| A Closer Look | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Compilation album by | ||||
| Released | October 1975 [1] | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 47:37 | |||
| Label | EMI | |||
| Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel chronology | ||||
| ||||
A Closer Look is a compilation album by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, which was released by EMI Records in the United States in 1975. It features material recorded by the original Cockney Rebel as well as the reformed Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel line-up. [2]
A Closer Look was released as an attempt to raise awareness and provide Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel with a commercial breakthrough in the United States. Between 1973 and 1975, the band had achieved commercial and critical success in the UK and Europe, but had only a cult following in the US. The compilation was released to coincide with the band's first tour of the US in late 1975 as a support act for The Kinks. [3]
The ten tracks on the compilation are taken from the band's three studio albums up to that point, The Human Menagerie (1973), The Psychomodo (1974), and The Best Years of Our Lives (1975). [4] [5] It included all of the singles released by the band, with the exception of "Judy Teen". [6]
A Closer Look failed to provide the band with a commercial breakthrough. Cockney Rebel would see their only appearance in the US charts with "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)", which reached number 96 on the Billboard Hot 100 in March 1976. [7]
A Closer Look was released by EMI Records as a vinyl LP in the United States only, with Capitol Records handling the manufacturing and distribution. [8] In the attempt to gain interest in the compilation in the UK, adverts were placed in music magazines announcing the compilation was available from EMI International as a "special import". [9] The album was given its first CD release in 2001, when it was issued by BGO Records as a double-album set with the band's 1976 album Love's a Prima Donna . [10]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [6] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [11] |
On its release, Cash Box considered A Closer Look to "showcase Harley as a songwriter of subtleties". The reviewer wrote, "Shot through his songs are word diversions and innuendos that prove a natural attribute when paired off with a ballad and light pop aura. Harley's neutral vocal stance proves the right vehicle for the songs while loose instrumentals buoy up the proceedings." They concluded, "A Closer Look is Harley at a slightly eccentric and totally entertaining musical purge." [12] R. B. Ragg of the Oakland Tribune wrote, "A Closer Look shines a beacon of light on Harley's desperately excellent lyrics and his band. Alternating between schizophrenia, romantic tears and bolero sidesteps, Harley appears to be a captivating new force in English rock and roll." [13]
Pierre-Rene Noth of the Milwaukee Journal stated, "Harley does an unusual cabaret style rock marred in the past by great inconsistency. This selection finally provides Harley with what he needed most – some severe editing. In the process, A Closer Look becomes a unique album by a unique artist." [14] Keith Sharp of the Calgary Herald commented, "If anything, A Closer Look chronicles the change in musical direction this band has taken during the past years, caused mainly by a rash of personnel changes. Although Harley's music is an acquired taste to say the least, tracks such as 'Mirror Freak', 'Hideaway', 'Mr. Raffles' and 'Psychomodo' make this album worth listening to." [15]
In a retrospective review, Donald A. Guarisco of AllMusic considered A Closer Look to be a "nice sampler of this group's glory days", with a good balance between the band's "short pop tunes that blended clever lyrics with hook-filled tunes" and their "lengthier, often orchestrated epics that allowed Harley to give full rein to his arty ambitions". He concluded, "Although it omits some crucial hits like 'Judy Teen' and was released too early to include anything from the excellent Love's a Prima Donna, A Closer Look remains a solid introduction to the career of an underrated but very worthwhile group from the artier side of glam rock." [6]
All songs written and composed by Steve Harley.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)" | 3:58 |
| 2. | "Mr Raffles" | 4:32 |
| 3. | "Panorama" | 5:36 |
| 4. | "Hideaway" | 3:47 |
| 5. | "Sebastian" | 6:55 |
| 6. | "Sweet Dreams" | 2:03 |
| 7. | "Psychomodo" | 4:02 |
| 8. | "Mr Soft" | 3:17 |
| 9. | "Mirror Freak" | 5:10 |
| 10. | "Tumbling Down" | 5:51 |
Cockney Rebel
Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel
Production
Other
Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel are a British glam rock band from the early 1970s from London. Their music covers a range of styles from pop to progressive rock. Over the years they have had five albums in the UK Albums Chart and twelve singles in the UK Singles Chart.
Steve Harley is an English singer and songwriter, best known as frontman of the rock group Cockney Rebel, with whom he still tours, albeit with frequent and significant personnel changes.
