View source for Love's a Prima Donna

{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2015}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2015}}
{{Infobox album
| name       = Love's a Prima Donna
| type       = Studio
| artist     = [[Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel]]
| cover      = Love's a Prima Donna.jpeg
| alt        =
| released   = October 1976<br>10 January 1977 (US)
| recorded   = June–September 1976
| venue      =
| studio     =
| genre      = [[Glam rock]]<ref name=Guarisco>{{cite web|last=Donald A. Guarisco|title=AllMusic review|website=[[AllMusic]] |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/loves-a-prima-donna-mw0000844439|access-date=1 December 2015}}</ref>
| length     = 45:39
| label      = [[EMI Records|EMI]]
| producer   = [[Steve Harley]]
| prev_title = [[Timeless Flight]]
| prev_year  = 1976
| next_title = [[Face to Face: A Live Recording]]
| next_year  = 1977
| misc       = {{Singles
| name        = Love's a Prima Donna
| type        = studio
| single1     = [[Here Comes the Sun#Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel|Here Comes the Sun]]
| single1date = 30 July 1976
| single2     = [[(I Believe) Love's a Prima Donna]]
| single2date = 1 October 1976
| single3     = [[(Love) Compared with You]]
| single3date = March 1977 (US only)
}}
}}
'''''Love's a Prima Donna''''' is the fifth studio album by [[Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel]], which was released by [[EMI Records|EMI]] in 1976. It was produced by Harley, and would be the band's last album before splitting in 1977.
==Background==
Harley began writing material for ''Love's a Prima Donna'' while Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel were touring to promote their 1976 album ''[[Timeless Flight]]''. Recording sessions for the new album took place at [[Abbey Road Studios]] in London from June to September 1976.<ref name="discogs.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.discogs.com/Steve-Harley-And-Cockney-Rebel-Loves-A-Prima-Donna/release/1670351|title=Steve Harley And Cockney Rebel* - Love's A Prima Donna|work=discogs.com|year=1976 |access-date=15 January 2017}}</ref> Once completed, guitarist [[Jim Cregan]] left Cockney Rebel to join [[Rod Stewart]]'s touring band.<ref>{{cite magazine|date=11 September 1976|title=Prima Donna Harley|magazine=Record Mirror}}</ref>
The album's concept revolves around the theme of love, including "true love, lost love, mother-and-child love, soldier loneliness, valentine sentimentalism and a fan's infatuation with a musician".<ref name="ReferenceA">Some of the fans' poetry puts me to shame - Steve Harley interview by Harvey Kubernik - Melody Maker - February 1977</ref> In a 1977 interview with ''[[Trouser Press]]'', Harley summarised, "The whole album is a parcel of love attitudes. Every song is a different aspect of the emotion we call love. Without wanting to sound pretentious, it's a simple concept."<ref name="Trouser Press">{{cite magazine |last=Robbins |first=Ira |title=Steve Harley |magazine=[[Trouser Press]] |date=April–May 1977 |issue=19 |page=3 |issn=0164-1883}}</ref> The album also showcases a range of musical styles, including [[progressive rock]], [[folk music|folk]], [[doo-wop]], and [[reggae]].<ref name=Guarisco/>
Speaking to ''[[Melody Maker]]'' in early 1977, Harley commented, {{quote|"I feel on this album I achieve something as a singer, producer and songwriter. If it only sold three copies, I wouldn't worry. The achievement is more important than the success. This is entirely autobiographical: it's the only way I can write. I did a lot of it with the running order in mind. I wrote for two months before we went into the studio and the pattern was obvious when I started writing: 'Seeking a Love' had to open the album. There's a lot of different music styles that are confusing some people. It's taken the maturity of an older man to come out and say things in the first person. When I first started writing the album, six of the lyrics dealt with love. So I thought I'd follow this with the rest of it. It's an album which dwells on the emotion we call love. I became very confident writing this album. I've come back stronger now 'cause I believe in myself. I like writing all about human relationships. There is also humour in this LP: 'GI Valentine,' and 'Give Me More'.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>}}
