Hoe is het?
Gaat het met je?

Hoe gaat het?
Ben je in orde?

Wie geht es ihnen?
Geht es dir gut?

Kuinka voitte?
Oletko kunnossa?

Hvordan har du det?
Er du okay?

How are you?
Are you alright?


There is one product (DVD 7000X) I have from 2003 (just before social media really started 'taking off', in the transition of the monumental changes/ seismic shifts, that were beginning within the music industry), including both Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel and Roxy Music [and they are both live performances]). I am always thinking of parallels between my favourite bands.

www.steveharley.com/forum/7-welcome-mat/...l.html?start=6#13212


These guys Harrison and Harley knew how to write and deliver (respectively and respect) an 'up' pop song (as well as a 'down' pop song and various states of mind in between). On the other hand, we don't want it too hot for too long, we want homeostasis for the organism (wherever on the tree of life) and homeostasis for James Lovelock's Gaia or Neneh Cherry's Mother Earth.

Sasha and I both thought, in the late 1980's to the mid 1990's that Neneh's persona was very 'Earth Mother'). It was great meeting her briefly in 1996...her eyes were so dark, almost black (I felt like - they drew me in), her husband [Cameron McVey] was keeping a close eye on me - whilst still playing! Sash (too) had a bit of a girl crush on her, I think. We were next to her microphone during the whole gig (she was very close to her audience), at Shepherds Bush Empire, London.

Postscript: Relatively recently, I've read Neneh's autobiography, 'A Thousand Threads' (Vintage, 2024). I could hardly put it down until I got to the end...


I knew that when one of my subjects back on day release (Reading, 1988-1990) was 'Land Use', this was significant as well as interesting, for me, both historically and contemporaneously.

POLITICAL RANT: I'll never forgive the Tories (here in the UK) for privatising water (1989). The main problem is how this affects England - at the time of this edit (18 July 2025) the BBC One O'clock News has just revealed 60% increase in major pollution incidents. Scotland and Northern Ireland are (happily) completely unaffected. They each benefit from state owned operations (as it should be). Wales have a better arrangement than England, in that their companies are not-for-profit.

Ditto with energy. In my view, war has been used as an excuse for the considerable redistribution of a sizeable part of (ordinary working) people's incomes and there is absolutely no defence to what is going on in our rivers (immoral) and seas (but the latter is more of a global issue). Nano plastics are now widespread, within the environment, around and well away from, human populations and have been found within (living) organisms (including humans)...Postscript (although he wrote it about another aspect of governmental policy) check out the great melody/words of Ian Hunter and The Rant Band (2001, I'm pretty sure) of their song 'Ripoff'. For me, that certainly applies here (today) some twenty-odd years later.

Postscript: My own political rant has reminded me that Steve once spoke in the press about his support for the 'bin workers' (refuse collection - in those days it was all land fill - which in itself adds weight to my nano plastics point - we've simply had to start recycling because of the proliferation of this type of packaging). Steve added his voice to supporting that sector during the 'Winter of Discontent' (Winter 1978-79), I recall.

Feargal Sharkey (formerly of The Undertones) is 'with me' regarding the current (unacceptable/ongoing) pollution of English rivers...and distributions to shareholders amounting to well over £7 billion since privatisation - in lieu of adequate investment in the infrastructure...This has ignored both, the considerable growth in human population and consequent building of new houses, and the effects of global warming (scientifically, undeniable). It's a disgrace and in my view, a crime to the natural world, to freshwater river eco-systems and to all species (YES, ALL) that rely on them...the cradle of life and civilisation (the latter is becoming increasingly questionable, what are we doing?! And what have we done - or allowed to happen?!) Thanks again Feargal.

X

24/02/26 DID ANYONE WATCH AND LISTEN TO 'DIRTY BUSINESS' CHANNEL 4 LAST NIGHT?!! I am so angry! An 8 year old girl dead (1999)...Just totally vindicates everything I've said here, prior to today. WATER needs to come under the national umbrella again...UK is lurching way too far to the right. The 'Conservatives' (that's a joke of a title for them, 'Tory', I think). UK needs to return to being a true MIXED economy. Reform (the party) are not the answer - because they are right of the Tories. As far as I am aware, they have not mentioned their concerns over this issue. It's a national disgrace for England and to a lesser extent Wales. No other countries in the world uphold such a system. Labour have inherited a total mess...they are wrong though about not taking water out of capitalism..Thanks Professor Peter Hammond, thanks Ash Smith, and thanks Channel 4.

