I have to admit, the Trebor Softmints Advert was the first place that I heard this song. The memorable advertisement is still available to view on RUclips. Their song, "Make Me Smile (Come up And See Me)" is very well known in the UK, and gets played regularly on BBC radio.
I think it was the other way around: Steve Harley didn't leave the band, the rest of the band left him. Ironically he then scored a massive hit with the song Come Up and See Me (Make Me Smile), which was inspired by the band break up and released under the name Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel. This track is one of those that sounds familiar but I don't remember having heard it. So either I have heard it or it's similar to some other song. I like it, although it may be a bit too idiosyncratic for repeated listens.
Sebastian and Death trip from the first album are real classics and for me the best works of the band. Steve Harley met at the beginning of the seventies Bowie and Marc Bolan and all three are considered to be at the origin of glam rock. The band had a huge success in Europe (Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, France) but not so much in the United Kingdom where Harley was considered too sophisticated or intellectual, it was only later that his talent was recognized in the UK with more pop songs like "make me smile"
Afternoon, Justin. Dave from London, after a Cold Grey Morning. There were just so many intelligent art rock type bands around in the early 70s that it is easy to forget them. Have to say that it's the singles that I know best, and this one and Judy Teen made the top 10 in the UK. But their biggest hit was Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me) which was a UK number one. It's also notable for one of the great acoustic guitar solos, played by Jim Cregan, who was also in Family. Now there's another intelligent art rock band! P.S. my song ref Cold Grey Morning is by Kansas.
For me the first two Cockney Rebel albums have the same aesthetic as the first two Roxy Albums. The sound and music styles are different but both groups explore the dark side of the English experience.
One of the groups that gave influences to the future members of Duran Duran. The drummer Stuart Elliot became a successful session drummer and has played for e.g Kate Bush.
One of my fave band and an underrated one. Psychomodo is an absolute masterpiece. Every track a winner. So singular. They belonged to the glam movement (and one of the best bands of the genre) and were very popular in UK in 74-75. The drummer, Stuart Elliott, would become the drummer on most of Kate Bush albums.
"And now, something completely different"! So little time, and so much music! "Mr. Soft" is making it 'hard' for me to keep to my 'stiffening' resolve to not dive into bands! Peace & Love.
Really glad you enjoyed this, JP. I always love how open you are to 'different' stuff and don't judge songs and music just because it's not a standard sound.
From the first album try: Hideaway, Sebastian or Death Trip (an epic, it was the song that sold me on the band). From the second album try: Psychomodo or Tumbling Down.
Cockney Rebel put out some fantastic albums back in the day. Human Menagerie and The Psychomodo are 70’s classics. I always seen Steve Harley as a kind of successor to Ray Davies. Great songwriter with a real English wit. The last live gig I went to was a Steve Harley concert. Still going strong and still great.
I never heard of the band but I do enjoy whimsical tunes, the vocalists delivery has a bit of Ray Davies of the Kinks flair to it, thumbs up! I was catching those humming backing vocals too JP!
This was a good reaction. Their first two albums are the best. As someone below suggested listen to Sebastian and Death Trip from the first album. Their later albums are also good. Steve Harley was with the band throughout and the band is often referred to as Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel.
You already know Cockney Rebel's (before and after the break-up) drummer Stuart Elliott: He was the drummer for Kate Bush on almost all her albums. Other studio work was for The Alan Parsons Project, Paul McCartney and others... My favourite songs from this band are for sure "Make Me Smile" (also known as "Come Up and See Me") and the gorgeous "Sebastian"...
This band , is in fact Steve Harley. Seen and heard him twice. Love his live performances. Hear out The Beatles cover, Here Comes the Sun and the great Sebastian.
