of each song to choose from and make a good album. The results of what has been mixed so far have turned out excellently. I have cheated a little bit, though I think quite justifiably so. I altered the running order a bit, although I don't think that most people who went to the concerts will even notice. The reason for the change is that a running order which seems right for a show can be nonsense on plastic. Each side of each of the two records has to have a beginning and an end, which in all means eight ends-and-beginnings. In concert you don't have that problem. I've also cheated a tiny amount by erasing the odd bum note. Out of five versions of a song that I've got to choose from, there will always be one where the vocal's in tune, the guitar solo sounds great and everything else is just about perfect, but even then there's always some little thing that's off and I'm not going to spoil a good track by allowing an obvious bum note on it when that can be avoided."

Comparing the live recordings with the original studio versions of the songs performed, Harley said: "They knock spots off them. In most cases they're 10 times better." However, Harley did admit he hadn't enjoyed the process of mixing the tracks: "To me, it's a very uncreative operation. It's only, after all, engineering and engineering is an evil, and not particularly exciting, necessity."

The double-LP album, titled Face to Face: A Live Recording, was released in July 1977. On the eve of its release date, it was announced that Harley was disbanding Cockney Rebel. The live album's release had been set to coincide with this announcement. Face to Face: A Live Recording reached #40 on the UK Albums Chart, and lasted four weeks in the Top 50. To promote the album, a live single was released in August, featuring "The Best Years of Our Lives" as the A-Side and "Tumbling Down" as the B-Side. However, it failed to enter the UK Top 50. The single did not make a chart appearance in the UK.

Following the album, and the band's split, Harley embarked on a solo career, releasing Hobo with a Grin in 1978. He would later form a new line-up of Cockney Rebel in 1980.

Release

The album was released by EMI Records as a double-LP gatefold vinyl, in various countries, including the UK, Germany, France, the Netherlands, as well as America and Canada. In 1997, the album received its first CD release by EMI, but in the Netherlands only. In 2000, BGO Records released a remastered CD edition of the album across the UK and Europe. Aside from being remastered from the original master tapes, the album also featured faithfully restored artwork and additional sleeve notes. Today, it is out-of-print.

Critical reception

In a 1977 issue of Sounds magazine, Geoff Barton reviewed Face to Face: A Live Recording, commenting: "Although his career at the moment appears to be at its 'lowest ebb', Harley can still fill halls to capacity. I count several Rebel concerts to be amongst the most emotional and enjoyable I've ever seen. Side one gets off to a slow start, non-atmospheric and yawn-prompting, the production not too upfront, Cockney Rebel sounding curiously leaden. Things pick up for the closing cut, however, "Red is a Mean Mean Colour". Side two suffers from the same kind of problems. Not until the final track does the side truly come to life. By contrast, side three and four are magnificent, compulsive. The involvement builds and builds until, towards the end, everyone sings along in fine football chorus tradition. Highly charged, sincere, spine-tingling stuff. Side four has the encores. A performer who can inspire such an incredible amount of audience involvement can't be ignored, can't be all bad, can't be forgotten, can't have blown it... at least, I hope not. After all, the latter half of "Face To Face" is quite magical, strikes a deep emotional chord. And I can't think of many albums that do that, can you?"

In a 1977 issue of Record Mirror magazine, Sheila Prophet reviewed the album, noting: "Whatever you might think of Harley and his ego, there's no doubt that onstage, it makes him into a magnificent, riveting performer. Every time I've seen him live, the effect was the same - total involvement. But does this involvement come over on record? Well, side one starts off pretty unpromisingly, with Harley's worst ever misjudgment, "Here Comes The Sun". It picks up a bit, but it's still fairly routine stuff. Where is Harley the Presence? Well, he's there on side two, but in his least acceptable form. Without his dramatic stage appearance, his vocals sound ridiculously overwrought. Oh dear. But wait - between side two and three, something magic has happened. Harley has taken over and suddenly, his whole ego trip seems almost justified. He's the central figure, with the audience as his backing band - Rebel are reduced to mere bit players onstage musical decorations. The two inevitable songs, "Tumbling Down", and of course, "Make Me Smile" - predictable, maybe, but none the less magnificent for that and that's the lot. As the anthem fades out, the crowd are still chanting in unison, as though they can't bear to let it end. Celebrating just being there."

In the 10 September 1977 issue of Record Mirror, a review of "The Best Years of Our Lives" single stated: "Note - Cockney Rebel have now vanished forever. This one is live and it's a cracker. Just listen to the way he controls the audience - amazing. It's easily the best track on "Face to Face" and though I don't know how valid it is as a single, it's a worthwhile buy for any hard-up fans who can't afford the fancy double album package."

Dave Thompson of AllMusic retrospectively reviewed the album, writing: "It was one of the most grotesque decapitations in history. One moment, Steve Harley was swaying sleek and sinister, oozing absinthe and decay, the head of a hydra of unimaginable potential... and the next he was trilling old Beatles songs and defusing even the last limping hang-overs of the glory that was once his for the taking. By 1977, he scarcely seemed to even remember the songs, so the audience sung half of them for him. Here his voice simply sounds affected... either that, or the poor lad has hiccups. And they don't go away. No complaints about the actual set list. Across four sides of vinyl, Harley has always been well aware of his own worth and delivers a show which is half greatest hits, half greatest bits. But the pale apologies for the epics, the perfunctory trawls through the classics, and the "gee-it's-so-wonderful-to-be-here" simper which now passes for stage presence aren't simply inexcusable. They are embarrassing and, no matter how lustily the audience sings along with their favorites, you know that they won't be calling him Sebastian ever again. Judy Teen has left the building."

Personnel