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Post by Gralto on Aug 30, 2018 23:28:07 GMT
Big news! I can provide you with further details of Allan's solo project.
Ten tracks, all songs written by Allan. Songs are presently being mixed and once done, the album will be shopped around to various labels, none of whom I understand have heard any of it as yet. But it sounds as though there is great interest and it's not a matter of if but when.
As the man himself says: ================= Can’t make our minds up as yet to a title. I’m Comin Home seems to fit the occasion. My grandson did some mean guitar solo’s, musician wise myself on all tracks solo plus rhythm guitars, other names to be added. Its a very different album - quite different from what people might expect. Don't want to say more than that at the moment, but its all sounding great.
=================
Twenty eight years ago 'Reasons To Believe' was issued and in Germany only (which is that long ago that the CD stated it was produced in 'West Germany'. Must have been one of the last made to prior to reunification!) Then nine years later, Allan announced his retirement from the music business, departing the band with whom he has made his living. Being aware of his diminished vocal prowess due to his ongoing throat issues, I think most of us thought that, the guest vocal on the 1999 Steve Howe Dylan tribute album aside ('Don't Think Twice It's All Right'), sadly we would not be hearing any more Allan Clarke music, and certainly not newly written songs. This has even caught his great mate Graham Nash by surprise. Talk about typical Clarke flying under the radar behaviour ! :-)
I am so pleased that he has taken himself out of musical retirement. I don't care what is released - well, of course I do, I want it to be good - but I'm celebrating the fact that one of this board's favourite musical artists has got his mojo back, with some stories to sing about. Can. Not. Wait.
Naturally, if there are further updates to be shared, this place may be the first to hear about it. cheers Simon
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Post by allanangel on Aug 31, 2018 3:09:20 GMT
Thank you, Simon!!! I am jumping up and down and crying!!! This is actually going to happen!
Ditto on the Can. Not. Wait.
Oh, to hear his voice again!!!
Looking forward to more updates and an actual release date! Lori
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Post by ransford on Sept 7, 2018 21:27:53 GMT
Wonderful news! ”It’s a very different album”. What does this mean? The idea to call the album I’m coming home, does it mean going back to his roots, or what? Or is it the titletrack, or??
Can’t wait to listen to it, but suppose it will take some time.
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Post by Tony Wilkinson on Nov 1, 2018 16:49:29 GMT
Anybody still think that this is for real...........? Just checked that it is now 10 months since this idea was put to us, I'll now believe it when I see it... Fake news....?
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Post by gee on Nov 2, 2018 17:18:19 GMT
also what about Ron Furmanek's Hollies back catalogue project ?
and Bobby's Book...?
Terry's book...?
no sign of any new studio album by the current Hollies either...
or a proper CD release of 'Out On The Road' with hopefully some bonus Rickfors era tracks
plus maybe a "Hollies Live" 3 or 4 CD set compilation taking in the various live tracks recorded by each incarnation of the band put in chronological order ?
well at least 'Hollies Live at The BBC' CD has appeared and even if not a stunning new release it might help keep interest in the band alive
re Allan's solo album maybe he's having difficulty getting a record company interested,
likewise Bobby's book re a publisher
sadly they don't really help themselves as besides Nash no one ever did 'PR' seriously in The Hollies hence besides us the fanbase just HOW much wider public interest is there in the band now ?
- that David Peck guy said they just about broke even re LTAW DVD release....which doesn't bode too well for future projects
and sadly even back then Allan's solo albums seemed largely ignored outside the fanbase - his 1974 solo set was deleted by EMI in barely a year if that...
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Post by Tony Wilkinson on Nov 2, 2018 19:12:17 GMT
Keep listening to Allans solo albums, do you know, I love 'em to bits, most of the tracks are sensational in their own way.....
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Post by allanangel on Nov 2, 2018 21:52:11 GMT
Keep listening to Allans solo albums, do you know, I love 'em to bits, most of the tracks are sensational in their own way..... Absolutely! The more you listen, the more you appreciate and admire the man and his incredible talent.
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Post by knut on Nov 3, 2018 5:25:16 GMT
Gee I think you are a bit unfair towards The Hollies. Bobby HAS a publisher. The DVD gave the group lots of PR but the DVD format was on the decline at the time. The economic side of the project may be a problem but we sold out of DVDs during a Norway tour here. National TV bought the rights and wired it several times during prime time. Last year Tony and Bobby appeared here on national radio on a 1h Hollies special. As we know CDs are on the decline probably prohibiting a new studio album. What we can hope for is an expensive box set like the new Village Green Kinks release.
