Steve Harley will never die, like real genius. He leaves us such a magnificent artwork. Rest in peace Steve, thank you so much for the pleasure you gave me all these years, you're always beside me and all yours fans.
Yup, concerning him live....... my favorite gig EVER was A Cockney Rebel gig at Manchester International 2 in the late 1980s Never, Ever forget that night
you described steve and his music on point ! dotted the Ts , made me smile , after 6 months of pure heartach since his departure from this earthly realm. gone but he will never be forgotten , to me he was perfection personified ! absolute genius. he captivated me back in 74 with judyteen ! hit me like a train , from that day on I acquired every single, every Album, collected years of music papers and magazine's with info and articles on him went to all the gigs a 14 year old could possibly achive in the 70s. saw the first Cockney Rebel line up before the split .saw the re incarnation 2nd line up, at Wembley and crystal Palace, through the years I did hundreds of gigs , all over England and Europe, Belgium, Germany, Holland, made special freinds of fans far and wide. his creative masterpieces are pure art ! he was a master class artist as you say up their with the best of the best the best . for you to acknowledge Human menagerie was on par ! along side Ziggy made me smile to say the least ! superb artists, superb albums Harley and Bowie. I'd followed steve Harley for most of my life ( had a sabatical in the 80s having babies and all that ) but resumed in the late 90's and was indeed at the jazz cafe' for the stripped to the bare bones recording, along with all the other gigs recorded live the IOW festival in 2004 the orchestra & choir recording at the symphony Hall in Birmingham and so many gigs inbetween up and down the country , last time I saw him was May 23 just before he took sick .Steve Harley was a ledgend a true artist and the kindest of souls .god given . R.I.P Mr Harley thank you for the Music .thank you for all the joy you gave to thousands.you will never be extinguished from my mind . you come to the grave with e .
I was the only person to climb on stage at Leeds Town Hall in 1975. Steve put his arm around me as he sang “Tumbling down” and kissed me before r the bouncers dragged me off. I was 17 and just 5ft 1 inches, but my platform shoes helped me get up there …. I was completely hypnotised by his charismatic presence 😬 it was one of the best moments of my life ❤️
Dear all, I bought the single Sebastian in January 1974 as it was #1 hit in Belgium. Saw him the first time in Brussels on 10 March 1976 during Timeless Flight tour (with legendary Arno before him) Afterwards more than 20 times, last time last year 25 April in Leuven. I followed him my whole life, nobody’s music came so close to my heart. Enjoyed his music, enjoyed his concerts. He gave us the best feelings one can have. So sad, but so thankful! All the strength needed to his family. Dirk from Belgium.
Great review of Steves work, particularly the great early albums. The depth of feeling by the reviewer echoed my own and made me realise that there were others who appreciated that Steve Harley was so much more than a run of the mill 70s artist who wrote decent disposable pop music.. I was privileged to see the band during the Face to Face tour, plus the intimate 3 man acoustic shows at the Union Chapel, but best of all, his show at the Albert Hall where he played the first two albums with a full orchestra and choir. I would urge any fans to look on youtube for videos of the show taken by the audience, and you could see from Steves reactions on stage that it was a dream come true for him to play those albums at such a place with such a band. There is a great version of Tumbling Down with full crowd sing a long hat encapsulates everything about what it was to be a Steve Harley fan. Thank you for the music SH
The original band was incredible! The break up was one of the biggest musical tragedies in my lifetime.. Right up there with Eno leaving Roxy Music, and Syd Barrett's breakdown..
The original band had a unique sound. It’s too bad that there were only 2 albums but at least we have those to enjoy. The other 3 albums have their moments, such as “Nothing is Sacred” from “Timeless Flight”.
I always believed that this man was a master and when you met him in person, as I was privileged to do, he was humble, kind and generous with his time, like a true great… I am utterly distraught at his passing ❤️
Nice tribute to a great songwriter and performer. I`ve been into SH and Cockney Rebel from the get go when they first released the excellent Human Menagerie . When you have released a body of work as good as Steves it is hard to pick the best but I am surprised there was no mention of the album Timeless Flight. To me this was his "Sgt Pepper" ........ an absolute masterpiece of an album .