In 2015, Harley revealed to ''Guitar & Bass'' the albums that have most influenced him, with one being ''Love's a Prima Donna''. He revealed, "This is not self-indulgence, I swear! I gave free rein to Jim Cregan during the recordings and he rewarded me with some brilliant parts, which I could harmonise with the keyboards. The more outlandish my production became, the more Jim pushed himself. Cockney Rebel started as a non-guitar band, and here we are offering up lashings of electric mayhem!"<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Harley |first=Steve |title=Soundtrack of My Life |magazine=Guitar & Bass |date=December 2015 |volume=27 |issue=3 |page=24}}</ref>
==Song information==
"G.I. Valentine", "Finally a Card Came", "Innocence and Guilt" and "Is It True What They Say?" all feature the use of the EMI voice [[vocoder]]. Harley has described "G.I. Valentine" and "Finally a Card Came" as being "almost a tribute to [[Frank Zappa]]".<ref name="Trouser Press"/> "Sidetrack II" is preceded by a non-album track, "Sidetrack 1", which was released as the B-side to "(I Believe) Love's a Prima Donna".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.45cat.com/record/emi25392|title=Steve Harley And Cockney Rebel - (I Believe) Love's A Prima Donna|work=45cat.com|access-date=15 January 2017}}</ref> It is the same song but where "Sidetrack II" is the "orchestral version" with a 50-piece orchestra and choir, "Sidetrack 1" is performed by Cockney Rebel using synthesisers, piano, electric guitar and percussion. Originally written at the piano, Harley wanted to "bring another dimension" to the track but felt it would have been "too self-indulgent" to include both versions on the album.<ref name="Alan Freeman">{{cite web |author=Stewart Griffin |url=https://www.mixcloud.com/radio7stewart/the-cockney-rebel-connections-show-141-alan-freemans-saturday-rock-show-with-steve-harley-1976/ |title=The Cockney Rebel Connections Show. Show 141: Alan Freeman's Saturday Rock Show, with Steve Harley, 1976. |publisher=Mixcloud |access-date=13 January 2023}}</ref> "(If This Is Love) Give Me More", which Harley has described as a "spoof 50s doo-wop rock piece" with a "70s spoof lyric and 70s recording techniques",<ref name="Alan Freeman"/> features him playing electric guitar for the first time on record.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/Steve-Harley-And-Cockney-Rebel-Loves-A-Prima-Donna/release/1670351|title=Steve Harley And Cockney Rebel* - Love's A Prima Donna|work=discogs.com|year=1976 |access-date=15 January 2017}}</ref>
"[[Here Comes the Sun]]", the 1969 [[George Harrison]]-penned song originally recorded by [[the Beatles]], was the first cover version that the band recorded.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Stewart|first=Tony|date=24 April 1976|title=Harley blows big chance|magazine=[[NME]]}}</ref> Harley chose to cover the song after he heard it on the radio while travelling by taxi from his London flat to Abbey Road Studios during the recording sessions for ''Love's a Prima Donna''.<ref>{{cite web |author=Stewart Griffin |url=https://www.mixcloud.com/radio7stewart/the-cockney-rebel-connections-show-102-50-questions-for-steve-harley-at-70-part-3/ |title=The Cockney Rebel Connections Show 102: 50 Questions for Steve Harley at 70 (Part 3) |publisher=Mixcloud |access-date=13 May 2024}}</ref> He interpreted the lyrics as referring to an "apocalypse", "great awakening" and "massive change", and, in response, emphasised the use of musical accents in its recording.<ref name="Larry Jaffee">{{cite web |last=Jaffee |first=Larry |title=AUDIO: Cockney Rebel's Steve Harley (1982) |date=1982 |url=https://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/cockney-rebels-steve-harley-1982/ |website=[[Rock's Backpages]] |url-access=subscription |access-date=22 May 2024}}</ref> As a single, it was backed by the non-album track, "Lay Me Down". "Innocence and Guilt" has been described by Harley as being about wanting to "return to the womb".<ref name="Larry Jaffee"/>
