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Post by calvertbesseralseric on Jan 23, 2019 12:11:03 GMT
I understand its production delayed the album release by around a year - this astounds me particularly given the abysmal nature of the art! What was this truly hideous work supposed to convey or show?
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Post by JamesT on Jan 23, 2019 19:26:25 GMT
Maybe if they gave the vending machine a good kick, they could nip off with a free hot chocolate - a 'crazy steal', indeed. 😂
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Post by stuball on Jan 25, 2019 14:39:35 GMT
It's simple :
A vending machine dispenses 'pop'. And The Hollies were dispensing 10 fabulous slices of 'pop' music. And at $5.98 (or whatever LPs cost back then), buyers were getting 'A Crazy Steal'.
However, most music critics of the day disagreed: the only 'stealing' going on, was the band's stealing of the listener's time and money.
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Post by moorlock2003 on Jan 26, 2019 2:05:03 GMT
Perhaps a more appropriate title would have been "A Lazy Steal". I do like "Clown service" and "Feet on the Ground. Nothing particularly bad on this album (no "Wiggle that wotsit"), just a bit ho hum.
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Post by knut on Jan 26, 2019 5:27:11 GMT
I really like this LP. No wonder Writing on the wall was a single in the US.
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Post by Stranger on Jan 26, 2019 12:42:31 GMT
I really like this LP. No wonder Writing on the wall was a single in the US. I agree Knut, I like this album. One of the few later ones I do like. It has some good songs and has a sound and atmosphere of its own.
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Post by stuball on Jan 26, 2019 15:51:37 GMT
I quite like 'A Crazy Steal'. Yes, it had its faults: a lack of energy, aka too many consecutive slow songs, but compared to the second-rate product that was to follow (5317704 and the Buddy Holly tribute), it was brilliant. And it was the last LP to feature group-written tunes, which is telling about the state of the group's cohesion. My personal favourite was, and stil is, the opening track, 'Writing on the Wall'.
Critics over here were harsh on the album, and it marked the end of a run of fairly positive LP reviews, that stretched from 'Distant Light' through to 'Another Night'. The bastardized American compilation 'C H S E C' (a cheezy, sleazy Epic combination of bits of 'Write On', 'Russian Roulette' plus 'Sandy') was the one LP I can't recall seeing a review for, and frankly didn't deserve one.
When one looks at the complete body of Hollies work, I'm sure 'A Crazy Steal' would be considered as a mediocre album at best. But it still has its Hollies magic moments, even if they are sparse.
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Post by cameron on Jan 26, 2019 17:12:08 GMT
It's simple : A vending machine dispenses 'pop'. And The Hollies were dispensing 10 fabulous slices of 'pop' music. And at $5.98 (or whatever LPs cost back then), buyers were getting 'A Crazy Steal'. However, most music critics of the day disagreed: the only 'stealing' going on, was the band's stealing of the listener's time and money. This is the best review of this album I've ever read! Haha.
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Post by moorlock2003 on Jan 26, 2019 22:23:06 GMT
I really like this LP. No wonder Writing on the wall was a single in the US. The Epic "Writing on the wall" 45 has an internal edit. The line "You know that I still want you" is trimmed to one time instead of two on the LP version, making it better I think. The production, like that on the 5317704 LP, is lush. Not a bad listen really.
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Post by moorlock2003 on Jan 26, 2019 22:32:09 GMT
I quite like 'A Crazy Steal'. Yes, it had its faults: a lack of energy, aka too many consecutive slow songs, but compared to the second-rate product that was to follow (5317704 and the Buddy Holly tribute), it was brilliant. And it was the last LP to feature group-written tunes, which is telling about the state of the group's cohesion. My personal favourite was, and stil is, the opening track, 'Writing on the Wall'. Critics over here were harsh on the album, and it marked the end of a run of fairly positive LP reviews, that stretched from 'Distant Light' through to 'Another Night'. The bastardized American compilation 'C H S E C' (a cheezy, sleazy Epic combination of bits of 'Write On', 'Russian Roulette' plus 'Sandy') was the one LP I can't recall seeing a review for, and frankly didn't deserve one. When one looks at the complete body of Hollies work, I'm sure 'A Crazy Steal' would be considered as a mediocre album at best. But it still has its Hollies magic moments, even if they are sparse. That US compilation LP, with tracks from Write On and Russian Roulette, plus "Sandy" added, was another attempt to get a hit out of the Springsteen song. It was reissued as a single, but didn't chart at all the second time around. "Draggin' my heels" was then pushed as a 7" as well as a 12" promo extended version disco single, and got some attention in dance clubs. It was later reissued commercially with " Computer Games" by Mi Sex on the flip side. The band was set to promote this LP, but cancelled after they were booked as an opening act in Las Vegas to The J. Geils Band, an odd pairing to be sure. I remember planning to go. There was a promo poster for the tour, featuring the lousy cover art. I've seen the poster but I don't have a copy.