Steve Harley and Marc Bolan my alltime Heroes. So much good Songs , my favorits are: Red is a mean colours, Mr. soft, all the men are Hungry, good is an Anarchist, Mr. Raffels, too much tenderness and so much more. Is it true what they say?
I don't know why, but the drop (tear?) on Steve's face on the cover of Pyschomodo always reminded me of a drop of sperm (the band was photographed by Mick Rock). The two Cockney Rebel albums are masterpieces, you're absolutely right. I also recently discovered I can't even touch you. Such a beautiful single produced by Midge Ure.
What an Incredible Legacy to write and perform some of the best Rock/Pop Music ever written and to then share it over numerous Decades with Generational Audiences that never tire of listening to the Chords and Words of a poetic Musical Genius. Thank you Mr. Steve Harley safe Journey' on your '' Timeless Flight''.
I just found out that Steve Harley passed away and I am in shock. Cockney rebel were my favourite band since I heard Judy Teen on the radio as a 13 year old, it just blew me away. After that I brought everything I could get my hands on and still adore his music. RIP Steve and thank you 😢
Love your passion. A sad loss but what a great musical legacy he has left for us to enjoy. My favourite is Human Menagerie. Hideaway seems to remind me of long ago summer's and buoys me up when I feel down. So many great songs. Rip Steve.
Human menagerie best song is Death trip. Best years of our lives my fav is Mr Raffles ( they stripped the 7")and Timeless flight Black or white. 7 "s I owe are all till Love's a prima donna. One of my favourites in the 70-ies.
@@top5records796 They were… You’re right about the dvd, does not do the show justice, particularly the sound of the orchestra & choir which was, I can only say, majestic… I shed tears throughout…. Such was the emotion of the occasion for fans…
@@brendanmelvin9938 I can understand. I can only imagine what it was like being there. Perhaps they could do a remix and release a good vinyl set of it.
Lovely thoughts about what made Steve and his music special. You're right about his vocal style: utter conviction, passion, love, pain...and all in that European high romantic style. I think that's why he was so big around Europe, the way he channeled western classical music in a rock setting.
He also sung on Bolan’s last album Dandy in the Underworld. I last saw him live in 2009 and was fortunate to meet him after the show. We had a great chat. Nice bloke.
Never met him but after one show I remember standing to applaud a wonderful performance. It was a small thing to do but Steve noticed and gave us the most gracious and humble bow. It really felt genuine and a connection between artist and audience. It was like he really cared and I've never forgotten it.
@top5records796 Yes Eric Carmen fronted his group The Raspberries in the 1970s and they scored a few hits then such as Go all the Way in 1972 , and Overnight Sensation in 1974. He then went solo and hit big with a song title All by Myself in 1976. He then appeared again in the 1980s with a song called Hungry Eyes from the Dirty Dancing movie soundtrack.
That's very sad, one of my musical heroes in the early - mid 70s. Your 50 best live albums vid. prompted me to listen to Face to Face - I'd never heard it - it's great! The Psychomodo was always my favourite album of his. The violin solo on Judy Teen too is simply one of the most beautiful bits of music ever!
Damn, what a shame. What a weird coincidence. You were just praising the live album and inspired me to throw it on. Definitely underrated. The albums were all issued here in the US, but he is pretty much unknown here. I don't think even "Come Up And See Me" was a hit here. I ironically discovered him via Duran Duran, then bought a ton of his albums and singles (including Human Menagerie) from an older American guy who was plugged into the UK music scene in the 70s.
That was a nice little tribute to him there that you did. Picking up on your opening statement of how Sebastian was a big hit in Holland/ Europe , it wasn’t at all here in the U.K. and I had to wait until a record fair in Utrecht to pick up a German(?) copy of it ….he broke through with Judy Teen here. I was lucky enough to meet him and his family at the return airport after flying to see him in Edinburgh Scotland. He had taken a very bad fall in the recent past due to his polio weakness so was quite unsteady on his feet , but still the trooper he ever was.
