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Post by grahamnashgirl65 on Jun 27, 2016 2:39:09 GMT
Hello friends and fellow Hollies fans! I'm new here! For those who don't know, my name is Dara Roberts and I am a college student from Philadelphia, PA. I love the music of the 60's and 70's; one of my favorite styles is the British Invasion. This music has helped me through rough times in my life including 13 major surgeries on my hips, arms, spine, and legs along with my mom's battle with breast cancer. She will be 3 years cancer-free this July. I have just become a fan of this phenomenal band this past April! Although I like some songs that Terry sings, such as "Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress," and "The Air That I Breathe," the songs with Graham have become my favorites. He has become my favorite member of the group. I saw and met Terry Sylvester on The British Invasion Tour in 2014 when he filled in for Gerry from Gerry and the Pacemakers. He is the only Hollies member I have met so far; Graham is next on my list. I hear "Bus Stop," On A Carousel" "I Can't Let Go," "Stop, Stop, Stop," "Carrie Anne," and many others on the 60's on 6 Sirius XM radio station all the time when I am in my dad's car and I sing along every time they come on! My mom changes the words of "Carrie Ann" to "Hey Dara love, what's your game now, can anybody play?" to make me laugh! It is her favorite Hollies song too. I am just starting to research this band and I started listening to some of their albums for the very first time a few weeks ago. These boys are absolutely incredible! I got Graham's audio book Wild Tales: A Rock and Roll Life for my birthday in April and it is amazing! My mom got me tickets to see Graham Nash live and in person on July 16th!! This is my first time seeing my favorite member of the Hollies live! I just got his new album "This Path Tonight" and also a DVD. I am looking forward to meeting other members here and chatting about these boys! Any album or song recommendations would be greatly appreciated as I am just getting into their music. Hollies forever!!!
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Post by gee on Jun 27, 2016 11:18:17 GMT
Hi Dara hope you and your Mom are well ! - and 'Stay' well (as The Hollies sang)
the original British versions of the sixties / early seventies Hollies albums have been released in two 'Five Hollies Originals' sets by EMI/Warner that you can get quite cheaply on Amazon
these are 'Volume One';
'Stay With The Hollies' (1964) / 'In The Hollies Style' (1964)/ 'Hollies' (1965)/ 'Would You Believe ?' (1966) / 'For Certain Because...' (1966)
all five albums feature Graham Nash with Allan Clarke as lead singer (Graham sings a few tracks too)
the first two sets 'Stay With...' and 'Hollies Style' are 1964 'Beat Boom' era albums (they wrote quite a few songs on the second album under a 'pen name' of 'Ransford') with brisk energetic versions of alot of their early stage show favorite covers - 'Talkin' Bout You', 'Lucille', 'Memphis', 'You Better Move On', 'Mr.Moonlight' etc....then 'Too Much Monkey Business', 'Something's Got A Hold on Me', 'It's in Her Kiss' etc, while Graham sings lead on 'To You My Love' and Allan solos on 'You'll Be Mine'
while the third self titled 'Hollies' (1965) album sees their own songs getting more experimental (the echoing guitar led 'So Lonely', the ultra fast key changing 'When I Come Home To You', the piano/harmonica/guitar instrumental solo highlighted driving 'Put Yourself in My Place', the folky 'Too Many People') plus some strong covers of everything from R 'n' B soul ('You Must Believe Me', 'Mickey's Monkey') to Sun Records / Rock & Roll ('Down The Line', 'Lawdy Miss Clawdy', 'Fortune Teller') to folk ('Very Last Day' - a big hit in Sweden)
while producer Ron Richards had them reluctantly cover the old fifties Frankie Laine 1932 era ballad 'That's My Desire' (which they loathed doing, but it topped the chart in South Africa later in 1967)
the fourth album 'Would You Believe ?' (1966) again has a few Rock & Roll tracks ("Sweet Little Sixteen', 'Take Your Time') and R 'n' B Soul ('I Take What I Want') but again gets more experimental - 'Hard Hard Year' has a surprise heavy metal style rock guitar solo by Tony Hicks set over an acoustic folk Bob Dylan style song plus 'Oriental Sadness' (aka 'She'll Never Trust in Anybody...') has spiralling vocal tangents , a notable cover of Paul Simon's 'I Am A Rock' (which Paul thanked them for covering when he met up with them in New York) and closes with 'I Can't Let Go'
- note Graham's first true 'solo' song the absurd yet haunting ballad 'Fifi The Flea' which features just Nash's voice and a guitar, and style wise clearly points towards 'Lady of The Island' etc and his later solo songs, Graham also sings lead on most of 'I've Got A Way of My Own' with Allan singing the bridge sections - this is the last album featuring Eric Haydock on bass guitar (tho' he appears on one track; 'Don't Even Think About Changing' included on the next album).
