2024 the best year of our lives review

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(as of Dec 05, 2024 22:12:21 UTC - Details)

Deluxe three CD edition featuring bonus tracks and two CDs containing live material. The Best Years of Our Lives is the third studio album by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, released in 1975. It was the first album that featured Harley's name ahead of the band's. The album contains the band's only UK number one, the million-selling "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)". The album was produced by Harley and Alan Parsons. The band recorded The Best Years of Our Lives at Abbey Road Studios and Air Studios in London. Discs Two and Three contain a live set recorded at the Hammersmith Odeon in April of 1975.
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.59 x 0.39 x 4.92 inches; 4.23 ounces
Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ Chrysalis Records
Original Release Date ‏ : ‎ 2018
Date First Available ‏ : ‎ February 3, 2018
Label ‏ : ‎ Chrysalis Records
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B079J8565L
Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 3
Reviewer: J. Murry Middleton
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: After Harley Brought the Rebel to the Floor and Gained Fame
Review: If you know who Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel are, you probably have this already. If you don't, this is a fine place to jump in as it has his smash hit contextualized with the material that's all of a high quality. The music holds up remarkably well after 40 years, and I can still leave this cd on the player for weeks at a time. Great lp and the cd offers a few bonus songs that were flip sides in the day. You can't go wrong.

Reviewer: ed kurs
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: A reliable business relationship
Review: I last heard this record 25 years ago. The music is still good

Reviewer: Shirley Russ
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Glad I did
Review: Was pleasantly surprised. I heard the song SEBASTIAN for the first time recently and decided to take a chance. Glad I did!

Reviewer: Bryan
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: not a classic like the first two albums
Review: The Best Years of Our Lives is a step in a more mature and predictable direction as far as the songwriting is concerned. There's also far less experimenting on here compared to the Human Menagerie and the Psychomodo."Panorama" is a very basic example of midtempo glam rock. It's nothing that David Bowie hadn't already perfected on his Diamond Dogs album. It's nothing that Mott the Hoople hasn't done better either, for that matter. With that said, it's catchy enough to give me an urge to dance but it's not exactly an example of Steve Harley/Cockney Rebel's TRUE talents. I believe Marc Bolan and T.Rex went through a mid 70's phase where they created songs nearly identical to this one and well, the results didn't work out too great for them and it definitely didn't turn out great for these guys either."Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)" has a lot of emotion in the vocals despite its fast-paced, semi-country/rock nature. It's one of those songs that blends in with several other commercial-sounding 70's tunes but somehow -perhaps thanks to Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel being better than most- they make it work so the vocal melody is just flat out *better* than most."Back to the Farm" sounds like an unintentionally hilarious and horrible attempt to be demented and theatrical with the vocals but completely stinking up the joint instead. I don't necessarily hate the song but it's just... meh. Alice Cooper would do the same thing but MUCH better on his Welcome to My Nightmare album. The fact it's repeating the same simple melody for several minutes in a row just completely irks the heck out of me after a while, but at least the female vocals chugging along in the background give it a nice mysterious vibe and well, to give a compliment, the instrumental portions (such as the guitar solo in the middle) are pretty fantastic."It Wasn't Me" is based around an eerie vocal melody that's somewhat melodic and somewhat interesting, but nothing particularly great... at least not until that violin solo comes along near the end. I admire the way the keyboards jam along in a subtle way while the vocals are being delivered. Actually my experience with this album overall is that it feels like Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel are, like I mention in my opening paragraph, maturing as songwriters. Unfortunately they abandoned their creative edge ever so slightly in the process. That's what usually happens when an artist exchanges one element for another. At least in this case, it's not a big deal."The Mad, Mad Moonlight" features more of those Mott the Hoople-like glammy vocals. Enjoyable, but nothing truly original. My biggest complaint with this track is the same one I had from the Psychomodo- why would such creative musicians put such an ordinary song in the very beginning of the album? You want to make a strong impression on those who are listening to this album, so a song such as "Back to the Farm" would make a more interesting introduction and would encourage listeners to continue playing the album. A song like "The Mad, Mad Moonlight" might very well give off the feeling that there's nothing particularly special about this album which honestly isn't in the least bit true. Anyway I definitely LIKE this song- the lyrics are fascinating and clever for one thing, and the vocal melody is pretty decent in its own right."49" Parallel" resembles the Kinks a little bit- more like a mature approach to the Kinks catchy style of songwriting. The piano jam at the end is quite the unique surprise! It's not something you'd expect to experience unless you went into it under the realization that nothing with this kind of experimentation could have existed in any other decade besides the 70's. The title song has a vocal melody that sways back and forth in a depressing and downbeat kind of way- not the upbeat kind of track I was fully expecting to encounter judging by the title. More like a "Let's reflect on our past and think of it in a meaningful and life-changing way" kind of melody. Or perhaps, it's just a slight country ballad of sorts.Overall, pick up the first two Steve Harley/Cockney Rebel albums before this one... and then by all means, check out this one after those two!

