« Sebastian » was written and performed by Steve Harley during his time as a busker in the early 1970s, before his band Cockney Rebel was formed in late 1972.
Cockney Rebel recorded their debut album, « The Human Menagerie » , including « Sebastian » , at Air Studios in London in the summer of 1973, after the band had signed a contract with EMI Records . With Neil Harrison as producer, « Sebastian » was recorded with an orchestra and choir of over 50 people, with orchestral arrangements by Andrew Powell.
Since its release, « Sebastian » has made a name for itself as one of Steve Harley's greatest songs in the years that followed and has been repeatedly included in Harley's set lists and the band's live concerts.
The live version shown here was recorded during the « The Come Back - All Is Forgiven» tour in 1989. At the beginning, Steve Harley dedicates the song to his former bassist Paul Jeffreys , who died together with his wife in the plane crash over Lockerbie , Scotland in December 1988. They were on their way to their honeymoon.