Irresistible (Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel song)

Background

"Irresistible" was first played live at Cockney Rebel's 14 December 1984 performance at the Camden Palace venue in London. This concert was recorded for a special TV broadcast (and later released on the VHS Live from London in 1985). This live version of the song used lead guitar as a more dominant instrument and featured an extra 'third verse' that was never included on any studio versions or future live performances. This verse linked directly into the fourth and final verse (which would become the third verse itself on the studio recordings):

They're clapping their hands now, the vision has grown dim
They're building a cross now, and giving it to him
I'm every religion, I'm practicing a sin
It's so cold, so cold, so cold and getting colder

After writing it, Harley offered "Irresistible" to Rod Stewart, however Stewart turned down the song. He knew how keen Harley was for a hit of his own and so encouraged Harley to record it in the hope that it would put him back in the charts. During 1984, Harley signed a contract to record five albums for RAK - the record label belonging to Mickie Most. Working with Most at the producer's helm, "Irresistible" was recorded featuring Harvey Hinsley on guitar, Adrian Lee on keyboards and Mark Brzezicki of Big Country on drums. The song was released in May 1985 as Harley's debut RAK single. It peaked at #81 on the UK Singles Chart and stayed within the Top 100 for five weeks. It had debuted on the chart in mid-June 1985 at #98.

Release

The single was released by RAK Records on 7" and 12" vinyl in the UK, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. The single featured the B-Side "Such is Life" which was also written by Harley and produced by Most. The B-Side was exclusive to the single and did not appear on any other release until 1988 when it was included on the Castle Communications Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel release The Collection, as part of their "The Collector Series". "Such is Life" was originally debuted live by the band during their 1980 Christmas tour. Harley also introduced "My Cold Heart", "I Could Be Anyone" and a reggae-version of "Mr. Soft" on the same tour.

For the 12" vinyl release, an extended version of "Irresistible" was included, remixed by Harley, along with Calvin Hayes and Mike Nocito, who would both later achieve fame with the British pop rock band Johnny Hates Jazz. At the time, Hayes, being the Mickie Most's son, was an in-house producer at RAK, while Nocito was an in-house studio engineer. An additional track included on the 12" version was "Sebastian", which was Cockney Rebel's 1973 debut single. All versions of the release featured a full colour picture sleeve.

Following the song's release as a single, the version made its only outside appearance on the 1988 Castle Communications compilation The Collection, like the B-Side "Such is Life". It has not appeared on any other release, and remains unavailable on CD.

Promotion

A music video was filmed to promote the single, which received plays on channels such as MTV and Music Box. The video featured Harley performing the song in a dark room with the use of various lighting and spotlight tricks shown throughout. RAK had booked the use of a studio in West London to shoot the video. Additionally Harley also appeared on European TV performing the song along with his 1975 UK number one hit "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)".

At the time of its release, an A4 promotional black-and-white advert of "Irresistible" was featured in the British music magazine Number One. It featured the single's sleeve artwork.

Track listing

1. "Irresistible" - 3:30
2. "Such is Life" - 3:50

1. "Irresistible (Extended Version)" - 4:07
2. "Sebastian" - 5:42
3. "Such is Life" - 3:52

Critical reception

In the 22 June 1985 issue of Number One magazine, Max Bell reviewed the single, commenting: "Irresistible? Hardly. Remember 'Mr Soft'? 'Come Up and See Me, Make Me Smile'? You don't? You're not missing much, except that they were a thousand times more entertaining than this hackneyed dirge. Knock it on the head Steve, there's a good chap."

In the 1990 book The Penguin Encyclopedia of Popular Music by Donald Clarke, the book's section on Harley's career mentioned the song, noting: "Harley came back with a band in '85, and skirted the charts with the catchy 'Irresistible'."

Personnel

Background

In 1986, "Irresistible" was remixed and released again as a single. For the new version, Harley worked with the recording engineer Stuart Breed at Air Studios in London. Breed had come to Harley's attention through Mickie Most, who knew of his work. For the remix, the pair used the original 1985 recording on a 2" Master tape. Harley and Breed mixed-and-matched parts of the track, and experimented with equipment. The song ended up being sped-up and dramatically altered from its original form. The 1985 version's guitar solo was replaced by a keyboard solo, which had been recorded during the original sessions with Most. In regards to the vocals, the remix used a different "take" taken from the original 24-track 2" tape of the original 1985 sessions.

Later in the July 1992 issue of Record Collector magazine, (issue no. 115), Harley was interviewed about the release of his new album Yes You Can. He told the story behind the remixing of "Irresistible":

"Irresistible came out here in the 80s, but this is a new mix and it's fabulous. I gave it to a guy who works at Air Studios in London, Stuart Breed. He has done a fantastic job. I went in initially as the producer to do it with him, but after half an hour of this guy hitting the buttons and doing fantastic things with sampling machines, I said "I'm going for a cup of tea, you get on with it."

In 2013, the engineer Matt Butler recalled of the 1986 remix:

"This mix was made by Stuart Breed. He did an exceptional job, not least as a maintenance engineer made a career-threatening error on the morning of the session and recorded a sublime 1kHz tone over the original multi-track up until around the first chorus of "Irresistible" as made by Mickey Most a year before. The client (Steve Harley) kept his cool of course and he and Stuart came up with this gem of a version that was justly included on the forthcoming album."