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Post by gee on Nov 3, 2018 12:03:01 GMT
David Crosby - and Nash too - seem to have no problem releasing new albums while many other artists are as well - Paul McCartney just released a new studio album too so I don't buy the 'CDs are on the decline' argument at all for preventing any new Hollies studio set.
indeed vinyl albums are reappearing now as well....
so a new studio album ought to be perfectly possible IF a record company were interested
neither would I accept the line re DVDs as NEW releases on DVD ARE still appearing regularly even if other formats such as blu ray are around now
things may be better in your country Knut but here in the UK there has been little if anything 'new' since the 'Head Out of Dreams' EMI set until this latest 'Live at The BBC' CD
Glad to hear Bobby has got a publisher - any idea when we can expect to see his book ?
Terry's book I'll believe when I see it - tho' Frank Allen of The Searchers (who's last single charted here in 1966) HAS managed to get TWO books out...!
as stated above all seems to have gone quiet re Allan's new solo album...
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Post by knut on Nov 3, 2018 12:26:06 GMT
CD sales in the US are down from 600 million in 2005 to 100 this year.
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Post by gee on Nov 3, 2018 20:43:49 GMT
that has not prevented new albums being released in the CD format tho' has it ?
what format is the new 'Hollies Live at The BBC' just been released on ?
while Evolution IS being re-released on vinyl this month on 16 November- yes ?
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Post by moorlock2003 on Nov 3, 2018 21:18:31 GMT
CD sales in the US are down from 600 million in 2005 to 100 this year. That's because everybody wants vinyl again!
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Post by stuball on Nov 3, 2018 21:23:48 GMT
Let's be honest here! Thinking a 76-year-old ex-singer from the Hollies is about to get a new record release in 2018, requires the believer to enter the world of make-believe. And for a guy like Allan Clarke, who, let's be honest, couldn't give away his LPs in the '70's, to be signed to a label for even a one-shot deal, is really a stretch. The average pop fan back in the 70's would have been stumped to identify The Hollies lead singer by name (among The Hollies, only Graham Nash ever achieved name recognition), so move it on another 40-plus years and to put it mildly, 'Allan Clarke' as a name wouldn't be ringing many bells, and selling even less CDs. No doubt in my mind that whichever record exec signed Clarke, would soon be looking for a new job.
Yes, as a Hollies fan, I would love to hear what Allan sounds like today and to hear what songs he would come up with. But a little reality needs to be applied here.
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Post by knut on Nov 3, 2018 21:53:08 GMT
That is too pessimistic. Quite a few CDs by less profiled artists see the light of day. But we are probably not talking about a hit album.
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Post by moorlock2003 on Nov 3, 2018 22:18:44 GMT
Clarke DID have a measure of solo success in America in 77 with his ("I Will be your) Shadow in the street" single, which made the Top 60. Maybe he would be wise to promote his new album in America then? Did Clarke have any other chart success anywhere else?
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poco
Junior Member
Posts: 86
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Post by poco on Nov 3, 2018 22:32:36 GMT
Very Good Point Moorlock. If Clarke is not able to hit those high notes as in the past, it would be wise for him to open for Tony Bennett.
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Post by rokinrobinoflocksley on Nov 3, 2018 23:12:13 GMT
Could Allan go the pledgemusic route, once he has enough advance buyer pledges, he releases the album? Lots of artists are doing this these days.
Or could he sell it as download only?
Getting it out there in whatever format is better than not getting it out at all...
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poco
Junior Member
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Post by poco on Nov 4, 2018 3:05:37 GMT
I guess he could. But lets face it the Hollies and Clarke are a spent force. They are my favorite group. At one time I had the largest Hollies collection on the planet. Still have the same contacts for the last 41 years. They are a touring juke box band like the Beach Boys. That's all right.
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Post by moorlock2003 on Nov 4, 2018 3:12:37 GMT
I guess he could. But lets face it the Hollies and Clarke are a spent force. They are my favorite group. At one time I had the largest Hollies collection on the planet. Still have the same contacts for the last 41 years. They are a touring juke box band like the Beach Boys. That's all right. That's right poco. The Hollies are and always will be my favorite band. I'm not talking about the current version though. I prefer an excellent lead singer not a mediocre one.
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Post by madprofessorblyth on Nov 4, 2018 22:55:04 GMT
I really hate to sound pessimistic here, but I think Stuball has essentially hit it right on the nose. I would love to see Allan release an album, and Pledgemusic would be the most ideal way to do so. As much as the Hollies achieved major and notable success in the 60s and early 70s in a commercial sense, they have not had a much wider appeal than their general fanbase I would argue (at least that's how it is to me over here in the USA).
