Hollies Sing Dylan

[dirtyfaz]

Is there anyone out there in Hollie land that can confirm if the mono version of Hollies Sing Dylan is just a fold down of the Stereo version. This would explain why the mono issue of that LP has never been reissued. Surely this has to be the reason. I have listened to the mono version and can't hear any real differences between the two.

Cheers

[cameron]

I have the original mono and stereo LPs and have compared them: By 1969 EMI were issuing stereo records that would sound good when played back on mono record players, so the mixes had to fold down well on playback. The vocals in the right channel, everything else in the left channel style stereo mix was an easy way of achieving that fold down to mono on playback result. But Hollies Sing Dylan has a detailed stereo mix. I believe it was folded down but "tweaked" as the EQ is different, but the prominence of all the instruments and voices is pretty much the same across both mixes, as are the track lengths, fades and edits, so I would say yes, it's just a folded down mix.

[poco]

Yes I agree also that "Hollies Sing Dylan" is just a stereo reduction. I believe that "Mad Professor Blyth" is also a stereo reduction.

[thejanitor]

Reviving this thread as it's the man himself's 80th birthday today. What are everybody's thoughts and favourite tracks from this album?

While I do think the pompous arrangements on many of the songs lose that intimate and natural quality that their stripped-back originals have and Allan's delivery of some of Bob's more surreal lyrics doesn't sound too grasping, I otherwise consider it a decent cover album. My highlights are I'll Be Your Baby Tonight, I Shall Be Released, Just Like A Woman and My Back Pages (an exception to what I said a sentence earlier in that I think the dramatic orchestral parts work well here). Two great features about it are that it shows how perfect Terry's harmony fit in with them already as well as giving Allan a chance to really show off his own harmonica skills. I'd say he's a better player than Bob!

[baz]

I've always kept quiet about my thoughts on Hollies Sing Dylan. All I will go on record as saying is, it's my least fave Hollies album from the 60's.

[Tony Wilkinson]

May 24, 2021 16:25:41 GMT thejanitor said:

Reviving this thread as it's the man himself's 80th birthday today. What are everybody's thoughts and favourite tracks from this album?

While I do think the pompous arrangements on many of the songs lose that intimate and natural quality that their stripped-back originals have and Allan's delivery of some of Bob's more surreal lyrics doesn't sound too grasping, I otherwise consider it a decent cover album. My highlights are I'll Be Your Baby Tonight, I Shall Be Released, Just Like A Woman and My Back Pages (an exception to what I said a sentence earlier in that I think the dramatic orchestral parts work well here). Two great features about it are that it shows how perfect Terry's harmony fit in with them already as well as giving Allan a chance to really show off his own harmonica skills. I'd say he's a better player than Bob!

I love it......

[ahkyahnan]

I really like the arrangements, they make the album very unique and not just a straight up cover. I prefer covers that have their own identity. I just listened to it for the first time recently, and my copy has the Lewisham Odeon show. A nice listen.

Mark

[Mevrouw Bee]

Quit Your Low Down Ways. Brilliant. Tony's solo is sublime.

[johnt]

I remember going out to buy it as soon as it was released and thought it was a great album.

I loved all the songs but wasn't particularly keen on the 'blow-wo-woing' bit on Blowin' In The Wind. 

Incidentally, many years later at a Hollies convention in Harrogate, I believe, there was a charity auction and Bobby donated the hat that he wore on this album cover. I did bid on it several times but lost out, I'm afraid.   

[ahkyahnan]

I’m curious, on my CD there’s a short glitch/tape slowdown on When The Ship Comes In, somewhere around the second verse. Is this a common thing?

I listened to it on YouTube and thought I heard the same thing but it seemed more subtle. Just making sure my CD isn’t defective.

Thanks
Mark

[anthony]

Funny I enjoyed seeing them perform these songs on the BBC special, and I think it’s a Finnish special but I was never keen on this album, the songs are good but what a waste, just wished they had their own material. I remember Blowin in the wind being played on the radio here at the time, not sure if it entered the charts. Plus in 1974 their concert In Melbourne, I particularly remember Bobby’s drum solo at the end of that song. 

[JamesT]

May 25, 2021 18:05:52 GMT ahkyahnan said:

I’m curious, on my CD there’s a short glitch/tape slowdown on When The Ship Comes In, somewhere around the second verse. Is this a common thing?

