The Day The Ravens Left The Tower

The Day The Ravens Left The Tower is my favourite song from “Strength”. I wrote it when I had a bad attack of flu. After suffering the hallucinations, one gets from the illness, a TV advert for The Tower of London had lodged in my brain, and I looked into the folklore that says the day the ravens leave the Tower will be the day that England falls. I tried to set the song as a nightmare where everything is falling down around you. But the twist is that it turned out to be a love song. Through all the mayhem, hopefully you’ll be with the person you love most of all. (Eddie Macdonald Strength Tour Program, 1985)

The Day The Ravens Left The Tower was first released on the Strength album on 21st October 1985.

The Day The Ravens Left The Tower illustration created by Daniel Shearn Strength 2015 album

Running length : 4:45
Written By: Macdonald/Peters
Musicians
Mike Peters – Lead vocals & acoustic guitar
Dave Sharp – Electric, acoustic guitar & backing vocals
Eddie Macdonald – Bass guitar, keyboards & backing vocals
Nigel Twist – Drums, percussion & backing vocals

Recorded at Marcus Studios, London W2, England between 6th June and 4th August 1985.
Mixed at Battery Studio 4, Willesden, London, England between 5th and 23rd August 1985.
Produced by Mike Howlett. Engineered by Nigel Luby.

Alternative studio recording releases – demos, remaster, reimagined

1984 – E-Zee Studio demo recording details
Released as The Alarm – Alt-Strength
Running length: 4:23
Musicians
Dave Sharp – Lead vocals & acoustic guitar
Mike Peters – Electric guitar
Eddie Macdonald – Bass guitar
Nigel Twist – Drums
Recorded 29th & 30th November 1984 at E-Zee Hire Studios, London W14, England.
Recorded by live sound engineer Nigel Luby.

1985 – Demo recording live in the studio version
Released as The Alarm – Alt-Strength
Running length: 4:50
Musicians
Dave Sharp – Lead vocals & acoustic guitar
Mike Peters – Electric guitar
Eddie Macdonald – Bass guitar
Nigel Twist – Drums
Recorded 27th June 1985 at Marcus Studios, London W2, England.

2000 – The Alarm – The Alarm 2000 Collection Box Set : Strength [Remastered]
Running length: 4:47
Musicians
Mike Peters – Lead vocals & acoustic guitar
Dave Sharp – Electric, acoustic guitar & backing vocals
Eddie Macdonald – Bass guitar, keyboards & backing vocals
Nigel Twist – Drums, percussion & backing vocals
Remastered from the 1985 Strength original recording by Mike Peters
Remastering Engineered by Gary Butler @ RTS Liverpool in 2000

2015 – The Alarm – Strength [Reimagined]
Running length: 4:18
Musicians
Mike Peters – Lead vocals, acoustic, baritone & electric guitar
Steve “Smiley” Barnard – Drums, percussion & backing vocals
Johnny Pisano – Bass
Mark Taylor – Piano, Hammond organ
Jules Jones Peters – Backing vocals & percussion
Steve Allen Jones – Backing vocals
Julie Rands-Allen – Violin
Nye Parsons – Double Bass
Chris Summerill – Manolin, lap Steel & Glockenspiel
Acquire Choir under musical director Dawny Ward, conductor Leslie Church Ward – Backing vocals
Mixed & mastered by Mark Warden
Engineered by Mark Warden at Bethel Chapel Studios, Patrick Philips at Real World Studios.
Recorded at Real World Studios, England, Bethel Chapel Studios, Wales.
Additional recording at Sonic Hills, Sunshine Corner Studios England and Community First, Wales
Produced by Mike Peters, Mark Warden and Smiley. Executive Production by Jimmy Iovine.

Album appearances and discography for studio recordings

All the following are Worldwide releases except where stated

21st October 1985 – The Alarm – Strength – IRS Records vinyl MIRF1004, cassette MIRC1004, CD IRS DMIRL1004 (UK Release) Original 1985 recording
Declaration was also released on vinyl, cassette and CD in USA, Canada, Europe. Vinyl and CD in Australia, Japan. Vinyl only New Zealand, Israel, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Ireland, Brazil. Cassette only France, Netherlands.

2000 – The Alarm – Strength (1985-1986) – Twenty First Century Recording Company, catalogue number 21C012 (CD). Appearing as part of the Alarm 2000 collection box set and then later as an individual disc. 1985 recorded version remastered.

12th November 2001 – The Alarm – Alt-Strength Disc 1. Twenty First Century Recording Company, no catalogue number (CD). 1984 E-Zee Hire Studios Electric demo version.
12th November 2001 – The Alarm – Alt-Strength Disc 2. Twenty First Century Recording Company, no catalogue number. 1985 Live studio version recorded at Marcus Studios, London

2012 – The Alarm – Two classic albums: Strength / Eye of the Hurricane – EMI GOLD, no catalogue number (CD). 1985 recorded version. 1984 E-Zee Hire Studios Electric demo version.

