De band The Hollies is eigenlijk al bijna 52 jaar oud bij het verschijnen van deze 3CD-verzamelaar in september 2014. Het eerste optreden was namelijk in december 1962. 1964 was wel het jaar van de grote doorbraak, met de eerste top-10-hit "Stay" en de eerste (meteen zeer succesvolle) LP "Stay With The Hollies". Vijftig jaar later bestaat de groep nog steeds, met nog twee leden die de volle 50 jaar hebben meegemaakt: gitarist Tony Hicks en drummer Bobby Elliott. Jarenlang boegbeeld Allan Clarke had zich in 2004 al teruggetrokken. Hij werd vervangen door Peter Howarth, die ook meeschreef aan de enige nieuwe song "Skylarks", die de derde disc als 50ste liedje van deze set besluit. Op die disc vinden we ook enkele vrij recente live-opnamen. Voor 2015 is alvast weer een tournee aangekondigd.
"This 6CD, 158-track collection has "The Complete Hollies April 1963-October 1968". That's everything recorded when singer Allan Clarke, guitarist/singer Tony Hicks, and guitarist/singer Graham Nash, who were the three constants in the band (though drummer Bobby Elliott was there for all but the earliest of these recordings, too). As such, it's a major British Invasion document. Even if it's missing some highly regarded work postdating Nash's departure in late 1968, most fans would agree that the Nash era is by far the band's most significant. This package has all the hits from this period, of course; all the B-sides; every album track; some material that even big Hollies fans didn't suspect existed, like French versions of some of their songs (the ones of "Stewball," "We're Through," and "You Know He Did" are released for the first time here); their mucho obscure 1967 Italian-language single "Non Prego Per Me"/"Devi Avere Fiducia in Me," and other rarities." (Ritchie Unterberger, Allmusic; 4 uit 5 sterren)
Laatste album met Graham Nash, verschenen in het magische jaar 1967. Nash vertrok hierna naar de VS om met David Crosby van The Byrds en Stephen Stills van Buffalo Springfield de supergroep CSN te vormen. De liedjes (allen van de hand van voorman Allan Clarke, Nash en gitarist Tony Hicks) hebben nooit beter geklonken dan op deze Japanse editie, waarbij u bovendien de keus hebt tussen een mono- en stereoversie van de 12 songs. Hoewel 1967 het jaar van de psychedelica was is dit album minder weird als andere Britse beatplaten uit dat jaar, maar geestverruimend en ruimte voor psychedelisch is de plaat zeker. "Maker" is een goed voorbeeld, maar ook in andere tracks zijn allerlei studioeffecten te horen die een ietwat vervreemdende sound veroorzaken. De hit "Dear Eloise" is hierop geen uitzondering. Maar vooraleer zijn dit stuk voor stuk pakkende liedjes die (deels) fraai harmonieus meerstemmig worden gezongen.
The first official documentary film on the legendary British group, including 22 full-length performances sourced from television appearances filmed at the time the songs were initially hitting the charts. Between performances, original band members Graham Nash, Allan Clarke, Tony Hicks and Bobby Elliott share the history of the the beloved beat group, whose hits include Bus Stop, Look Through Any Window, He Aint Heavy, Hes My Brother, Long Cool Woman (In A Black Dress) and the final Top 10 hit, 1974s The Air That I Breathe. Also in the feature-length movie are performances by The Hollies, from the post-Graham Nash era, featuring Terry Sylvester, along with never-before-released home movies of the group on tour in the 1960s in America, Europe and Japan. The DVD features an informative booklet with an extensive essay by former Rolling Stone editor Ben Fong-Torres, including rare photographs and memorabilia. One can play all 22 songs in a row without the surrounding interviews, too. (bron: Eagle)
"Released in the wake of the Hollies' American breakthrough, "Bus Stop" is standard British Invasion fare, with the title track leading off an album split evenly between pop and American R&B cover songs. The best cuts reflect what the group is fondly remembered for: crackling, Merseybeat pop. One gets the feeling that, as 1966 drew to a close amid an incredible acceleration of innovations in pop and rock, the Hollies felt the need to prove themselves capable of artistic growth despite having established a very winning formula. "Stop! Stop! Stop!" -- the U.S. release of a British album titled "For Certain Because..." -- was their first album entirely composed of original material, and it echoed pop's increased sophistication with fuller, more adventurous arrangements and more personal, folk-rock-influenced compositions. It couldn't hope to take on "Revolver", "Aftermath", or "Face To Face", but it nevertheless remains the group's most accomplished album of the '60s." (P. Kurtz / R. Unterberger, Allmusic)
Opmerkelijk album uit 1969. Wie adviseert er een uit de Brits beat voortgekomen band, bekend om hun nette harmonieuze vocalen, om deze in Amerikaanse folk gedrenkte songs te coveren? Graham Nash verliet de band al voor de opnamen.
