Soft Rock For Autumn Days by The Smooth Operators

- November 11, 2023

Look outside and watch the falling leaves and early sun downs: this is the AOR soundtrack to this year’s autumn by The Smooth Operators (Martijn Soetens and I) 😊 Enjoy some soft rock with a touch of soul!

Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel are best known for their UK number one hit (Come Up And See Me) Make Me Smile in 1975. The song came from their album The Best Years Of Our Lives and was co-produced by then relatively unknown engineer Alan Parsons. Their pretty funky track White, White Dove was released a year later as the final single from their next LP Timeless Flight. The track was written and produced by Harley himself. White, White Dove was the second single from the album, after Black Or White had failed to chart. White, White Dove came out shortly after Timeless Flight, but despite the album's top 20 success in the UK, the single did not reach the UK top 50 either. However, the same year Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel would return to the UK top 10, when they released a cover version of Here Comes The Sun. In the Netherlands Harley's first single with Cockney Rebel, Sebastian with its incomprehensible lyrics, was his biggest hit. It reached number two on the Dutch charts in 1973, but it went nowhere in his home country. Nowadays Steve Harley still performs as Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel at small venues and retro festivals.

Tracklist:

Innovations – Put A Little Away (1977)
Kenny Loggins – This Is It (1979)
Twilight – Give Love A Try (1981)
Looking Glass – Jimmy Loves Mary-Anne (1973)
Robert Palmer – Every Kinda People (1978)
Dee Dee Sharp Gamble – I Love You Anyway (1980)
Seals & Crofts – Hummingbird (1975)
James Vincent – How Can I Thank You Enough (1978)
Steve Winwood – Slowdown Sundown (1980)
Bill Labounty – A Tear Can Tell (1978)
Gino Vannelli – People I Belong To (1978)
Jim Spencer & Son Rize ‎– The Blues Are Out To Get Me (1979)
Bill Hughes – Catch Me Smilin' (1979)
Minnie Riperton – Woman Of Heart And Mind (1981)
Jimmie Spheeris – Child From Nowhere (1976)
Daryl Hall & John Oates ‎– She's Gone (1973)
Byrne And Barnes – Love You Out Of Your Mind (1981)
Greg Yoder – If There's A Chance Tomorrow (1976)
Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel – White White Dove (1976)
Steely Dan – Any World (That I'm Welcome To) (1975)
Funky Kings – So Long (1976)