Reviewer: Richard Cutler
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: The Best Years of Our Lives
Review: What a great album!Saw the band live twice in the early 80's brilliant!Timeless classic not touched by the bands of today.

Reviewer: Twigs65
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Five Stars
Review: Great quality and brings back a lot of memories.

Reviewer: Gene S. Menzel
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Five Stars
Review: great

Reviewer: fs
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: a GREAT first intro to Steve Harley if u don't know him
Review: as some have mentioned this is prob. THE best overall (early) Steve harley and Cockney Rebel recording, esp. for the uninformed.Also, i'd recommend "Face to Face - Live", one of my favs. it's from the earlier part of his career with a great band. I think from the "Timeless Flight" tour.Other Harley albums FAVS: "Love's A Prima Donna", "Timeless Flight", "Quality of Mercy", "Poetic Justice", "Hobo with a Grin"."Yes, You Can" is OK, but has 'Star for a Week (Dino)" on it with is a GREAT song and fav in concert by his fans.earlier recordings like "Human Menagerie" and "Psychomodo"are GREAT and feature some classic Harley songs. But may be more to explore after "Best Years...". they may be a lil quirky for some.[note: I'm not a fan of compilations as they miss some gems, like newer songs like "Saturday Night at the Fair" from 'Quality of Mercy'.]

Reviewer: Colavecchi Fabio
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Momento di follia e di voglia di vinile. Il risultato è che ho comprato un album a mio avviso mediocre per poter ascoltare solo la canzone che volevo

Reviewer: Mark Sach
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: It's been a great couple of years for us Harley fans. First up was the 'Cavaliers' box set which was the first two CR albums given the 'deluxe' treatment with added demos, BBC Sessions & Concert, then more recently we have had the 'Birmingham' CD & DVD set, again showcasing the first two CR albums, plus a few gems added to the set list, then finally we have this 'definitive' 4 CD version of 'Best Years', the most successful of Steve's albums ever. Regarding the album itself, it has been mastered superbly and sounds stunning in all it's glory for it. It forms CD 1 along with a few 'bonus' tracks. 'Another Journey', which continued a string of excellent 'b' sides that most artists would die for, and something that Steve would continue to do for a few albums more. Then we the single mix of 'Mr Raffles' which I always preferred to the album cut simply because the second verse of the album cut sounded almost too bare with Duncan's piano not as fully fleshed out. I always did love the little synth flourish though that came after he sings 'dream machine' which turned up again during 'Understand' on 'Timeless Flight'. Then we get two alternate versions of two key cuts. A 'rough mix' of 'Come Up & See Me' which features a different lead vocal, a couple of lyrical changes, and quite surprisingly a lovely bit of brass during one of the verses, an idea that was sadly dropped (or mixed very low) as it does add some flavour. Then finally an 'acoustic' version of the title track which I thought may have been just been the acoustic guitar & vocal isolated from the main mix, but no, this is almost a first take demo with lots of lyrical changes and a major couplet reversed. Instead of sing 'tragic' then 'magic' in the chorus he sings them the other way around, which gives a completely different vibe to the whole song.The second & third CD's comprise the legendary gig from the Hammersmith Odeon on the 14th April 75, and what a corker of a gig this is. To many fans at the time, hearing songs from the first two albums played by this band must have been a major eye opener. Steve is on fine form, though viewing the footage that make's up the DVD on disc four, he is clearly out of his head on the happy baccy. He is grinning like a madman ! The ending of 'Sling It ' is unbelievable. And if you are wondering where the classic 'live' 'b' versions of 'Mad Mad Moonlight' & 'Sebastian' are, well they are here as this is the gig they were taken from.It's a shame the DVD is a little butchered and only represents a few numbers, but boy is it classic footage. The bowler hat, the mad eyes, everything that makes the man such a brilliant performer is there for all to see. This film was actually a 'B' feature in the cinema at the time if you are wondering where or why it has been edited in this manner. The only clumsy bit is the intro, with a few fan's actually voicing approval that Steve is better than 'Bowie', some chance, and that 'Bowie' is too old and has disappeared ! 'Bowie' was actually on the verge of his groundbreaking 'Berlin' trilogy which by the time he had completed it, Steve was the one who had disappeared ! Some people never know do they ! Lol.All in all though, this is an excellent package and well worth the money. Just a little afterthought, a journalist friend of mine interviewed Steve last week (June 2014) and he said Steve has plans for a complete show playing this album in full, hopefully together with 'Timeless Flight' (my personal favourite), fittingly the next two albums in the sequence carrying on from his current show which features the first two a la 'Birmingham'. Like the mans surname, 'Nice !'