Their first album The Human Menagerie is one of the best debuts of all time. Unusual instrumentation with keyboards and violin taking the lead and two massively orchestrated epic songs. The second album Psychomodo is slightly scaled back but equally unusual and innovative. Their third album The Best Years of Our Lives is Steve Harley with a Cockney Rebel consisting of new musicians after the band broke up shortly after their 2nd release. This album is equally experimental but with more of a traditional band feel with guitars being used more. Their fourth album is more of a mixed affair - Timeless Flight - wasn’t as successful as the previous album but still has some superb songs on it - their next album Love’s A Prima Donna is frankly dreadful. Steve Harley IS Cockney Rebel - he wrote all the songs and is the only constant throughout all the albums. You really should go in chronological order - 1973’s The Human Menagerie is my favourite album of theirs and is so very different for the time it was released. Superb production values, fascinating lyrics and still sounds fresh and exciting all these years later.
I agree wholeheartedly with your comment about Human Menagerie being one of the best debuts ever. Its by far my favourite CR record, so many great tracks, Mirror Freak, Death Trip, Hideaway, Loretta's Tale and probably my favourite, Sebastian.
@@HippoYnYGlaw Oh, far from a one hit wonder. As a Floyd / Genesis / Van der Graaf / Gong etc. fan, Rebel's first two albums get regular spins from start to finish. Hope you enjoy!
A band that I always heard about but never really listened to it. I like it too. It reminds me of The Kinks in some aspects. A circus atmosphere without being over the top. Good discovery. Thanks!
Hi JP. Glad you liked the track. The band takes me back to 1973 when I saw them live. BTW: The drummer, Stuart Elliott also played in the Alan Parson's Project. Paul Jeffries and Milton Reame-James left to join Be-Bop Deluxe. This gave rise to Steve Harley writing Make Me Smile (Come up and See Me), a no. 1 in the UK. Steve is on all the albums and is the writer and singer. The band are still touring. The first album, Human Menagerie is a delight. Almost forgot. The band did a very interesting cover of George Harrison's Here Comes the Sun.
Sebastian and Death trip are the two big classy numbers off the 1st Album.. Sort of got hooked with the UK Glam scene .. Word play and lyrics always one of the strong points of the band..
Good band. First two albums is a good call too, although (Come up and See Me) Make me Smile off the third album is a classic. Sebastian (off later versions of the first album) is ace, as is Judy Teen (a bonus track on the first album but a big hit in the UK).
I've been hoping you would get around to Cockney Rebel, Justin, and I knew you would not disappoint! Your face is a picture listening to this track, which is as good a place to start as any. I hope you are intrigued enough to want to explore deeper. There is some serious alumni associated with Cockney Rebel. This track/album was engineered by Geoff Emerick (The Beatles), co-produced by Alan Parsons (Alan Parsons Project) orchestral arrangements by Andrew Powell (Kate Bush, Be-Bop Deluxe) and drums by 20 year old Stuart Elliott who was the only member of the original Cockney Rebel that stayed with Harley in the Mark II version of the band and went on to be Kate Bush's drummer for many years.
This was the first song I knew from this band. And I really disliked it because of the singing that seemed to much over the top for me. But then one time I listened to the live album "Face To Face" and that completely changed my mind. Steve Harley became the artist I saw the most in concert. Incredible performer who gives everyone the feeling that he is just and only playing there for you. Sometimes he interrupted the concert for a while to tell little stories. One time he interrupted a song for a rant about someone in the audience but he had forgotten the point of the song where he had interrupted. A lady in the first row helped him out and told him what the last line had been. The band was like "Ok everything clear" and continued the song from that very point. There are too many songs too good. But I think "Sebastian" is a must know.
I had Human Menagerie and used to play "Sebastian" over and over til my dad threatened to break it f I PLAYED IT ONE MORE TIME! Mr Soft is great, Had such a crush on Steve
Hey Justin. Not an expert on this band, but here's what I do know. You have to listen to "Judy Teen", their 1972 first single, which I instantly loved upon hearing for the first time, then came "Mr. Soft", which I also like. I like the albums , "The Psychomodo" and "The Best Years Of Our Lives", there's some great tracks on there, eg. the title track, off" Psychomodo" and "The Mad, Mad Moonlight" and Mr. Raffles", off "Best Years...". Steve Harley's vocal delivery is so clever and captivating, as you will hear on the aforementioned tracks. Their 1975 single "Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me)", is the best known and most played song on radio stations and it's a great song, but I'd love to see your reactions to the earlier, quirkier stuff...please.😊😺
Great original band, there are plenty of other tracks to try as well. Live performances are good too. Mr Soft is more commerical than some of the others.