I don't think the idea of physical media dying out is any contributor to this release whatsoever - for instance, if the Hollies released a new album of completely unheard, unreleased material on CD, I don't see that stopping any big Hollies fan from buying it - I'd have to call that idea irrelevant to the issue: I think it comes down to the appeal of Allan Clarke back as a solo artist, which appeals essentially to people like us on this forum. Same goes for the three EMI/Parlophone box sets too - besides this new Live At The BBC which seems to be a budget release, and all the generic greatest hits re-packagings, *everything* that is made of the Hollies for consumption is done in a relatively small format because it specifically applies to a select group of people. It would not make financial sense for Allan to do anything but Pledgemusic where they can get the cash in advance, see how many people are genuinely interested, and print to demand the exact amount of copies ordered.
I don't mean it in a negative way to the Hollies, who I have an immense profound respect for, but the fact they don't continue to have a wide appeal of success in the way other 60s groups like the Beatles, Stones, and Who do - has, and will, essentially come back to bite us in the behind because we're sort of a minority, for lack of a better word, and rather forgotten by the head honchos of companies who handle this material. The idea we will see anything mentioned from our hopes and dreams here, such as a release of Out On The Road, separate from being on Changin' Times, is simply left where it started - in our hopes and dreams.
I really, really hope all of these things in the plans come to fruition but I wouldn't be surprised if we were largely disappointed. We finally have a new Hollies archival (of sorts) release in Live At The BBC and it ends up being everything this group of us has 'been there and done that' with, so if this is the case, I don't have good anticipation of the future. If Allan really does in fact have a new album, I hope he finds the right way to do it for both himself and for us, who are roughly the entire market of buyers.
I hope this is taken the right way by all here...
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Post by cameron on Nov 5, 2018 12:04:44 GMT
Let's clear a few things up here....
If Allan wanted to, he could self-release his solo album, as the Hollies did with "Live Hits: We've Got The Tunes". This was an official release, but paid for by "Hollies LTD" and exclusively sold through their website, Amazon and at concerts. The Hollies' problem is that they own all their material, so there's little money in it for a record company. For artists like the Kinks, Rolling Stones, Who etc... there's a record company eager to exploit their material to flush as much money as they possibly can from these artists. But in doing so, they subconsciously keep the artist in the limelight.
As Knut points out, the Kinks' Village Green Preservation Society is a perfect example: it sold significantly less copies on release in 1968 than anything the Hollies ever released back in the 1960s, yet here it is with a lavish £100 boxset in 2018 and it's so far one of the top ten selling box sets this Autumn on Amazon. It just goes to show that with good PR, a keen record company behind them, and lastly - and I think most importantly - a keen project manager who above all else, is a mega fan behind the project. Andrew Sandoval has done absolute wonders with the Kinks' boxset. It is sublime. Who's behind anything from the Hollies - Tony and Bobby who are quite dismissive of their old studio albums and Peter Mew, who's EMI's generic go-to man for anything 1960s related? That's it really.
According to the liner notes of "Changin' Times" and "Head Out Of Dreams", the Hollies apparently do have a marketing manager. Both boxsets were hastily announced less than two months before their release on Facebook only, and relegated to a couple of mentions in three music magazines. Bobby and Tony did ONE interview on BBC Radio Six to promote "Changin' Times" and weren't aware of half of the 1969-70 era tracks that were played for them! That is absolutely pathetic. Are they surprised that they aren't selling as a group? The two vinyl stereo/mono LPs in 2017 received next to no PR whatsoever, to the point where they were just advertised on the Hollies' own website, and they only secured a deal to distribute 'Evolution' through HMV, but not 'Butterfly', which is arguably the more popular LP of the two. The last Hollies release that received proper promotion was "Midas Touch" in 2010, which had a prime time TV advert. The result? It reached number 23 on the UK albums chart, which is incredibly good going these days.
The Hollies need some enthusiasm behind them! Some fans who know what's in the vaults, know the alternative mixes, know their story inside out to put together something that's going to equal the recent Kinks boxset. And it needs to be properly promoted. The Kinks secured exclusive first plays of two previously unreleased VGPS era tracks on prime time BBC Radio Two, had an aggressive social media campaign that lasted four months, made it to the front page of Record Collector Magazine and Uncut Magazine. THAT is how you keep an artist in the limelight. But this issue has plagued the Hollies' career since around 1966/7 when they formed 'Hollies Ltd.'. An underlying lack of confidence in themselves and deliberate low key image has done them no favours. But it's kind of satisfying to know that nearly everything that the Hollies have done was sold purely and simply on it's own merit, not thanks to excessive backing from record companies and PR people pulling strings. I think they'd have easily overtaken the Rolling Stones had they been properly marketed.