I listened to it on YouTube and thought I heard the same thing but it seemed more subtle. Just making sure my CD isn’t defective.

Thanks
Mark

Haven't listened to the album in ages, but this rings a bell.  On the 1993 CD there also seems to be an issue with All I Really Want To Do as if the acoustic guitar near the start of the first chorus is 'faded in' late.

[The Dude]

May 26, 2021 5:27:10 GMT anthony said:

...I remember Blowin in the wind being played on the radio here at the time, not sure if it entered the charts. Plus in 1974 their concert In Melbourne, I particularly remember Bobby’s drum solo at the end of that song. 

It was quite a hit in NL and surrounding countries...

[ahkyahnan]

May 26, 2021 5:39:24 GMT JamesT said:

May 25, 2021 18:05:52 GMT ahkyahnan said:

I’m curious, on my CD there’s a short glitch/tape slowdown on When The Ship Comes In, somewhere around the second verse. Is this a common thing?

I listened to it on YouTube and thought I heard the same thing but it seemed more subtle. Just making sure my CD isn’t defective.

Thanks
Mark

Haven't listened to the album in ages, but this rings a bell.  On the 1993 CD there also seems to be an issue with All I Really Want To Do as if the acoustic guitar near the start of the first chorus is 'faded in' late.

Thanks for the info!

Mark

[hollies72]

May 24, 2021 16:25:41 GMT thejanitor said:

Reviving this thread as it's the man himself's 80th birthday today. What are everybody's thoughts and favourite tracks from this album?

While I do think the pompous arrangements on many of the songs lose that intimate and natural quality that their stripped-back originals have and Allan's delivery of some of Bob's more surreal lyrics doesn't sound too grasping, I otherwise consider it a decent cover album. My highlights are I'll Be Your Baby Tonight, I Shall Be Released, Just Like A Woman and My Back Pages (an exception to what I said a sentence earlier in that I think the dramatic orchestral parts work well here). Two great features about it are that it shows how perfect Terry's harmony fit in with them already as well as giving Allan a chance to really show off his own harmonica skills. I'd say he's a better player than Bob!

I think they should have gone with their original "country album" concept instead of Dylan covers. Country-rock was in vogue at the time; The Byrds went total country, as Dylan himself did (" Nashville Skyline"). I think a country album would have been less criticized and more in keeping with the times.

[JamesT]

To be honest, if Louisiana Man is indicative of what the project would have sounded like, it's a firm thumbs down from me.

[hollies72]

I think with Nash leaving it was not a good time to release an album of all covers, whether it be Dylan or country. But an album of original country tunes would have been interesting. The band always did Country & Western well, as did The Beatles.

[thejanitor]

There some fine examples of them doing country/country-rock around that time with songs like Gasoline Alley Bred, Lady Please, I'll Be Your Baby Tonight and Dandelion Wine but then there's also more over-the-top and corny (IMO anyways, sorry for anyone who likes these songs!) examples like the live cover of Dang Me, Please Sign Your Letters, Louisiana Man and What A Life I've Led. I think had they gone forward with the country album, it would unfortunately consist more of the latter kind of material than the former.

[ahkyahnan]

Jun 2, 2021 19:16:26 GMT hollies72 said:

I think they should have gone with their original "country album" concept instead of Dylan covers. Country-rock was in vogue at the time; The Byrds went total country, as Dylan himself did (" Nashville Skyline"). I think a country album would have been less criticized and more in keeping with the times.

...But an album of original country tunes would have been interesting. The band always did Country & Western well, as did The Beatles.

I wonder if some of the ideas they might’ve had for a country album sorta found their way into their subsequent “Hollies Sing Hollies” album? I’m slowly working my way through their catalog and I’ve only heard HSH once, but there was something about it that made me think of some of the country crossover/influenced artists of the early 70s like maybe, I don’t know B.J. Thomas, Mack Davis or some of the stuff Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds did. I’m not saying HSH sounds like that exactly, but there was a quality to it that reminded me of some of the stuff I remember playing on early 70s radio, but HSH was ’69. Made me wonder if it influenced a few other musicians around that time.