It takes a Floridian VJ to make me to delve further than Come Up and See Me and yes it made me smile. Crucial Choice JP. Jolch. Ferry-ist Vibrato but Jellyfish-ist "Spilt Milk" Impact- this was hidden deep down in my memory cells and I thank you for uncovering it. Onward therefore for more in a Galaxy Quest Stylee - (that's a recommendation for JP Plus btw). Gettin Betta - Pat Travers remains my Flavour of the Month for this One. Bless You.
I like Cockney Rebel a lot. They are best described as quirky. I've got their album The best years of our lives, and a greatest hits. They arrived in 1974 with a hit called Judy Teeen, it set the bench mark for their sound. Their biggest hit is undoubtedly Come up and see me ( Make me smile) which is arguably one of the best pop songs ever, and Steve Harley calls, his pension plan. Their piece of resistance is Sebastian, which pitches the tent somewhere between pop and classical, but was rather too long to be a hit as a single. Harley refused to cut it down for radio play size. All of these tracks, and many more are stunning, audio treats, packed with interest. You'll have to get used to the distinctive vocal style, it's prevalent in all the tracks. Tebor ( pronounced Tree bore. ) have been around for many decades, successfully. Mainly mints, but they did venture into other flavours. With takeovers and crashes, they might have gone recently, but if so I've not heard of it. I do remember the ad featuring a cartoon character mooching around. I wasn't impressed, though it was pleasant to here the rebel singing.
I agree with you there, in fact l think the same about a lot of artists/bands, their early work is often the best.Look at Elton John for instance, his early albums are far superior to his later work, Genesis too, although some people actually prefer their later stuff! 🙄
@@keithjones7390 I never understood people liking the later Genesis stuff. There are so many bands I have the first couple of lps and didn't bother after that.
@@SPKdesign1 I don't hate Genesis' later work, on fact l continued buying their albums upto We Can't Dance. Perhaps their later stuff appealed to a younger audience, for me there was still some good tracks on the later records, Home by the Sea/Second Home by the Sea and Duke's Travels and Duke's End for instance. Nothing compares though to the wonderful Foxtrot with the epic Suppers Ready and Selling England with those fantastic songs.
Ah, Cockney Rebel. I love the early stuff but, a bit like Roxy Music, they lost their mojo as time went on. Sebastian is their best track and in my top 10 singles of all-time list. Edit: Warning! Do not confuse with the Cockney Rejects! Different band/style entirely!
A later more commercial change of direction seemed to be the case with a few bands. Simple Minds took a different approach after more arty work, Level 42 and of course Genesis went the same way with their later recordings.
This band is great! Steve Harley is basically the band, he is on all the albums. It's the band that tends to change around him. They incorporate lots of styles but have a 70s Glam Rock heart. Also the Trebor soft mints are a British thing and are still going to this day.
TY Justin for at least giving this very underrated but great band a listen, of course the first two albums are Prog & Psych at its best but in a very special way. Would be nice to see you react to those masterpieces like "Ritz", "Cavaliers", "Tumbling Down" and "Death Trip" :-) ...
The first 2 lps are theatrical Art-Rock and fairly unique with their lack of guitars and occasional sweeping orchestration. The first single, Sebastian, flopped despite getting loads of airplay, but it was a 6 minute, slow, dramatic, Dickensian epic. The follow-up Judy Teen was much more commercial, with a pizzicato violin hook and an actual chorus. It was a UK hit and Harley then thought he was Dylan, Bowie, Lennon and Reed all rolled into one. The UK music press slaughtered him (The NME labelled him Klutz of the Year). The original line-up broke up and Harley formed a new C Rebel with more traditional instrumentation. Still worth listening to but inconsistent. Maybe Judy Teen or Harley’s UK #1 hit Come Up and See Me (Make Me Smile) should be your next listens, before getting into likes of Sebastian, Death Trip, Tumbling Down or Mr Raffles 🤔
That was interesting, reminded me of Tom Waits kind of circus feel. I liked it. Glad they didn’t overdo the organ bit and went violin. Nice, but too short a violin piece. Mo.
