The Best Years Of Our Lives – Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel – What’s On The Table
Oh, but it’s magic …
Today’s video is long so you might want to get yourself a large beverage before you put your feet up and sit back 🙂
Those of you who have followed our story for a few years now will know that back in 2015 we went on tour with Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel to celebrate the 40-year anniversary of their album “The Best Years Of Our Lives”.
Today we want to enjoy the album on vinyl together with you and tell some stories of our time on the road with the band!
There are a lot of things to get through and we had a blast digging through the archives and revisiting all these memories. There were so many little video clips that we hadn’t shared with you yet, so we were glad to get the opportunity to include some of them in this video.
Maybe some of you will have even seen us on that tour! Let us know if you did, we’d love to hear about our perspective and your thoughts on the record in general.
Big hugs to you all and stay groovy,
Mona & Lisa
The story behind “Make Me Smile”; https://youtu.be/_F-iyRlX_iY
Mona, I really dig your very of The Best Years Of Our Lives! Have you ever entertained the idea of playing it on a 12 string?
To have someone like Steve Harley say that he wanted you to be part of a very special for him and the band was a huge accolade for you.
With your customary common sense and humility you used it to learn from true masters but also realised just how lucky you were to be a part of it. I suspect that you are not truly aware of the impact that you are having on so many people. Long may that continue as it will let you remain as who you really are.
Mona and Lisa – lovey video. Can you please tell us which turntable you are using? I am tempted to get into vinyl again 🙂
I thoroughly enjoyed this WOTT as it shared so many of your own special experiences. It let us be with you on an important and very fun part of your musical careers. I had topped off my coffee cup and put my feet up in preparation for a long episode and was sad when it came to an end that arrived much sooner than I wished. These wonderful video sessions are so enjoyable because they are the closest thing to being able to actually spend time visiting with you on a personal level. Your excitement for living and passion for music is contagious and is always a very special treat. Thank you so much for sharing, again!
Awesome!!! What a great experience for you both and what a treat for steve, his band and especially the fans to have you two there with him. I wish I could have been in the audience. Sounds like you both had a blast and what great memories to have to reflect back on. I actually like your version of “Best Years of Our Lives” better than his. And, I am with Mona on that one… it is my favorite Steve Harley song ????. I can’t wait for you two to release your new original album! I know it will be great!! Not that I’m tired of what you have already done! I will Never get tired of any of your music. To me, your music is timeless. Like most of the Beatles music it will always be relevant to me and it will always be a place of joy I can escape to. Peace, love, happiness and groovy music! ????
I genuinely enjoyed this episode, not better than others, but differently. I am not very familiar with Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel; in fact, I’ve only had exposure to them through the MonaLisa Twins and thought of the band as one of many European acts that I never heard of. In previous installments you have discussed the albums and how to became aware of them, and what you admire and respect about the artists’ work. This one though, you actually played with the band and the experience seems to have been one of those things along the journey that reinforces in yourself that your decision to pursue this artistic endeavor was indeed the correct choice, as trying to even just get along in life being an artist poses challenges and even resistance that most people never encounter. You two smile a lot as a matter of course but talking about your time on tour with this band has to have set some kind of record. Best of all, it’s contagious. There’s progress on my own journey this week and it’s all thanks to you.
That was pretty awesome! So much fun watching those clips of you girls! What a great experience you had. You’re very lucky.
I thought this was the best of your excellent “What’s on the table” series so far. Lots of interesting background information and reminiscences – only wish I had seen one of the concerts on that tour!
Oh the memories you have! You have so much respect for the past, which you bring to your wonderful plans for the future! WOTT is the best part of the MLT club! Watching and listening to you react to the music is pure magic! It’s like being there with you! You are so special!
I really like the ” What’s on the table” videos, but this one is especially better. In addition to talking about a great album, you are showing how important it was for you to do this tour together with Steve Harley and Cokney Rebel.. you were very happy and for sure it was a great learning experience for you .. seeing you so happy is priceless .. I loved it.
P.S. your video The best year of our lives , is wonderful and is one of my favourites MLT videos..
Mona and Lisa, until I Saw the video of Best Years of our Life I never knew of Steve Harley so thank you for introducing his music to us. His music is very good to me and can’t believe I did not know of him before this. Loved this segment of what’s on the table. And what a cool thing to play with him and the band for that tour. And so nice to insert your music with his show. Has to be so cool to play live with him and the band and to tour such beautiful places on that tour. I had a smile watching this video becasue I can feel the joy you both had and still have for your experence. Please keep it coming and as always what ever project your doing? It is well worth the wait!
God bless you both
Bill
The audience couldn’t escape. ????. This was a fun WOTT. Love hearing stories of your past adventures. For your first big tour it looks like this was a fun one.
‘Your tour notes are very interesting. Mona’s spreadsheet is killing me. It is a true display of how much work and time you put into your art. I wonder if the black and blue made any difference, or if that was just the pen of the day?
‘When you were describing the short rehearsal time and how you spent a couple of days at a hired space, I thought you were going to say a couple of days setting up our equipment. That was a big band.
