When you are a teenager and finding your way in life, music becomes an important guiding force and I remember a show on ITV in 1974 when my head was turned to an unbelievable and somewhat different sound emanating from that black and white television. That song was Judy Teen! I could not believe it and proceeded to purchase that 7" single and played it to death. The Psychomodo album was then purchased and then I discovered that Cockney Rebel were playing gigs and I went to the nearest place which was in Bracknell in Berkshire, when during the set, Steve Harley introduced himself as Judy Teen! I heard songs that I had not heard before and realised that these came from The Human Menagerie. Save some money I thought and true enough I did and after a while went to W H Smiths to purchase this album and I have to confess that I did not like that album as much as the Psychomodo. This view changed over the next few months when I found that I literally became obsessed with Cockney Rebel. I knew every word from every song from The Human Menagerie and the Pyschomodo and likewise all the words from the three singles to that date...........even memorising little quirks such as at the beginning of Death Trip when you hear "okay quiet please, from the top". What days and how these two brilliant albums changed the way I thought about music! Wearing a bowler hat to school in 1974 caused quite a stir! Finding out that the solo single Big Big Deal had been deleted after a short while and hearing rumours at that time that the single was changing hands for £10 (This was 1975 by now!)made me search for it high and low. Found it and played it, and played and played it!

All change when shock of shocks Steve Harley decided to disband Mark 1 and form Mark 2. Not bad but not as good as Cockney Rebel. I have to confess that The Best Years of Our Lives was okay but it would have been interesting to see what impact Milton, John and Paul (I exclude Stuart Elliott as he was in Mark 2 of course)would have made on this album. I think it would have sounded even better and I'm sure that SH would have already had the basis of some of these songs already written before he split up Cockney Rebel. Timeless flight was an interesting and almost experimental album with great lyrics but then after that I started to loose interest as Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel was in my eyes "not different". The first incarnation known simply as Cockney Rebel was something very different from the normal, no guitars and the use of a violin and an orchestra made for sublime and affective listening to a teenager and that unusual sound disappeared when the original band split! Sure I, like lots of people on this board have seen Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel concerts but never ever will that incarnation be as different as the first!

I am extremely excited about the one off gig that Steve Harley is proposing! This in my eyes would be absolutely phenominal. A question though? I wonder if Steve Harley would consider asking Stuart Elliott Milton Reame-James and Jean-Paul Crocker to play that one off gig? Time has passed and wounds should have healed. Take into account the fact that those musicians were instrumental (no pun intended)in the sound that those two albums produced, it would give the whole proposal more of a buzz!

The first incarnation simply known as Cockney Rebel was such an influence on me as a teenage kid to the extent of being obsessive and the sound and stance was so different. Nearly forty years on and those first two albums still make the hairs on my neck stand up! Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel was okay but they lost their individualness (if that is a word)and the use of guitars.........not for me.Give me the sound of Jean-Paul Crocker's violin and mandolin anytime!

In conclusion the first incarnation...........is the best!

I'm sorry if I have upset everyone who likes the recent stuff that Steve Harley puts out, but when you are a teenager trying to be different and looking for something different only Cockney Rebel can help!

And in final conclusion "and now we have lots of pretty clothes, many friends and many foes, looking wonderful but heaven knows,who will want us now we're turning into a.................

What a good message, enjoyed it immensely. I take many of your points and can't disagree, they certainly were a one-off band. But people all mature. Certainly, all artists do. They have to develop to breathe, to survive. Try later works such as Poetic Justice", "The Quality Of Mercy" and "Stranger Comes To Town". You will find many of the old SH quirks in there as well as songwriting from the top drawer, by a mature, experienced and ever-alert man. He sees the real world, even though he often says he doesn't actually mix much - "Journey's End", if you have teenage/grown up children, will break your heart. "A Friend For Life", "This Old Man" - so many touching tributes from Harley's pen to the vagaries of modern life and the world of the Outsider, as he surely still is, like all great artists.
The two first albums in one concert will indeed be an occasion to savour - I'll pay top-dollar for tickets, and I hope it's in the Royal Festival Hall rather than the much smaller, odd-shaped Cadogan Hall.
And as for his asking the original members to jopin him that night - wjhat an amazing idea, one nobody else has yet offered on this Forum. Let's hope the bridges have been mended, and that the guys would be up for it! Would be sensational news for the Press/Media to help promote the show with!! Steve - are you there? Can it be done??

