John Miles -

John Miles (April 23, 1949 — December 5, 2021) was an English vocalist, guitarist, keyboardist, and songwriter who shot to fame on Decca with the 1976 album Rebel and the singles “Highfly” and “Music.” It was produced by Alan Parsons, who also handled Miles’ 1979 fourth album More Miles Per Hour. Concurrently, Parsons enlisted the singer for select vocals on the Project albums Tales of Mystery and Imagination and Pyramid. Between his involvement with Parsons, Miles teamed with Rupert Holmes on the 1977/78 albums Stranger in the City and Zaragon. The former includes the hits “Remember Yesterday” and “Slow Down.”

Between 1981 and 1985, he released the albums Miles High, Play On, and Transition. He guested twice more with the Alan Parsons Project on the 1985–87 albums Stereotomy and Gaudi. In 1988, Miles sang on Outrider, the debut solo album by former Yardbirds and Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page. From 1987 onward, Miles backed Tina Turner on assorted live and studio projects.

Background

Miles was born John Errington on April 23, 1949, in Jarrow, Tyne and Wear. As a teenager at Jarrow Grammar School, he formed his first band, The Influence, with drummer Paul Thompson (later Roxy Music) and guitarist Vic Malcolm (later Geordie).

In November 1969, The Influence released their only single: “I Want to Live,” a Bergmann brothers composition backed with “Driving Me Wild,” an Errington original. This was the inaugaral release on Orange Record, a label tied to the London-based Orange Amplifiers company and namesake studio.

Orange Singles (1970–74)

Miles briefly fronted the John Miles Set, then issued “Why Don’t You Love Me,” his first of eight solo singles on Orange, interrupted by the 1971 Decca single “Jose.” Between September 1970 and November 1974, his solo singles appeared as follows:

A. “Why Don’t You Love Me” (Errington)
B. “If I Could See Through” (Errington)

In July 1971, Miles cut the Decca single “Jose,” a Jonathan King cover backed with the original “You Make It So Hard”

A. “Jose” (Jonathan King)
B. “You Make It So Hard” (Miles)

In February 1972, Miles released a version of “Come Away Melinda,” a much-covered Tim Rose song backed with the original “Walking With My Head Held High.”

A. “Come Away Melinda” (Tim Rose)
B. “Walking With My Head Held High” (Miles)

In August 1972, Miles released the first version of “Yesterday (Was Just the Beginning),” written by the former Easybeats creative team of Harry Vanda and George Young backed with “Road to Freedom,” a song by one Paul Morrison.

A. “Yesterday (Was Just the Beginning)” is the earliest version of this Vanda/Young composition, which became a 1975 New Zealand No. 1 for singer Mark Williams.
B. “Road to Freedom” (Paul Morrison)

In February 1973, Miles released his fifth solo single: “Hard Road,” another yet-unrecorded Vanda/Young composition backed with “You’re Telling Me Lies,” a Miles original.

A. “Hard Road” became the title track to ex-Easybeat singer Stevie Wright’s 1974 debut solo album.
B. “You’re Telling Me Lies” (Miles)

In May 1973, Miles released “Jacqueline,” his first self-written a-side since 1970; backed with “Keep On Tryin’.”

A. “Jacqueline” (Miles)
B. “Keep On Tryin’” (Miles)

In August 1973, Miles released “One Minute Every Hour,” his final Vanda/Young cover backed with “Hollywood Queen,” his ninth-recorded original.

A. “One Minute Every Hour” (Vanda/Young)
B. “Hollywood Queen” (Miles)

In January 1974, John Miles released his eighth single: “Fright of My Life” backed with “Good Time Woman,” both originals co-credited to bassist Bob Marshall.

A. “Fright of My Life” (Miles/Marshall)
B. “Good Time Woman” (Miles/Marshall)

In November 1974, Miles released his final Orange single: “What’s On Your Mind,” an original backed with the Trubrot cover “To Be Grateful,” replaced on a subsequent pressing with “Rock ‘N’ Roll Band.”

