In 1983 Steve Harley released the single "Ballerina (Prima Donna)" - written and produced by Mike Batt. The 12" vinyl version was released in both the UK and Germany, and featured a new version of "Sebastian".

This new version was produced by Batt, and has not appeared anywhere else other than this single. In the UK, the 12" vinyl actually swapped both tracks around so that "Sebastian" was the a-side and "Ballerina" became the b-side.

Although the original is bound to be the definitive version for many, this 1983 re-recording certainly has a nice mood and touch to it, and deserves an airing.

Thanks for this.

I do like it somehow.... just a thought for next time ..... loose the strings and funk it up with some Sax for the next "down load" or what ever it s called now.
I dont know .... just feels like a good idea? So Ill say so

Maybe worth an airing.....maybe not. I thought this sounded a bit "Follyfoot" but however inferior this version is, it is decidedly better than Ballerina and rightly deserved A side status over it.

Ballerina (Prima Donna) is in my top 10 Harley tracks, love it!! He never wrote it, Mike Batt did, but he performs it brilliantly. Sebastian is also in my top 10, but not the '83 version

As I remember it, in the early eighties Steve didn't release very much at all. The few recordings that were released, well, I relished them. So I remember these tracks very fondly; Sebastian was an interesting interpretation and Ballerina deserved to chart higher than it did. Plus there was an accompanying video for Ballerina - breakfast TV showed about 60 seconds of it which I recorded but I remember it to be different to the version residing on you tube; the scene they showed, Steve was sitting at a table in a club singing the song, it was black and white except for a flower in his lapel which was yellow.
It was nice to listen to that again after all these years, what must it be - 30 years!! Ooh, that's depressing.

Hi Midge
Thank you for the info as I feel somehow I lost my music thread during the eighties
Loving the live music now tho and no prizes for guessing which band
Perhaps the clip you mentioned may reappear one day on here? I like yellow flowers.
Best wishes jo