Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel - The Best Years Of Our Lives (1975) + Bonus Tracks

(U.K 1972–1977, 1979–1984, 1989–2024)

Stephen Malcolm Ronald Nice (27 February 1951 – 17 March 2024), better known by his stage name Steve Harley, was an English singer and songwriter, best known as frontman of the glam rock group Cockney Rebel. He scored five UK hit singles with the band in the mid-1970s including "Judy Teen", "Mr. Soft" and the number one "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)".

Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel were one of the great "Glam Rock" bands. Steve Harley was a superb songwriter, singer, and showman. His songs include "Make Me Smile", "Sebastian", "Mr. Raffles", "Mr. Soft", "The Best Years Of Our Lives", and "Psychomodo". These were all intelligent, well written songs, with great hooks, and Cockney Rebel had a very individual musical style. Without a doubt, they were one of the most talented bands to emerge in the seventies.

In November and December 1974, the band recorded 'The Best Years of Our Lives' at Abbey Road Studios and Air Studios in London. Speaking to Record & Popswop Mirror in November 1974, Harley said, "The best work I've done yet is on the new LP. I find that I'm not writing in such a surrealistic way anymore. I'm writing slightly more blatant, less subtle. The whole album is a theme. The whole story is a dialogue, almost between two people – or a group of people and the artist: questions and answers. It's kind of like a guy who goes through a metamorphosis and comes out of it in good shape – alive and kicking." He added to the magazine in 1975, "This album is something I believe in. It means so much to me than anything I have done before."

Harley recorded this album with a new Cockney Rebel lineup. His new band had a real identity, probably just as strong as it's illustrious predecessor, and the masterful guitar playing of Cregan and keyboard wizard Duncan Mackay underpinned by the funky as hell rhythm section of Stuart Elliot (from the first Cockney Rebel) and newcomer George Ford proved that Steve Harley And Cockney Rebel were one hell of a rock and roll band.

Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel 1975
L-R: George Ford, Jim Cregan, Steve Harley, Stuart Elliot, Duncan Mackay

"The Best Years Of Our Lives" was released March 1975 in the UK on EMI Records EMC 3068 and in the USA on EMI Records ST-11394. Produced by ALAN PARSONS and STEVE HARLEY - it peaked at No. 4 in the UK (but didn't chart in the USA strangely enough).

To promote the album, the band embarked on a UK and European tour from March 1975 onwards. On the tour, the band hired guitarist Snowy White to play rhythm guitar. In a January 1975 issue of Record & Popswop Mirror, it was announced that the upcoming tour would feature "a specially built set and lighting to reflect songs and images featured on the forthcoming album". Later in the year they toured America, as a support act for The Kinks.

The Album

After a minute-long fade in, the "Introducing" opening melts into a rapid-paced flirt song called "The Mad, Mad Moonlight" where a 'big girl' asks him upstairs who may or may not be concerned with his/her gender. That synth comes over better and the snarled lyrics kick just as much as they did back in the day. One of the Seventies great slick-willy songs - "Mr. Raffles (Man, It Was Mean)" lulls you into a false sense of 'walk on the wild side' almost easy listening suave when it's actually a tune about a shifty git who doesn't care who he hurts. Once again the keyboards float across your speakers during "It Wasn't Me" - taxis in the early hours - whiffs of withered flowers - accusations from she who has her suspicions about Steve's whereabouts earlier in the evening. Side 1 ends with guest vocalists Liza Strike, Linda Lewis, Tina Charles, Martin Jay and Yvonne Keeley aiding Harley on "Panorama" - a five and half minute opus about the coldness of city life - and with an edit could easily have been another single.

Side 2 opens with the magical "Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me)" - a tune that feels so sophisticated even now - a genuine slice of Pop greatness and some 45 years after the event - probably played more times on oldies stations than any other Cockney Rebel song. It's rare that you'd call such an overtly pop beat 'beautiful' - but when that organ solo comes sailing in and the girls do their backing vocals magic once again - that was it's number one moment on the hit parade and has been so ever since.

"Back To The Farm" gives us six-minutes of paranoia - people listening in - the girls echoed vocals giving the song a Sensational Alex Harvey Band menace (power in those guitars). Things get clavinet funky with "49th Parallel" - probably the best Production on the album - dig that warm and clear Bass underpin. A slow six-minute event-lurch ends the album - "The Best Years Of Our Lives" talking about no room for laughter - changes twisting perceptions - it's an epic tune and the Remaster has lent it real muscle.

Bonus Tracks:
You are going to love "Another Journey" - a B-side that could easily have been on the album. Next is a 'Rough Mix' of "Make Me Smile..." where Harley's lead vocals seem too weak in the stew but that musical accompaniment is fantastic and the acoustic solo vs. keyboards crescendo still sounding awesome albeit a wee bit different (but not in a bad way).
The five and half-minute 'Acoustic' cut of the title track is great - bare and truthful lyrics you can now actually hear - Harley sounding not unlike Ray Davies of The Kinks.

This post consists of FLACs ripped from CD and includes full album artwork for both Vinyl & CD media.  I choose not to rip my vinyl as it has been played 'too many times' and a dodgey stylus has left its mark I'm afraid.   Bonus tracks were sourced from the 2018 reissue of the album.

Track Listing:

1. Introducing "The Best Years"

2. The Mad, Mad Moonlight 

3. Mr. Raffles (Man, It Was Mean) 

4. It Wasn't Me 

5. Panorama 

6. Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me)

7. Back To The Farm 

8. 49th Parallel 

9. The Best Years Of Our Lives 

Bonus Tracks: 

10. Another Journey - 31 January 1975 UK 45-single on EMI Records 2263, Non-Album B-side of "Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me)" 

11. Mr. Raffles (Man, It Was Mean) (Single Version) - 16 May 1975 UK 45-single on EMI Records 2299, A-side

12. Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me) (Rough Mix) - previously unreleased *

13. The Best Years Of Our Lives (Acoustic Version) - previously unreleased *

* Sourced from the 2018 reissue of the album

Cockney Rebel were:

Steve Harley - Vocals

Jim Cregan - Guitar, Backing Vocals

Dunkan Mackay - Keyboards

George Ford - Bass, Backing Vocals

Stuart Elliot - Drums

Steve Harley Link (366Mb)