I have to admit, the Trebor Softmints Advert was the first place that I heard this song. The memorable advertisement is still available to view on RUclips.
Their song, "Make Me Smile (Come up And See Me)" is very well known in the UK, and gets played regularly on BBC radio.
"Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)" and "Red is a Mean Mean Colour" are both brilliant songs too!.
I think it was the other way around: Steve Harley didn't leave the band, the rest of the band left him. Ironically he then scored a massive hit with the song Come Up and See Me (Make Me Smile), which was inspired by the band break up and released under the name Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel.
This track is one of those that sounds familiar but I don't remember having heard it. So either I have heard it or it's similar to some other song. I like it, although it may be a bit too idiosyncratic for repeated listens.
Sebastian and Death trip from the first album are real classics and for me the best works of the band. Steve Harley met at the beginning of the seventies Bowie and Marc Bolan and all three are considered to be at the origin of glam rock. The band had a huge success in Europe (Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, France) but not so much in the United Kingdom where Harley was considered too sophisticated or intellectual, it was only later that his talent was recognized in the UK with more pop songs like "make me smile"
Totally agree with you about those songs on Human Menagerie, a very strong debut album with so many wonderful songs beside those two.
Afternoon, Justin. Dave from London, after a Cold Grey Morning. There were just so many intelligent art rock type bands around in the early 70s that it is easy to forget them. Have to say that it's the singles that I know best, and this one and Judy Teen made the top 10 in the UK. But their biggest hit was Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me) which was a UK number one. It's also notable for one of the great acoustic guitar solos, played by Jim Cregan, who was also in Family. Now there's another intelligent art rock band!
P.S. my song ref Cold Grey Morning is by Kansas.
For me the first two Cockney Rebel albums have the same aesthetic as the first two Roxy Albums. The sound and music styles are different but both groups explore the dark side of the English experience.
Good analogy.
One of the groups that gave influences to the future members of Duran Duran. The drummer Stuart Elliot became a successful session drummer and has played for e.g Kate Bush.
One of my fave band and an underrated one. Psychomodo is an absolute masterpiece. Every track a winner. So singular. They belonged to the glam movement (and one of the best bands of the genre) and were very popular in UK in 74-75. The drummer, Stuart Elliott, would become the drummer on most of Kate Bush albums.
The whole of this album would be great for you to react to.
Nice song. Is Tumbling Down on that album? I always really liked that one.
"And now, something completely different"! So little time, and so much music! "Mr. Soft" is making it 'hard' for me to keep to my 'stiffening' resolve to not dive into bands! Peace & Love.
Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me), Tumbling Down and so many more. Great band
Really glad you enjoyed this, JP. I always love how open you are to 'different' stuff and don't judge songs and music just because it's not a standard sound.
From the first album try: Hideaway, Sebastian or Death Trip (an epic, it was the song that sold me on the band). From the second album try: Psychomodo or Tumbling Down.
Three great songs there, Human Menagerie album is very strong. Mirror Freak another favourite of mine.
Cockney Rebel put out some fantastic albums back in the day. Human Menagerie and The Psychomodo are 70’s classics. I always seen Steve Harley as a kind of successor to Ray Davies. Great songwriter with a real English wit.
The last live gig I went to was a Steve Harley concert. Still going strong and still great.
"Sebastian" is the stand-out track. Prog, with strong classical influences.
I never heard of the band but I do enjoy whimsical tunes, the vocalists delivery has a bit of Ray Davies of the Kinks flair to it, thumbs up! I was catching those humming backing vocals too JP!
😁
Steve Harley is a cousin of Ray and Dave David hence the similarities
Some 20 years ago I saw Steve Harley live at a small bar venue here in Norway, maybe around 200 people in the crowd, if that. Was great fun.