"Make Me Smile " is a song by the British rock band Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, which was released in 1975 by EMI as the lead single from the band's third studio album The Best Years of Our Lives. The song was written by Harley, and produced by Harley and Alan Parsons. In February 1975, the song reached number one on the UK chart and received a gold certification from the British Phonographic Industry in October 2021. It spent nine weeks in the Top 50, and as of 2015, has sold over 1.5 million copies worldwide.
Greatest Hits is a compilation album by the British band Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, released by EMI in 1987.
The Psychomodo is the second studio album by Cockney Rebel, which was released by EMI in 1974. It was produced by Steve Harley and Alan Parsons.
The Best Years of Our Lives is the third studio album by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, which was released by EMI in 1975. It was the first album to feature Harley's name ahead of the band's. The album was produced by Harley and Alan Parsons, and contains the band's only UK number one, the million-selling "Make Me Smile ".
Love's a Prima Donna is the fifth studio album by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, which was released by EMI in 1976. It was produced by Harley, and would be the band's last album before splitting in 1977.
The Candidate is the second solo studio album by British singer-songwriter Steve Harley, which was released by EMI in 1979. It was produced by Harley and Jimmy Horowitz.
"(I Believe) Love's a Prima Donna" is a song by the British rock band Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, which was released in 1976 as the second single from their fifth studio album Love's a Prima Donna. It was written and produced by Harley. The song reached No. 41 in the UK and would be the band's last charting single before their split in 1977.
"Mr. Raffles " is a song by the British rock band Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, which was released in 1975 as the second and final single from their third studio album The Best Years of Our Lives. The song was written by Harley, and produced by Harley and Alan Parsons. "Mr. Raffles " reached number 13 in the UK Singles Chart.
"Psychomodo" is a song by the British rock band Cockney Rebel, fronted by Steve Harley. It was released in 1974 as the lead single from their second studio album The Psychomodo. "Psychomodo" was written by Harley, and produced by Harley and Alan Parsons.
"Tumbling Down" is a song by the British rock band Cockney Rebel, fronted by Steve Harley. It was released in 1975 as the third and final single from the band's second studio album The Psychomodo (1974). The song was written by Harley, and produced by Harley and Alan Parsons.
"(Love) Compared with You" is a song by the British rock band Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, which was released in 1976 as the third and final single from the band's fifth studio album Love's a Prima Donna. Released as a single in America only, the song was written and produced by Harley.
"Judy Teen" is a song by the British rock band Cockney Rebel, fronted by Steve Harley. It was released as a non-album single in 1974, and became the band's first UK hit, after their debut single, "Sebastian", was only a hit in continental Europe. "Judy Teen" was written by Harley, and produced by Harley and Alan Parsons.
"Mr. Soft" is a song by the British rock band Cockney Rebel, fronted by Steve Harley, which was released in 1974 as the second single from their second studio album The Psychomodo. The song was written by Harley, and produced by Harley and Alan Parsons. "Mr. Soft" peaked at number 8 in the UK Singles Chart.
"Sebastian" is a song by the British rock band Cockney Rebel, fronted by Steve Harley. It was released as the band's debut single in 1973 from their album The Human Menagerie. The song was written by Harley and produced by Neil Harrison.
"Hideaway" is a song by the British rock band Cockney Rebel, fronted by Steve Harley. Released as the opening track on the band's 1973 debut album The Human Menagerie, "Hideaway" was released in 1974 as a single in Denmark only. It was written by Harley and produced by Neil Harrison.
"The Best Years of Our Lives" is a song by the British rock band Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, released in 1975 as the title track from the band's third studio album The Best Years of Our Lives. In 1977, a live version of the song was released as a single from the album Face to Face: A Live Recording.
The Best of Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel is a compilation album by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, which was released in 1980. It features material from the original line-up of Cockney Rebel, the Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel line-up, and two tracks from Harley's solo career.
Cavaliers: An Anthology 1973–1974 is a remastered four-disc box-set anthology by Cockney Rebel, released in 2012. The set chronicles the recording career of the original line-up of Cockney Rebel, between 1973 and 1974. It includes both of the band's albums The Human Menagerie (1973) and The Psychomodo (1974), as well as all the singles and non-album B-Sides. It also features early alternative versions and mixes of tracks from both albums, as well as live sessions for the BBC, including a John Peel session and on the Old Grey Whistle Test.