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Rating: The Glam Rock, a genre often underrated. A genre that has always been considered "minor", not sophisticated enough to be Progressive, nor robust enough to be Hard Rock. A genre for which even the most generous only save David Bowie and Roxy Music. Some brave souls add T.Rex, Queen, and Sparks to the list of the Good. No one, of course, would dream of citing the big names like Gary Glitter, Suzi Quatro, Slade, Sweet, and others. But in my opinion, the Cockney Rebel deserve a small place in the history of rock.
The group existed for a couple of years, just to produce two pivotal albums of Glam, before disbanding and reforming as Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, and playing that famous "Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me)" featured in countless commercials. But the original core of the group has little to do with the refined pop of this last song: Steve Harley (vocals), Milton Reame-James (keyboards), Jean-Paul Crocker (electric violin and guitar), Paul Avron Jeffreys (bass), and Stuart Elliott (drums) had shaped a personal version of glam rock, very close to certain progressive sounds. Already in their first album "Human Menagerie" (1973) their greatest peculiarity is noticeable: creating extremely engaging and catchy songs without practically using the guitar. That's right, in an era of guitar heroes, the Cockney Rebel entrusted their solos to an electric violin, relegating the guitar to the simple role of (rare) accompaniment.
Their second album, "The Psychomondo" (1975), confirms and expands the strengths of the group. Starting to listen to the album, one is immediately struck by distant sounds, as if arriving when everything is finished (sounds that reprise the melody of the last track). "Sweet Dreams" begins, a brief piece built mainly on a violin solo, where Harley's particular voice makes entrance, characterized by a heavy Cockney accent. The song is just an introduction to the title track, a lively duel between piano and violin, with a delicately effeminate singing typical of the glam season. The album then follows with its most commercial and farcical tracks, "Mr Soft" and "Singular Band", useful for catching a breath, as the second half of the album contains the true masterpieces.
An acoustic guitar provides the base for "Ritz", a long and hypnotic song where Harley's electronically modified voice alternates with Crocker's violin solos. The atmosphere is depressed and claustrophobic, completely opposed to the hysterical joy of the first half of the album. It is followed by the splendid and equally sad "Cavaliers", supported by a beautiful keyboard motif. Then with "Bed In The Corner" it seems the situation softens through a delicate piano ballad, before transforming into the "hard" moment of the album, "Sling It!", where the violin runs frantically with the other instruments.
To conclude the symphonic “Tumbling Down”, a piece made famous in the soundtrack of Velvet Goldmine, which serves as a worthy epilogue to what I consider one of the finest episodes of Glam, but also of rock in general.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
02 Psychomodo (04:04)
I been losing my head
I been losing my way
Been losing my brain cells
At a million a day
I'm so disillusioned
I'm on Suicide Street
I seen everything
In every shape
Seen 1994 in a terrible state
Seen you Quazimodo
Hanging on my gate
Oh! He was so hung-up and wasted
Oh! He was so physically devastated
He was young enough
He was well-slung enough
I seen my own epitaph
I been to heaven and back
Was introduced to St Peter
We was having a chat
I felt him losing his mind
I began to retreat
But Desdemona and me
We had a ball in a tree
She read my palm in a moment
It was shocking to me
We were so mystified
We scream out of fear
Oh! She was so hung-up and wasted
Oh! She was so physically devastated
She was young enough
She was well-slung enough
Destroyed
I been writing a song
We all been singing along
It's like a mild schizophrenia
Wondering where we belong
Sling it all out the window
Start all over again
Oh! Come into my heart
Come and tear me apart
Wanna be claustrophobic
Got a passion, ha, ha!
I'm so confused
I wish I could die, die, die
Oh! she was so hung-up and wasted
Oh! she was so physically devastated
She was young enough
She was well-slung enough
03 Mr. Soft (03:17)
Mr. Soft, turn around and force the world
To watch the things you're going through
Oh Mr. Soft, believe everything they tell you
And be damned if they'll thank you
You paint everything so cruel
Comin' on like mister cool
Paint your face and shut the gate
No one's comin' home till late
Ooh la, cha
Don't you know, life gets tedious enough
Without this extra grudge to bare
You so slow, shift your ideas, make your mind up
In a jiffy, let's be fair
We'd all be taken off tonight
Turn off your eyes and shut the light
Oh, you're the most, you're so unreal
We'd all be dead without your spiel
Ooh la, oh, take it
Oh Mr. Soft, go to town and bring the dawning
In the morning on your way
Mr. Soft, put your feet upon the waters
And play Jesus for a day
You begin to hear them mumble
Spot the starman, ruff and tumble
Fight the good fights, sling your axe
Watch the speaker, lead the packs
Ooh, here we go again
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