A. “What’s On Your Mind“
B. “To Be Grateful” is a 1971 song by Icelandic rocker Trubrot; written by their keyboardist Magnús Kjartansson.
B (alt). “Rock ‘N’ Roll Band“

Decca Era

In mid-1975, John Miles signed with Decca and linked with Alan Parsons, an engineer for The Beatles (Abbey Road) and Pink Floyd (The Dark Side of the Moon). Parsons earned his first production credits behind 1974/75 albums by Ambrosia, Al Stewart, Cockney Rebel, and Pilot; all recorded with string arranger Andrew Powell, who also orchestrated recent albums by Be-Bop Deluxe and Leo Sayer.

On September 5, 1975, John Miles made his major-label debut with his tenth single: “Highfly” backed with “There’s a Man Behind the Guitar,” both co-written with Bob Marshall. On the picture sleeve, Miles sports shoulder-length blond curls (soon trimmed to a pompadour).

A. “Highfly”
B. “There’s a Man Behind the Guitar”

Miles and his band mimed “Highway” on two (now lost) October 1975 broadcasts of the BBC music program Top of the Pops, which also featured in-studio numbers by Gilbert O’Sullivan (“You Never Listen to Reason”), Hello (“New York Groove”), Roxy Music (“Love Is the Drug”), Sparks (“Looks Looks Looks”), T. Rex (“Dream Lady”), and Chris Farlowe, who mimed his newly repopularized 1966 hit “Out of Time” (a Rolling Stones cover).

“Highfly” reached No. 17 on the UK Singles Chart. Sessions commenced on Miles’ debut album with Marshall and drummer Barry Black.

John Miles opened 1976 with a New Year’s Day performance at the Great British Music Festival, a four-day event at London’s Olympia Exhibition Centre with sets by Bad Company, Baker Gurvitz Army, Barclay James Harvest, Budgie, Charlie, Climax Blues Band, Doctors of Madness, Jack the Lad, The Pretty Things, Procol Harum, Snafu, and Thin Lizzy.

Rebel

John Miles released his debut album, Rebel, in March 1976 on Decca (UK, Europe, Oceania) and London Records (North America).

Rebel contains six songs co-written by Miles and Bob Marshall, including the pre-released “Highfly,” the glam-inspired title track, and the epics “You Have It All” and “Pull the Damn Thing Down,” an orchestral opus that links to a reprise of “Music,” Miles’ lone-written signature song. He also lone-wrote “Lady of My Life,” a personal ballad in the vein of Stevie Wonder.

Miles plays guitar, piano, and synthesizer on Rebel, backed by Marshall, Barry Black, and the orchestration of Andrew Powell. Select tracks feature the Maggini String Quartet (“Rebel”), and Chapter Three/SAHB auxiliary saxist Phil Kenzie (“Lady of My Life”).

A1. “Music” (5:58)
A2. “Everybody Wants Some More” (4:45)
A3. “Highfly” (3:53)
A4. “You Have it All” (7:01)

B1. “Rebel” (3:19)
B2. “When You Lose Someone So Young” (4:35)
B3. “Lady of My Life” (4:08)
B4. “Pull the Damn Thing Down” (7:18)
B5. “Music (Reprise)” (2:11)

Sessions took place in November–December 1975 at Abbey Road Studios in London, where Alan Parsons produced Rebel in sequence with the debut APP release Tales of Mystery and Imagination and 1976 albums by Al Stewart (Year of the Cat) and Ambrosia (Somewhere I’ve Never Travelled); all with string arrangements by Powell, who also provided orchestration for Cliff Richard on the singer’s comeback album, I’m Nearly Famous. Miles sings lead on two Tales of Mystery cuts: “The Cask of Amontillado” and “(The System of) Dr. Tarr and Professor Fether.”

On the Rebel album cover, Miles posed for Terry O’Neill, a British fashion photographer who also snapped 1975/76 cover shots for Elton John, Shanghai, Slik, Status Quo, Steve Gibbons, and Nazareth frontman Dan McCafferty. In the theme of the album’s title, Rebel presents Miles as a cross between American frontier folk hero Daniel Boone (flintlock and fur) and Fifties Hollywood icon James Dean (pompadour and rolled 501s).

“Music” accompanied Rebel as the second single, backed with “Putting My New Song Together,” a non-album Miles/Marshall number.