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Post by knut on Jan 27, 2019 7:09:46 GMT
Does this mean there are 2 different versions of the US Sandy single? How can you see the difference? Are both in promo versions too?
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Post by moorlock2003 on Jan 27, 2019 8:51:02 GMT
It's the same US single edit on both the 1975 and 1977 releases.
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Post by stuball on Jan 27, 2019 23:34:09 GMT
I quite like 'A Crazy Steal'. Yes, it had its faults: a lack of energy, aka too many consecutive slow songs, but compared to the second-rate product that was to follow (5317704 and the Buddy Holly tribute), it was brilliant. And it was the last LP to feature group-written tunes, which is telling about the state of the group's cohesion. My personal favourite was, and stil is, the opening track, 'Writing on the Wall'. Critics over here were harsh on the album, and it marked the end of a run of fairly positive LP reviews, that stretched from 'Distant Light' through to 'Another Night'. The bastardized American compilation 'C H S E C' (a cheezy, sleazy Epic combination of bits of 'Write On', 'Russian Roulette' plus 'Sandy') was the one LP I can't recall seeing a review for, and frankly didn't deserve one. When one looks at the complete body of Hollies work, I'm sure 'A Crazy Steal' would be considered as a mediocre album at best. But it still has its Hollies magic moments, even if they are sparse. That US compilation LP, with tracks from Write On and Russian Roulette, plus "Sandy" added, was another attempt to get a hit out of the Springsteen song. It was reissued as a single, but didn't chart at all the second time around. "Draggin' my heels" was then pushed as a 7" as well as a 12" promo extended version disco single, and got some attention in dance clubs. It was later reissued commercially with " Computer Games" by Mi Sex on the flip side. The band was set to promote this LP, but cancelled after they were booked as an opening act in Las Vegas to The J. Geils Band, an odd pairing to be sure. I remember planning to go. There was a promo poster for the tour, featuring the lousy cover art. I've seen the poster but I don't have a copy. I did not know that the The Hollies had a summer '77 US tour planned to promote 'Clarke/Hicks/Sylvester/Elliott/Calvert. But to play second fiddle to the J. Geils Band in Vegas was a bit of an insult. And this was well before that band's popularity peak with 'Freeze Frame' and 'Centerfold'. I remember visiting friends down in Ohio that summer of '77. and coming across the Brit import of The Hollies 'Live Hits'. I snapped it up, although I already had bought the Canadian version the previous fall. My American pals expressed surprise that The Hollies were 'still around'. Goes to show how quickly their profile dropped stateside after 'Air' and the 'Another Night' NY/LA mini-tour.
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Post by moorlock2003 on Jan 28, 2019 6:10:54 GMT
Yeah, it was such a shame about 1974. A great album with Clarke back in the band and why they lacked the confidence or desire to promote it properly remains a big mystery. The perfect chance with Clarke to break out of the "oldies" stigma that plagued them and they just didn't come through. That album should have been played live. Instead, it was back to "Just one look".
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Post by cameron on Jan 28, 2019 20:30:41 GMT
Yeah, it was such a shame about 1974. A great album with Clarke back in the band and why they lacked the confidence or desire to promote it properly remains a big mystery. The perfect chance with Clarke to break out of the "oldies" stigma that plagued them and they just didn't come through. That album should have been played live. Instead, it was back to "Just one look". The Hollies did promote it in Europe, embarking on their first UK tour in four years in a big way, with a live 30 piece orchestra. Quite a few of the songs from this album were played live like "The Day That Curly Billy Shot Down Crazy Sam Mcgee", "Pick Up The Pieces", "Don't Let Me Down", "The Air That I Breathe" and the non-album single "Son Of A Rotten Gambler" were all part of the set.
