The Hollies Albums (29)
What The Critics Say
How much can (or should) one expect from a band in its 43rd year of existence? Astonishingly, however, there is a huge amount to enjoy on this album, and so much that is new mixing with the old. The familiar Hollies sound has evolved into something a bit less distinctive -- the harmonies here aren't nearly as special, and don't feel in any way unique -- but all immensely accessible. For their first studio album in 23 years, the band reached back to their lean power pop sound of the early/mid-'70s, embodied by such hits as "Long Dark Road" and "Long Cool Woman (In a Black Dress)." New lead singer Peter Howarth, an alumnus of Cliff Richard's band, has a powerful voice that, when focused properly and with the right quality lyrics, does recall original Hollies lead vocalist Allan Clarke -- coupled with the guitar playing and backup singing by founding member Tony Hicks, the harmonizing of guitarist Steve Laurie and bassist Ray Stiles, with keyboardist Ian Parker filling in the body of the songs and longtime drummer Bobby Elliott holding the rhythm section together, they generate a lean and powerful pop/rock sound on Staying Power, with lots of guitar and vocal hooks. The songwriting is also very strong throughout most of the album, and with the energy levels much higher than one expects from a band in its 43rd year, Staying Power seems a triply appropriate title -- indeed, this is the album they should have released for that 1983 reunion, when they had all of the press attention on them. As it is, there's a risk that it will die on the vine, partly because of its high list price, almost double that of a standard full-priced U.S. release; but depend upon it, this reviewer took a chance on it out of his own pocket, and Staying Power has proved to be one of the biggest bargains in his collection. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
This is the most controversial album in the Hollies' entire output. Co-founder Graham Nash claimed he quit over the decision to record it, and critics hated it. And on its face, the divisions that existed (and still exist) over this album are all understandable -- even though they had been doing some of his songs in concert, the Hollies' distinctive high harmony singing and pop-oriented British beat sound were not a seemingly natural fit with Bob Dylan's work, with its mix of earthy sensibilities and raw musicality, not to mention words that were perceived as very important, even profound; an album of, say, Burt Bacharach songs (and this is not meant to be a swipe at Bacharach or lyricist Hal David) would have seemed a slightly better fit to many listeners, and certainly to most critics (for whom the Hollies doing an album of Dylan songs was only a step removed from Herman's Hermits doing one). The fact is, with one possible exception, the dozen songs here are not presented in anything close to their ideal forms -- and a few even miss their ideal Hollies form. Yet the album has virtues that may grow on you. Allan Clarke's powerful lead vocals are their own justification, almost everywhere here except for on his overly dramatic rendition of "Blowin' in the Wind," which is also overproduced, with a too-active brass section punctuating the verses and a string section that sounds like it's trying for a fade-out similar to that of the Beatles' "All You Need Is Love." And the soaring harmonies of Tony Hicks and new member Terry Sylvester, along with Hicks' myriad guitar contributions to the album; and the group's decision to draw from some of the then newer and also some less well-traveled corners of Dylan's songbook combine to make this a more interesting record than it might otherwise be. The songs range from then new compositions such as "This Wheel's on Fire" to earlier, relatively obscure pieces like "When the Ship Comes In" (which would have been better known to folkies at the time). The latter is highlighted by Clarke's forceful singing, solo on the first verse with the other joining in subtly on the second, and a lively contribution on banjo by Hicks, which eventually blooms into a cascade of stringed instruments (with what sounds like a harp buried deep in the mix); Clarke's dramatic lead works there, and on "I Shall Be Released," which stands at the opposite pole, nicely stripped down and played on acoustic guitars with soaring harmonies, with an understated embellishment of what sound like marimbas, topped by a steel guitar break played by Alan Parker. The overblown, orchestrated version of "Blowin' in the Wind" (in an arrangement by Manfred Mann's Mike Vickers) breaks under the weight of the instruments and Clarke's singing is magnificent, but too dramatic, anticipating the approach he took more suitably a little later on "He Ain't Heavy (He's My Brother)." The song lies there like musical indigestion, but the singing is simply extraordinary. "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight" benefits from a minimalist approach, all acoustic guitars and harmonica, and "I Want You" offers some of the more subtly nuanced singing here. "Quit Your Lowdown Ways" is well-sung and even better played, with some superb rockabilly-style acoustic guitar courtesy of Hicks. "Just Like a Woman" is one of the those tracks where one wishes it were possible to go back to the multi-tracks and wipe the orchestral accompaniment away, or at least reduce its presence, leaving the band's moody, subdued performance, highlighted by Bernie Calvert's gospel-style organ -- Clarke's performance on this song (and, indeed, the entire album) also anticipates his subsequent success as an interpreter with the songs of a then little-known Bruce Springsteen. "The Times They Are A' Changin'" -- done decidedly late in the day, for anyone who was paying attention to the words -- is done with bracing enthusiasm and an off-putting sense of drama, a problem that also afflicts "This Wheel's on Fire" (though it's worth hearing just for the bass work, about as animated and upfront a performance on the instrument as ever graced a Hollies record). "All I Really Want to Do" has superb singing and a strange marimba accompaniment that somehow works. And then there is "My Back Pages," the best track on the album, loose and flowing, with beautiful acoustic guitar at its center, a reed and wind orchestra accompanying the band, Bobby Elliott beating the hell out of his snare, and Bernie Calvert's bass holding the beat. That should have been the album's finale, but the producers chose instead to finish with "The Mighty Quinn" -- the latter has possibilities for about 30 seconds, until the excessively heavy orchestration comes in and starts to wreck whatever the group has accomplished up to that point in the way of rocking up the track. This album marked only the second round of sessions on which new member Terry Sylvester participated with the group, and that also raises questions -- his singing is fine as far as it goes, but one wonders, in terms of group dynamics and psychodynamics, what some of these songs would have sounded like if Graham Nash, who'd been with the band from before the beginning, had been present. A 1993 CD reissue of this album included two live cuts of Dylan songs with Nash in the band, from his final days with them -- and while they aren't profoundly different, one has to wonder if the group, had it been at "full strength" (i.e., with Nash present) for the studio recordings, would have felt compelled to rely on some of the more outsized arrangements that they ended up using. Released in America as Words and Music By Bob Dylan -- and thanks to the peculiarities of the American music marketplace, despite all of the controversy it elicited, for many years this was also the only non-compilation 1960s-era album by the group that one could find in print in the United States. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide
'The Hollies (Beat Group!)'