Reviewer: Harald Mausa
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: manchmal geschehen einfach wunderbare Dinge. Ich war zeitlebens seit dem Debut-Album "The Human Menagerie" ein grosser Liebhaber von Steve Harley. Ob es sich bei "Cockney Rebel" um eine richtige "Band" im eigentlichen Sinne handelte, wird im Nachhinein zwiegespalten gesehen. Oder war es doch nur die "Begleitband" eines Solo-Künstlers? Ist eigentlich rückblickend egal, denn insgesamt handelt es sich um wirklich richtig gute Musik mit tollen Musikern.Die Musik liess und lässt sich heute auch noch schwer einordnen. Glam und Glitter waren angesagt, aber fielen "Cockney Rebel" darunter? Eher nicht. Ich würde es mal einfach "intelligente Pop-Musik" nennen wollen. Human Menagerie war großartig, Der Nachfolger "The Psychomodo" nicht weniger. Kurz vor dem dritten Album kam es aber wohl zu einer Art Meuterei der Band, die wohl eigene Songs schreiben und an der Führungsrolle Steve Harleys kratzen wollte. Dazu war dieser aber absolut nicht zu überreden. So trennte man sich und von der ersten "Cockney Rebel"-Formation blieben nur noch Schlagzeuger Stuart Elliot und Harley selbst übrig, die zusammen mit der neuen Band mit einem "richtigen" Gitarristen Jim Cregan, George Ford am Bass und Duncan Mackay an den Keyboards sich nun deutlich "rockiger" als vorher präsentierten.Das Album "The Best Years of My Lives" wurde von niemand geringerem als Mr. Alan Parsons persönlich produziert, der schon den Vorgänger "The Psychomodo" mit dem Übersong "Ritz" (einer meiner Lieblingssongs)produzierte.So wurde das schwierige dritte Album zu einem echten Neuanfang für "Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel" (so der neue Bandname ab diesem Album), der dann auch mit "Make Me Smile" den ersten und einzigen Nummer 1 Hit Steve Harleys enthielt.Dass dieses Album eines Tages (also jetzt) tatsächlich in einer sogenannten "Definitive Edition" herauskommen würde, mit Extra Tracks, einem vollständigem Konzert von April 1975 aus dem Hammersmith Odeon London, mit noch einem zusätzlichen Gitarristen an Bord(niemand geringerem als Snowy White, der schon mit Pink Floyd getourt hat)und dazu noch mit einem neu remasterten Original Album, ist für mich ein kleines "Wunder", ist Harley doch nie die Anerkennung zugekommen, die er verdient hätte.Als ich von dem Produkt erfuhr, war mir klar, "Das lässt Du Dir nicht entgehen", und ich habe den Kauf nicht eine einzige Sekunde bereut.Habe ich eigentlich schon erwähnt, daß sogar noch eine kurze halbstündige Konzert DVD mit dabei ist, mit immerhin 6 Songs aus den "Hochtagen" von Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, Hammersmith 1975 mit dem großartigen "Sebastian"? Zugegeben, die Bildqualität ist "historisch" zu nennen, dennoch finde ich die DVD sehens-und hörenswert.Wer nur irgendetwas mit dieser Musik anfangen kann, dem kann ich nur eine klare Kaufempfehlung geben.Den Preis hätte ich vermutlich schon alleine für die zwei CDs "Live at Hammersmith" als gerechtfertigt angesehen. Fantastisch dies zu hören (14 Minuten "Death Trip"....) und eine schöne, wunderbare Erinnerung an meine Jugendzeit.Ich bin sehr glücklich mit dieser Veröffentlichung. Insgeheim erhoffe ich mir natürlich noch mehr in den "Archiven"....Aber für den Moment sage ich nur "Danke" für dieses überraschende,wunderschöne Schmuckstück.