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Post by gee on Nov 5, 2018 12:50:45 GMT
All very true
- and as I said only Nash ever had the 'drive' (to get them songwriting in the first place) and the push re the band on the 'PR' front
Terry had some ability there later doing some radio interviews etc but was always the 'new boy' I suspect in the eyes of most within their set up....and his ideas probably carried little 'clout' to the three 'senior' Hollies (like say George Harrison's in The Beatles)
A DECENT bit of marketing in 1977 saw a live album make no.4 in the UK at a time when hit singles had dried up....and in 1978 they were again successfully marketed to no.2 in the UK !
however left to Tony and Bobby plus Allan up until he retired from the band they seldom did much re pushing their back catalogue compared to others - they only put 'Holliedaze' together as they knew others would if they didn't ! - and certainly little in recent years - even the current Hollies seem to be largely a touring thing overall (the so called 'official' forum only seems to be a live shows set up now)
they were wanted by BBC for a show a while ago...but it never happened which came as no big surprise to most of us on here !
There will always be those 'Best of...' compilations every so many years - recently 'Twenty Golden Greats' was up for a re-issue, so I don't think they are as 'forgotten' as some may fear
as when 'He Ain't Heavy' took on a life of it's own in 1988 and 'Long Cool Woman' has in films or on TV etc it's perfectly possible a hit or a song may in the future 'take off' for them again
They are Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees which some seen as more 'important' groups can't currently boast of - Jethro Tull, Status Quo or The Shadows for example - and that counts in their favor so I don't think they will ever be 'forgotten' as such by the general public or by music magazines
NO disrespect to any other artists but looking on Amazon etc you see CD sets from recent years devoted to compilations or long deleted albums by groups such as; Vanity Fare, Middle of The Road, Mud, etc and others who had nowhere near as many hits or chart albums as The Hollies achieved - so IF there is deemed sufficient interest in those acts to warrent CD releases then The Hollies should certainly still be in the frame for likewise attention....yes ?
Any release of Bobby's book will help of course but to date it's a shame Tony or Bobby don't seem to be that bothered re pushing both their current band or the classic Hollies back catalogue re actual CD releases
Allan could put a CD out if he really tried even if on a smaller label but I suspect they all are a bit 'so so' about it all and possibly want a bigger deal than is realistic now (?)
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Post by JamesT on Nov 5, 2018 16:12:26 GMT
Great points guys. However, as Terry Sylvester has Tweeted a picture of his Christmas tree, then surely Clarkey's solo album is due in the season of goodwill to all men? ;-)
The Kinks VGPS boxset is a thing of beauty, incredibly well executed - and I've not even listened to it yet! One gets the impression that nobody can really care less about the Hollies, hence why an enthusiast like Ron Furmanek is to be welcomed by the 'faithfull masses'/couple of dozen like ourselves, here.
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Post by gee on Nov 5, 2018 18:04:40 GMT
Whilst the new Kinks set is wonderful - I have mine ! - remember back in 1968 the album FAILED to chart and had no hit single
'Wonderboy' had stalled at no.36 in the UK chart and tho' the single 'Days' made no.12 in 1968 the next decent UK hit would be 'Lola' a few years later in 1970 !
TKATVGPS to give it the full title got great reviews....but sold poorly indeed The Kinks went into something of a commercial decline at that time and did so again after 'Lola' and 'Apeman' until 'Supersonic Rocket Ship' was their lone RCA era UK hit in 1972 despite making great albums
while 'Tommy' was all the rage...'Arthur' was barely noticed by the UK music press (shame) or public and although it sold o.k. was not being hailed like The Who's masterpiece and doing the soundtrack to the sex comedy film 'Percy' and the song 'Till Death Us Do Part' in the Alf Garnett film was probably their highpoints at that time
'Lola' really held them up as a 'name' band for some time to the general public
while over 1968 to 1973 despite Nash and for a while Clarke departing The Hollies scored TEN UK chart singles from 'Jennifer' to 'Curly Billy' plus a No.1, a no.3 and two other UK chart albums plus USA chart hits too
Interesting to compare Hollies and Kinks chart fortunes then....and the contrasting wider appreciation now !
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Post by knut on Nov 6, 2018 5:38:44 GMT
We may be slightly off topic now but frankly I look at For Certain Because- Evolution- Butterfly as the classic trilogy. And Confessions Of The Mind- Distant Light- Another Night as the 70s high points. Maybe with Romany as a runner up. All these albums easily match the Kinks output. It is all a question of hipness. Talking of marketing a big Hollies box should sell more that both recent packages Village Green (Kinks) and SF Sorrow (Pretty Things).
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