Hello Singular Band. I loved reading your post. Whyever should you apologise for expressing your opinion? I think we need more of personal and individual opinions expressed here on the Forum. I disagree about the first incarnation being the best, but wholeheartedly agree with yu about the impact Cockney Rebel and their music had on our lives!
Happy weekend everyone x

I have to confess that in the 1970's I was a music snob and only listened to and promoted what I liked! I agree with you in that we all mature (or so we should!)and I may well listen to some recent stuff by SH. What would be your favourite to recommend?

Even now whilst I write this little message I think back to a gig that I went to at Wembley in April 1976 when it was SH & CR and wearing on that day a white boiler suit with Cockney Rebel on the back, blue Doctor Martin boots, hair dyed silver (for the day) and a bowler hat! I look back now and still have that silver hair, although now it is permanant, and think what a idiot I must have looked! But maybe not eh, it's all part and parcel of growing up and believing in what you are seeing.

I have to confess, even now as a 52 year old accountant (yes I know, we too like music!)I would really have liked the opportunity of meeting Steve Harley on a personal basis to ask him absolutely loads of questions from that time when I was really into Cockney Rebel.How can a teenager who thought he was so different turn into being an accountant! It's a funny thing actually in that my two sons (23 and 22)are both musicians and both in their own band and play really unusual music, nothing along the norm and have for years had to put up with my continual rantings about Cockney Rebel. Listen to this I would say to them in the car and then compare the music to other sounds at the time. They too are following in the same way as Steve Harley did with Cockney Rebel in that they are doing things their way and writing what they feel and what they believe in. They are going to make it and have been working on this for three years to get it right!

I have one small confession to make. I was into other bands at the time in the 1970's...............sorry about that! I was very much into David Bowie, Roxy Music, Lou Reed and dare I say.........Mott the Hoople. I had the privelige of seeing Roxy Music at the 02 in February for their 40th anniversary gig and I saw Mott the Hoople in October 2009 for their 40th anniversary gig. Lets all just hope that Steve Harley does the same! Although I mentioned at the start of this post to once being a music snob I'm pleased to say that over the years that has diminshed and my taste is wide ranging from the Kinks (seems to have influenced CR)to King Crimson and at the moment being into Elbow (seen them recently!)However Cockney Rebel was always and will always be my favourite band! Might listen to The Human Menagerie today whilst working....just to relieve the boredom!

This is me over and out..........enjoy the weekend it's going to be a scorcher on Sunday!

Best.............

I'm older than you but unfortunately missed out on seeing Cockney Rebel at their best 1974-1976.I remember liking Judy Teen as a single but have no recollection of seeing that performance on TOTP's.The roualt posting on YouTube gives us a tantalising glimpse but wow imagine if a copy of the whole performance turned up.It was the moment when millions of people witnessed the start of something big.A kind of Bowie/TOTP's/Starman moment!! So little exists of band number one.Considering how huge they were during the Summer of 1974 you would have thought that some official video footage/concert recordings would exist.It's as if they were just some sort of dream....Such a Dream!! Don't get me wrong i happen to love Mark 2 especially Best Years and Timeless Flight. The Prima Donna album was interesting and worthwhile but maybe by then the cracks were beginning to show.In fairness some recent Harley material has been totally different but still very good.The Quality of Mercy stand up as being the best of his current work. Going back to the idea of 'reforming the band'....what a thought!! Considering how many other bands from the 70's have done this it's not so crazy but just something you can't ever imagine happening with Cockney Rebel. Would Milton and John Crocker want to do this? Not sure they would.With them or without them the important thing is these planned concerts go ahead.We need from Steve sort of'homage' to those early days and to share with fans old and new the brilliance of The Human Menagerie and The Psychomodo.Forget the 2012 Olympics this would be the hottest ticket in town!!

Yes, I forgot about Loves a Prima Donna. It's actually a pretty good album and I remember at the time, the record label were bigging it up as being the most expensive album produced to date. I waited for this for a long time and when it was released it did not disappoint and was the nearest to excellence that was The Human Menagerie and The Psychomodo!