B. “Putting My New Song Together”

Miles and his band mimed “Music” for the March 18 and April 1 broadcasts of TotP, which thrice aired the song amid spring ’76 in-studio numbers by Be-Bop Deluxe (“Ships In the Night”), David Essex (“City Lights”), Fox (“S-S-S-Single Bed”), Keith Emerson (“Honky Tonk Train Blues”), Sailor (“Girls Girls Girls”), Tarney & Spencer (“I’m Your Man Rock ‘n’ Roll”), Tina Charles (“I Love to Love (But My Baby Loves to Dance)”), and Swedish singer Harpo (“Movie Star”).

“Music” reached No. 1 in the Netherlands, No. 4 in Switzerland, and No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart, where the song spent three weeks under singles by Barry White (“You See the Trouble With Me”) and the Brotherhood of Man.

Miles promoted Rebel on select Continental and UK dates, including a May 31 home-county show at Newcastle City Hall and a June 6 show at London’s Hammersmith Odeon, where his set included encore covers of Chuck Berry (“Roll Over Beethoven”) and Elvis Presley (“Jailhouse Rock”).

On July 4, 1976, John Miles made his US debut in Foxborough, Massachusetts, where he opened a Bicentennial show by Elton John at Schaefer Stadium. His North American tour included opening slots with Loggins & Messina (7/8: Casino Arena, Asbury Park, NJ), Jethro Tull (7/19: Philadelphia Spectrum), Peter Frampton (8/1: Place des Nations, Montreal), and Yes (8/21: Richfield Coliseum, Ohio).

Stranger in the City

John Miles released his second album, Stranger in the City, in December 1976 on Decca. The album contains eight Miles originals co-written with Bob Marshall, including the single sides “Slow Down,” “Remember Yesterday,” and”Manhattan Skyline.” This was his first of two albums produced and orchestrated by American singer/songwriter Rupert Holmes.

Musically, Stranger in the City ranges from the brassy Sixties showtune jubilance of “Manhattan Skyline” to the dark, poignant title track. Select tracks embrace disco-funk (“Slow Down”) and Tin Pan Alley (“Music Man”). Barry Black contributed “Do It Anyway,” a twangy number that proceeds “Remember Yesterday,” an earnest wanderer’s ballad sung from Marshall’s point of view.

Miles plays guitar and piano but delegates the remaining keyboard parts to Australian Gary Moberley, a temporary fourth member who adds synth glow to “Glamour Boy” and counterpoint to the lengthy “Stand up (And Give Me a Reason).” Percussionist Jimmy Maelen (ex-Ambergris) adds Latin touches on multiple tracks. Side A closes with “Time,” a piano ballad performed by Miles alone with orchestra.

A1. “Stranger in the City” (4:30)
A2. “Slow Down” (4:46)
A3. “Stand up (And Give Me a Reason)” (7:03)
A4. “Time” (3:57)

B1. “Manhattan Skyline” (3:06)
B2. “Glamour Boy” (4:49)
B3. “Do it Anyway” (Barry Black) (2:46)
B4. “Remember Yesterday” (5:23)
B5. “Music Man” (4:53)

Sessions began in New York City at Mediasound on West 57th St., which Miles and his band booked between dates on his summer 1976 US tour. Holmes produced Stranger in the City between his 1975/76 albums Rupert Holmes and Singles and contemporary titles by Sailor (Trouble) and Sparks (Big Beat), the last of those with engineer Bob Clearmountain, who also worked on contemporary titles by Ace Spectrum, Hubert Laws, Marlena Shaw, Synergy, and Floridian art-rockers Flight (Incredible Journey).

Additional sessions occurred in London at Utopia Studios with engineers James Guthrie (Heatwave, Moon, The Movies) and Mike Bobak (Alan Hull, Murray Head, Pork Pie, UFO).

Stranger in the City is among more than fifty contemporary credits for Maelen, who also played o 1976/77 albums by Andrea True Connection, Cory Braverman, Jimmy McGriff, Laura Nyro, Lonnie Smith, Mark & Clark, O’Donel Levy, Peter Gabriel, Ruth Copeland, and Tatsuro Yamashita.

Stranger in the City appeared in a grayscale gatefold designed by the UK post-psych design firm Hipgnosis. It pictures John straddled on the perilous outer-window ledge of an urban high-rise that overlooks a bleak cityscape at twilight.

“Remember Yesterday” first appeared on September 10, 1976, as an advance single backed with “House On the Hill,” a Miles/Marshall exclusive.

