Went up to see him ...

[uwe]

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/mar/18/steve-harley-obituary

Very much a Brit art rock phenomenon, I saw him twice in his later years. Really dug his non-singer's voice.

[Highlander]

rip...

[lowend1]

This brings back memories. Back in the late 70s-early 80s, I used to go see a band in the NY/NJ Metro area called "T. Roth & Another Pretty Face" that did Steve Harley's version of HCTS - usually as a set opener. Their song list was a mixture of originals and eclectic cover songs - they are the ones who also initially hipped me to the Smith version of "Baby It's You", which was another of their staples. They recorded two albums which are up on YT as well, the first of which includes Tico Torres, who was their drummer pre-BonJovi. After seeing your post, I had to go back on YouTube and find a 1979 live video that was posted.

[uwe]

Now that is interesting, those guys were really great and quirky, I like the theatrics of the singer and his voice. What a find!

Steve Harley would have no doubt been chuffed too. He never meant a dime in the US and then there is all of the sudden this US band covering (very well) one of his freak arrangements of a Harrison song for which he caught an incredible amount of flak when it was released in the UK. It was deemed a lèse-majesty and the NME riled that "Harley has massacred all the song's inherent charm with his awful version". (To me it was what a good rearrangement should do, I love both the original and his version of it.) Harley had been a rock journalist himself before he formed Cockney Rebel - there were frequent barbs against him by his former ilk and he gave as good as he got.

[lowend1]

Now that is interesting, those guys were really great and quirky, I like the theatrics of the singer and his voice. What a find!

Steve Harley would have no doubt been chuffed too. He never meant a dime in the US and then there is all of the sudden this US band covering (very well) one of his freak arrangements of a Harrison song for which he caught an incredible amount of flak when it was released in the UK. It was deemed a lèse-majesty and the NME riled that "Harley has massacred all the song's inherent charm with his awful version". (To me it was what a good rearrangement should do, I love both the original and his version of it.) Harley had been a rock journalist himself before he formed Cockney Rebel - there were frequent barbs against him by his former ilk and he gave as good as he got.

Terry Roth was a great frontman and entertainer - HEAVILY influenced by Bowie. Sadly, we lost him last year. And yeah, quirky is a pretty good descriptor. Their original material ran the gamut from pop to jazz/swing to cabaret to rock - and somehow it all worked, even for guys like me who were usually listening to Kiss, Foghat or Nugent. The band went though a few phases and lineups, with its most successful being the one in the video, and the "revised" version when Tico replaced Tony on drums. Great players all.
I'm sure the British press would have loved this one...

[uwe]

I like a new wave slant with my music!

And have certainly never had issues with flamboyant front men whatever!