This was a good reaction. Their first two albums are the best. As someone below suggested listen to Sebastian and Death Trip from the first album. Their later albums are also good. Steve Harley was with the band throughout and the band is often referred to as Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel.
You already know Cockney Rebel's (before and after the break-up) drummer Stuart Elliott: He was the drummer for Kate Bush on almost all her albums. Other studio work was for The Alan Parsons Project, Paul McCartney and others...
My favourite songs from this band are for sure "Make Me Smile" (also known as "Come Up and See Me") and the gorgeous "Sebastian"...
This band , is in fact Steve Harley. Seen and heard him twice. Love his live performances. Hear out The Beatles cover, Here Comes the Sun and the great Sebastian.
Sebastian is my favourite CR track.
Their first album The Human Menagerie is one of the best debuts of all time. Unusual instrumentation with keyboards and violin taking the lead and two massively orchestrated epic songs. The second album Psychomodo is slightly scaled back but equally unusual and innovative. Their third album The Best Years of Our Lives is Steve Harley with a Cockney Rebel consisting of new musicians after the band broke up shortly after their 2nd release. This album is equally experimental but with more of a traditional band feel with guitars being used more. Their fourth album is more of a mixed affair - Timeless Flight - wasn’t as successful as the previous album but still has some superb songs on it - their next album Love’s A Prima Donna is frankly dreadful. Steve Harley IS Cockney Rebel - he wrote all the songs and is the only constant throughout all the albums. You really should go in chronological order - 1973’s The Human Menagerie is my favourite album of theirs and is so very different for the time it was released. Superb production values, fascinating lyrics and still sounds fresh and exciting all these years later.
I agree wholeheartedly with your comment about Human Menagerie being one of the best debuts ever. Its by far my favourite CR record, so many great tracks, Mirror Freak, Death Trip, Hideaway, Loretta's Tale and probably my favourite, Sebastian.
@@keithjones7390 There's also Judy Teen, which definitely should have been on The Human Menagerie.
Thanx. How come I thought of them as a Singles / One Hit Wonder / Novelty Band? The Music Press eh? Or maybe It Was Me!
@@HippoYnYGlaw Oh, far from a one hit wonder. As a Floyd / Genesis / Van der Graaf / Gong etc. fan, Rebel's first two albums get regular spins from start to finish. Hope you enjoy!
A band that I always heard about but never really listened to it. I like it too. It reminds me of The Kinks in some aspects. A circus atmosphere without being over the top. Good discovery. Thanks!
Hi Luciano Interesting that you say they remind you of the Kinks. Steve Harley is a cousin of Ray and Dave of the Kinks
@@markwakefield8533 Great! I didn't know that. Thanks for the information!.I can see the connection in this song. Definitely I'll listen more.
Hi JP. Glad you liked the track. The band takes me back to 1973 when I saw them live. BTW: The drummer, Stuart Elliott also played in the Alan Parson's Project. Paul Jeffries and Milton Reame-James left to join Be-Bop Deluxe. This gave rise to Steve Harley writing Make Me Smile (Come up and See Me), a no. 1 in the UK. Steve is on all the albums and is the writer and singer. The band are still touring. The first album, Human Menagerie is a delight. Almost forgot. The band did a very interesting cover of George Harrison's Here Comes the Sun.
Steve harley SANG on the Alan Parsons Project 'I Robot' Album the track was 'The Voice' and his voice was totally unmistakebly STEVE HARLEY
Sebastian and Death trip are the two big classy numbers off the 1st Album.. Sort of got hooked with the UK Glam scene .. Word play and lyrics always one of the strong points of the band..
Good band. First two albums is a good call too, although (Come up and See Me) Make me Smile off the third album is a classic. Sebastian (off later versions of the first album) is ace, as is Judy Teen (a bonus track on the first album but a big hit in the UK).