Once the remix was completed, Most made the decision to release the new version as a single. It was released in June 1986, and followed the release of Harley's second RAK single, "Heartbeat Like Thunder", earlier in April. The new "Irresistible" single was released as the lead single to a forthcoming album named El Gran Senor. The single, unlike the original 1985 version, failed to enter the UK Top 100. Also unlike the 1985 version, the single was only credited to Steve Harley and not his band Cockney Rebel. Soon after the single's release, RAK declared bankruptcy, causing the El Gran Senor album to be shelved. Some of the songs due to appear on the album would later appear on Harley's 1992 album Yes You Can. The full five-minute extended remix of "Irresistible" was later featured as the album version on Yes You Can. In 2015, Harley commented on the song: "I always thought it should be a hit. I found it hard to give up trying!"

The B-Side "Lucky Man" featured Mick Ronson on guitar. Harley had known Ronson since the 1970s. During sessions with Most, Harley contacted Ronson and asked him to play guitar on the track. Harley later commented:

"Mick played guitar on a track called "Lucky Man". It's a white reggae rhythm. Mick was as easy as could be, musically he was very quick and adaptable. I experimented with several guitar approaches, and naturally they were all well within his scope."

In the January 2008 issue of Classic Rock magazine, Harley was quoted within a large feature article on Ronson, commenting:

"I produced a track for myself in the mid-80s - a song called "Lucky Man" - with Mick on electric guitar. It was difficult for me. Not that Ronno was a problem himself - you couldn't wish to meet a nicer, more generous man and musician - but I was in awe of him, even though we had socialised somewhat and shared a mutual respect."

Release

The single was released by RAK Records on 7" and 12" vinyl in the UK only. The single featured the B-Side "Lucky Man" which was written by Harley and produced by Most. The B-Side was exclusive to the single and has not appeared on any other release since. The 12" vinyl edition of the single featured an extended remix of "Irresistible". Both formats of the release featured a full colour picture sleeve with a different design compared to the original "Irresistible" single. The new sleeve featured a close-up photograph of Harley, taken by John Stoddart.

Following the song's release as a single, and later on the Yes You Can album, the extended remix/album version of the song has appeared on the 1992 compilation Make Me Smile: The Best of Steve Harley, the 1998 EMI compilation More Than Somewhat – The Very Best of Steve Harley and on the 2006 compilation The Cockney Rebel – A Steve Harley Anthology.

Promotion

No music video was filmed to promote the single. On 30 July 1986, Harley appeared on the British BBC television chat show Wogan, presented by Terry Wogan. Featuring a performance of "Irresistible", Harley's appearance on the show was later broadcast on TV again on 13 August 1986. On 13 August, Harley also appeared on the UK ITV children's TV programme Razzamatazz, where he performed the song with a backing group.

At the time of the single's release, a collectable pin badge was also issued. It featured a blank design with the words "Who is irresistible?"

Track listing

1. "Irresistible" - 3:26
2. "Lucky Man" - 3:36

1. "Irresistible (Extended Re-Mix)" - 5:12
2. "Lucky Man" - 3:36

Personnel

Background

In 1992, "Irresistible" was released for the third and final time as a single. It was released in Europe as the lead single from Harley's third solo album Yes You Can, using the 1986 remix by Stuart Breed. The release failed to enter any European charts.

In the July 1992 interview with Record Collector magazine, Harley revealed

"I've just released a new album called "Yes You Can" in Europe, but it's not out in this country [UK]. I'm very proud of it. "Irresistible" is out over there as a single - it was never released over there at the time. It came out here in the 80s, but this is a new mix and it's fabulous."

Release

The single was released by Comeuppance Ltd on CD in Europe. It was manufactured in Switzerland. The release featured a "Radio Edit" of the song, using the 1986 remix by Breed. It also included the full extended/album version of "Irresistible" and a B-Side titled "The Waggon". The single was mastered by Steve Rooke and Ian Jones at Abbey Road Studios in London. On the release, as well as Yes You Can, production on the song was credited to Most and Harley.

The B-Side "The Waggon" was written by Harley and produced by Steve Harley and Matt Butler. An earlier version of the song had originally appeared as the B-Side to Harley's 1989 single "When I'm with You". It was originally titled "The Theme From Babbacombe Lee" and was supposed to be the theme to the forthcoming film Babbacombe Lee which was to star Harley in the lead role. However, the film never found its required budget and the project was dropped.

Promotion

No music video was filmed to promote the single. Since Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel's return to touring with the "Come Back, All is Forgiven" tour in 1989, the song was included in the band's set-list, and continued to be regularly played by the band into the early 1990s.

Track listing

1. "Irresistible (Radio Edit)" - 3:21
2. "Irresistible (Album Version)" - 5:04
3. "The Waggon" - 3:04

Critical reception

Dave Thompson of AllMusic spoke of the song in a retrospective review of the Yes You Can album. He commented: "There are some heartwarming moments on this album. "Irresistible" very nearly is..."

Personnel