When we drove up to Nottingham back in 1992, to see and hear, Steve's 'Yes You Can' tour (you might say the proper comeback - although there were still some gigs at the end of the 80's - in the main I think Steve referred to these as 'The Wilderness Years'), Ian, Steve's younger brother, was playing keyboards.
Whilst I think that a 'Cockney Rebel' without Steve, wouldn't work, I couldn't help thinking what it would be like to see Stuart (Elliott), Ian, maybe Barry et al, perhaps performing a few of 'the songs, together with some of their own? I suppose it might not be straightforward with Steve having sold the back catalogue back in summer 2023 and there may not of course, be any will, I don't know. Everyone is getting older too, as we all are!!! The industry has also changed so much, since the death of the once weekly TOTP, and the rise of the internet and social media (2004 - Facebook started, 2006 - The last regular TOTP). Success, I suppose, is a matter for the current young generation, Harry Styles, Lola Young, et al and the next!
I mean, c'mon, who (in their right mind), would want to give up listening to music entirely!? Soon we'll be seeing - hearing - a Bowie tribute in Oxford, at the venue back in the early 70's, where Mick Rock (also the late good friend of Steve Harley) took the iconic shot of Bowie with Mick Ronson (also a late great guitarist who Steve Harley admired) - you know the one! And in the summer we are seeing and hearing Sophie Ellis-Bextor, in a venue quite close by, why not indeed?!
Firing the imagination again, I sometimes think what it would be like for a new band to emerge, with a combination of well established players and some of the younger (also talented) generation. Fanciful maybe? Have a great weekend...
X
EDIT 9 February 2025
Whilst I wrote the above (as always) in good faith, I've realised my (unconscious) motive in introducing this thread was probably faulty. Consciously though, there are a lot of fans - it seems to me - still visiting this site - at any one time - typically between fifty and over a thousand - since Steve's death and thinking about that and Alexa's recent view (both nice and valid) about the memories we all have, to do with Steve, Cockney Rebel, the live shows and of course, the recordings, it seemed like a good idea to me (yesterday). But, it would be an unhealthy way of keeping Steve's memory 'alive', by using another person, especially, Steve's brother. I'm certain that there was (and is) much love between the brothers. The videos, writings, songs, recordings and fans memories and recollections and discussions shall all do that, best.
Ian has his own life and no doubt wants to go his own way (something that Steve honed very well!) and I may have seen and heard him in '92 but by the next time I saw Steve (1997), I don't recall him being there and certainly not in 1998 at the gig at the Jazz Cafe (London). Ian is a brother-in-law to Dorothy, an uncle of Greta and Kerr's, of course, and great uncle to Steve's grandchildren. His DNA, naturally, will be very close to Steve's (and other siblings) but essentially, everyone's personality is unique to the individual.
If Ian follows this site, on occasion, I'm sorry to him for raising it. Conversely, if it made IAN smile, then I'd be happy I raised it! I've only left it in because, the title of the thread would remain, even if I took out all the narrative. All the best to you anyway. I don't think personally, I'm fully over Steve's death because of the importance of him (and Bryan Ferry) during my teenage years, as iconic and (either one), I strove to be at least a bit like (Freudian theory - it's in the book I've referred to before somewhere herein - one of my other threads or comments - refers to this - in growing up we seek role models - as well as from a parent - individual(s) that are younger than the parents but older than us - and I subscribe to that theory).
One reason why I don't regret raising it however, is I have had a flashback to that late spring evening (24 May 1992) of the entrance doorway to that part of Nottingham Polytechnic (as it was then), the lights around it, the people milling about, the sense of heightened anticipation of seeing and hearing the MAN and COCKNEY REBEL...it didn't disappoint. The 112 mile drive back home flew and my adrenaline was still high as I parked up...
Associated threads:
www.steveharley.com/forum/6-general-disc...tingham-7th-may.html
www.steveharley.com/forum/6-general-disc...-me-harley-1992.html
EDIT 12 February 2025 : Thoughts and another link:
Upon waking and considering the above narrative, I thought that this contained two cool potential song titles;
... '...I strove to be at least - a bit like...' AND '...honed...' The first struck me as a phrase that lends itself to repetition in either a verse or a chorus and the latter, well, one meaning of the word opens up a whole range of possibilities'. This in turn made me think again of one of my other threads;
www.steveharley.com/forum/7-welcome-mat/...arallel.html?start=6 