the fifth studio album also released in 1966 'For Certain Because...' (a line from the children's song 'Teddy Bear's Picnic' that they once got Tony Hicks to sing onstage !) is their first totally original composed album, Nash solos on a couple of tracks notably the superb 'Clown' and Clarke solos on the dixieland styled 'High Classed' while some three tracks have additional accompaniment arranged by Ex-Manfreds guitarist Mike Vickers, notably the haunting 'Crusader' also Tony Hicks jangling guitar features on the Byrds influenced 'Suspicious Look in Your Eyes' while 'Peculiar Situation' has perverse deliberately non-rhyming lyrics (!) and 'What Went Wrong' features powerful drumming by Bobby Elliott with big band beat accompaniment.
the surprise American chart hit 'Pay You Back With Interest', the big Swedish hit 'Whats Wrong With The Way I Live' and the classic 'Stop Stop Stop' are all featured on this 1966 album. Bernie Calvert debuts on bass/keyboards here
A Volume Two Five Originals set includes the next set of Hollies studio albums of 1967-70;
'Evolution' (1967)/ 'Butterfly' (1967) / 'Hollies Sing Dylan' (1969)/ 'Hollies Sing Hollies' (1969) / 'Confessions of The Mind' (1970)
Graham Nash features on the first two albums with Terry Sylvester taking over for the next three.
'Evolution' is their 'psychedelic' era album issued the same day as 'Sgt Pepper' in June 1967 - it features additional accompaniment on all but three songs again arranged by Mike Vickers - Nash features on his haunting 'Stop Right There' while Clarke's 'Water on The Brain' has interesting instrumentation simulating cascading water, and his 'Heading For A Fall' is a standout track, Nash sings Clarke's song 'Lullaby To Tim' with an odd 'warbling' voice effect !, 'You Need Love' again has a Byrds guitar influence, while Tony Hicks fuzz guitar shines on 'Have You Ever Loved Somebody' (covered by The Searchers as a UK chart single), 'Then The Heartaches Begin' is another standout track.
Bobby Elliott was unwell for most of this album playing on just three songs, thus deputy seasoned 'session' drummers stood in for Bobby - Dougie Wright (of The John Barry Seven), Clem Cattini (of Johnny Kidd and The Pirates & The Tornados) plus John 'Mitch' Mitchell of The Jimi Hendrix Experience (who played on 'The Games We Play')
Graham Nash's final original sixties studio album with The Hollies; 'Butterfly' is heavily dominated by him with four solo vocals, including the title track, 'Postcard', 'Away Away Away', and 'Maker' (an Indian flavoured track featuring sitar and tablas)...note that each of his solo songs significantly reflects the desire for 'escapism' while Clarke shines on his 'Would You Believe', 'Try it' and Hicks takes a rare lead vocal on his own song 'Pegasus'
'Dear Eloise' is the opening track being just one of two tracks here, along with 'Step Inside', to be written by the full Clarke-Hicks-Nash team yet despite quite a lot of solo songs the album still has a very unified feel to it flowing quite beautifully and it remains a classic in many Hollies fans opinion, again quite a number of songs feature additional accompaniment, directed by Johnny Scott, tho' on about half of this album
'Hollies Sing Dylan' was controversial at the time - some disliked it - but the harmonies are supreme as Terry Sylvester was the perfect replacement for Graham Nash, with a more emotive pathos tinged edge to his voice as opposed to Graham's dynamic or haunting voice...
