Dave Sharp had originally written and demo-taped this song during the Strength sessions in 1985. Eddie and I always loved this song, and we persuaded Dave to let us work on it with him so that it could be included on Change – Mike Peters- Alarm 2000 Collection sleeve notes
At this point it was a very different song lyrically and called River Still To Cross, it appears on disc two of Alt-strength. The musical heritage of the song can be seen on this version, with what it would become, it is very clear in parts of the song melody, the words though nothing like the version that would be recorded for Change. Whilst the band were at Kinmel Hall, St George, Wales, during the demo / rehearsal stage a new set of lyrics has been written and demoed. When the band move to move on to the Skylight sessions in London in May 1989 an updated lyrical version is recorded When listening to the Change release, in the background there appears to be some violin that is uncredited on any sleeve notes. In June / July the Change recordings were mixed at Good Earth Studio, during this mixing session it looks like Tony Visconti may have lifted Peter Knight’s violin from that June 1989 BBC Cardiff recording and layered it low into the background of the album mix
25th June 1989 Recording session at BBC Wales, Cardiff. The Alarm record Rivers To Cross, Bells of Rhymney and Coes I’r Afon for future broadcast – Alarm 2000 Collection sleeve notes
We all went to Cardiff, on June 25th. We had decided that a radio show should take the forms of a “live” recording with an audience invited for the evening session. The actual recording of A new South Wales was taken from the evening performance which was followed by a live version of Rivers To Cross with guest violinist Peter Knight from Steeleye Span – Mike Peters- Alarm 2000 Collection sleeve notes
1989 Change album Skylight Suite recording
Running length 3:43
Written by Macdonald / Peters / Sharp
Musicians & Credits
Mike Peters – Lead Vocals, Acoustic 6 String Guitar
Dave Sharp – Acoustic 12 String Guitar
Eddie Macdonald – Bass Guitar, Backing Vocal
Nigel Twist – Drums, Percussion, Backing Vocal
Mark Taylor – Keyboards
Recorded 24th May 1989 at The Skylight Suite, Wapping, London E1W, England
Mixed at Good Earth Studio, London W1D, England in June / July 1989
Produced & Engineered by Tony Visconti
Alternative studio recordings – Demo, Acoustic, Remastered, Re-imagined
1988/1989 – The Alarm – the alarm.change.demos released in 1998
Running length 3.49
Musicians & Credits
Mike Peters – Lead Vocals
Dave Sharp – Electric Guitar
Eddie Macdonald – Bass Guitar, Backing Vocal
Nigel Twist – Drums, Drum Programming, Backing Vocal
Electric recording during demo/song development sessions at a Kinmel Hall, St George, North Wales October 1988 to February 1989
1997 – Mike Peters – Acoustic Works 1987-1991
Running length 2:28
Musicians & Credits
Mike Peters – Vocals, Acoustic guitar
Recorded in 1997 by Gethyn Evans at Mountain & Sea Studios, Dyserth, Wales
Produced by Michael Peters
2000 – The Alarm – The Alarm 2000 Collection Box Set : Change 1989-1990 [Remastered]
Running length 3:49
Musicians & Credits
Mike Peters – Lead Vocals, Acoustic 6 String Guitar
Dave Sharp – Acoustic 12 String Guitar
Eddie Macdonald – Bass Guitar, Backing Vocal
Nigel Twist – Drums, Percussion, Backing Vocal
Mark Taylor – Keyboards
Remastered from the 1989 original recording by Mike Peters
Remastering Engineered by Gary Butler @ RTS Liverpool in 2000
2019 – Mike Peters presents The Alarm – Stream {Hurricane of Change} – Upstream disc
Running length 3:18 plus 0:05 intro narration and 0:10 outro narration
Musicians & Credits
Mike Peters – 1st Voice, Electric, Acoustic Guitars, Narration
Steve “Smiley” Barnard – 2nd Voice, Drums, Percussion, Tambourine
Jules Jones Peters – 3rd Voice
George Williams – 4th Voice, Bass Guitar
Recorded at Sain Studios, Wales 21st-31st March 2019
Recorded and engineered by George Williams
Assistant recording engineer Aled Hughes.
