"Back Street Luv" is a song by British rock band Curved Air, written by band members Ian Eyre, Sonja Kristina and Darryl Way. It was included on the Second Album and released as a single in July 1971 by Warner Bros.[1] It reached number 4 in the UK Singles Chart on 18 September.[2] Warners also released it as a single in the Netherlands, Germany, France and Portugal. In 1975 a live version appeared on Curved Air – Live and was released as a single in the UK by Deram, but it failed to make any commercial impact.[1][3]
| "Back Street Luv" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Curved Air | ||||
| from the album Second Album | ||||
| B-side | "Everdance" | |||
| Released | July 1971 | |||
| Genre | Art rock | |||
| Length | 3:36 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Ian Eyre, Sonja Kristina, Darryl Way | |||
| Producer(s) | Colin Caldwell, Curved Air | |||
| Curved Air singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Performance video | ||||
| "Back Street Luv" on BeatClub (1971) on YouTube | ||||
Rock music critic Dave Thompson called the song "one of the band's own finest moments" and "also one of the crucial singles of the early 1970s".[4]
In 1997, Salad covered the song on the Childline charity album.[5]
Track list
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Back Street Luv" | 3:36 |
| 2. | "Everdance" | 3:06 |
Personnel
editOriginal studio version
edit- Sonja Kristina — vocals
- Francis Monkman — EMS VCS 3, Hohner Pianet, guitar, Hammond organ
- Ian Eyre – bass
- Florian Pilkington-Miksa — drums
(Darryl Way, though the chief writer of the song's music, does not play on the original recording.)
- Sonja Kristina — vocals, percussion
- Darryl Way – electric piano
- Francis Monkman — Hammond organ, guitar, keyboards
- Ian Eyre – bass
- Barry de Souza — drums[6]
Live version from Curved Air – Live, 1975
edit- Sonja Kristina – vocal
- Darryl Way – VCS3, electric piano
- Francis Monkman – guitar, organ
- Phil Kohn – bass
- Florian Pilkington-Miksa – drums
Live version from Alive, 1990
edit- Sonja Kristina – lead vocal
- Darryl Way – synthesizers, backing vocal
- Francis Monkman – guitar, bass
- Florian Pilkington-Miksa – drums
Album appearances
edit- 1971 — Second Album (3:36, WEA International)[7]
- 1971 — Second Album (5:56, Collectors' Choice Music)
- 1975 — Live (3:47, Repertoire)
- 1976 — Best of Curved Air (Warner Bros.)
- 1994 — Progression (Alex Records)
- 1995 — Journey to the Edge: Progressive Rock Classics (3:35, Music Collection)
- 1995 — The No. 1 70s Rock Album (3:40 Alex)
- 1995 — Progressive Pop: Inside the 70s (3:50, See For Miles Records)
- 1999 — Rock Festival (Insight)
- 2000 — Alive, 1990 (4:26, Mystic Records)
- 2006 — Absolute 70s (Crimson Productions)
- 2006 — Classic Rock Presents Prog Rock (3:37, Gut-Active)
- 2006 — Good Morning Vietnam 2 (3:50, Disky)
- 2006 — My Sounds Rock (Disky)
- 2007 — Head Full of Rock (3:36, EMI)
- 2007 — The Prog Rock Album (3:38, Crimson Productions)
- 2007 — The Sound of the 70s (3:35, Warner Strategic Marketing)
- 2008 — The Best of Curved Air (Repertoire)
- 2008 — Legendary Rock (3:48, MP Records)
- 2010 — The Old Grey Whistle Test (3:33, Rhino)
References
edit- ^ a b "Back Street Luv". www.discogs.com. 1971. Retrieved 13 August 2010.
- ^ "Back Street Luv UK Charts". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 August 2010.
- ^ Joynson, Vernon (1995). The Tapestry of Delights Archived 25 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine. London: Borderline Books.
- ^ Dave Thompson. "Second Album". www.allmusic.com. Retrieved 13 August 2010. …It's also one of the crucial singles of the early 1970s.
- ^ "Childline". www.allmusic.com. Retrieved 20 July 2011.
- ^ "Francis Monkman". Archived from the original on 10 August 2009. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
- ^ Back Street Luv. – www.allmusic.com.