'new boy' the eager young Terry Sylvester (a longtime Liverpudlian musician friend of the band from his days in The Escorts and The Swinging Blue Jeans) immediately sounds as if he's been with them for years !
Terry's voice perfectly suited the later hits and changing times - indeed 'Times They Are A Changin' is included here. A dynamic 'Wheels on Fire', glorious 'I'll Be Your Baby Tonight', powering 'Quit Your Low Down Way'(with snappy Hicks acoustic guitarwork), and a reflective 'I Shall Be Released' are notable Dylan 're-constructions' here a vocal re-cut of their earler 1968 big band take of 'Blowin in The Wind' was included too and an interesting slowed tempo take on 'Just Like A Woman' and a jaunty 'Mighty Quinn' (nothing like the Manfred Mann hits) are included too.Three tracks feature accompaniment arranged by Lew Warburton with 'Blowin' featuring noted jazz players Ronnie Scott and Ronnie Ross arranged by Mike Vickers.
Allan Clarke's lead voice was magnificent here and their new Clarke-Hicks-Sylvester Hollies harmony sound was mega tight.
'Hollies Sing Hollies' (1969) - saw them emerge as seventies style songwriters with a complete mixture of styles - from country ('Please Sign Your Letters') to early seventies disco ('Do You Believe in Love') to pop ('You Love Cos You Like it') to gospel rock ('Why Didn't You Believe ?') plus Terry Sylvester's first composed song the operatic style 'Gloria Swansong' and Allan Clarke's acoustic number 'Marigold'
Clarke's epic 'My Life is Over With You' was his half bitter / half sad reaction to Nash's exit from the band and his life...while his first anti war song 'Soldier's Dilemma' was dropped from the American version of the album, tho' it's included here...
Tony Hicks takes another rare lead vocal on Clarke-Sylvester's charming song; 'Look At Life' (an early song about nature)
Tony Hicks own song; 'Don't Give Up Easily' featured early use of a synth' (probably the same one The Beatles were using on 'Abbey Road' recorded alongside this set at Abbey Road), Alan Tew and Johnny Scott do the orchestral and additional accompaniment arrangements here
'Confessions of The Mind' (1970) - featured accompaniment on a few tracks arranged by Johnny Scott, with Tony Hicks shining as a solo songwriter, notably on his 'Too Young To Be Married' (a No.1 hit single for them in Australia and New Zealand), plus 'Lady Please', 'Little Girl', 'Frightened Lady' and the complex near title track. Allan and Terry joined forces as songwriters too for 'Man Without A Heart', 'Isn't it Nice ?', 'Perfect Lady Housewife' (with Elton John on Hammond organ) and 'I Wanna Shout' while Allan's 'Separated' again reflected his feelings towards Nash's departure albeit with Eastern instrumentation - and a odd Indian 'caller' voice ! the album opens with the final Clarke-Hicks-Nash composed number 'Survival of The Fittest' re-cut with Terry Sylvester.
there are of course notable seventies albums thereafter, but to start your Hollies collection I'd suggest you get these two sets, they don't have the bonus tracks other versions have but would give you the original UK albums as released 1964-1970 to start your Hollies collection, while these two sets plus 'The Hollies Greatest Hits' (2001 with 'white clouds' cover) is a 2CD set full of worldwide chart hits all in stereo !
later you might want to get single album CDs with bonus tracks and mono/stereo versions etc, - while the CD box sets 'The Clarke Hicks Nash Years' and 'Changin Times' gives you almost all the released tracks recorded from 1963 to mid 1973 set out in chronological order of recording
- but if you get those two 'Five Hollies Originals' box sets & that 2CD 'Greatest Hits' singles set to start with it will give you all the sixties/early seventies albums as originally released in the UK as The Hollies intended (the overseas albums were often chopped about with singles, 'B' sides etc added in place of album tracks which often got spread out across the releases) gathered together all one go at no great expense.
hope this helps
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Post by Gralto on Jun 28, 2016 14:40:37 GMT
Hi Dara, Welcome to the forum and thanks for joining up! I'm always interested to know how new people find us - was it simply typing something into Google like 'Hollies forum'? It sounds like you have had a truly remarkable life already dealing with such significant adversity but the good news right now is... you've now found The Hollies! If sublime harmonies and strong melodies backed by quality instrumentation are your thing in pop/rock music, then you are sure to have lots of great times ahead listening to the band's music.