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Post by moorlock2003 on Jan 29, 2019 16:38:45 GMT
That's fine and all, but what about "Falling Calling", "It's a shame it's a game", "Rubber Lucy", etc. These numbers had tons of personality (something that was lacking in their music, according to one critic), attitude, and humour. Ideally, Epic should have brought the band over here and had them showcase the album. It was so good they didn't need to look back. It was a new beginning of sorts and to ignore their fans in the US was a big mistake. Proof of that was the subsequent nosedive they took sales-wise afterwards.
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Post by anthony on Jan 29, 2019 21:54:36 GMT
That's fine and all, but what about "Falling Calling", "It's a shame it's a game", "Rubber Lucy", etc. These numbers had tons of personality (something that was lacking in their music, according to one critic), attitude, and humour. Ideally, Epic should have brought the band over here and had them showcase the album. It was so good they didn't need to look back. It was a new beginning of sorts and to ignore their fans in the US was a big mistake. Proof of that was the subsequent nosedive they took sales-wise afterwards. I think the Hollies 1974 album was their best.
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Post by moorlock2003 on Jan 29, 2019 22:44:13 GMT
I agree with you Anthony. It really showed off the group's versatility and had a lot of character and pizzazz. Rolling Stone magazine gave it a glowing review.
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Post by Gralto on Mar 23, 2019 13:29:54 GMT
It's simple : A vending machine dispenses 'pop'. And The Hollies were dispensing 10 fabulous slices of 'pop' music. And at $5.98 (or whatever LPs cost back then), buyers were getting 'A Crazy Steal'. However, most music critics of the day disagreed: the only 'stealing' going on, was the band's stealing of the listener's time and money. So true, Stuball. A Crazy Steal is clearly not the Hollies at their peak. I have no doubt that my feelings toward the album though are utterly prejudiced by the cover art misfire. Even retro-gazing at it decades on, it remains a disaster. Yes, the title is a line from 'Hello To Romance' but it still reeks of unjustified hype. A bland collection of songs, mostly over produced, featuring uninspired arrangements. In 1977, Punk is happening in the UK, Disco in the USA and The Hollies are just hanging on, a disinterested lead singer more artistically driven by his solo pursuits, and the band now a few years into that 'where are they now?' phase since the hit 45s dried up. I also think it's instructive that the 'Crazy Steal' photo was shot in Germany; perhaps the band were taking much of their artistic cues from there. During these fallow years of 45 chart action, it seemed that Germany (possibly the Netherlands as well) was the one remaining territory where The H could get some traction on their latest releases via much needed television exposure (the TV marketing of the 'Live Hits' album in England the one notable exception back home, though its campaign was based around nostalgia and an existing awareness of their hits). Arguably, the next album's cover for 531 7704 is even worse, another example of cover art killing any chance of an album's success. Who in the band was signing off on the artwork of these two turkeys? I can just imagine a young upstart record company exec put in charge of any late 70s Hollies project as part of their slate thinking "these guys are finished - let's just get it out and walk away from it", especially with neither Steal or 531 containing anything resembling a potential Top 20 hit.
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Post by cameron on Mar 25, 2019 11:12:31 GMT
An excerpt from Shindig! magazine, referring to 'A Crazy Steal' and '5317704':
SD!: What was the most difficult Hollies album to make during this period, and why?
BE: Crazy Steal (’78) was a weary selection of material. By the time we were recording 5317704 (’79) at the end of the ’70s, [producer] Ron Richards was drinking too much.
I remember that he brought the landlord from his local pub in to Studio Three at Abbey road to ask his opinion on our previous night’s work. The guy was wearing carpet slippers.
Sadly, that was the end of our relationship with Ron.
SD!: Did any true tensions ever arise within the band during the making of these later albums?