I've been hoping you would get around to Cockney Rebel, Justin, and I knew you would not disappoint! Your face is a picture listening to this track, which is as good a place to start as any. I hope you are intrigued enough to want to explore deeper. There is some serious alumni associated with Cockney Rebel. This track/album was engineered by Geoff Emerick (The Beatles), co-produced by Alan Parsons (Alan Parsons Project) orchestral arrangements by Andrew Powell (Kate Bush, Be-Bop Deluxe) and drums by 20 year old Stuart Elliott who was the only member of the original Cockney Rebel that stayed with Harley in the Mark II version of the band and went on to be Kate Bush's drummer for many years.
This was the first song I knew from this band. And I really disliked it because of the singing that seemed to much over the top for me. But then one time I listened to the live album "Face To Face" and that completely changed my mind. Steve Harley became the artist I saw the most in concert. Incredible performer who gives everyone the feeling that he is just and only playing there for you. Sometimes he interrupted the concert for a while to tell little stories. One time he interrupted a song for a rant about someone in the audience but he had forgotten the point of the song where he had interrupted. A lady in the first row helped him out and told him what the last line had been. The band was like "Ok everything clear" and continued the song from that very point.
There are too many songs too good. But I think "Sebastian" is a must know.
I had Human Menagerie and used to play "Sebastian" over and over til my dad threatened to break it f I PLAYED IT ONE MORE TIME!
Mr Soft is great, Had such a crush on Steve
Hey Justin. Not an expert on this band, but here's what I do know. You have to listen to "Judy Teen", their 1972 first single, which I instantly loved upon hearing for the first time, then came "Mr. Soft", which I also like. I like the albums , "The Psychomodo" and "The Best Years Of Our Lives", there's some great tracks on there, eg. the title track, off" Psychomodo" and "The Mad, Mad Moonlight" and Mr. Raffles", off "Best Years...". Steve Harley's vocal delivery is so clever and captivating, as you will hear on the aforementioned tracks. Their 1975 single "Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me)", is the best known and most played song on radio stations and it's a great song, but I'd love to see your reactions to the earlier, quirkier stuff...please.😊😺
RIP Steve Harley.
"Mirror Freak" is another great one from Steve Harley and Cockney rebel
The live album Face to Face is great.
Sebastian is their biggest hit; great song.
Okay, try this one out. 'Do Anything You Wanna Do' by Eddie and the Hot Rods, 1977. There is a link to the band Talk Talk as well.
Great original band, there are plenty of other tracks to try as well. Live performances are good too. Mr Soft is more commerical than some of the others.
Red is a Mean, Mean Colour is probably my favourite of their songs.
Love the band's music, but that's one of my least favourites! 😒
It takes a Floridian VJ to make me to delve further than Come Up and See Me and yes it made me smile. Crucial Choice JP. Jolch. Ferry-ist Vibrato but Jellyfish-ist "Spilt Milk" Impact- this was hidden deep down in my memory cells and I thank you for uncovering it. Onward therefore for more in a Galaxy Quest Stylee - (that's a recommendation for JP Plus btw). Gettin Betta - Pat Travers remains my Flavour of the Month for this One.
Bless You.
I like Cockney Rebel a lot. They are best described as quirky. I've got their album The best years of our lives, and a greatest hits.
They arrived in 1974 with a hit called Judy Teeen, it set the bench mark for their sound. Their biggest hit is undoubtedly Come up and see me ( Make me smile) which is arguably one of the best pop songs ever, and Steve Harley calls, his pension plan.
Their piece of resistance is Sebastian, which pitches the tent somewhere between pop and classical, but was rather too long to be a hit as a single. Harley refused to cut it down for radio play size.
All of these tracks, and many more are stunning, audio treats, packed with interest. You'll have to get used to the distinctive vocal style, it's prevalent in all the tracks.
Tebor ( pronounced Tree bore. ) have been around for many decades, successfully. Mainly mints, but they did venture into other flavours. With takeovers and crashes, they might have gone recently, but if so I've not heard of it. I do remember the ad featuring a cartoon character mooching around. I wasn't impressed, though it was pleasant to here the rebel singing.
Possibily the song is about Bowie..... Starman reference, and paint your face, sling your axe (guitar)................and not that complimentary.