B. “House On the Hill”

Miles and his band mimed “Remember Yesterday” for the October 21 TotP broadcast, which also featured in-studios of Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel (“I Believe Love’s a Prima Donna”) and the Climax Blues Band (“Couldn’t Get It Right”). “Remember Yesterday” peaked just outside the UK Top 30. In mid-January 1977, “Manhattan Skyline” became the second UK single (b/w “Stand up (And Give Me a Reason)”).

In February 1977, Stranger in the City appeared on London Records in the US, where “Slow Down” reached No. 2 on the Billboard Disco chart and No. 35 on the Hot 100. Manhattan balladeer Melissa Manchester covered “Time” on her 1977 album Singin’….

In May, “Slow Down” became the album’s third UK single. Miles thrice mimed the song for the June 16, 30, and July 21 TotP broadcasts, which also featured summer ’77 in-studios by Archie Bell & The Drells (“Everybody Have a Good Time”), Hot Chocolate (“So You Win Again”), The Jam (“All Around the World”), Queen (“Good Old Fashioned Loverboy”), The RAH Band (“The Crunch”), and Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (“Anything That’s Rock ‘n’ Roll”). For these appearance, the now-mustached Miles sported curtain-fringe hair and conventional Seventies attire. “Slow Down” reached No. 10 on the UK Singles Chart.

Zaragon

John Miles released his third album, Zaragon, in March 1978 on Decca (UK, Europe, Oceania) and Arista (North America). The album contains seven Miles co-writes with Bob Marshall, including the epics “Overture” and “Nice Man Jack,” a three-part suite.

Musically, Zaragon presents a unified rock sound that recalls the heavier epic moments on Rebel. Side B contains three lengthy song with extended instrumentation. Two numbers, “Zaragon” and “Kensington Gardens” (from the “Nice Man Jack” suite) reflect the minor-key intensity of “Overture.” Side A contains one piano ballad (“No Hard Feelings”) and two melodic rockers: “Borderline” and “I Have Never Been in Love Before,” a romantic-realization anthem with an arching chorus.

Miles plays guitar and all keyboards on Zaragon, recorded as a self-contained trio with Marshall and Barry Black. This was his first album with no orchestration. Despite the repeat presence of producer Rupert Holmes, Zaragon bears little sonic resemblance to Stranger In the City.

A1. “Overture” (8:15)
A2. “Borderline” (4:56)
A3. “I Have Never Been in Love Before” (5:07)
A4. “No Hard Feelings” (3:22)

B1. “Plain Jane” (8:09)
B2. “Nice Man Jack” (7:45)
— a. “Kensington Gardens”
— b. “Mitre Square”
— c. “Harley Street”
B3. “Zaragon” (5:31)

Sessions spanned October though December 1977 at Plaza Sound Studios in New York City, where Holmes produced Zaragon ahead of his fourth solo album (Pursuit of Happiness) and between titles by Hudson–Ford (“95° in the Shade”) and Lynsey De Paul (Tigers and Fireflies).

Plaza staffer Rob Freeman engineered Zaragon and Pursuit in sequence with titles by Blondie (Plastic Letters), The Demons, Robert Gordon, and Richard Hell & The Voidoids (Blank Generation).

Hipgnosis designed the Zaragon cover, which casts Miles in the likeness of Star Wars protagonist Luke Skywalker (white gi, shaggy tresses) on a lighted space ramp (front) and beamed down to a nuclear-ravaged city (back). Hipgnosis also designed icon 1978 album covers for 10cc (Bloody Tourists), Alan Parsons Project (Pyramid), Al Stewart (Time Passages), Black Sabbath (Never Say Die!), Be-Bop Deluxe (Drastic Plastic), Fabulous Poodles (Unsuitable), Novalis (Vielleicht Bist du Ein Clown?), Peter Gabriel (“scratch”), Renaissance (A Song for All Seasons), and Styx (Pieces of Eight). Miles and Parsons reunited for the closing Pyramid number “Shadow of a Lonely Man,” a poignant ballad with harmonies by onetime Zombies singer Colin Blunstone.

Decca lifted “No Hard Feelings” as a single while Arista lifted “I Have Never Been in Love Before,” both backed with an excerpt of “Mitre Square.” In September, “No Hard Feelings” became the second US single (b/w “Plain Jane”).

