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In a review of the 1991 EMI CD release, Mark Sinker of Select highlighted the "baroque glam-pop charts hits" "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)" and "Mr. Raffles". [45] Donald A. Guarisco of AllMusic retrospectively said, "Harley had developed a strong grasp of how to combine his artistic ambitions with strongly crafted pop tunes. The result was The Best Years of Our Lives, the most successful album of his mid-'70s heyday. All in all, it is a fine, slickly crafted album that will delight Steve Harley enthusiasts." [41] John Aizlewood of Q magazine called it "supremely confident, it showcased Harley's knack for an anthem, willingness to rock and sheer gall". [22] Aizlewood, writing of the 2021 LP reissue for Mojo in 2021, added that, while "Make Me Smile" "proved to be Harley's pension plan", its parent album was "more than the hit plus filler". He called "Mr. Raffles" Harley's "most beautiful track", and also noted the "heroically self-indulgent" title track and the "slinky" "49th Parallel". [43]
All songs written and composed by Steve Harley.
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Introducing The Best Years" | 1:07 |
2. | "The Mad, Mad Moonlight" | 4:30 |
3. | "Mr. Raffles" | 4:33 |
4. | "It Wasn't Me" | 6:02 |
5. | "Panorama" | 5:38 |
6. | "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)" | 4:00 |
7. | "Back to the Farm" | 5:53 |
8. | "49th Parallel" | 3:13 |
9. | "The Best Years of Our Lives" | 5:45 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
10. | "Another Journey" (B-side of "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)") | 2:52 |
11. | "Sebastian" (live at Hammersmith Odeon) | 10:54 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Another Journey" (B-side of "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)") | 2:51 |
2. | "Mr Raffles (Man, It Was Mean)" (single version) | 3:03 |
3. | "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)" (rough mix) | 3:17 |
4. | "The Best Years of Our Lives" (acoustic version) | 5:31 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "The Mad, Mad Moonlight" | 5:13 |
2. | "Hideaway" | 3:19 |
3. | "Panorama" | 6:02 |
4. | "Medley" | 14:10 |
5. | "Sebastian" | 13:31 |
6. | "Mr. Raffles (Man, It Was Mean)" | 5:08 |
7. | "Back to the Farm" | 6:43 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "49th Parallel" | 3:43 |
2. | "Death Trip" | 14:39 |
3. | "Judy Teen" | 3:17 |
4. | "Mr. Soft" | 3:16 |
5. | "The Best Years of Our Lives" | 5:06 |
6. | "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)" | 4:34 |
7. | "Tumbling Down" | 11:04 |
Chart (1975) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australia (Kent Music Report) [46] | 62 |
Dutch Albums Chart [47] | 11 |
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) [48] | 21 |
UK Albums Chart [20] | 4 |
US Record World 151-200 Album Chart [49] | 182 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI) [50] | Gold | 100,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel
Additional musicians
Production
Design
Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel were an English rock band who formed in the early 1970s in London. Their music covered a range of styles from pop to progressive rock. Over the years, they have had five albums on the UK Albums Chart and twelve singles on the UK Singles Chart.
Stephen Malcolm Ronald Nice, known by his stage name Steve Harley, was an English singer-songwriter and frontman of the rock group Cockney Rebel. The band achieved six UK hit singles in the mid-1970s, including "Judy Teen", "Mr. Soft", and the number one "Make Me Smile ". Harley later scored a further three UK hit singles as a solo artist, including "The Phantom of the Opera", a duet with Sarah Brightman.
"Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)" is a song by the English rock band Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, released on 31 January 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. The song is one of the most-played songs in British broadcasting history.
The Psychomodo is the second studio album by Cockney Rebel, released on 2 June 1974 by EMI. It was produced by Steve Harley and Alan Parsons.
Timeless Flight is the fourth studio album by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, which was released by EMI in 1976. It was written and produced by Steve Harley.
Face to Face: A Live Recording is a live album by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, which was released by EMI in 1977. It was produced by Steve Harley and Tony Clark.
"(I Believe) Love's a Prima Donna" is a song by the British rock band Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, released on 1 October 1976 as the second single from their fifth studio album Love's a Prima Donna. The song was written and produced by Harley. It reached number 41 in the UK Singles Chart and would be the band's last charting single before their split in 1977.
"Big Big Deal" is a song by British singer-songwriter Steve Harley, released by EMI as his debut solo single on 1 November 1974. The song, which was written and produced by Harley, would be his only solo release before the formation of the second line-up of Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel.
"Black or White" is a song by British rock band Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, released on 14 November 1975 as the lead single from their fourth studio album Timeless Flight (1976). The song was written and produced by Harley.
"Mr. Raffles " is a song by the British rock band Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, released on 23 May 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.
"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, released in 1977 as the third and final single from the band's fifth studio album, Love's a Prima Donna (1976). 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.
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.
The Best of Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel is a compilation album by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, released by EMI in September 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.
The Come Back, All is Forgiven Tour: Live is a live concert video by the British rock band Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, which was filmed during their 1989 tour. The concert video has also been released in a variety of guises as a live album.