Reviewer: さんれいん
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: 　「ロック史上に残る美しいギター・ソロのある曲」の一つとして愛され、イギリスではすっかり国民的なアンセムになってしまった曲、「ＭＡＫＥ　ＭＥ　ＳＭＩＬＥ」について、スティーヴ・ハーレイは当時、音楽雑誌のインタビューに答えて、「自分を裏切ってバンドから去って行ったメンバー達に向けて歌ったんだ。悔しかったら、俺を見返して笑わせてみろ（微笑ませてみろ）てね。」と語っていました。この名曲を生み出したのが、グループの分裂と怨念だったとは、本当にびっくりしました。　　彼等が、デカダンで屈折した耽美的でアンニュイな妖しさに溢れたグラム・ロックから、正統派の陰りのある美しいブリティッシュ・ロックに移行し始めたのは、インタビューによるとギタリストのジム・クリーガンと出会ったからだ、という事らしいですが、確かに、「ＭＡＫＥ　ＭＥ　ＳＭＩＬＥ」のあの美しいギター・ソロも彼によるものです。（ジム・クリーガンはこの後、ロッド・スチュワートのバンドに参加し、ミュージックディレクターとして活躍します。）　それより、当時　私がこのインタビューを読んで、腑に落ちなかったのは、ラストの　これもまた名曲、「ＴＨＥ　ＢＥＳＴ　ＹＥＡＲＳ　ＯＦ　ＯＵＲ ＬＩＶＥＳ」について、「人生で最悪の時が、一番素晴らしい最良の日々ですからね。」みたいな発言でした。「いったい、何を言ってるんだい。」　当時の私は、まだこの意味を深く理解する事が出来ませんでした。　「・・その時、君はつらい苦しい悲劇だと思うかもしれないが、それは魔法のように君の宝物になるだろう。きっと、それは人生で一番美しい宝物のような日々なのだから・・。」　毎日の生きていく日々でぶつかる孤独感や不安、葛藤、人や社会との関わりの中で、また人を好きになったりして恋愛や愛情や人間関係の中での行き詰まりや挫折、もどかしさ、焦燥感・・うちひしがれる絶望感・・・　　年を重ね、人生のあらゆる困難な局面で聴き続け愛し続けたこの曲の重みというものは、すっかり変わってしまいましたが、何度も何度も救われるような祈るような思いをしました。ありがとう、スティーヴ。　そのつらい夜や困難やどん底を通過しても、けれど朝は必ずやってきて、その中に放り出されてしまい、また　おたおたと生きていかなければならない。でも、つらい夜を過ごし耐えた心や魂は、今日や明日を生きる為の糧・エネルギーになっているのではないか・・。　この歌に出会えて、力をもらい、ともに人生をずっと一緒に歩んでこれたという事に感謝しています。本当に　日本の雑誌とのインタビューで、（「ストレンジ・デイズ」誌２００１年９月号）「どうか僕を日本に呼んでください。日本に行った事がないというのが悔しいよ。日本に行って、日本の皆さんのために演奏したい。・・・ファンの皆さん、是非、わかってほしい。スティーヴ・ハーレイは、心の底から日本に行きたい。今後、何かいいことが起きて、日本に行けるようにならないかって願っているよ。」と来日を本当に熱望しています。ファンとスティーヴの思いがいつの日にか通じることを、心から願いたいものです。　　　

Reviewer: dideedoos
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Have been looking for this for ages. Not disappointed