Further thanks to Robert Forrester (whistleblower) who investigated inside the Environment Agency for 7 years.

Just to borrow a few quotes from the third programme:

" In 2023 Surfers Against Sewage received 1,924 reports of people falling ill after entering the water.

Of those who visited a doctor, 3 out of 4 said the doctor attributed their illness to exposure to sewage polluted waters.

In 2025 Kier Starmer's government introduced the Water (Special Measures) Act, banning 'bonuses' for polluting water company bosses.

However in the same year Yorkshire and Thames Water bosses received millions in 'retention payments'."

A quote from the first programme:

"By the time Macquarie sold its stake in Thames Water, it had made around £3 billion from profits, shares and interest". The programme also pointed out that Macquarie responded with claims that, during its ownership, 'Thames Water delivered £12 billion of capital investment'. My question is, in what? And for whose benefit?

Another quote from that same programme:

"In 2021 Macquarie-managed funds acquired a majority stake in Southern Water".

My own comment: Thames Water has recently quite narrowly escaped liquidation. Any normal firm would have gone under. Instead, all the residents and commercial customers are having to pay higher bills and our rivers continue to be destroyed. Water is essential for all life and is wholly unsuitable to be run by capitalist interests i.e. run for profit. It's in my view, immoral.

Just two more quotes from the third/final programme:

" Since privatisation, Britain's water companies have dumped more sewage year on year into our rivers and seas...

...In 2024 there were nearly one million sewage dumps".

"Since privatisation, water companies have extracted £85bn in dividends and have accumulated more than £60bn in debt".

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George Harrison (1943-2001) Steve Harley (1951-2024)

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28/10/25 - I've taken the link out (Here Comes The Sun). Even though it is not my account, I'm uncomfortable with leaving links in to material that use, in essence, the whole of the song that is available on record - unless the owner of the intellectual work gave express consent. In other words, I'm returning to the status quo as it was prior to 14 February 2005, when YouTube was created. All the best...

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27/08/2025 Edit/addition:


FROM SCIENCE

From singularity to vastness,

From the atom - all matter,

From hydrogen - heat light and energy,

From water - our world,

From elements to bonds - with no atoms lost,

From physics - chemistry - to biology,

From organelle to organ,

From the sea - land - plants and trees - diversity,

From conciseness - clarity,

From hypothesis - method,

From sleep to awakening,

From January to December,

From cells to limestone,

From the sound of the spheres - to popular music,

From before and after, science!


Jem H. (2018)


2023 and 2025 other lines - for selective positioning - I came across the 2023 lines whilst sorting some paper copies of my academia - for shredding, this morning:

From the brain, survival strategy

And all new ideas

From the tiger, motion-motif

And a desire for conservation

From dreams, to consciousness

From reality, to the pleasure principle

From the drives, all activity

From introspection - to exhibitionism!

From 60-something, to the time remaining,

From black holes -
- to the understanding of a new normality

One day. x

I suppose, the 'solstice' of the career of Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel is epitomised by their album, 'The Best Years Of Our Lives', EMI Records Ltd. EMC 3068 stereo OC 062 05793, produced by Steve Harley and Alan Parsons. Recorded and Mixed at EMI Studios at Abbey Road and Air Studios, London.

Recording and mixing was completed in November and December 1974.

The Players: Stuart Elliott / Jim Cregan / Duncan Mackay / George Ford. The horn and brass arrangements on PANORAMA were by Andrew Powell - but the players were uncredited, it seems (?)

The other vocalists: Yvonne Keeley / Linda Lewis / Tina Charles / Martin Jay / Liza Strike.

Tape Operators were Pete James and Gary Edwards. Mastering was by Chris Blair, also at EMI Studios. Engineering and Mixing was by Alan Parsons. Sleeve Design and Photography was by Mick Rock and Lettering was by George Hardie.

This album was destined to reach No.4 in the UK and was also a hit in The Netherlands and Finland, in particular!


SIDE ONE

INTRODUCING "THE BEST YEARS"

A couple of bars of the craic - the joy of the new band - Harley had used this one track meshing into another on the preceding two albums i.e. 'Chameleon' into 'Death Trip' and 'Sweet Dreams' into 'Psychomodo'. A slightly theatrical, but effective, touch - in my view.