I know Milton Reame James, (not his real name by the way). He and Paul Jeffreys left the band because Harley took all the writing credits and didn’t credit them. Paul Jeffreys was sadly killed in the Lockerbie plane bombing.
If Milton was so part of the writing credits how come we heard so little from him yet Steve went on to score a number 1 with 1.5m sales and album after album? I always thought Milton was a talent for sure in the Original Rebel but a bit of a whinger after he left to be honest. Stuart Elliot stayed with Steve and has penned a very emotional tribute following Steve’s passing, think I’ll pay more attention to him
@@alexhamilton4084 I’ve no doubt you are Alex and I’m merely stating an alternative view, if I’m honest this is one day after Steve has passed away so feels inappropriate
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Steve Harley will never die, like real genius. He leaves us such a magnificent artwork. Rest in peace Steve, thank you so much for the pleasure you gave me all these years, you're always beside me and all yours fans.
ditto .couldn't of put it any better .absolute genius
First two albums are total classics!
so true.....
well said.....
so underrated its criminal
Think he was
Beautifully said, sir - and thank you. 😊
Yup, concerning him live.......
my favorite gig EVER was A Cockney Rebel gig at Manchester International 2 in the late 1980s
Never, Ever forget that night
You're so right in what you've described a fitting tribute thanks. My favourite album Human Menagerie ❤️
you described steve and his music on point ! dotted the Ts , made me smile , after 6 months of pure heartach since his departure from this earthly realm. gone but he will never be forgotten , to me he was perfection personified ! absolute genius. he captivated me back in 74 with judyteen ! hit me like a train , from that day on I acquired every single, every Album, collected years of music papers and magazine's with info and articles on him went to all the gigs a 14 year old could possibly achive in the 70s. saw the first Cockney Rebel line up before the split .saw the re incarnation 2nd line up, at Wembley and crystal Palace, through the years I did hundreds of gigs , all over England and Europe, Belgium, Germany, Holland, made special freinds of fans far and wide.
his creative masterpieces are pure art ! he was a master class artist as you say up their with the best of the best the best . for you to acknowledge Human menagerie was on par ! along side Ziggy made me smile to say the least ! superb artists, superb albums Harley and Bowie. I'd followed steve Harley for most of my life ( had a sabatical in the 80s having babies and all that ) but resumed in the late 90's and was indeed at the jazz cafe' for the stripped to the bare bones recording, along with all the other gigs recorded live the IOW festival in 2004 the orchestra & choir recording at the symphony Hall in Birmingham and so many gigs inbetween up and down the country , last time I saw him was May 23 just before he took sick .Steve Harley was a ledgend a true artist and the kindest of souls .god
given . R.I.P Mr Harley thank you for the Music .thank you for all the joy you gave to thousands.you will never be extinguished from my mind . you come to the grave with e .
I was the only person to climb on stage at Leeds Town Hall in 1975. Steve put his arm around me as he sang “Tumbling down” and kissed me before r the bouncers dragged me off. I was 17 and just 5ft 1 inches, but my platform shoes helped me get up there …. I was completely hypnotised by his charismatic presence 😬 it was one of the best moments of my life ❤️
A lovely memory that'll mean even more now.
Dear all, I bought the single Sebastian in January 1974 as it was #1 hit in Belgium. Saw him the first time in Brussels on 10 March 1976 during Timeless Flight tour (with legendary Arno before him) Afterwards more than 20 times, last time last year 25 April in Leuven. I followed him my whole life, nobody’s music came so close to my heart. Enjoyed his music, enjoyed his concerts. He gave us the best feelings one can have. So sad, but so thankful! All the strength needed to his family. Dirk from Belgium.
Thanks for your response! And my condolences for losing one of your music heroes.
The first two Cockney Rebel albums are masterpieces, agreed. “Ritz” is especially stunning.
ditto
As well as being a great songwriter Harley was an incredible singer.
Terrific tribute, much appreciated.
Thank you!