2014 – Mike Peters | In Session 2014 Twenty First Century Recording Company, catalogue number 21C068 (CD).

2015 – The Alarm – Strength – Twenty First Century Recording Company, catalogue number 21C070 (CD). Reimagined new recording version.

Officially released live recordings – Audio

All the following are Worldwide releases on Twenty First Century Recording Company
(Except where stated)

29th August 2004. Recorded at William Aston Hall, NEWI, Wrexham, Wales
Running Length 3:48 Mike Peters Solo acoustic
Released in 2004 on Alarmstock 2 Volume 6 – From The Source Of The River To The Cities Start

13th August 2005. Recorded at Electric Lady Studio A, New York, USA
Running Length 4:52 Mike Peters Solo acoustic
Released in 2005 on Alarmstock III New York Set 3 Strength [Love and Hope]

15th October 2010. Recorded at Guildhall, Gloucester, England.
Running Length 3:46. Mike Peters Solo acoustic
Released on CD in 2010  Mike Peters : In Session 2010, catalogue number 21C055

30th October 2011. Record at Korks, Otley, England
Running Length 3:50. Mike Peters Solo acoustic
Released on CD in 2012 Mike Peters of the Alarm – 30th Anniversary Acoustic Alarm Tour 1981-2011, catalogue number 21C059

10th October 2015. Recorded at Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay, Cardiff, Wales
Band line-up : Mike PetersJames StevensonSteve “Smiley” Barnard, The Welsh Pops Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Quirk, Acquire Choir under the Musical Director Leslie Churchill Ward.
Released on CD in 2016 – Mike Peters & The Alarm – Poppies Falling From The Sky, catalogue number 21C078

Officially released live recordings – Video/DVD

All the following are Worldwide releases on Twenty First Century Recording Company
(Except where stated)

24th January 2003. Recorded at The Gathering 11, The North Wales Conference Centre, Llandudno, Wales. Mike Peters solo acoustic set
Released on DVD in 2005 – The Alarm – The Gathering History, catalogue number 21CDVD003

30th January 2015. Recorded at The Gathering 23, Venue Cymru, Llandudno, Wales
Band Line Up : Mike PetersSteve “Smiley” Barnard, Mark Taylor, Acquire Choir conducted by Leslie Churchill Ward
Released on CD in 2015 – The Alarm – Live At The Gathering 2015 – Hands Held High Friday Concert, catalogue number 21CDVD018

2nd May 2015. Recorded at The Globe, Cardiff, Wales
Mike Peters solo acoustic set
Released on CD on 7th December 2015 – Mike Peters presents The Alarm – Live At The Globe 2015 – Strength Set, catalogue number 21CDVD019

10th October 2015. Recorded at Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay, Cardiff, Wales
Band line-up : Mike PetersJames StevensonSteve “Smiley” Barnard, The Welsh Pops Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Quirk, Acquire Choir under the Musical Director Leslie Churchill Ward.
Released on DVD in 2016 – Mike Peters & The Alarm – Poppies Falling From The Sky, catalogue number 21CDVD020

Lyrics

I’ve swept the floors of all my kings
I’ve opened doors and let the tourists in
Days of wine and roses
Prime ministers, red robes
These days are gone

I’ve stood on guard as my Queens were born
I’ve cut the grass on many English lawns
Strawberries and ice cream
Cricket and cold beer
These days are gone
London Tower’s burning
Parliament’s ablaze
Buckingham Palace has gone
Somewhere in the distance my darling she’s a crying
I should be by her side

This is the day the ravens left the tower
This is the day the ravens fly away
Fly away fly away

I’ve stood on the Changing of the Guards
To the Bloody Tower watching the Crown Jewels
A penny for the guy sir?
Will you vote left or right?
These days are gone
London Bridge is falling
St. Paul’s Cathedral burns
The tower blocks are gone
Somewhere in the distance my darlings she’s a crying
I should be by her side.

This is the day the ravens left the tower
This is the day the ravens fly away
Fly away fly away

And if I live to see the dawning of the day
I hope I’m in your arms as we get swept away
Oh darling I will be home soon
Darling I will be home soon

Ring a ring a roses
A pocket full of posies
Atishoo, Atishoo
We all fall down

Alternative Lyrics – 1984 Ezee Studios Demo

Alternative Lyrics – 1985 backing track rough mix

Audio & Visual Sources

Audio Link – 1985 studio demo version, from Alt-Strength disc 2. Uploaded to youtube by Pete Cole.
Audio Link – 1985 Strength recording remastered. From the official The Alarm youtube channel
Audio Link – 2015 Strength reimagined version. From the official The Alarm youtube channel

Images

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