Release Date 9/3/1991
Tracks 11
Label Columbia
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
One gets the feeling that, as 1966 drew to a close amid an incredible acceleration of innovations in the pop and rock world, the Hollies felt the need to prove themselves capable of artistic growth despite having established a very winning formula. 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. Such was the intense competition of the time that this record couldn't hope to take on Revolver, Aftermath, or Face to Face, but it nevertheless remains an admirable effort that may stand as the group's most accomplished album (greatest-hits packages excepted) of the '60s. The Hollies were very much a pop group and didn't let their somewhat more sober and introspective compositions stand in the way of their glittering harmonies and jangling guitars. Occasional brass, banjo, bells, and vibrating piano embellish their basic rock instrumentation on this pleasant, if hardly earthshaking, work. The circus-like "Stop! Stop! Stop!," with its manic banjo, was a hit on both sides of the Atlantic; the good-natured "Pay You Back with Interest" was a Top 30 hit in America; and the jazzy "Tell Me to My Face" was one of their best '60s album tracks. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
One of the less essential '60s albums by the Hollies, whose capabilities were arguably stretched by the two-album-a-year-pace-in-addition-to-three-hit-singles model established by the Beatles during this time. Their version of Paul Simon's "I Am a Rock" is nice, but the soul and early rock covers of Sam & Dave, Otis Redding, and Chuck Berry are pretty dispensable; the Hollies were not the Stones or the Animals, lacking their soul and interpretative imagination. Some of the originals are pretty ho-hum too (including the pathetic "Fifi the Flea," which was covered by the Everly Brothers). But every Hollies album of the '60s has some strong overlooked tracks. On this one, they're the surprisingly tough folk-rockers "Hard, Hard Year" and "I've Got a Way of My Own." The ultra-catchy "Don't You Even Care," written by Clint Ballard, Jr. (also responsible for their number one British hit "I'm Alive," as well as "The Game of Love" and "You're No Good"), is the real obscure gem here and could have well been a hit under its own steam. The album's last song, "I Can't Let Go," was a big hit in Britain (and a small one in the U.S.) and one of the Hollies' best performances. The record was issued in America, in a slightly amended version, as Beat Group! ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
What Goes Around... heralded the return of Graham Nash into the Hollies fold after a 15-year (1968-1983) sabbatical. Although the absence of bassist Bernie Calvert technically disqualifies this effort as a true reunion of the "classic" mid-'60s incarnation, the quartet assembled for this album and subsequent North American tour features the talents of Nash (vocals), Alan Clarke (vocals), Tony Hicks (vocals/guitars), and Bobby Elliott (drums). The combination of decent songwriting -- although there are no contributions from the band -- and their densely constructed trademark vocal blend makes this oft-overlooked assemblage worthy of revisitation. The seeds of this project were planted nearly 18 months before the album was released. The first incarnation of the band -- including original bassist Eric Haydock -- made an appearance on the legendary BBC pop music program Top of the Pops. This is also worthy of note as the same quintet had performed for the show's debut episode on New Year's Day 1964. So the timing could not have been more congruous as 1983 likewise marked the Hollies' 20th anniversary. The bandmembers provided no original material, relying instead on contributions from studio musicians and keyboardists Paul Bliss and Mike Batt, who not only provide over half of the songs, they also add significantly to the album's heavy synth sound. So pervasive are the keyboards that at times they actually drown out the vocals. Otherwise, the up-tempo light pop arrangements on the tracks "Casualty" and "If the Lights Go Out" work well. The sublime vocal arrangement and delivery on the ballad "Someone Else's Eyes" is arguably the strongest moment on the disc. Additionally, there are also a few interesting cover tracks on What Goes Around... "Stop! In the Name of Love" was released as the LP's single and indeed became a Top 40 hit. The band also updated their version of "Just One Look" -- which had been a Top Ten hit for the Hollies two decades prior. ~ Lindsay Planer, All Music Guide