BE: You need a certain amount of tension. We all like a drink, but alcohol did get a grip on one of the guys.
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Post by stuball on Mar 25, 2019 16:12:52 GMT
5317704 made under the influence of drink? Perhaps it may sound somewhat better if the listener also had a shot or two prior to spinning that disc? I'll get back to you on that.
No doubt 'one of the guys' is a not-so-subtle dig at Clarke. That's not news, but the thought of a pie-eyed producer seems a bit of a stretch. I'm no fan of 5317704, but to me it's faults lie with the overwhelming number of overlong, dull numbers. The production sound to my ear is crystal-clear however, but the fact the group can't be bothered to write their own material points to either laziness, or perhaps more tellingly, discord between group members. That factor might lead to drink as well.
Re A Crazy Steal: the thought that this LP had to be cobbled together from a couple of recent flop singles added to a few new tracks, and with an extremely poor cover photo of the group to boot, makes me think the band had a lot of problems internally, and that personalities were clashing. Add 'a drinking problem' to that equation, and it's no surprise the last three Hollies LPs (with Clarke, Sylvester, Hicks, Calvert & Elliott) were disappointing to their loyal fans.
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Post by Stranger on Mar 25, 2019 20:28:14 GMT
Thanks Knut. It's rare to see any comments from the band specifically about these albums.
As stated above I think A Crazy Steal has some things going for it, some decent songs and atmospheric production on things like What Am I Gonna Do.
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Post by Gralto on Mar 26, 2019 12:25:20 GMT
An excerpt from Shindig! magazine, referring to 'A Crazy Steal' and '5317704': SD!: What was the most difficult Hollies album to make during this period, and why? BE: Crazy Steal (’78) was a weary selection of material. By the time we were recording 5317704 (’79) at the end of the ’70s, [producer] Ron Richards was drinking too much. I remember that he brought the landlord from his local pub in to Studio Three at Abbey road to ask his opinion on our previous night’s work. The guy was wearing carpet slippers. Sadly, that was the end of our relationship with Ron. SD!: Did any true tensions ever arise within the band during the making of these later albums? BE: You need a certain amount of tension. We all like a drink, but alcohol did get a grip on one of the guys. Very revealing Cam - thanks for posting. What issue of Shindig features this Calvert interview?
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Post by cameron on Mar 26, 2019 12:47:02 GMT
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albatros
Full Member
albatros
Posts: 108
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Post by albatros on Apr 24, 2019 13:51:46 GMT
It's simple : A vending machine dispenses 'pop'. And The Hollies were dispensing 10 fabulous slices of 'pop' music. And at $5.98 (or whatever LPs cost back then), buyers were getting 'A Crazy Steal'. However, most music critics of the day disagreed: the only 'stealing' going on, was the band's stealing of the listener's time and money. So true, Stuball. A Crazy Steal is clearly not the Hollies at their peak. I have no doubt that my feelings toward the album though are utterly prejudiced by the cover art misfire. Even retro-gazing at it decades on, it remains a disaster. Yes, the title is a line from 'Hello To Romance' but it still reeks of unjustified hype. A bland collection of songs, mostly over produced, featuring uninspired arrangements. In 1977, Punk is happening in the UK, Disco in the USA and The Hollies are just hanging on, a disinterested lead singer more artistically driven by his solo pursuits, and the band now a few years into that 'where are they now?' phase since the hit 45s dried up. I also think it's instructive that the 'Crazy Steal' photo was shot in Germany; perhaps the band were taking much of their artistic cues from there. During these fallow years of 45 chart action, it seemed that Germany (possibly the Netherlands as well) was the one remaining territory where The H could get some traction on their latest releases via much needed television exposure (the TV marketing of the 'Live Hits' album in England the one notable exception back home, though its campaign was based around nostalgia and an existing awareness of their hits). Arguably, the next album's cover for 531 7704 is even worse, another example of cover art killing any chance of an album's success. Who in the band was signing off on the artwork of these two turkeys? I can just imagine a young upstart record company exec put in charge of any late 70s Hollies project as part of their slate thinking "these guys are finished - let's just get it out and walk away from it", especially with neither Steal or 531 containing anything resembling a potential Top 20 hit.
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