==Release==
While recording sessions for the album continued, EMI released "[[Here Comes the Sun]]" as a single in July 1976. Reaching number ten in the [[UK Singles Chart]], the song's success coincided with an unusually hot British summer.<ref name="officialcharts.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/18068/steve-harley/|title=STEVE HARLEY - full Official Chart History - Official Charts Company|work=officialcharts.com|access-date=15 January 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Clayson|first=Alan|author-link=Alan Clayson|title=George Harrison|publisher=Sanctuary|location=London|year=2003|isbn=1-86074-489-3}}</ref> ''Love's a Prima Donna'' was released by EMI in October 1976 and reached number 28 in the [[UK Albums Chart]]. During the same month, "[[(I Believe) Love's a Prima Donna]]" was released as the album's second single and peaked at number 41 in the UK Singles Chart.<ref name="officialcharts.com"/> EMI originally intended to release "[[(Love) Compared with You]]" as the third UK single, but the release was cancelled, although the song was later released as the album's only US single.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.45cat.com/record/nc748861uk|title=Steve Harley And Cockney Rebel - Love Compared To You|work=45cat.com|access-date=15 January 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.45cat.com/record/nc696128us|title=Steve Harley And Cockney Rebel - (Love) Compared With You|work=45cat.com|access-date=15 January 2017}}</ref> ''Love's a Prima Donna'' was released in the US on 10 January 1977.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/70s/1977/CB-1977-01-01.pdf |title=Capitol sets releases |magazine=[[Cashbox (magazine)|Cash Box]] |volume=38 |issue=33 |pages=9 |date=1 January 1977 |via=World Radio History |access-date=30 January 2022}}</ref>
The album received its first CD release by EMI in 1990. In 2001, BGO Records released the album as a double CD set with the band's 1976 US compilation ''[[A Closer Look (Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel album)|A Closer Look]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.steveharley.com/discography/13-steve-harley-and-cockney-rebel/200-loves-a-prima-donna-.html|title=Love's A Prima Donna (1976)|work=steveharley.com|access-date=15 January 2017}}</ref>
==Tour==
Following the album's release, the band embarked on an eight-date UK tour from 2 to 12 December 1976. For the tour, Cregan was replaced by Jo Partridge, who first joined the band as rhythm guitarist on the ''Timeless Flight'' tour.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Brown |first=David |date=29 October 1976 |title=Newsdesk: Harley tour in December |magazine=[[Record Mirror]] |page=4}}</ref> Partridge contributed to the recording of two tracks on ''Love's a Prima Donna'', providing guitar and backing vocals on "Here Comes the Sun", and backing vocals on "(If This Is Love) Give Me More".<ref name="discogs.com"/> During the tour, Harley had a number of the concerts recorded, which he used to create the double live album ''[[Face to Face: A Live Recording]]''. It was released in 1977 and includes six tracks from ''Love's a Prima Donna''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://steveharley.www.50megs.com/bio.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150703025222/http://steveharley.www.50megs.com/bio.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=3 July 2015|title=The Great Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel Story|date=3 July 2015|access-date=15 January 2017}}</ref>
==Critical reception==
{{Album ratings
|rev2 = ''[[Record Mirror]]''
|rev2score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite journal|last=Cain|first=Barry|date=November 1976|title=Cockney Chameleon Changes Colour|journal=Record Mirror}}</ref>
|rev3 = ''[[Sounds (magazine)|Sounds]]''
|rev3score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref name="Barton">{{cite journal|last=Barton|first=Geoff|date=13 November 1976|title=Dark Clouds on the Harley Horizon|journal=Sounds}}</ref>
}}
On its release, [[Geoff Barton]] of ''[[Sounds (magazine)|Sounds]]'' commented, "''Love's a Prima Donna'' goes closer to the bone than ever before. In the past, Harley's lyrics have tended to be oblique and obscure. With this album, however, he appears to be laying his life on the line - and it's often quite a painful thing to see. The album is loosely conceptual, each sentiment comes across intensely, cutting through the listener like a keen blade. Suffice it to say that it is an incredible album, the playing and its overall structure being unparalleled, voice effects and stacatto instrumental breaks abounding. ''Love's a Prima Donna'' is often amusing, sometimes embarrassing, but also - in a twisted, tangled sort of way - infinitely enjoyable."<ref name="Barton"/> Barry Cain of ''[[Record Mirror]]'' wrote, "Choirs, nursery noises, nubile Lancashire lasses, you name it - Steve Harley's got it on his new album. He uses every conceivable gimmick in the book on this, his strongest LP to date. So what if the guy can't sing a note. He doesn't seem to be taking himself quite so seriously these days... and that makes for a flexible, more relaxed sound. A great album."<ref>{{cite web|last=Barry Cain|title=Cockney Chameleon changes colour|url=http://www.harleyfanzone.com/70/Scrapbook/1976/Prima_Donna/Prima_review02.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141210034421/http://www.harleyfanzone.com/70/Scrapbook/1976/Prima_Donna/Prima_review02.htm|archive-date=10 December 2014|url-status=dead|access-date=1 December 2015}}</ref>
Rex Anderson, writing for the EMI Records Weekly News magazine ''Music Talk'', said, "The album is Steve's look at love. He sees it as a necessary evil, as something both dirty and beautiful. Much of it is, of necessity, sexual, but it is also comic and tragic. Musically the album is a masterpiece."<ref>{{cite journal|last=Anderson|first=Rex|date=1976|title=Music Talk: Love's a Prima Donna|journal=EMI Records Weekly News |issue=72}}</ref> Paul Phillips of ''National RockStar'' said, "'Here Comes The Sun' bears all the hallmarks of the accomplished lyricist desperately attempting to become the acclaimed musician/arranger - mistaking clumsiness for cleverness and arrogance for art. Unfortunately, these faults permeate the entire album. '(Love) Compared With You' and 'Carry Me Again' are two tracks which work, not because they are simple songs, but because they are simply presented. What spoils the rest of the album is the desperation which attends Harley's efforts to be musical/innovative/disturbing. A pity that such a promising and outrageous talent as Harley's should be allowed to stoop to the low level which this album achieves."<ref>{{cite journal|last=Phillips|first=Paul|date=20 November 1976|title=Prima Donna Falls Flat on Face|journal=National RockStar}}</ref>
Jon Marlowe of the American newspaper ''[[The Miami News]]'' concluded, "This is the one that should make Harley/Cockney Rebel as big in America as they are in their native England. With ''Love's a Prima Donna'', Harley has decided to undertake the tattered and worn idea of a concept LP - but don't fear, the kid pulls it off in grande musical style."<ref>{{cite journal|last=Marlowe|first=Jon|date=3 December 1976|title=Album Reviews|journal=The Miami News}}</ref> Henry McNulty of the ''[[Hartford Courant]]'' wrote, "Steve Harley and his band combine three separate trends in British rock: artiness of the Roxy-Bowie school, lyrical complexity, and a touch of heavy metal. ''Love's a Prima Donna'' is an excellent showcase for the band."<ref>{{cite news|last=McNulty|first=Henry|date=20 February 1977|title=Rock: Catching up - Franks, Kinks, Stanky, Harley|newspaper=The Hartford Courant}}</ref> ''[[Cashbox (magazine)|Cash Box]]'' commented: "Harley's efforts to break big in the U.S. rock market have not been outstanding, although he always seems to make a dent. The import version has gotten play, but the album is uneven and at times esoteric."<ref>Cash Box newspaper - 22 January 1977 - Album Reviews - page 26</ref>