Demonstration tape engineer Mark Warden
Album appearances and discography for studio versions
All the following are Worldwide releases except where stated
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18th September 1989 : The Alarm – Change
Released in the UK by IRS Records, on vinyl IRSAX 1020, cassette IRSAC 1020, CD IRSACD 1020
Original 1989 Album version
Change was also released on vinyl, cassette and CD in USA, Canada, Vinyl and CD in Europe and Australia,
Vinyl and cassette in Italy, Vinyl only in Brazil, Cassette only in Germany, CD only in Japan
1997 : Mike Peters – Acoustic Works 1987-1991
Released on CD by Twenty First Century Recording Company, catalogue number No. 21C005
1997 Mountain & Sea acoustic recording
1998 : The Alarm – the alarm.change.demos
Released on CD by Red Dragon Record, catalogue number LC6448
Kinmel Hall electric demo sessions recording
2000 : The Alarm – Change [1989-1990]
Released on CD by Twenty First Century Recording Company, catalogue number 21C015
Appearing as part of the Alarm 2000 collection box set and then later as an individual disc
Original 1989 album recording remastered
2004 : The Alarm – 2004 Reissues Sampler
Released on CD in the UK by EMI, no catalogue number
1989 Skylight Suite recording.
2019 – Mike Peters presents The Alarm – Stream {Hurricane of Change} – Upstream disc
Released on CD by Twenty First Century Recording Company, catalogue number 21C112
2019 Stream recording
Single appearances and discography
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UK Release : 
23rd October 1989 : 10″ White Vinyl – A New South Wales
Track listing : A New South Wales / (b-side) Rivers To Cross (live) / The Rock (long) / Working Class Hero
IRS Records catalogue number EIRS TEN 129
Recorded live at Studio One BBC Wales, Cardiff, Wales on 25th June 1989.
Officially released live recordings – Audio
All are Worldwide Releases on Twenty First Century Recording Company
(Except where stated)
25th June 1989. Recorded live at Studio One BBC Wales, Cardiff, Wales
The Alarm : Mike Peters, Dave Sharp, Eddie Macdonald, Nigel Twist, Mark Taylor, Peter Knight
Produced by Tony Visconti
Mixed and engineered by Nigel Lewis
Running length 4:48 – 1989 release. 4:39 – 2000 remaster
Released in the UK on 10″ white vinyl as the B-side of A New South Wales in October1989 by IRS Records, catalogue number EIRS TEN129
Released on CD in 2000 as The Alarm Rare Tracks, B-Sides & Demo Tapes [1981-1991] by Twenty First Century Recording Company, catalogue number 21C017. Remaster of the 1989 live recording
3rd November 2011. Record at The Flowerpot, Derby, England
Running length 3:18
Performed by Mike Peters acoustic
Released on CD in 2012 Mike Peters of the Alarm – 30th Anniversary Acoustic Alarm Tour 1981-2011, catalogue number 21C059
Officially released live recordings – Video/DVD
All are Worldwide Releases except where stated
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27th January 2012. Recorded at The Gathering 20, Pontins Prestatyn Sands, Holiday Park, Prestatyn, Wales
The Alarm : Mike Peters, James Stevenson, Craig Adams, Steve “Smiley” Barnard, Mark Taylor, Steve Norman
Released on DVD in 2012 – The Alarm – The Music Must And Shall Be Preserved catalogue number 21CDVD016
Lyrics – 1988-1989 change.demos
As I walk out one morning across the fields of dawn
I see a crooked shadow fall across the land
Storm clouds overhead, birds of prey in wait
How can we undo what cannot be undone?
The darkness lies heavy, I see it from afar
The distances between us, are tearing us apart
Oh! Oh!
How many rivers must I cross?
Somehow, somewhere I will find a way
Oh! Oh!
How many rivers must I cross?