THE MAD, MAD MOONLIGHT

My third favourite track on the album, after the two big singles. I love the plot, the lyrics and Jim Cregans sublime guitar solo.


MR RAFFLES

I'll always associate this song with my date with KT, whenever Arthur Ashe was playing his semi-final match at Wimbledon in either very late June or very early July 1975 (the first associated thread below refers). It's so DIFFERENT from MAKE ME SMILE...but a great song.

Going back to KT. She was (and is) great. When she asked me out, she told me up front that she had another boyfriend. The whole day was surreal - like the Mr Raffles track. When I returned up North - at the end of last month - I found out that she was now KC, that she has three sons and that sadly, she lost her husband last year - the very same year that WE lost Steve - and KT's boyfriend was the very same (husband) she lost. X

It's true that certain tracks can get into your being and I guess for me, this track is one of the happy such tracks.


IT WASN'T ME

I like the music very much. Some of the lyrics I find disturbing. It's got psychopathic undertones (my view). It's hugely relevant to mental health issues though, and personality, per se.


PANORAMA

This track I really like too. Harley absorbs, either consciously or unconsciously, Bowie influence.


SIDE TWO

MAKE ME SMILE (Come Up and See Me)

I'll always remember what Martin S (who also went to the 50th Anniversary of us leaving school at the start of this month) said, back in February 1975, in Miss G's English class - 'Have you heard that song by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel? - (I had) - Fucking fantastic!' Enough said...


[Apologies - I have to break off and go and pick Sash up - I'll come back to this and finish it...Hope your week is going well...X]


BACK TO THE FARM

There's only eight or nine months between the recording of 'The Psychomodo' LP and 'The Best Years...' I wonder if 'Back To The Farm' was written at a similar time, maybe just after (?) as Steve always said he had two albums of material ready before the breakthrough.

The 'farm' is another theme that recurs for Steve. Perhaps a more direct dystopian link with the later B Side - 'Lay Me Down' (1976) where perhaps a direct dropping of Orwell's 'Animal Farm' (1945) is made. The characters in 'Back To The Farm' are "...rolling around in hyper schemes"!

It's a quirky, odd, rhythmic chant - no chorus.


49TH PARALLEL

Funky. Strange. A sort of theme from SHAFT vibe. In the piano solo, which may be down to Duncan, Steve or even Alan, I feel a re-emergence of Hunky Dory Bowie influence. I'm now not sure whether MR RAFFLES or 49TH PARALLEL is the most ethereal but (as I've stated before) it could be partly about the film of the same name (1941)...


THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES

Again, potentially a cinematic and historical (war) reference. A fine ballad - audience participation very possible, with a superb - up - two line chorus. This is a Harley nod and thank you, to all his audience, his stronghold, primarily in North Western Europe. X

EDIT: I've written more about this (final) track of the album on my Timeless Flight thread in this same section of the Forum (further down on page 2 of that thread). I've increasingly felt the need to talk about this, the most commercially successful album for Steve & Cockney Rebel.

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28/10/25 - I've taken the link out. Even though it is not my account, I'm uncomfortable with leaving links in to material that use, in essence, the whole of the song that is available on record - unless the owner of the intellectual work gave express consent. In other words, I'm returning to the status quo as it was prior to 14 February 2005, when YouTube was created. All the best...

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Associated threads:

www.steveharley.com/forum/5-forum-questi...thin-the-psyche.html

www.steveharley.com/forum/5-forum-questi...who-s-that-girl.html

www.steveharley.com/forum/7-welcome-mat/...ewis-dies-at-72.html

www.steveharley.com/forum/6-general-disc...che-open-brainy.html

www.steveharley.com/forum/5-forum-questi...hat-s-in-a-name.html

08/09/25 EDIT (For Alexa) Thanks for your response. Hope you are good too. Things are OK for me, this new month is (also) important for me, but it's cool. In August, I was up North again (having a [solo] break, but to see family and friends) and now we've just returned from a break together at the South coast, close to Arundel. We really 'lucked-out' with the weather!!! Not stifling hot but like a small slice of old-fashioned summer. The lady's place we stayed at was in a beautiful location - and she is a huge creative herself - she's credited in one of the big (current) musicals. Take care yourself and keep on keeping on!

I find your posts fascinating.
Please don’t stop.
Hope you are well.
Alexa