The Cream of Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel

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The Cream of Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel
The Cream of Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel 1999 Album Cover.jpg
Compilation album by
Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel
Released15 March 1999 [1]
7 July 2008 (re-issue)
Genre Pop, Rock
Length69:23
Label EMI Gold
Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel chronology
More Than Somewhat – The Very Best of Steve Harley
(1998)		The Cream of Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel
(1999)		 Stripped to the Bare Bones
(1999)
Alternative Cover
The Best of Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel 2008 Album Cover.jpg
2008 re-issue as "The Best of Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel"

The Cream of Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel is a compilation album by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, released by EMI Gold in 1999. It features material from Cockney Rebel, Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel and Harley's solo career. It contains sixteen tracks, covering Harley and the band's career from Cockney Rebel's 1973 album The Human Menagerie to Harley's 1979 album The Candidate , as well as the 1982 non-album single "I Can't Even Touch You". [2] [3]

Contents

Background

The compilation, originally released in 1999, followed from another Steve Harley EMI compilation More Than Somewhat – The Very Best of Steve Harley , which had been released in 1998. [4] The Cream of Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel's artwork and design was handled by P. Linard Marketing & Advertising Ltd. The compilation later made an appearance in the official UK Budget Albums Chart during January 2006. It reached #21 on 14 January 2006, and lasted within the Top 50 for four weeks. [5]

The album was released by EMI Gold on CD in the UK only. Later on 28 February 2003, the album was made available as an online digital MP3 download. [6] On 7 July 2008, the album was re-issued by EMI Gold for release in the UK and Europe as The Best of Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel. [7] This release had the same track-listing, but new artwork, featuring a photograph of Harley in front of a red background. [8] [9]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)" Steve Harley 4:00
2."Judy Teen"Harley3:40
3."Here Comes the Sun" George Harrison 2:56
4."(I Believe) Love's a Prima Donna"Harley4:09
5."The Best Years of Our Lives"Harley5:43
6."Another Journey"Harley2:49
7."Freedom's Prisoner"Harley, Jimmy Horowitz3:50
8."Tumbling Down"Harley5:49
9."Mr. Raffles (Man, It Was Mean)"Harley4:33
10."Roll the Dice"Harley, Jo Partridge3:26
11."Psychomodo"Harley4:03
12."Mr. Soft"Harley3:20
13."White, White Dove"Harley5:38
14."Sebastian"Harley6:57
15."(Love) Compared with You"Harley4:22
16."I Can't Even Touch You"Harley3:59

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [10]

Dave Thompson of AllMusic reviewed the compilation, writing: "This compilation brings together an unchallenging but almost uniformly excellent roundup of Steve Harley's 1970s output. It brushes all of the expected high points. The real meat, however, lies among the excerpted album cuts, as the compilers treat all seven original Harley/Cockney Rebel LPs with more or less equal respect – many fans would have drawn a line after the first three. But "White White Dove," "Roll the Dice," and the like all deserve a fresh hearing, and The Cream of emerges with almost unruffled consistency, and an overall impact that is all the more satisfying for being so unexpected." [10]

Chart performance

Chart (2006)Peak
position
UK Budget Albums Chart [5] 21

Related Research Articles

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<i>The Human Menagerie</i> 1973 studio album by Cockney Rebel

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<i>Greatest Hits</i> (Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel album) 1987 greatest hits album by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel

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<i>The Psychomodo</i> 1974 studio album by Cockney Rebel

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roll the Dice (Steve Harley song)</span> 1978 single by Steve Harley

"Roll the Dice" is a song by English singer-songwriter Steve Harley, which was released in 1978 as the lead single from his debut solo album Hobo with a Grin. The song was written by Harley and Jo Partridge, and produced by Michael J. Jackson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Can't Even Touch You</span> 1982 single by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel

"I Can't Even Touch You" is a song by the British singer-songwriter Steve Harley, which was released in 1982 as a non-album single under his band's name Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel. The song was written by Harley and produced by Midge Ure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Psychomodo</span> 1974 single by Cockney Rebel

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tumbling Down (Cockney Rebel song)</span>

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">(Love) Compared with You</span> 1976 single by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel

"(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.

<i>More Than Somewhat – The Very Best of Steve Harley</i> 1998 compilation album by Steve Harley

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<i>Stripped to the Bare Bones</i> 1999 live album by Steve Harley

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sebastian (song)</span> 1973 single by Cockney Rebel

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hideaway (Cockney Rebel song)</span> 1974 single by Cockney Rebel

"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.

References

  1. ↑ "The Cream of Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel". March 15, 1999 – via Amazon.
  2. ↑ "Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel – The Cream Of Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel". Discogs.
  3. ↑ "CD Album: Steve Harley And Cockney Rebel – The Cream Of Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel (1999)" – via www.45worlds.com.
  4. ↑ "Steve Harley – More Than Somewhat: The Very Best Of..." Discogs.
  5. 1 2 "Chart Log UK: H & Claire- Hysterix". zobbel.de.
  6. ↑ https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001JPMH6U [ dead link ]
  7. ↑ "Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel – The Best Of Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel". Discogs .
  8. ↑ "The Best Of Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel (2008 Repack)". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  9. ↑ "The Best of Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel". Official Steve Harley Website UK. 29 April 2008. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  10. 1 2 "The Cream of Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel – Steve Harley | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic.
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