November 29, 2012
1:03 JV: So let us ask you, what was the Demo that Got the Deal for Steve Holley on Angel Air Records?
SH: Angel Air Records, yes, Peter Purnell has a company, it’s sort of a boutique label in the U.K., based in Yorkshire. It came about because I’m a drummer, I’m a fledgling piano player and wannabe songwriter and I’ve always written songs. I just decided one day that I would record the ones that wouldn’t go away to the best of my ability. In other words, the songs that stuck in my head. I figured, well, perhaps they’re the best, the cream of my crop, so to speak. Not to compare to anybody else.
I went ahead and started work on that. Played a few of them while we were touring England with Ian Hunter and Mick Ralphs was in the band, at the time. It was called the “Taking the Mick” tour.
I was playing the songs he said “Well who’s singing? I said, “Well, it’s me.” “Who wrote the songs?” I said “I did.” And he said “Well, who’s playing the instruments,” I said “everything without strings is me, i.e. pianos and drums and stuff.” He said Would you mind if I play this to somebody? He played it to Peter Purnell who’s a friend of his and releases his material, that’s Mick Ralphs, of course, from original Mott the Hoople fame, and then later on Bad Company.
He played ‘em to Peter and Peter said “Well, I don’t usually sign brand new material, but it sounds like it fits the genre of my label and that’s what happened. So, they were meant to be demos for somebody else to record and they wound up being, to date, my first and only solo album.”
JV: Did you release it in America as well?
SH: Well that was the intention but Peter, on his own admission, didn’t really have the ability to release well in America and at the time my business advisor said that they would prefer to procure a different label for the U.S. and while I was at it if I could also add Canada and Australia and Japan.
Peter basically said, well…no contest Canada, America, no contest Australia, but Japan I do quite well in.
We relinquished that. Then the fine print meant that the album had to come out simultaneously at exactly the time, day and hour as the U.K. release otherwise one would usurp the other. Limited amount of copies we may or may not sell would be not available, it was impossible to pull off to tell you the truth, so The answer to your question is short. No, it was never officially released in the U.S.
JV: Peter is a wonderful guy. I love the stuff he puts out.
SH: Yeah, me too.
The Reluctant Dog Review
by Joe Viglione
[-] https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-reluctant-dog-mw0000593666Journeyman drummer Steve Holley has provided some of the most solid and creative beats for Paul McCartney, Kiki Dee, Joe Cocker, Julian Lennon, and Ian Hunter over the years, and though he recorded a couple of tracks in the U.K. in January of 1980 (included here), those beats never got the opportunity to be heard backing him up until the release of The Reluctant Dog, a 13-track collection of melodies and feelings that are well worth the wait. For those put off by the manufactured pop that Phil Collins runs off the assembly line, The Reluctant Dog will provide much satisfaction. Produced by Holley and bassist/guitarist Keith Lentin, the album is chock-full of surprises -- the short and sweet instrumental "Punta del Este (with daughter Amanda Holley on flute) and a bubbling Genesis-like "Entertain You" to mention just two. Holley (also listed in many credits over the years as Holly without the "e") delivers splashes of Beatles on one of the early tracks, "For Better or for Worse," which resembles the Fab Four's "Free as a Bird" phase, though recorded 15 years before that classic hit the Top Ten. This early recording features Holley on vocals, glockenspiel, piano, and drums, with Nick Pearson's electric guitar and Phil Curtis on bass. The drummer was concerned about adding the two decade-old tracks into this mix, but they bring much to the set.
"Living for Today," the other number from the British sessions, features Wings bandmate Denny Laine on harmony vocals and, with all due respect to Laine (who has numerous classics on his solo recordings), this particular tune would have fit on a Wings album much better than the items Laine chose to contribute to Paul McCartney's band. The keyboards sound accordion-like, an instrument that Sean Fleming brings to the very next track, "Da Da Da, Dee Dee Dee." If it had the chance, "Just Say Goodbye" might have been the perfect sequel to Julian Lennon's biggest hit, "Too Late for Goodbyes," with a slower tempo and darker tones. It's one of the best of many superior tracks. As Joey Molland's This Way Up and Ian McLagan's Best of British were powerful statements by sidemen who were involved in greatness, Steve Holley's work here also demands attention. Titles like "She Gives to Me" and "What Are You Looking For?" would have certainly made noise in another time. Let's hope this material finds the audience it deserves and doesn't go the way of many a Kiki Dee album -- brilliant work lost in the shuffle that is this business of music. The Angel Air label is intent on releasing all things related to Mott the Hoople and Ian Hunter, and The Reluctant Dog is a nice addition to the collection, resplendent in its colorful eight-page booklet containing lyrics, credits, and photos. It's more than an impressive first album and one that should have seen the light of day long before 2003. "Everything Ends Sometime" and "Living for Today" also deserve mention.
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