Mark

[ahkyahnan]

Listened to this again today. What I like about it is that despite being Dylan songs, it sounds like a Hollies album. Just like covers they recorded on their previous albums. Which at the time was maybe a little gutsy.

As revered as Dylan was then I can imagine how fans may’ve debated how faithful their renditions should’ve been, but I like how inventive they were with some of the arrangements.

Standouts for me were This Wheel’s On Fire, I Shall Be Released and Quit Your Lowdown Ways. That last one was a lot like their earlier songs. I have the Japanese version that includes the Nash BITW single, the Lewisham concert and the German live version of BITW. A nice listen overall.

Mark

[Mevrouw Bee]

Jun 12, 2021 23:49:25 GMT ahkyahnan said:

Listened to this again today. What I like about it is that despite being Dylan songs, it sounds like a Hollies album. Just like covers they recorded on their previous albums. Which at the time was maybe a little gutsy.

As revered as Dylan was then I can imagine how fans may’ve debated how faithful their renditions should’ve been, but I like how inventive they were with some of the arrangements.

Standouts for me were This Wheel’s On Fire, I Shall Be Released and Quit Your Lowdown Ways. That last one was a lot like their earlier songs. I have the Japanese version that includes the Nash BITW single, the Lewisham concert and the German live version of BITW. A nice listen overall.

Mark

My three favourites too. The album just keeps growing on me. 

Trying to make Buddy Holly to the same for me after repeated listens but those keyboards and synths are making me mental. 

[ahkyahnan]

Forgot to mention Allan gets a good bit of time on harmonica which is nice.

Mark

[ahkyahnan]

Jun 13, 2021 13:29:29 GMT Mevrouw Bee said:

Trying to make Buddy Holly do the same for me after repeated listens but those keyboards and synths are making me mental. 

Boy you’re not kidding! Listened to some samples on iTunes and was really surprised to hear something like that prior to the big synth craze of the mid 80s. I’m a keyboardist myself and was playing in bands and recording during the 80s, and for a guitar band in only 1980 I was expecting maybe something like the stuff Foreigner was doing then, but this really surprised me. I guess one could maybe say they were a little ahead of the game considering what all came later.

Mark

[Mevrouw Bee]

Jun 21, 2021 23:37:31 GMT ahkyahnan said:

Jun 13, 2021 13:29:29 GMT Mevrouw Bee said:

Trying to make Buddy Holly do the same for me after repeated listens but those keyboards and synths are making me mental. 

Boy you’re not kidding! Listened to some samples on iTunes and was really surprised to hear something like that prior to the big synth craze of the mid 80s. I’m a keyboardist myself and was playing in bands and recording during the 80s, and for a guitar band in only 1980 I was expecting maybe something like the stuff Foreigner was doing then, but this really surprised me. I guess one could maybe say they were a little ahead of the game considering what all came later.

Mark

I'm not anti-synth mind you. I love Yazoo and Eurythmics and OMD and all that early 80s stuff -- the cold-sounding instrumentals combined with the warm, soulful voice. 

It's when the older bands just used the keyboards and synths to replace other instruments...It just seemed that they didn't get the point. And while I can still listen to Yazoo now, for example, the rest is just painfully dated sounding. 

[JamesT]

Jun 23, 2021 13:40:43 GMT Mevrouw Bee said:

Jun 21, 2021 23:37:31 GMT ahkyahnan said:

Boy you’re not kidding! Listened to some samples on iTunes and was really surprised to hear something like that prior to the big synth craze of the mid 80s. I’m a keyboardist myself and was playing in bands and recording during the 80s, and for a guitar band in only 1980 I was expecting maybe something like the stuff Foreigner was doing then, but this really surprised me. I guess one could maybe say they were a little ahead of the game considering what all came later.

Mark

I'm not anti-synth mind you. I love Yazoo and Eurythmics and OMD and all that early 80s stuff -- the cold-sounding instrumentals combined with the warm, soulful voice. 

It's when the older bands just used the keyboards and synths to replace other instruments...It just seemed that they didn't get the point. And while I can still listen to Yazoo now, for example, the rest is just painfully dated sounding. 

Had a listen to the Buddy Holly tracks yesterday.  The keyboards don't really offend my ears that much, all-in-all I really like BH - it seems more cohesive than HSD.  Terrific performances and still plenty of guitar.