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Stripped To The Bare Bones
''Stripped to the Bare Bones'' is a 1999 live acoustic album by English musician and songwriter Steve Harley. The album was produced by Harley and features Nick Pynn. Background Having returned to touring as Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel in 1989, Harley and his band would continue to tour throughout the 1990s. Although Harley had performed a small number of one-off acoustic-based shows during that time, his first acoustic tour would be the "Stripped to the Bare Bones" tour of 1998. In August 1997, Harley performed a string of casual, more acoustic-based, shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Accompanied by Cockney Rebel violinist/guitarist Nick Pynn, these shows consisted of music and chat about Harley's career. In November, he also performed an acoustic show at Castlemilk Festival in Glasgow. In the liner notes of ''Stripped to the Bare Bones'', Harley revealed: The success of these shows led to Harley and Pynn playing over a hundred dates in 1998 as part of the "Stripped to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Steve Harley
Steve Harley (born Stephen Malcolm Ronald Nice; 27 February 1951) is an English singer and songwriter, best known as frontman of the rock group Cockney Rebel, with whom he still tours, albeit with frequent and significant personnel changes. Early life Harley was born in 1951 in Deptford, London, the second of five children. His father was a milkman and his mother a semi-professional jazz singer. During the summer of 1953, Harley contracted polio, causing him to spend four years in hospital between the ages of three and 16. He underwent two major surgeries in 1963 and 1966. After recovering from the first operation at the age of 12, Harley was introduced to the poetry of T. S. Eliot and D. H. Lawrence, the prose of John Steinbeck, Virginia Woolf and Ernest Hemingway, and the music of Bob Dylan, which inspired him to a career of words and music. From the age of nine, Harley began taking classical violin lessons and would later play as part of his grammar school orchestra. Age ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Barry Wickens
Barry Wickens is a British musician, multi-instrumentalist and composer. Primarily a violinist and guitarist, he also plays mandolin, viola, Appalachian dulcimer (psaltery), dobro and keyboards. He is best known for being one of the longest-serving members of Steve Harley's rock group Cockney Rebel, and for being a former member of the pop group Immaculate Fools. He is also a violin teacher for Brighton & Hove Music & Arts. Outside of Cockney Rebel and Immaculate Fools, Wickens has been involved in recording sessions for a number of artists, including John Martyn, Lick the Tins, Howard Jones, The River Detectives, Thrashing Doves, Martin Grech, along with TV and radio recordings of the Americana musicians The Milroys, and Folk Alliance Award nominee Diana Jones. He has also performed with Nick Pynn at a number of live events. Biography Wickens was taught piano by his father at the age of seven, and became a member of Worcester Cathedral choir two years later. At the age o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me)
"Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)" is a song by the British rock band Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, which was released in 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. More than 120 cover versions of the song have been recorded by other artists, most notably by Duran Duran and Erasure, although Harley has stated his favourite cover version is by The Wedding Present. Writing and composition The song was the first single to be released under the name "Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel", as opposed to simply "Cockney Rebel". In July 1974, the original Cockney Rebel disbanded, and Harley then assembled a new line-up l ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sebastian (song)
"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. Background "Sebastian" was written and first performed by Harley during his days of busking in the early 1970s, before Cockney Rebel were formed in late 1972. Having trained as a journalist for three years, Harley embarked on his musical career through "floor-spotting" within London folk clubs in 1971–72, and began busking in London in 1972. Speaking to the '' Daily Express'' in 2007, Harley recalled, "I started busking in the early 70's, which gave me a platform to experiment on the public with my songs. I had one called 'Sebastian', which was six minutes of gothic poetry! I got absolutely no money." Cockney Rebel recorded their debut album ''The Human Menagerie'', including "Sebastian", at Air Studios, London, in the summer of 1973, afte ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tumbling Down (Cockney Rebel Song)
"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. Background "Tumbling Down" was written and first performed by Harley during his days of busking in the early 1970s, before Cockney Rebel were formed in late 1972. The song references Ernest Hemingway, who had a big influence on Harley, and mentions the ''Titanic'' sailing into Brighton. Harley believes it was at Brighton, aged three, when he contracted polio. The song's closing refrain ("Oh dear, look what they've done to the blues, blues, blues") has been described as a "put-down of the denim-clad virtuosos that overpopulated 1970s music". The song was recorded by Cockney Rebel during the February–March 1974 sessions for their second studio album ''The Psychomodo'' in 1974, with Andrew Powell providin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
(Love) Compared With You