Great review of Steves work, particularly the great early albums. The depth of feeling by the reviewer echoed my own and made me realise that there were others who appreciated that Steve Harley was so much more than a run of the mill 70s artist who wrote decent disposable pop music.. I was privileged to see the band during the Face to Face tour, plus the intimate 3 man acoustic shows at the Union Chapel, but best of all, his show at the Albert Hall where he played the first two albums with a full orchestra and choir. I would urge any fans to look on youtube for videos of the show taken by the audience, and you could see from Steves reactions on stage that it was a dream come true for him to play those albums at such a place with such a band. There is a great version of Tumbling Down with full crowd sing a long hat encapsulates everything about what it was to be a Steve Harley fan. Thank you for the music SH
Thanks! I am happy to hear that!
Steve was a legend - awesome albums ... love it that you include QueenII as one of the greatest - as many others dont
The original band was incredible! The break up was one of the biggest musical tragedies in my lifetime.. Right up there with Eno leaving Roxy Music, and Syd Barrett's breakdown..
The original band had a unique sound. It’s too bad that there were only 2 albums but at least we have those to enjoy. The other 3 albums have their moments, such as “Nothing is Sacred” from “Timeless Flight”.
I always thought Loretta's Tale could have been a single.
I always believed that this man was a master and when you met him in person, as I was privileged to do, he was humble, kind and generous with his time, like a true great…
I am utterly distraught at his passing ❤️
Nice tribute to a great songwriter and performer. I`ve been into SH and Cockney Rebel from the get go when they first released the excellent Human Menagerie .
When you have released a body of work as good as Steves it is hard to pick the best but I am surprised there was no mention of the album Timeless Flight.
To me this was his "Sgt Pepper" ........ an absolute masterpiece of an album .
I agree. Timeless Flight is a beautiful album.
Loved all his albums but I agree Timeless Flight was a masterpiece of writing.
Steve Harley and Marc Bolan my alltime Heroes. So much good Songs , my favorits are: Red is a mean colours, Mr. soft, all the men are Hungry, good is an Anarchist, Mr. Raffels, too much tenderness and so much more. Is it true what they say?
I don't know why, but the drop (tear?) on Steve's face on the cover of Pyschomodo always reminded me of a drop of sperm (the band was photographed by Mick Rock). The two Cockney Rebel albums are masterpieces, you're absolutely right. I also recently discovered I can't even touch you. Such a beautiful single produced by Midge Ure.
Didn’t want to say it in the video… but I have the same association with that “tear”…
@@top5records796 HM it's great, but Psychomodo is perfect in my opinion.
What an Incredible Legacy to write and perform some of the best Rock/Pop Music ever
written and to then share it over numerous Decades with Generational Audiences that
never tire of listening to the Chords and Words of a poetic Musical Genius.
Thank you Mr. Steve Harley safe Journey' on your '' Timeless Flight''.
I just found out that Steve Harley passed away and I am in shock. Cockney rebel were my favourite band since I heard Judy Teen on the radio as a 13 year old, it just blew me away. After that I brought everything I could get my hands on and still adore his music. RIP Steve and thank you 😢
My condolences! Take care!
I have met Steve Harley on several occasions, as well as being an amazing songwriter and artist he was also a warm and down to earth person
Bedankt voor jouw mooie tribute voor Steve. Ik heb hem een paar keer live mogen horen. Fantastische artiest/performer.
Love your passion. A sad loss but what a great musical legacy he has left for us to enjoy. My favourite is Human Menagerie. Hideaway seems to remind me of long ago summer's and buoys me up when I feel down. So many great songs. Rip Steve.
People often forget his early solo albums - Hobo With a Grin and the Candidate are well worth a listen.
Human menagerie best song is Death trip. Best years of our lives my fav is Mr Raffles ( they stripped the 7")and Timeless flight Black or white. 7 "s I owe are all till Love's a prima donna. One of my favourites in the 70-ies.
My favourite song by Steve Harley was Mr Soft great video I wasn't aware that he had passed away
Great song indeed!
Wonderful muso. Under rated. Classic stuff.
Rip Stephen Malcolm Ronald Nice, you will be missed
I was at three concerts with the orchestra in Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow, utterly magical
Wow I am jealous! Those were incredible shows!