More Miles Per Hour

John Miles released his fourth album, More Miles Per Hour, in April 1979 on Decca.

He reunited with producer Alan Parsons and orchestrator Andrew Powell for MMPH, which contains eight co-writes with Bob Marshall, including the epic numbers “Fella in the Cellar” and “We All Fall Down.”

Miles plays guitar and some keyboards on MMPH, backed by Marshall, Barry Black, and a new fourth member: keyboardist Brian Chatton, a former Jackson Heights mainstay and Rock Follies sessionist.

A1. “Satisfied” (3:59)
A2. “It’s Not Called Angel” (5:08)
A3. “Bad Blood” (4:16)
A4. “Fella in the Cellar” (6:43)

B1. “Can’t Keep a Good Man Down” (3:48)
B2. “Oh Dear!” (4:10)
B3. “C’est La Vie” (4:27)
B4. “We All Fall Down” (6:57)

Sessions spanned November 1978 through January 1979 with Parsons, who completed MMPH ahead of the fourth APP album (Eve) and the solo debut by ongoing APP vocalist Lenny Zakatek, a Gonzalez alumni. Powell arranged MMPH and Eve between the first two Kate Bush albums (The Kick Inside and Lionheart) and Chris De Burgh‘s fourth album, Crusader.

For the airstrip cover photo, Miles and his band flew to New York and used the JFK airstrip for images of John as a solo pilot (front) and as the captain for a commercial airliner with Marshall, Black, and Chatton as his crew. They used JFK after Heathrow denied use of its airstrip for the photoshoot.

Decca lifted “Can’t Keep a Good Man Down” as the lead single, backed with the non-album “Sweet Lorraine,” a Miles/Marshall exclusive. In mid-May, “Oh Dear!” became the second UK single (b/w “C’est La Vie”).

B. “Sweet Lorraine”

On November 16, 1979, John Miles released a non-album UK single: “Don’t Give Me Your Sympathy” backed with “If You Don’t Need Lovin’,” both Miles/Marshall numbers produced by Gary Lyons, a recent soundman for Aviary, Champion, Crawler, Kevin Lamb, and Trillion.

A. “Don’t Give Me Your Sympathy”
B. “If You Don’t Need Lovin'”

More Miles Per Hour did not appear in the US or Canada, where Arista salvaged five of its songs for the early 1980 release Sympathy. This album replaces three MMHP cuts (“Satisfied,” “Bad Blood,” “Oh Dear!”) with “Sympathy” (a truncated “Don’t Give Me Your Sympathy”) and two new songs: “Do It All Again” and “Where Would I Be Without You,” a Fifties-style piano boogie that Arista lifted as a US promo single (mono b/w stereo).

A1. “Where Would I Be Without You”
B2. “Do It All Again”

Miles High

John Miles released his fifth album, Miles High, in August 1981 on EMI.

The album contains five Miles co-writes with Bob Marshall, including “Foolin’,” “Don’t Stop Now,” “One Step Closer to Paradise,” and the singles “Turn Yourself Loose” and “Reggae Man.”

This was Miles’ first self-produced effort, recorded as a four-piece with Marshall, Barry Black, and MMPH keyboardist Brian Chatton. RAH Band mastermind Richard Hewson provided orchestral arrangements on “Don’t Want the Same Things,” “Out of the Cradle (But Still Rockin’),” “Peaceful Waters,” and “Dancin’ for Joy.”

A1. “Turn Yourself Loose” (3.50)
A2. “Don’t Stop Now” (4.49)
A3. “Foolin’” (4.30)
A4. “Don’t Want the Same Things” (5.36)
A5. “Out of the Cradle (But Still Rockin’)” (3.50)

B1. “Hold On” (4.26)
B2. “Peaceful Waters” (3.42)
B3. “Dancin’ for Joy” (4.46)
B4. “One Step Closer to Paradise” (4.04)
B5. “Reggae Man” (5.30)

Sessions occurred in May 1981 at Pye Studios in London, where Miles produced the album with assistance from Marshall and engineer Mike Day, a prior Jona Lewie soundman with recent credits behind Creation Rebel and N’draman Blintch.