Het album met "The Air That I Breathe", geschreven door Albert Hammond en Mike Hazlewood. Deze Mike, niet te verwarren met Lee, werkte jaren later met Van Dyke Parks aan diens "Orange Crate Art". Allmusic: "If there was one song that accurately conveyed the depression and melancholy of the early-'70s post-Woodstock malaise, it was this song. Moving like an almost Broadway-inspired ballad, the feeling of weariness and fatigue is palpable. Hazlewood's use of minor-key, almost folksy changes is nothing revolutionary, but his blending of the melody is full of craft. The lyrics are about being lost in love, with more than a hint of depression. It provided The Hollies their much-needed hit." De andere songs op het album, waarmee de terugkeer van oprichter Allan Clarke werd gevierd, zijn van eigen hand. Hoewel het aangename typische seventies-softrock betreft, met zorgvuldige arrangementen (regelmatig strijkers en blazers, fraaie zangharmonieën in de koortjes) leggen die het compositorisch af tegen de hit.
Veertiende album, uit 1975. "Een stevige, rockende, warme plaat, waarop met veel plezier en energie muziek wordt gemaakt. Goede teksten ook weer. Enige cover is "4th Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)", van de toen nog vrij onbekende Bruce Springsteen." (Heaven) Sound-engineer Alan Parsons zorgt ervoor dat het album prachtig klinkt. Hij bespeelt ook de Moog synthesizer. Het titelnummer weet hij met de Moog, maar ook door andere typisch Parsoneske productietechnieken een ietwat onheilspellende sound te geven, die achteraf een voorbode blijkt op wat hij op z'n Project-platen zou laten horen. Chris Gunnings fraaie strijkarrangement bij "Second Hand Hang-Ups" heeft diezelfde kwaliteit. "This was the strongest album that they'd done since the psychedelic era, and the group's best body of songs ever, almost all solidly memorable, beautifully hook-laden numbers, harmony-driven but mostly not as soft as past releases often were. The Clarke-Hicks-Sylvester songwriting team peaked with this album for consistency." (Allmusic)
Twee albums, uit 1965 en 1966, op één CD. "Their third and fourth albums presented pleasant curiosities to old fans and new listeners in the form of Hollies versions of pop and rock standards and some minor early songs from group members who went on to greater accomplishments soon after. The Hollies were more of a singles than an album group in the mid-'60s. Like the Stones, the Hollies favored American R&B songs such as "Lawdy Miss Clawdy," "Fortune Teller," and "Mickey's Monkey." But they were also listening to the folk revival, which led them to open the album with "The Very Last Day," which they found on Peter, Paul & Mary's 1963 album. The original songs, written by Allan Clarke, Tony Hicks, and Graham Nash, and credited to the pseudonym "L. Ransford," had more individual flair than those on previous albums, but still weren't very distinguished. "Would You Believe?", had only four original songs, fewer than "Hollies" had." (William Ruhlmann, Allmusic; klik voor uitgebreidere recensietekst op de link)
"This 1967 album is considered the band's most accessible blend of pop and psychedelia. The quintet were headed into musical territories beyond simply "moon-June-bloom" and boy-meets-girl lyrics coupled with the tightly constructed vocal harmonies that had become their calling card. There are clear indications of new horizons on cuts such as the modish "You Need Love," the distorted electric guitar on "Have You Ever Loved Somebody," and the wailing fretwork on the driving freakbeat rocker "Then the Heartaches Begin." Graham Nash (guitar/vocals), Allan Clarke (guitar/vocals), Tony Hicks (guitar/banjo/dulcimer/vocals), Bobby Elliott (drums), and new recruit Bernie Calvert (bass/vocals) were also taking different approaches in their writing and arranging, as heard on the trippy "Headed for a Fall." (unusual time signature, inversed banjo). Somewhat more atypical of the Nash-era band are the light, limber acoustic and uptempo "Stop Right There," or the baroque "Ye Olde Toffee Shoppe." (Lindsay Planer, Allmusic)
"Debuut uit 1964. 13 Frisse, strakke covers en 1 eigen nummer. Meteen blijkt dit een sterke groep. De leden zetten de songs onmiskenbaar naar hun hand: het Hollies-geluid zit er direct messcherp in. Opvallend is de tomeloze energie." (Hvn)
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