And yet Harley was very appreciative of Bowie.
Not heard this for a long, long time. Tenuous claim to fame -I used to work with Steve Harley's brother back in the 1980s.
I think you'd like 'Judy Teen' JP
They didn't do tons of lps but the first two are the best.
I agree with you there, in fact l think the same about a lot of artists/bands, their early work is often the best.Look at Elton John for instance, his early albums are far superior to his later work, Genesis too, although some people actually prefer their later stuff! 🙄
@@keithjones7390 I never understood people liking the later Genesis stuff.
There are so many bands I have the first couple of lps and didn't bother after that.
@@SPKdesign1 I don't hate Genesis' later work, on fact l continued buying their albums upto We Can't Dance. Perhaps their later stuff appealed to a younger audience, for me there was still some good tracks on the later records, Home by the Sea/Second Home by the Sea and Duke's Travels and Duke's End for instance. Nothing compares though to the wonderful Foxtrot with the epic Suppers Ready and Selling England with those fantastic songs.
Listen to Sebastian from their first album The Human Menagerie.
Great suggestion!
Ah, Cockney Rebel. I love the early stuff but, a bit like Roxy Music, they lost their mojo as time went on. Sebastian is their best track and in my top 10 singles of all-time list.
Edit: Warning! Do not confuse with the Cockney Rejects! Different band/style entirely!
A later more commercial change of direction seemed to be the case with a few bands. Simple Minds took a different approach after more arty work, Level 42 and of course Genesis went the same way with their later recordings.
The dude singing reminded me of Brian Ferry and the song whole of a watered down Roxy Music. It was okay, but I’m curious to hear something else.
This band is great! Steve Harley is basically the band, he is on all the albums. It's the band that tends to change around him. They incorporate lots of styles but have a 70s Glam Rock heart. Also the Trebor soft mints are a British thing and are still going to this day.
Judy Teen should be your next stop if you liked this.
Never heard them before. They do sound like a novelty act to me, similar to Sparks but without the high octane energy.
Definitely not a novelty act, give some more of their songs a listen, try 'The Mad Mad Moonlight', 'Mr Raffles or 'Sebastian'.😊
Yup, novelty was the first word to pop into my head too.
@@jfergs.3302 Give more of their songs a listen, they definitely had 'their own sound' but certainly not a novelty act.
@@CAdams6398 I didn't mean their entire canon. But this definitely has all the hallmarks :)
@@robertbagley9199 I'll see what i can do :)
Great track, and probably my 2nd favourite of theirs - I'd always go for "Judy Teen" as my top track.
TY Justin for at least giving this very underrated but great band a listen, of course the first two albums are Prog & Psych at its best
but in a very special way. Would be nice to see you react to those masterpieces like "Ritz", "Cavaliers", "Tumbling Down"
and "Death Trip" :-) ...
They are great!
The first 2 lps are theatrical Art-Rock and fairly unique with their lack of guitars and occasional sweeping orchestration. The first single, Sebastian, flopped despite getting loads of airplay, but it was a 6 minute, slow, dramatic, Dickensian epic. The follow-up Judy Teen was much more commercial, with a pizzicato violin hook and an actual chorus. It was a UK hit and Harley then thought he was Dylan, Bowie, Lennon and Reed all rolled into one. The UK music press slaughtered him (The NME labelled him Klutz of the Year). The original line-up broke up and Harley formed a new C Rebel with more traditional instrumentation. Still worth listening to but inconsistent.
Maybe Judy Teen or Harley’s UK #1 hit Come Up and See Me (Make Me Smile) should be your next listens, before getting into likes of Sebastian, Death Trip, Tumbling Down or Mr Raffles 🤔
COP THAT YANKY 🙃🇬🇧🙃🇬🇧🙃🇬🇧🙃🇬🇧🙃🇬🇧🙃🇬🇧🙃🇬🇧🙃
That was interesting, reminded me of Tom Waits kind of circus feel. I liked it. Glad they didn’t overdo the organ bit and went violin. Nice, but too short a violin piece. Mo.