Back Street Luv

"Back Street Luv"
Single by Curved Air
from the album Second Album
B-side	"Everdance"
Released	July 1971
Format	7"
Genre	Art rock
Length	3:36
Label	Warner Bros
Writer(s)	Ian Eyre, Sonja Kristina, Darryl Way
Producer(s)	Colin Caldwell, Curved Air
Curved Air singles chronology
It Happened Today (1971) Back Street Luv" (1970) Sarah's Concern (1972)
'Second Album' track listing Young Mother (1) Back Street Luv (2) Jumbo (3)

"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 into the Second Album and released as a single in July 1971 by Warner Bros. Records (K16092).^[1] On September 18 "Back Street Luv" reached number 4 in the UK Singles Chart, its highest position.^[2] In 1971 Warners also released it a single in Netherlands (16092), Germany (16 092/WB 8029), France (16092) and Portugal (N-63-6). In 1975 a considerably more intense live version appeared on Curved Air – Live and was released as a single in the UK by Deram, but unlike the original recording it failed to make any commercial impact.^[1][3]

Rock critic Dave Thompson called "Back Street Luv" "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]

Tracklist

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Back Street Luv"	3:36
2.	"Everdance"	3:06

Personnel

Original studio version

• Sonja Kristina — vocals
• Ian Eyre — bass
• Florian Pilkington-Miksa — drums
• Francis Monkman — electric piano, VCS3, guitar

(Darryl Way, though the chief writer of the song's music, does not play on the original recording.)

Live version from Curved Air - Live

• Darryl Way — VCS3, electric piano
• Sonja Kristina — vocal
• Phil Kohn — bass
• Florian Pilkington-Miksa — drums
• Francis Monkman — guitar, organ

Live version from Alive, 1990

• Darryl Way — synthesizers, backing vocal
• Sonja Kristina — lead vocal
• Florian Pilkington-Miksa — drums
• Francis Monkman — guitar, bass

Editions

• 1971 — Second Album (3:36, WEA International
• 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 70’s Rock Album (3:40 Alex)
• 1995 — Progressive Pop: Inside the 70’s (3:50, See For Miles Records)
• 1999 — Rock Festival (Insight)
• 2000 — Alive, 1990 (4:26, Mystic Records)
• 2006 — Absolute 70’s (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)^[6]

References

1. "Back Street Luv". www.discogs.com. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
2. "Back Street Luv UK Charts". www.chartstats.com. Archived from the original on 2012-07-01. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
3. Joynson, Vernon (1995). The Tapestry of Delights. London: Borderline Books.
4. Dave Thompson. "Second Album". www.allmusic.com. Retrieved 2010-08-13. …It’s also one of the crucial singles of the early 1970s.
5. "Childline". www.allmusic.com. Retrieved 2011-07-20.
6. Back Street Luv. - www.allmusic.com.

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics