This page will contain wikis about Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel, as they become available.Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel(Redirected from Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel)Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel were a UK rock band from the early 1970s. Their music covers a range of styles from pop to progressive rock, and while they were contemporary with the glam rock period, their music is not truly classifiable as such. Steve Harley was born as Steve Nice in February 1951 in London. His musical career began in the late 1960s when he was busking, performing his own songs, some of which were later recorded by him and the band. The original Cockney Rebel were put together in 1972, consisting of drummer Stuart Elliot, bassist Paul Jefferies, violinist Jean Paul Croker, and keyboard player Milton Reames James. They were signed to EMI after playing just 5 gigs. Their first single Sebastian, a soaring rock epic, was an immediate success in Europe, though failed to chart in the UK. Their first album, The Human Menagerie, was released in 1973. Harley managed to irritate a significant part of the music press with his self-aggrandisement, even as the music itself was getting rave reviews and gaining a wide audience. It was becoming clear that Harley regarded the band as little more than accompaniment to his own agenda, and already there were signs that things would not last, despite having a big hit with their second single, Judy Teen. There then followed the album The Psychomodo, an adventurous and ambitious production which showed that there was real talent in the group. A second single from the album, Mr. Soft, was also a big hit. The band were voted the "Most Outstanding New Act" of 1974. By this time the problems within the band had already reached a head, and most of the band with the exception of Stuart Elliot quit. An appearance on Top of the Pops by the group in fact largely consisted of session musicians drafted in for the show. From then on, the band was a band in name only, being more or less a Steve Harley solo project. In 1974, a further album, The Best Years of Our Lives was made, produced by Beatles producer Alan Parsons. This included the track Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me) which would go on to be a number one single and the band's biggest hit. From then on, Steve Harley struggled to match that success, and the band faded away. He made a minor comeback in 1979 as a solo artist in the UK singles chart with the Tamla Motown-inspired Freedom's Prisoner which bubbled under the Top 50. After a brief appearance in the 1980s with a song from Andrew Lloyd-Webber's The Phantom of the Opera, Steve began touring again with his old Cockney rebel songs in the late 80s and 90s. Harley now presents a show on BBC Radio 2 called The Sounds of the Seventies This page about Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel includes information from a Wikipedia article. Additional articles about Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel News stories about Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel External links for Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel Videos for Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel Wikis about Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel Discussion Groups about Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel Blogs about Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel Images of Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel |
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Harley now presents a show on BBC Radio 2 called The Sounds of the Seventies. The group continued to tour until Berry's death in March, 2004, with 1960s nostalgia providing them with a ready audience. After a brief appearance in the 1980s with a song from Andrew Lloyd-Webber's The Phantom of the Opera, Steve began touring again with his old Cockney rebel songs in the late 80s and 90s. As a result, the group did not perform again until 1973, and made an official comeback in 1978 on tour with the Beach Boys. He made a minor comeback in 1979 as a solo artist in the UK singles chart with the Tamla Motown-inspired Freedom's Prisoner which bubbled under the Top 50. Early in 1966 Jan was involved in a serious motor vehicle accident, resulting in severe head injuries. From then on, Steve Harley struggled to match that success, and the band faded away. Subsequent hits included "Little Old Lady From Pasadena" (1964) and the eerily portentous "Dead Man's Curve" (1964). This included the track Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me) which would go on to be a number one single and the band's biggest hit. Playing local venues, they met and performed with the Beach Boys, and discovered the appeal of the latter's "surf sound".With considerable help from Brian Wilson, they eventually scored a number one national hit with "Surf City" (1963). In 1974, a further album, The Best Years of Our Lives was made, produced by Beatles producer Alan Parsons. With the help of friend Herb Alpert and producer Lou Adler, they scored a modest hit with Baby Talk (1959), and then entered a long dry spell. From then on, the band was a band in name only, being more or less a Steve Harley solo project. After Dean returned from an army stint and Arnie went off to other pursuits (by 1962, he was a hugely successful rock and roll deejay in Boston), the two began to make music again as Jan and Dean. An appearance on Top of the Pops by the group in fact largely consisted of session musicians drafted in for the show. Their first commercial success was Jennie Lee (1958), an ode to a local burlesque performer which they recorded along with pal Arnie Ginsberg. By this time the problems within the band had already reached a head, and most of the band with the exception of Stuart Elliot quit. They first performed on stage as The Barons at a high school dance. The band were voted the "Most Outstanding New Act" of 1974. Primitive recording sessions followed soon after, in a makeshift studio in Jan's garage. Soft, was also a big hit. They began singing together after football practice at University High School in Los Angeles. A second single from the album, Mr. Jan Berry (April 3, 1941, Los Angeles -- March 26, 2004) and Dean Torrence (born March 10, 1940, Los Angeles) were a rock and roll duo briefly popular in the early 1960s as part of the "surf music" craze inspired by The Beach Boys. There then followed the album The Psychomodo, an adventurous and ambitious production which showed that there was real talent in the group. It was becoming clear that Harley regarded the band as little more than accompaniment to his own agenda, and already there were signs that things would not last, despite having a big hit with their second single, Judy Teen. Harley managed to irritate a significant part of the music press with his self-aggrandisement, even as the music itself was getting rave reviews and gaining a wide audience. Their first album, The Human Menagerie, was released in 1973. Their first single Sebastian, a soaring rock epic, was an immediate success in Europe, though failed to chart in the UK. They were signed to EMI after playing just 5 gigs. The original Cockney Rebel were put together in 1972, consisting of drummer Stuart Elliot, bassist Paul Jefferies, violinist Jean Paul Croker, and keyboard player Milton Reames James. His musical career began in the late 1960s when he was busking, performing his own songs, some of which were later recorded by him and the band. Steve Harley was born as Steve Nice in February 1951 in London. Their music covers a range of styles from pop to progressive rock, and while they were contemporary with the glam rock period, their music is not truly classifiable as such. Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel were a UK rock band from the early 1970s. |