Roll the Dice (song)

"Roll the Dice"
Single by Steve Harley
from the album Hobo with a Grin
B-side	"Waiting"
Released	July 1978
Format	7"
Genre	Pop, Rock
Length	3:26 (single version) 3:12 (American edit version)
Label	EMI Records
Writer(s)	Steve Harley, Jo Partridge
Producer(s)	Michael J. Jackson
Steve Harley singles chronology
"The Best Years of Our Lives (live)" (1977) "Roll the Dice" (1978) "Someone's Coming" (1979)

"Roll the Dice" is a song by British singer-songwriter Steve Harley, released as the lead single from his 1978 debut solo album Hobo with a Grin.^[1] It would be the first of two singles to be released from the album.^[2] "Roll the Dice" was written by Harley and guitarist Jo Partridge, who was in Harley's band Cockney Rebel from 1976-1977. It was produced by Michael J. Jackson, although the rest of the Hobo with a Grin album was produced by Harley, with Jackson providing additional production.

Background

"Roll the Dice", like the album, was a commercial failure, failing to make an appearance on the UK Singles Chart. It was released one week before the album.^[3]

In the American newspaper The Denver Post, a 1978 article/interview with Harley was published, written by G. Brown. In the article, Harley is quoted about his feelings on the commercial sound of the "Roll the Dice" song, with the article stating "He disdains its commercial potential in private, saying "It's 'poppy,' with that Fleetwood Mac-ish shuffle." Harley is quoted "'Catchy' is not a good thing in this country. The more AM radio I hear, the more convinced I am that the goal is to bore."^[4]

The song, like the album, was recorded and released following Harley's return from living in America for the past year.^[5] Like the Hobo with a Grin album, the song was either recorded at Sunset Sound, EMI Studio/Abbey Road or Record Plant in Los Angeles. Any remixing or additional recording was done in Los Angeles as well, with mixing taking place at Sunset Sound Recorders, Hollywood, California.^[6]

Release

The single was released via 7" vinyl through EMI Records in the UK and New Zealand.^[7][8] A UK promotional demo copy/DJ copy of the single was also released. The single featured the B-Side "Waiting" which was written and produced by Harley.^[9] The B-Side was exclusive to the single and has not appeared on any other release since.

In America, Capitol Records released a promotional version of the single, which featured the song on both sides - with side A being in stereo and side B being in mono.^[10][11] For the American version of the single, an 'edited' version of the track was slightly shorter than the album version of the song, by being roughly 20 seconds.

The UK release included artwork, a special full colour picture sleeve, with the first 20,000 copies which featured similar artwork to the Hobo with a Grin album, with the same photo of Harley, however the background design is slightly different on each.^[12] The American promo and New Zealand release came in generic company sleeves.^[8][11]

Following the original release, the song has appeared on various Steve Harley compilations, including the 1981 EMI/Harvest compilation Collection,^[13] the 1992 EMI compilation Make Me Smile: The Best of Steve Harley, the 1996 Cockney Rebel Dutch compilation Premium Gold Collection^[14] the 1998 EMI compilation More Than Somewhat – The Very Best of Steve Harley, the 1999 EMI Gold compilation The Cream of Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel,^[15] and the 2006 EMI compilation Cockney Rebel: A Steve Harley Anthology.^[16]

Promotion

A music video was created for the single.^[17] The video was filmed over a two-day period, in the Bakersfield Desert, located within California. Shot using 35mm film, the session also saw two other songs being recorded from the album; "I Wish It Would Rain" and "Amerika the Brave".

An A4 promotional advert was issued in a UK magazine to promote the single, which used the single's artwork, whilst also noting that it was "the single from his first solo album", "the first 20,000 in a special full colour picture sleeve" and "the B Side - "Waiting" - only available on this single."^[18][19]

In the Denver Post article based on Harley by G. Brown, the author spoke of the Hobo with a Grin album and the song, stating "But now, living in California, he has turned out another fine album. "Hobo with a Grin" is turning out to be his fastest seller yet. If Harley is due for a hit single, "Roll the Dice" could fill the bill nicely. Led by a catchy keyboard introduction, the song boasts a great hook ("Roll the dice and it sounds like thunder...") and a youthful Harley vocal."^[4]

Track listing

7" Single

1. "Roll the Dice" - 3:26
2. "Waiting" - 3:43

7" Single (American promo)

1. "Roll the Dice (Stereo)" - 3:12
2. "Roll the Dice (Mono)" - 3:12

Critical reception

Dave Thompson of Allmusic spoke of the song in a review of double album release Hobo with a Grin/The Candidate (Harley's 1979 follow-up album). Thompson stated "But "Amerika the Brave," "God Is an Anarchist," and "Roll the Dice" are Harley wordplay-by-numbers: clever on paper, but too clever-clever by half. We already know he's a brilliant wordsmith; does he have to keep trying to show us how brilliant? And does there come a point when he'll stop, and try his hand at tunes as well?"^[20]

In an Allmusic review of the 2008 EMI Gold compilation The Best of Steve Harley, Thompson stated "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."^[21]

In the 29 July 1978 issue of the American Billboard Magazine, Hobo with a Grin was reviewed under the 'Top Album Picks' section, with "Roll the Dice" being listed as one of five best cuts from the album.^[22] In the 26 August 1978 issue of Billboard Magazine, the song was listed under the 'Top Single Picks' section, under the heading Recommended Pop.^[23]

In a 1978 review of the Hobo with a Grin album, published by Audiocom in High Fidelity, Volume 28, Issues 7-12, the review stated "Right from the start of "Hobo with a Grin," on "Roll the Dice", he settles for good times."^[24]

In a negative review of a Harley concert of the time at the Hammersmith Odeon, published in Record Mirror on 27 October 1979, the author Kelly Pike spoke of the live performance of the song, stating "Steve Harley has been away too long. His return sell-out show was a sad, distasteful affair, like expecting smoked salmon and getting a couple of kippers slapped on your plate. No substance, no style and no fun. It started as a shambles, half a dozen figures ambling around the stage before tumbling into a less than spirited version of 'Roll The Dice' did not make a very spectacular start. But it was apparent that when they followed on with 'Mr. Soft' the audience were there for the old - not the new - Harley."^[25]

George Starostin reviewed the Hobo with a Grin album for his website and spoke of the song, stating "Elsewhere, you'll find stuff that doesn't raise your eyebrow up to the skies, but is nowhere near dismissable. 'Roll The Dice' has a decent pop hook, certainly not worse than anything contemporary by the Cars or Blondie."^[26]

Personnel

Roll the Dice

• Producer on "Roll the Dice" - Michael J. Jackson
• Additional Production, Mixing - Michael J. Jackson
• Engineer – James Isaacson, John Haeny
• Remixing, Additional Recording – James Isaacson
• Assistant Engineer – Paul Black
• Vocals - Steve Harley
• Acoustic Guitar – Fred Tackett
• Backing Vocals – Bill Champlin, Bobby Kimball, Michael McDonald, Rosemary Butler, Tom Kelley
• Bass – Bob Glaub
• Drums – Rick Schlosser
• Electric Guitar – Jo Partridge
• Electric Piano, Harpsichord, Synthesizer – Duncan Mackay
• Percussion – Michael J. Jackson
• Piano – Bill Payne
• Writer of "Roll the Dice" - Steve Harley

Waiting

• Producer on "Waiting" - Steve Harley
• Writer of "Waiting" - Steve Harley

References