The Best of Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel

Background

Following the disappointing sales of his second solo album The Candidate in 1979, EMI Records dropped Harley from their label. A year later, EMI decided to release a compilation album of Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel's work. The compilation producer Colin Miles was selected to compile the album, and The Best of Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel was released in November 1980. It was the band's first compilation to be released in the UK.

The compilation features twelve tracks spanning from 1973 to 1978. Six are Cockney Rebel tracks from 1973-74, four are Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel tracks from 1975-76, and two are from Harley's solo career, which were 1974's "Big Big Deal" and 1978's "Riding the Waves (For Virginia Woolf)". Of the chosen inclusions, "Cavaliers" and "Riding the Waves (For Virginia Woolf)" were never released as singles.

In effort to promote the compilation, EMI re-issued the band's 1975 UK number one hit "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)". It was released as a 7" vinyl single on 3 October 1980. The chosen B-Side was the band's 1973 European hit "Sebastian". The single came with a full picture sleeve, which featured the same photographs of Cockney Rebel, on both the front and back of the sleeve, as would appear on the sleeve of the compilation album. The single did not make a chart appearance in the UK, and when the compilation was released a month later, it also failed to chart.

After the release of the compilation, Harley and a new line-up of Cockney Rebel embarked on a UK Christmas tour. During this tour, Harley introduced three new songs; "Warm My Cold Heart", "I Can Be Anyone" and "Such is Life", as well as a reggae-version of "Mr. Soft".

Release

The album was released by EMI on vinyl and cassette in the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Portugal, and Australia. The front cover features a photograph of the original Cockney Rebel line-up, while the back sleeve features a photograph of the Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel line-up. Both photographs were taken by Mick Rock. The back sleeve biography and overview was written in 1980 by Chris Welch.

In May 1982, the compilation was re-issued in the UK on the Fame label, as a budget price re-issue. This edition featured the same track-listing and sleeve design.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Steve Harley, except "Here Comes the Sun" composed by George Harrison.

Critical reception

On the back sleeve of the compilation, Chris Welch wrote: "In Steve's case he was certainly a committed performer with a firm idea of the way he wanted his songs performed and presented. And his exploration of a bizarre vocal style and lyrics that called for examination and a positive reaction ensured that his audience would be ultimately sympathetic and loyal. His fans devoured the songs represented on this timely album. Throughout all his songs you can hear a tortured balladeer, a frustrated folk singer perhaps, battling with the vexations of life and love. But there was and is a sense of joy too in his music. We hear the exultation of youth entering the artistic think tank of a modern studio with all its instruments and electronic facilities and shouting his feelings into a non-censuring microphone. A privilege now freely accorded even the most rebellious Cockney in these more enlightened times."

Personnel