@@top5records796 They were… You’re right about the dvd, does not do the show justice, particularly the sound of the orchestra & choir which was, I can only say, majestic… I shed tears throughout…. Such was the emotion of the occasion for fans…
@@brendanmelvin9938 I can understand. I can only imagine what it was like being there. Perhaps they could do a remix and release a good vinyl set of it.
Geweldig uitgelegd, dank voor dit schitterende eerbetoon. Wat een gitzwarte dag was het.
Dankjewel en inderdaad erg treurig!
Lovely thoughts about what made Steve and his music special. You're right about his vocal style: utter conviction, passion, love, pain...and all in that European high romantic style. I think that's why he was so big around Europe, the way he channeled western classical music in a rock setting.
He also sung on Bolan’s last album Dandy in the Underworld. I last saw him live in 2009 and was fortunate to meet him after the show. We had a great chat. Nice bloke.
Indeed he did! And how wonderful to have met him!
Never met him but after one show I remember standing to applaud a wonderful performance. It was a small thing to do but Steve noticed and gave us the most gracious and humble bow. It really felt genuine and a connection between artist and audience. It was like he really cared and I've never forgotten it.
Death Trip my favourite song ever
I understand! It’s brilliant.
Hi. Another singer gone, Eric Carmen died recently and now Steve. I remember his big hit in 1975. Come up and See me. I was in high school then .
Indeed also Eric Carmen, I did not do an In Memoriam on him because I know too little about him. But he was very talented aswel.
@top5records796 Yes Eric Carmen fronted his group The Raspberries in the 1970s and they scored a few hits then such as Go all the Way in 1972 , and Overnight Sensation in 1974. He then went solo and hit big with a song title All by Myself in 1976. He then appeared again in the 1980s with a song called Hungry Eyes from the Dirty Dancing movie soundtrack.
That's very sad, one of my musical heroes in the early - mid 70s. Your 50 best live albums vid. prompted me to listen to Face to Face - I'd never heard it - it's great! The Psychomodo was always my favourite album of his. The violin solo on Judy Teen too is simply one of the most beautiful bits of music ever!
I am very happy to hear that. And it is indeed very sad he passed away.
Damn, what a shame. What a weird coincidence. You were just praising the live album and inspired me to throw it on.
Definitely underrated. The albums were all issued here in the US, but he is pretty much unknown here. I don't think even "Come Up And See Me" was a hit here. I ironically discovered him via Duran Duran, then bought a ton of his albums and singles (including Human Menagerie) from an older American guy who was plugged into the UK music scene in the 70s.
I had the same thing! Still had that live album in my mind and then this happened.
Steve always gave credit to EMI for allowing him the luxury of haveing expensive orchestrations on his early records. …..wouldn’t happen now
I did not know that. Very polite of him to do; also EMI did show a lot of trust with giving a young artist with his first album an orchestra.
That was a nice little tribute to him there that you did.
Picking up on your opening statement of how Sebastian was a big hit in Holland/ Europe , it wasn’t at all here in the U.K. and I had to wait until a record fair in Utrecht to pick up a German(?) copy of it ….he broke through with Judy Teen here.
I was lucky enough to meet him and his family at the return airport after flying to see him in
Edinburgh Scotland.
He had taken a very bad fall in the recent past due to his polio weakness so was quite unsteady on his feet , but still the trooper he ever was.
I know Milton Reame James, (not his real name by the way).
He and Paul Jeffreys left the band because Harley took all the writing credits and didn’t credit them. Paul Jeffreys was sadly killed in the Lockerbie plane bombing.
That doesn’t sound good I’m afraid… Apart from the money there is also that element of honor in writing a song.
If Milton was so part of the writing credits how come we heard so little from him yet Steve went on to score a number 1 with 1.5m sales and album after album?
I always thought Milton was a talent for sure in the Original Rebel but a bit of a whinger after he left to be honest. Stuart Elliot stayed with Steve and has penned a very emotional tribute following Steve’s passing, think I’ll pay more attention to him
@@brendanmelvin9938 I’m only stating what Howard (Milton) told me. I have no reason to doubt his word. 🤷🏻♂️
@@alexhamilton4084 I’ve no doubt you are Alex and I’m merely stating an alternative view, if I’m honest this is one day after Steve has passed away so feels inappropriate