===Retrospective reviews===
{{Album ratings
|rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
|rev1score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref name=Guarisco/>
}}
Donald A. Guarisco of [[AllMusic]], retrospectively wrote, "This album allowed [Harley] to give full vent to his romantic thoughts via lushly crafted songs about the travails of love. Harley's ambitions occasionally overwhelm him, but the best songs rank with Harley's finest work and the album manages to overcome its occasional excesses thanks to a crisp, consistent production that keeps its genre-hopping sounding smooth. In short, it takes a few listens to assimilate, but it is an impressively crafted album that offers plenty of rewards for Harley fans and anyone who can appreciate [[glam rock]] at its most artsy."<ref name=Guarisco/>
==Track listing==
{{Track listing
| all_writing     = [[Steve Harley]] except "Here Comes the Sun" by [[George Harrison]]
| title1          = Seeking a Love
| length1         = 0:43
| title2          = G.I. Valentine
| length2         = 1:29
| title3          = Finally a Card Came
| length3         = 2:28
| title4          = Too Much Tenderness
| length4         = 4:16
| title5          = [[(Love) Compared with You]]
| length5         = 4:20
| title6          = [[(I Believe) Love's a Prima Donna]]
| length6         = 4:11
| title7          = Sidetrack II
| length7         = 3:13
| title8          = Seeking a Love, Pt. 2
| length8         = 1:09
| title9          = If This Is Love (Give Me More)
| length9         = 4:25
| title10         = Carry Me Again
| length10        = 4:30
| title11         = [[Here Comes the Sun#Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel|Here Comes the Sun]]
| length11        = 2:55
| title12         = Innocence and Guilt
| length12        = 7:13
| title13         = Is It True What They Say?
| length13        = 4:41
}}
==Personnel==
'''Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel'''
*[[Steve Harley]] – vocals, electric guitar (track 9)
*[[Jim Cregan]] – lead guitar
*[[Duncan Mackay (musician)|Duncan Mackay]] – keyboards
*George Ford – bass guitar
*[[Stuart Elliott (drummer)|Stuart Elliott]] – drums
'''Additional musicians'''
*Lindsey Elliott – percussion
*Jo Partridge – guitar (track 11), backing vocals (tracks 9, 11)
*[[Tony Rivers]] – backing vocals (various tracks), backing vocal arrangement (tracks 5–6, 10)
*[[John G. Perry]] – backing vocals (various tracks)
*Stuart Calver – backing vocals (various tracks)
*[[Yvonne Keeley]] – backing vocals (track 2)
*[[English Chamber Choir]] – choir (tracks 1, 7-8)
'''Production'''
*Steve Harley – producer
*[[Wilfred Gibson|Wilf Gibson]] – choir arrangements (tracks 1, 8), string section score (track 5), orchestral arrangement (track 7)
*Tony Clark – engineer
*Pat Stapley – assistant engineer
*Ken Perry – mastering
'''Design'''
*Julie Harris – outer sleeve art direction for Splash Studios
*[[Mick Rock]] – inner bag art direction
*John Harwood – front sleeve colouring
==Charts==
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|-
!Chart (1976–77)
!Peak<br>position
|-
!scope="row"|UK Albums Chart<ref name="officialcharts.com"/>
| 28
|-
!scope="row"|US ''[[Record World]]'' 151-200 Album Chart<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Record-World/70s/77/Record-World-1977-02-12.pdf |title=151-200 Album Chart |magazine=[[Record World]] |volume=33 |issue=1546 |page=41 |date=12 February 1977 |via=World Radio History |access-date=27 January 2022}}</ref>
| 193
|}
==Certifications==
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry |type=album |region=United Kingdom |artist=Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel |title=Love's a Prima Donna |award=Silver |certyear=1976 |relyear=1977 |access-date=4 October 2024 |refname=UK certification |id=4077-1977-2}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true}}
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Steve Harley}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel albums]]
[[Category:1976 albums]]
[[Category:EMI Records albums]]