Released 13 October 1989 Length 75 minutes Director Steve Hills | Recorded 1989 Label Odyssey | |
Genre Concert Performance Video | ||
The Come Back, All is Forgiven Tour: Live is a live concert video by the British rock band Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, filmed during their comeback tour in 1989. The concert video has also been released in a variety of guises as a live album.
Contents
Background
After a Christmas tour in 1981, and the odd show between 1983-84, Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel would not embark on a tour again until 1989, after Harley made plans for a comeback tour. Titled "The Come Back, All is Forgiven" tour, Harley arranged shows across England as well as Europe. Once completed, the sixty-date tour was deemed a success, and the band, under different line-up changes, have continued to tour since.
In early 1989, Harley chose to have two concerts recorded; one at the Dome Theatre in Brighton and the other at the Derngate Theatre in Northampton. The footage was then used to produce a concert video. In October 1989, the video, titled The Come Back, All is Forgiven Tour: Live, was released by Odyssey on VHS. The video featured fourteen songs of Harley's own personal choice from the two concerts. It was directed by Steve Hills, produced by Vance Goodwin, and produced by G & H Production Partnership in association with Steve Mather for JSE and Adrian Munsey for Odyssey Video.
On the back cover of the VHS, Harley was quoted: "So, how long has it been? Six, perhaps seven years since the last British tour? It's been far too long, of that I am certain. And there's no good reason for it, really. You know how much I love it up there. Quite honestly, there is nowhere I'd rather be. When you sing with me the choruses (often the entire lyrics!) of "Make Me Smile", the smile is genuine. The thanks are from deep inside; the joy is unequalled. To you, without whom... thanks."
Release
The Come Back, All is Forgiven Tour: Live was originally released on VHS on 13 October 1989 by Odyssey. On 20 February 2012, Odyssey gave the video its first DVD release, released under the title Steve Harley + Cockney Rebel - Live.
CD version
The audio of the video has been released as a CD album under many guises across Europe and beyond. These albums have been released by a number of different 'super-cheapo' labels. The majority of versions of the album omitted the opening track "Dancing on the Telephone", while others placed "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)" as the first track.
Critical reception
In an Allmusic review of the 1994 Make Me Smile - Live on Tour CD edition of the album, writer Dave Thompson stated: "The highlights are the two cuts from Harley's 'Yes You Can' album, "The Lighthouse" and "Star for a Week," [which] work far more effectively live than they did in the studio. But the retreads of the older material offer only isolated sparks of interest and innovation - ten minutes of "Sebastian" impress with their portentousness, and the medley of "The Best Years of Our Lives"/"Sweet Dreams" is perverse enough to demand a second listen. The problem is, this is meant to be a Steve Harley album. The audience often sings louder than he does."