Somehow, somewhere I will find a way to cross
I see the proud black mountain
I see the angry sun
How can we undo, what cannot be undone
How many battles must we fight before we start a war?
How many wounds will open, til the first blood falls?
Once the banks are broken, the great white waters flow
Once the sky rips open
The rivers of blood will run
Oh! Oh!
How many rivers must I cross?
Somehow, somewhere I will find a way
Oh! Oh!
How many rivers must I cross?
Somehow, somewhere I will find a way to cross
Oh! Oh!
How many rivers must I cross?
Somehow, somewhere I will find a way
Oh! Oh!
How many rivers must I cross?
Somehow, somewhere I will find a way to cross
(Transcribed from the alarm.change.demos CD recording)
Lyrics – Change album
Early one morning across the fields of dawn
Crooked is the shadow that falls on my land
Storm clouds overhead, like birds of prey in wait
How can we undo what cannot be undone?
I feel the darkness heavy, heavy on my heart
There’s distance between us, tearing us apart
Oh! Oh!
How many rivers must I cross?
Somehow, somewhere I will find a way
Oh! Oh!
How many rivers must I cross?
Somehow, somewhere I will find a way to cross
I see the proud black mountain
Beneath an angry sun
Under drowning valleys, our disappearing tongue
How many battles must we fight before we start a war?
How many wounds will open before the first blood falls?
Once the banks are broken, floods must surely come
Once the land rips open, rivers of blood will run
Oh! Oh!
How many rivers must I cross?
Somehow, somewhere I will find a way
Oh! Oh!
How many rivers must I cross?
Somehow, somewhere I will find a way to cross
How many battles must we fight before we start a war?
How many wounds will open before the first blood falls?
Oh! Oh!
How many rivers must I cross?
Somehow, somewhere I will find a way
Oh! Oh!
How many rivers must I cross?
Somehow, somewhere I will find a way to cross
Lyrics – Acoustic Works 1987-1991
Early one morning across the fields of dawn
Crooked is the shadow that falls on my land
Storm clouds overhead, like birds of prey in wait
How can we undo what cannot be undone?
I feel the darkness heavy, heavy on my heart
There’s distance between us, tearing us apart
Oh! Oh!
How many rivers must I cross?
Somehow, somewhere I will find a way
Oh! Oh!
How many rivers must I cross?
Somehow, somewhere I will find a way to cross
I see the proud black mountain
Beneath an angry sun
Under drowning valleys, our disappearing tongue
How many battles must we fight before we start a war?
How many wounds will open before the first blood falls?
Once the banks are broken, floods must surely come
Once the land rips open, rivers of blood will run
Oh! Oh!
How many rivers must I cross?
Somehow, somewhere I will find a way
Oh! Oh!
How many rivers must I cross?
Somehow, somewhere I will find a way to cross
Lyrics – Stream [Hurricane of Change] – Upstream
Narration
How many battles must we fight before we start a war?
Lyrics
Hey
Early one morning across the fields of dawn
There’s a shadow that falls upon my land
Clouds overhead, like birds of prey in wait
How can we undo what cannot be undone?
There’s darkness heavy on my heart
There’s a distance between us, tearing us apart
Tearing us apart
Oh! Oh!
How many rivers must I cross?
Somehow, somewhere
I will find a way to cross
How many battles do we have to fight before we start a war?
Before the first blood falls?
Once the banks are broken, floods must surely come
Once the land rips open
Once the land rips open, rivers of blood will run
Oh! Oh!
How many rivers must I cross?
Somehow, somewhere I will find a way
Oh! Oh!
How many rivers must I cross?
Somehow, somewhere I will find a way
Find a way, to cross
To cross
Hey hey
Oh! Oh!
How many rivers must I cross?
Somehow, somewhere
I will find a way to cross
To cross
To cross
To cross
Narration
Somehow, we found a way to cross the river that could not be crossed and make peace with ourselves, and the world around us.
Audio & Visual Sources
Audio Link – the alarm.change.demos Kinmel Hall, Wales October 1988 to February 1989 demo sessions recording.
(Page updated 02/02/2022)