"(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. Background Following the UK Top 50 entry of ''Love's a Prima Donnas second single, " (I Believe) Love's a Prima Donna", plans were made for "(Love) Compared with You" to be released as the third single in the UK. However, EMI Records decided to cancel the release at the last minute. Although the UK release was scrapped, EMI chose to release the song as the album's only single in America. Like the ''Love's a Prima Donna'' album, the song was recorded at Abbey Road Studios, sometime between June–September 1976. English violinist Wilfred Gibson, who contributed to choir and orchestral arrangements on the album, scored the string section for the track. Speaking to ''Melody Makers Harvey Kuberni ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Judy Teen
"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. Writing While Cockney Rebel's debut single "Sebastian" became a big hit across continental Europe in 1973–74, it failed to enter the UK charts, as did the band's debut album, ''The Human Menagerie'', when it was released in November 1973. The lack of UK success for "Sebastian" and the album left Cockney Rebel's label, EMI Records, feeling the band had yet to record a potential hit single. In response, Harley went away to re-work an unfinished song titled "Judy Teen", with the objective of making a single with commercial potential. Harley later recalled, Cockney Rebel had originally recorded "Judy Teen" as a demo in 1972, but it was not recorded for ''The Hum ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Best Years Of Our Lives (Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel Song)
"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''. Original studio version Background Following the split of the original Cockney Rebel line-up in July 1974, Harley assembled a new line-up later in the year and renamed the band Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel. In November-December 1974, the new band recorded ''The Best Years of Our Lives'' album at Abbey Road Studios and Air Studios in London. In 2014, Harley recalled of the song's recording, "We played it live in the studio, all sat round together. There were no overdubs, and we all wanted to get the feel of the song on record." Speaking to '' Record & Popswop Mirror'' in 1974, Harley described "The Best Years of Our Lives" as a "big song" and one which he "sing a lot because ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Star For A Week (Dino)
"Star for a Week (Dino)" is a pop-rock song by British singer-songwriter Steve Harley, which was released as a promotional single in 1993 from his third solo album ''Yes You Can''. The single coincided with the UK release of the album that year (''Yes You Can'' had been released in Europe in 1992). It was the second single to be released from the album, following " Irresistible" as a European single in 1992. "Star for a Week (Dino)" was written by Harley, and produced by Harley and Matt Butler. Background "Star for a Week" was first performed live at Harley's sold out Hammersmith Odeon concert in October 1979. For many years after, the song was regularly performed live, which established the song as a fan favourite. After signing to RAK Records in 1984, a studio recording of the song was to be included on Harley's 1986 solo album ''El Gran Senor'', however the album was shelved after the label went bankrupt in 1986. A few years later, the song was re-recorded for the ''Yes You Ca ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dave Thompson (author)
David Thompson (born 4 January 1960, aka Dave Thomas) is an English writer who is the author of more than 100 books, largely dealing with rock and pop music, but also covering film, sports, philately, numismatics and erotica. He wrote regularly for ''Melody Maker'' and ''Record Collector'' in the 1980s, and has since contributed to magazines such as ''Mojo'', '' Q'', ''Rolling Stone'' and '' Goldmine''."Dave Thompson" Rock's Backpages. Retrieved 14 April 2021. Thompson was born in in Devon. In the late 1970s, he wrote and published a [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, occasionally contributing liner notes. Erlewine was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and is a nephew of the former musician and AllMusic founder Michael Erlewine. He studied at the University of Michigan, where he majored in English, and was a music editor (1993–94) and then arts editor (1994–1995) of the school's paper ''The Michigan Daily'', and DJ'd at the campus radio station, WCBN. He has contributed to many books, including ''All Music Guide to Rock: The Definitive Guide to Rock, Pop, and Soul'' and ''All Music Guide to Hip-Hop: The Definitive Guide to Rap & Hip-Hop''. References External linksErlewine's pageat Pitchfork.comContributionsto ''Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Birmingham Post
The ''Birmingham Post'' is a weekly printed newspaper based in Birmingham, England, with a circulation of 2,545 and distribution throughout the West Midlands. First published under the name the ''Birmingham Daily Post'' in 1857, it has had a succession of distinguished editors and has played an influential role in the life and politics of the city. It is currently owned by Reach plc. In June 2013, it launched a daily tablet edition called ''Birmingham Post Business Daily.'' History The '' Birmingham Journal'' was a weekly newspaper published between 1825 and 1869. A nationally influential voice in the Chartist movement in the 1830s, it was sold to John Frederick Feeney in 1844 and was a direct ancestor of today's ''Birmingham Post''. The 1855 Stamp Act removed the tax on newspapers and transformed the news trade. The price of the ''Journal'' was reduced from seven pence to four pence and circulation boomed. Untaxed, it became possible to sell a newspaper for a penny, and the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
