I always know why I love or hate a band, but groups/artists like Cockney Rebel are a mystery. There is something there that attracts me, but once I obtain it, I doubt the music, packaging, almost everything. Yet, I can’t let it go; something about Cockney Rebel’s songs keeps my attention and thoughts. I even lay in bed at 3:00 am thinking, What is it about Cockney Rebel?
There are five studio albums under the name Cockney Rebel or Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel. They are different in that Steve Harley, the songwriter, singer, and visionary, had different musicians between those two groupings. He made The Human Menagerie (1973) with the original group and The Psychomodo (1974). The third and first album under Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel is The Best Years of Our Lives (1975). For all purposes, I will concentrate on those three recordings because they were the height of Cockney Rebel's fame and attention. The Cockney Rebel albums were unique because the violin and keyboards were the main instruments. Steve Harley’s voice stands out with a Dylan sneer of Blonde on Blonde, but more pop than rock. If anything, there is a Jacques Brel touch in that the songs convey more character sketches than, I suspect, the life of its singer. I would not think these albums are successful chart-wise because they are odd works. But alas, he and the band had a significant presence on the pop charts in the UK and parts of Europe.
Some of the songs are heavily orchestrated with a massive orchestra, such as Sebastian and Death Trip, not to be confused with Iggy and the Stooges, a great song with the same title and around the same time. When he goes over the top with the strings, I think that is where his strength lies because some of the melodies are manageable or workable but not exceptional. But they are also not terrible or poor taste, and I have issues with his music and recordings. There are Bowie touches throughout the music, but there are also Carribian melodies and structures that seem very London at the time. If nothing else, Cockney Rebel is cosmopolitan.
The Psychomodo opens up theatrically (like The Human Menagerie). In such a manner, it has a Diamond Dogs vibe, not imitating the great Bowie but more in tune with the song narratively. And it reminds me a bit of Jobriath in that sense as well. But Harley is more Brecht/Berlin than Weill/Broadway. Most of the time, the lack of guitar on The Psycomodo is more prominent, replaced by the violin. The electric piano has traces of jazz dreamingness. When I hear these two albums, it feels very acoustic-sounding, and the music is made on a small scale; even with the grand orchestration on some songs, there is a minute space of it all. But The Psychomodo as an album is the stronger of the two. But I have heard better artists/albums, such as the first Lewis Furey album (1975), that covered that sound in a more artful and natural feel for theater music. Sadly, that album disappeared into the 70s era, but so has Cockney Rebel, at least in America. And I guess my disappointment lies in the fact that this type of music didn’t catch on to most music listeners.
The Best Years of Our Lives is the first album without the original band, replaced with a more conservative lineup of guitars, keyboards, etc. And a bigger and what I think is a more commercial approach to Harley’s eccentricities concerning his music. The split up of the original band led to Harley’s and Cockney Rebel’s biggest hit, Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me), with his new group of musicians. Harley here is at his most Dylan put-down phrase, but with equal amounts of a glam feeling. The great masterpiece of this album and my all-time favorite Harley music is Mr Raffles. Harley brings the word man with such disdain that it is borderline camp.
I must admit that I had the exact issue with the British band Suede, whom I admired and ignored for years. Like Cockney Rebel, Suede had two separate periods when they had the co-writer/guitarist Bernard Butler and then without him. However, like Cockney Rebel, they existed and became even more popular with their newer bands. Then, one day, out of nowhere, I craved to hear Suede records. To this day, I now follow their current and past work. And I love them. So, maybe through time, I will feel that way about Steve Harley’s music. The beauty of music is that it expands and can disappear into the air, but if the right moment is there, it will be a continuous conversation between you as a listener and the artist.
Genius. He/they always reminds me of Box Tops guy who went onto to create the superfine band Big Star, amazing vibe. Nice observations TB.