White, White Dove

Background

In November 1975, the lead single "Black or White" preceded the Timeless Flight album, however it failed to reach the UK Top 50. With the release of the album in February 1976, EMI Records opted to release "White, White Dove" as the album's second single during that same month. Although Timeless Flight was a UK Top 20 success, "White, White Dove", like "Black or White", also failed to make an appearance in the UK Top 50. This was despite the song being enthusiastically released by EMI and receiving sufficient airplay. However, "White, White Dove" did reach #6 on the BMRB's UK Breakers Chart on 13 March 1976 (which would be equal to #56 on the UK Singles Chart, at a time when the national singles chart only ran to the Top 50).

The song was recorded at Trident Studios in London. Like the entire Timeless Flight album, the song was remixed and cut at Abbey Road Studios in London. The song featured Lindsay Elliott, the younger brother of drummer Stuart Elliott, on congas.

Release

The single was released by EMI Records on 7" vinyl in the UK, Germany, Belgium, Portugal and Australia only. A UK promotional demo copy/DJ copy of the single was also issued by EMI. For the Australian release, which was released on 22 March 1976, an exclusive edited version of "White, White Dove" was used.

The editions of the single featured the B-Side "Throw Your Soul Down Here", which was written and produced by Harley. The song was exclusive to the single and remained so until 1991, when it was added as a bonus track onto the EMI CD release of Timeless Flight. The song was recorded after the Timeless Flight sessions at AIR Studios in London. It featured Herbie Flowers on double bass, and B. A. Robertson on piano. One of Harley's more popular B-Sides, it has since been performed live.

The UK and Australian releases had no artwork and were issued in a generic company sleeve, while all other releases featured colour picture sleeves. The German release had a similar sleeve to that of Timeless Flight, with the major difference being the change of background colour to yellow. The Belgian release featuring a photograph of Harley on stage, while the Portuguese release featured a photograph of the original Cockney Rebel group, who parted from Harley in 1974 and therefore were not the same line-up to the band who performed on "White, White Dove" or Timeless Flight.

Following its original release, "White, White Dove" has appeared on various Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel compilations, including the 1996 Dutch EMI compilations Premium Gold Collection, and The Best Of Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, as well as the 1996 EMI Gold release The Cream of Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel and the 2008 EMI Gold release The Best of Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel.

Promotion

In the UK, the song was performed live on the ITV music programme Supersonic, and this performance has since been unofficially uploaded onto YouTube.

Track listing

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

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

Critical reception

In the February 1976 issue of UK magazine Street Life, a review of Timeless Flight noted: "Both guitarist Jim Cregan and keyboards man Duncan Mackay are musicians of considerable maturity and sophistication. Professionals with consummate flair and good taste, and the loose-limbed structure of the eight songs here gives them ample opportunity to display as much; there's no denying Harley isn't generous in this respect. Cregan himself plays electric solos on "Red is a Mean, Mean Colour" and the funk-bubbling "White, White Dove"."

In a 1976 piece by Stewart Parker for his Irish Times column High Pop, Parker reviewed the album, commenting: "...The second track, 'White White Dove', is by contrast aimless and tuneless."

In the American The Miami News newspaper of 28 May 1976, a review of the album spoke of the song in contrast to the album's theme. Music critic author John Marlowe commented: "...What it is, though, is a fine record that shows Harley obsessed with cabaret and color this time out as evidence the title - "Red is a Mean, Mean Color", "White White Dove", and "Black or White"."

In the 3 March 1976 issue of the American Evening Times newspaper (serving Little Falls, New York), "White, White Dove" was reviewed under the "Sounds of the Times" section. The author Graham Scott wrote: "Steve Harley can always be relied upon to come up with something original, and he's done it again with his latest release, a track from Cockney Rebel's "Timeless Flight" album called "White White Dove." I understand it's based on the Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil," with Steve's lyrics added. What it's all about I'm not sure, but the music's certainly good."

In October 2003, Martin Aston reviewed Timeless Flight in Q magazine. He noted: "Timeless Flight bears plenty of Harley's melodic hallmarks, but some complex tripwires keep popping up: White, White Dove's borderline-poppy chorus is scuppered by skittish, borderline-jazz rock flourishes."

Dave Thompson of AllMusic spoke of the song in a retrospective review of the EMI Gold 2008 compilation The Best of Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel. He wrote: "The real meat, however, lies among the excerpted album cuts, as the compilers treat all seven original Harley/Cockney Rebel LPs with more or less equal respect - many fans would have drawn a line after the first three. But "White White Dove," "Roll the Dice," and the like all deserve a fresh hearing."

George Starostin retrospectively reviewed the album for his website, where he highlighted the song as the best track on the album. He stated: "Harley's newly-found love for funky rhythms is amply demonstrated on 'White White Dove', Harley's weird ode to Rosicrucians, of all people, with a very nice transition from the harsh funky verses to the pompous brass-filled poppy chorus and, again, an excellent processed guitar solo from Cregan at the end. So I guess it's the only number on the entire record that shows some ambition where melody and complexity are concerned, and, predictably, becomes my favourite song."

White, White Dove

Additional personnel

Throw Your Soul Down Here