Well, that is an excellent point.

Many of the philosphical nuances of Mr. Harley's work are probably lost on a non native English speaker so I can see where you are coming from re the music being the main thinh with you.

(you write so well in English it is easy to forget that you belong to La Belle France and that is your native tongue)

And the lterary references in Steve's work is accurate as well.....for someone like me, who has been passionate about literature since childhood, hearing pop songs with lyrics like "Hemmingway stacattos" blew my mind.

My favourite song of all time is Deathtrip, in which the lyrics made little sense.

"Someone's trying to fool us
Maybe it's your daughters
Can you hear the walrus
Offering a sad solution"

Don’t get me wrong, I loved Steve's non-seneschal lyrics, but for me it was the music which made ‘Deathtrip’ and many others back then.

The majestic use of an orchestra and the prominent backing vocals made the songs epic masterpieces, rather than just pop songs.

Despite fans hailing the early stuff as his best, it surprises me that SH has never tried to revisit this style and give us an album of epic orchestral masterpieces again.
I would love to hear SH with a huge orchestra and choir singing new songs with all guns a blazing.

Even his biggest success 'Come up and see me', was heavy on the backing vocals, but he seems reluctant to go back to his successful routes.

Speaking of lyrics and rythm in the writing, he has sometimes done an incredible work of "musical words".

See :

Hark to Rouall's white insanity
Clowns in drag concealing vanity
This is hardly Paradise
We’re still in search of petty scorn

Don't you think it sounds like music, just reading them ?


And that :

Couch my disease in chintz-covered kisses
Glazed calico cloth, my costume this is
Come to Pablo Fanque's in Indigo
We'll show you pastel Shades of rhyme

All these "sssshhh", "zzzz" serving the purpose, it's not beautiful ?

When you listen to that, no matter if you are of english tong or not. These words are music. Somebody able to write like that is just a genius.

Rebel wrote:
I would love to hear SH with a huge orchestra and choir singing new songs with all guns a blazing.

Oh yes !!! A symphonic reinvention !

I am going to get my comment about Stranger Comes to Town for Amazon France ready in the coming days.
Nobody else has commented it yet on Amazon France.
Anyhow, there is never many comments even about, say, the "pentalogy" (Human Menagerie - The Psychomodo - The Best Years - Timeless Flight - Love's A Prima Donna).
Generally 2, mines included

As you know, this album is not my cup of tea.
As you know, I want more people in France to discover Steve Harley/ Cockney Rebel.
So I would certainly not send the feeling I discribed here (see page 4 of this topic) and comment something like "I find it too serious, not fancy enough, etc.". No.

What brings me here today : I need your help to defend this album BUT not on a lyrics point of view (as french mostly don't give a damn about english lyrics or, say it's not the first thing that hits them).

I need a good line of argument about the music of this album. Even if, after, I shall say a few words about the lyrics (but just a few !).

Anyone ?

No one ??!!!! What happens ? Nothing to say about the music of Stranger Comes To Town ?

Nobody to shout "somebody tells her !!!"

OK, I see what I can do on my own ...