Now I definitely have to go watch your version of The Best Years of Our Lives. It’s one of my favorites. Fresh faced imbeciles laughing at me – I love that line.
JP
Hi JP! Yeah, there was a ton of equipment to carry around and the crew did an incredible job setting it up and packing it down every night.
I don’t remember the pen colour meaning anything but past-me might have had an elaborate system figured out. I couldn’t say. 😀
There’s so many good lines in “The Best Years Of Our Lives”!
Very nicely done! For me, this is your best “What’s On The Table” so far. Hopefully we will see some more of your experiences “on tour” in the near future.
Brilliant.
Thanks for sharing this experience with the club. I’m sure you could have spent hours on this one.
I enjoyed getting to see your notes, and especially Mona’s spreadsheet with no mistake free practices 🙂
To think you did all of this at 21 is amazing.
Ladies,
This was such a fun and delightful experience to see you reminisce of the extraordinary time spent on tour with Steve Harley.
Mona’s brilliant Blues Harp on Best Years of Our Lives is the element that was missing from the original version. Mona you grab every heart string, and emotion possible with your exquisite playing. It leaves one breathless and certainly wanting more.
Not to leave out Lisa’s brilliant addition of her Gretsch Duo Jet. Lisa your talent shows time and again in all you do.
Ladies, you turned a brilliant song into a masterpiece.
Your addition to this tour is a stroke of genius on Steve’s part, and is well done!.
Thanks Ladies for a magical time.
How awesome. Pure Magic. What a wonderful experience to live through, and what a heartwarming video.
Thank you.
ooer i got tears now – the ending was so touching and again you look like you have so many happy memories, hopefully you get your own tour out soon as we all move back into a relatively normal life again – I’ll be the first to book for definite
yes Birmingham is brilliant – come back soooooooon – please
ooooohhhhhhhh so good – cant stop smiling – you look so happy telling this story – you have so many great memories – and thank you for sharing – it’s a great experience playing live and so special when you play with someone like Steve – you did great – the show vid is very – very good
Don’t care for Cockney Rebel.
W. Hauslein
Looks like a fun time! Sadly, I never got the chance to tour. Thanks for sharing the experience!
Oh my goodness, what a great little tour of the tour. I loved your presentation, your insights, memories and excitement. Thanks so much for sharing such an incredible growth opportunity. Hugs, Brian.
Just Whoa Awesome Fab, this edition of WOTT, loved all the video footage of being tour, your stories shared and a great choice of songs from this album…
I was made aware of Steve Harley and in particular, ” Come Up and See Me Smike” from the Duran Duran band cover version back in the 80s in my teen years when I was a Durannie fan…lol…. Now as for Jim Creegan awareness, I know of Jim because he had worked with my fave Canadian band Glass Tiger , whom I met back in 1988-89 and remain a fan /friends with still, and also, you had introduced his ( Jim’s) son’s music one time in a post on Instagram, I think it was . I love the funky eerie of ” Back To The Farm” you played for us here, an eclectic track of sound, lyrics vibe to it. Of course your rendition of ” Best Years of Our Lives” is right up there alongside Steve’s …. Thankyou for this edition, most enjoyed????☮
HI Mona and Lisa,
Thanks for a great hangout listening your wonderful stories! The part that stands out to me is how happy you are on stage and the same joy comes through as you remember while listening along. What great experience to have that mentoring with those talented and super experienced musicians, but I’ll be honest, I think Steve was a genius to have you both go along. Not just for the fabulous voices and musicianship and stage presence, but even more for the joy of being around you and your shining personalities while touring. It’s never too long to listen to you and see your reactions – if you had any video from your podcast interview I’ll bet that would be awesome too
Loved the backstory to your tour with Steve Harley, and seeing those back stage and traveling video clips. That must have been so exciting and sounded like it gave you some invaluable experience into the world of professional touring, and great tour of your new home in the UK as well. Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel is new to me and discovered them through you, and I look forward to checking out that album. The sample tracks you played here are very upbeat and bright and that “Back To The Farm”, I like it giving the album the balance with it’s more unsettling feel, very nice. Loved that on stage guitar part with Lisa and Jim Cregan. “Best Years of Our Lives” is such a wonderful moving song, always sends shivers when I hear it, especially your version. Has such beautiful emotional depth to it. That song alone makes Steve Harley a musical great! Mr Soft is wonderful and fun, and love your backing vocal part and the Ukelele riff in that one. Seeing those musical score notes and how you practiced and prepared for the sets was so cool! I couldn’t resist but put everything on hold this morning to delve into todays WOTT, loved it. Thanks so much! 🙂
You said Oh, but it’s magic… I say Oh yes, Oh, that was magic!
Thank you for sharing your memories. The grins on your faces and the sparkle in your eyes had me grinning from ear to ear.
The ending with Best Years was truly heart warming.
I think I’ll watch this again now… 🙂
Thanks Dana, it was fun to get an opportunity to dig out the old folders and video clips from that tour and reminisce a bit!