Miles High presents John’s likeness as a medium-relief marble etching, illustrated by one Adrian Baumgartner with design details by Satori, the graphics firm behind subsequent visuals for Def Leppard and Thompson Twin.

EMI lifted “Turn Yourself Loose” as a single backed with “Closer to You,” a non-album Miles/Marshall song. In October 1981, “Reggae Man” became the second single (b/w “One Step Closer to Paradise”).

B. “Closer to You”

In North America, Miles High appeared on EMI’s Harvest division with an alternate cover that shows a slanted view of a brick wall with a window overlooking a valley. This version replaces “Dancin’ for Joy” with “Closer to You.”

Play On

John Miles released his sixth album, Play On, in August 1983 on EMI, which paired him with producer Gus Dudgeon.

The album contains ten Miles originals co-written with Bob Marshall, including “Take Me to My Heaven,” “It Wasn’t Love at All,” “Heart of Stone,” “Home,” and the singles “Song for You” and “Right to Sing.”

Miles plays guitar on six tracks and piano on four. “Close Eyes and Count to Ten” features clavinet by Olympic Runner Pete Wingfield and vocoder by ex-Cockney Rebel keyboardist Duncan MacKay. “Take Me to My Heaven” features Fairport Convention guitarist Jerry Donahue and a four-piece brass section that includes If alumni Dick Morrissey (also heard on “Heart of Stone”).

Additional players include Tax Loss guitarist Martin Jenner and his onetime Deep Feeling bandmate, drummer Graham Jarvis, who appears with his recent ZED bandmate, bassist Paul Westwood. Jazz percussionist Frank Ricotti plays on five tracks. Ex-Dada singer Jimmy Chambers appears as a backing vocalist along with recent Dexys auxiliary Katie Kissoon.

A1. “Take Me to My Heaven” (3:22)
A2. “Song for You” (4:13)
A3. “It Wasn’t Love at All” (4:34)
A4. “Ready to Spread Your Wings” (4:47)
A5. “I’ll Never Do it Again” (4:49)
B1. “Heart of Stone” (4:27)
B2. “Home” (5:14)
B3. “Close Eyes and Count to Ten” (4:23)
B4. “Carrie” (3:45)
B5. “Right to Sing” (3:42)

Sessions occurred in late 1982 at Studio Maison Rouge in London with Dudgeon, a longtime Elton John soundman (1970–76) and early producer for Chris Rea. His recent credits included 1981/82 albums by Elkie Brooks and The Sinceros. Elton arranger Paul Buckmaster did the orchestral arrangement on “Ready to Spread Your Wings.” This was Miles’ first album recorded without Bob Marshall and Barry Black, both excluded at EMI’s orders.

“Right to Sing” first appeared in April 1983 as an advance single with “Back to the Magic,” a non-album Miles/Marshall song. EMI issued the single in standard 7″ and shaped picture-disc versions. “Song for You” directly preceded Play On as the second single, backed with “That’s Rock ‘n’ Roll,” a second Miles/Marshall outtake from the Dudgeon sessions.

B. “Back to the Magic”
B. “That’s Rock ‘n’ Roll”

Transition

John Miles released his seventh album, Transition, in November 1985 on Valentino Records. The album contains two Miles originals (“I Need Your Love,” “Don’t Lie to Me”) and seven co-writes with Bob Marshall, including “Blinded” and “You’re the One.”

Miles plays guitar and keyboards throughout Transition, which features Marshall reinstated as bassist. They formed a new trio with Barriemore Barlow, a tenured Jethro Tull drummer (1971–79 era) who co-wrote “Run” and “Watching Over Me.”

Recent Yes resuscitator (and onetime Rabbitt) Trevor Rabin produced the album’s two a-sides, “I Need Your Love” and “Blinded.”

1. “Once in Your Life” (3:56)
2. “Run” (3:46)
3. “Blinded” (6:29)
4. “You’re the One” (4:32)

5. “I Need Your Love” (4:56)
6. “Hard Time” (4:13)
7. “Who Knows” (3:56)
8. “Don’t Lie to Me” (4:24)
9. “Watching over Me” (3:53)

Pat Moran – producer, engineer, re-mixing
Beau Hill – producer on track 9
Steve Benson, Paul DeVillea – engineers
Phil Vinall – mixing

Discography: