Yes You Can (album)

Yes You Can
Studio album by Steve Harley
Released	1992 (Europe) 1993 (UK)
Genre	Pop rock
Label	CTE (Europe) Food For Thought Records (UK)
Producer	Steve Harley (tracks 1-10) Matt Butler (tracks 2-10) Mickie Most (tracks 1, 3)
Steve Harley chronology
Greatest Hits (1988) Yes You Can (1992) Poetic Justice (1996)

Yes You Can is the third studio album by British singer-songwriter Steve Harley, released in 1992 within Europe and 1993 in the UK.

Background

The album was Harley's first album of new material since 1979's The Candidate. Throughout the 1980s, Harley released a handful of singles which either became minor hits or failed to chart. He re-emerged in 1989 when he toured the UK with a new line-up of the Cockney Rebel band. In early 1984, Harley signed a three album contract with Mickie Most's RAK Records. During the same time, Harley went with Most, Andrew Gold and Stuart Elliot into the RAK studios in London to record an album. It contained the tracks "Sophistication," "Irresistible," the 1970 Edwin Starr song "Oh How Happy," "Rain in Venice," "New-Fashioned Way," "The Lighthouse," "Star for a Week" and "Promises Promises". The song "Irresistible" had been released as a single in 1985, before being re-recorded the following year and being issued as a single again. The single's sleeve announced the release of the upcoming album El Gran Senor, however before it was released, the company went bust.^[1]

"Sophistication" would later be played during the band's tour in 1989, and would eventually be released as a bonus track on the 2004 live album Anytime! (A Live Set).^[2] The El Gran Senor would have featured the same versions of "Irresistible", "Rain in Venice" and "Star for a Week" on the album as what would appear on Yes You Can, whilst the remaining songs were different. "New-Fashioned Way" was recorded for the unreleased album as a modern dance, up-tempo rhythm version, "The Lighthouse", although similar to the Yes You Can album version, was different via the use of samples and synthesisers, whilst instead of a violin solo at the end, sampled saxophone was used. The song would be used on tour in 1989 and has been often performed by Harley live since. The song "Promises" was also a different, Stiletto recording, and was first played live around 1984. Reportedly the song took a long time to rehearse.

As the recordings on El Gran Senor had pasted over time, Harley decided to drop the rest of the album, however in 1991, new musical ideas led Harley to rehearse a few for his tour. "New-Fashioned Way" was reworked for live concerts, and the song became one of the highlighted songs of the tour of the time. Harley soon recorded the song again and this version would appear on Yes You Can. The song, "Oh, How Happy" was left unreleased, although it was performed once at a festival in a South American style. "Star for a Week" had a lot of versions as nearly every tour, the song's overall theme and sound was changed. Originally the song was first performed live in 1979 at Harley's sold out Hammersmith Odeon concert.^[3]

In 1989, Harley, Duncan Mackay, and Jim Cregan were working in the Point Studios in London, where four new songs were written; "Dancing on the Telephone", "When I'm with You", "The Alibi" and "Limbs of Man". The first three songs were chosen for use on the 1989 comeback tour, whilst "Limbs of Man" was never released. Both "Dancing on the Telephone" and "The Alibi" were re-recorded for the Yes You Can album. In October 1991, Harley was invited to play Night of the Proms and after another big European tour, fans kept asking for a new album, and Harley was pressed by the audience to release an album with the songs that he had performed live since the 1980s. At first, Harley was not happy about recording the old material and it took nearly two years to convince him. However he finally released Yes You Can in 1992 within Europe, an album with some old songs, filled with some new ones. Two of the new songs "Victim of Love" and "Fire in the Night" were mainly written while touring.^[3] In effort to promote the album, Harley completed a new tour – the "Yes You Can" tour – with some new musicians.^[4]

The album was produced by Harley and Matt Butler, except "Rain in Venice" which was produced Most, Harley and Butler, whilst "Irresistible was produced by Most and Harley. The album was mastered by Steve Rooke and Ian Jones at Abbey Road Studios in London.^[5]

Release development

In the Record Collector magazine of July 1992, Harley revealed "I've just released a new album called "Yes You Can" in Europe, but it's not out in this country. I'm very proud of it. "Irresistible" is out over there as a single – it was never released over there at the time. It came out here in the 80s, but this is a new mix and it's fabulous. I gave it to a guy who works at Air Studios in London, Stuart Breed. He has done a fantastic job."^[6]

In regards to the Yes You Can album, Harley said the album "sounds like a hundred and fifty grand album, and I've spent about a quarter of that on it. Because we were so well rehearsed we went in and played. I do use state of the art equipment. I've been 19 years in the business, as a professional, so I know a few tricks." Harley also mentioned he was busy "involved in how my new album is doing in Germany and whether "Make Me Smile" is going to be a hit in Britain again." In the same interview, the interviewer asked Harley who might release the new album in the UK. Harley replied: "No I have no idea. I own it. It's up for licensing for Britain and most of the world."^[6]

When asked about the possibility of EMI choosing to release the album, Harley said: "I don't know what they'll think of it. I just don't bloody know what they think of me in this country. I tell you what, it's not going to do the rounds. I'm too long in the tooth to suffer that. I don't like being rejected. This is a class record, I'm proud of it. I've worked years on it. I won't write those songs again. There are a couple on there that mean a lot to me and I want them to be heard by people. I have my own company, that's who paid for it. But I can't release it. I need a major label in this country to set it up and promote it properly. I want it to be with a major, not a small label. But it will only be offered one by one to people in a position of power. I don't want to be rejected by a guy who's scared of losing his job. They won't take risks. I would be a risk for British record companies. I imagine that a major label in this country might pick the album up if it wasn't, well, telephone numbers. And on the back of what? A hit compilation album? But I'll play 21 shows from next week onwards, and they'll all sell out. I'm not seventeen but this is a class record, and it could still sell in enormous quantities. It's very personal, but universal. It's very philosophical and asks a lot of questions. But what's the point? I don't want to talk about the album because no one's heard it."^[6]

Release

The album was first released within Europe in 1992 on CD via CTE. It was marketed and distributed by Cte GmbH, Licensee, whilst being manufactured in Switzerland.^[7] In 1993, it was released via Food For Thought Records on CD and cassette in the UK with a re-arranged track listing.^[8] In 1995, it was re-issued via Koch International and within the UK on 22 April 2002, it would be re-issued by Comeuppance, which was based on the European version.^[9] On 6 October 2003, Voiceprint issued the album limitedly as a part of their "2 for One Series" along with Harley's 1979 studio album The Candidate.^[10] Today the album is also available to download via Harley's official website.^[11]

The album's European cover featured a hand-drawn portrait of Harley. The 1993 UK release featured a futuristic blue cover instead of the original European artwork.^[12]

Two singles were released from the album. In effort to promote the 1992 European release of the album, "Irresistible" was remixed and released for the third and final time as a single. The single was released as the album's lead single and was remixed by Boogiepark, Hamburg (Stuart Breed). The single was released via CD maxi-single through Comeuppance in Europe and not the UK.^[13] The single used the same drawing of Harley as on the Yes You Can album. To tie in with the UK release of the album, "Star for a Week (Dino)" was released as a promotional single in 1993 via Food for Thought Records. "The Lighthouse" acted as the B-side.^[14]

Track listing

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[15]
24.000 Dischi (Italian Dalai editore book)	[16]

Dave Thompson of AllMusic stated "It's a sad state of affairs, but the best of Yes You Can was never going to make it onto a studio recording. Rather, it resides in the live environment where the songs almost unanimously came to life. There, both "Star for a Week (Dino)" and "The Lighthouse" emerge with vibrant electricity, as emotionally charged as any old favourites, as deliciously delivered as they deserved. In the studio, however, though the quality remains, the emotion pales, and Harley's energies – hitherto rejuvenated after so long in abeyance – flag accordingly. There are some heartwarming moments on this album. "Irresistable [sic]" very nearly is, "The Alibi" is a rousing number not dissimilar to one of the less-played corners of The Best Years of Our Lives, and the aforementioned "Star for a Week" has a fragile soul that even the lifeless accompaniment cannot totally extinguish. Elsewhere, however, "Victim of Love," the most commercial offering, is simultaneously little improvement on those soulless ditties that consumed Harley's mid-late '70s nadir, while both "Dancing on the Telephone" and "Rain in Venice" are hamstrung by his continued insistence on playing word games – and his continued inability to win them all. Yes You Can is not the revival for which fans had been hoping for; and that Harley had been threatening via some often brilliant live shows. But excuse the inadequacies and overlook the lifelessness, and the core of the songs remains sound and proud. And after some of Harley's past releases, even that is something to celebrate."^[15]

Personnel

• Steve Harley – vocals, 12-string acoustic guitar, harmonica, producer
• Jim Cregan – acoustic guitar
• Alan Darby – guitar
• Rick Driscoll – guitar
• Harvey Hinsley – guitar
• Robin LeMesurier – guitar
• Nick Pynn – acoustic guitar, guitar
• Barry Wickens – acoustic guitar, violin, viola
• Kevin Powell – bass
• Adrian Lee – keyboards
• Duncan Mackay – keyboards
• Stuart Elliott – drums
• Paul Francis – drums
• Dave Mattacks – drums
• Matt Butler – producer, engineer
• Mickie Most – producer
• Simon Smart – engineer
• Ian Jones – mastering
• Steve Rooke – mastering
• Kevin Williamson – illustrations

References