There are many knowledgable fans with strong opinions who lurk on this discussion forum and all of them (for the most part!) very helpful and friendly. I'm sure if you have a question about the group, someone on here will most likely have an answer. Not everyone agrees with each other here, as you will doubtless read, so don't be put off by that. Debate and differences of opinion are encouraged as long as everything remains civil - the standard chat board stuff. At the end of the day, we are all here to celebrate the music of an enduring band who have left behind an extremely impressive body of work across more than 5 decades.
Thanks again for dropping by and adding your voice to Elevated Observations! Best wishes Simon (site moderator)
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Post by Tony Wilkinson on Jun 28, 2016 15:36:36 GMT
Hello Dara and welcome, Got to endorse 'gee's' comments re the 2 x 5 cd compilations plus the Clarke ,Hicks, Nash years along with changin' times . For not a lot of money you would have some 21 cd's in total representing a massive part of Hollies history... I would be envious of anybody embarking on this journey, hope you heed our advice and play them until you know every word. Best of luck....
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Post by irelandcalling4 on Jun 29, 2016 14:53:57 GMT
Welcome to the forum Dara,
Like yourself, I arrived late the Holliedom; growing up loving the likes of the Stones, Beatles, Who, Kinks, the Beach Boys, I'd never gravitated towards the Hollies for some reason. They didn't seem as relevant as the 60s giants mentioned; however, how wrong I turned out to be. After finally discovering more than just the few hits I knew, I discovered an absolutely amazing band with as many classic recordings as any other great act.
Summer 2013 following a viewing of the 'Look Through Any Window' documentary set me on the Hollies course, and by Christmas that year I'd obtained all of the albums up to 1970s 'Confessions of the Mind' and have to say I was astonished at just how good those records were and how I had overlooked this band.
A spectacular run of mid to late 60s gems especially that I honestly feel are every bit the equal of what the Beatles were doing; 'For Certain Because', 'Evolution', 'Butterfly', and 'Hollies '68' (an ipod collection I made of the 1968 recordings to collect them into an album). The album run from 1970-1975 is, as Cameron remarked in another post, almost flawless. One of the only 60s acts to artistically reach similar highs in the 70s to their earlier work. Albums like 1971s 'Distant Light' in my opinion are top quality, and it's a shame the Hollies are not recognised for making such artistic, high quality albums well into the 70s.
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Post by dirtyfaz on Jun 29, 2016 22:58:36 GMT
Welcome Dara Like Gralto says "There are many knowledgable fans with strong opinions" on the site. That is a true statement. Our passions for the band become obvious when you read through the topics throughout the forum. Hope you stay and enjoy the forum for a very long time.
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Post by grahamnashgirl65 on Jul 1, 2016 0:32:56 GMT
Hi Dara hope you and your Mom are well ! - and 'Stay' well (as The Hollies sang) the original British versions of the sixties / early seventies Hollies albums have been released in two 'Five Hollies Originals' sets by EMI/Warner that you can get quite cheaply on Amazon these are 'Volume One'; 'Stay With The Hollies' (1964) / 'In The Hollies Style' (1964)/ 'Hollies' (1965)/ 'Would You Believe ?' (1966) / 'For Certain Because...' (1966) all five albums feature Graham Nash with Allan Clarke as lead singer (Graham sings a few tracks too) the first two sets 'Stay With...' and 'Hollies Style' are 1964 'Beat Boom' era albums (they wrote quite a few songs on the second album under a 'pen name' of 'Ransford') with brisk energetic versions of alot of their early stage show favorite covers - 'Talkin' Bout You', 'Lucille', 'Memphis', 'You Better Move On', 'Mr.Moonlight' etc....then 'Too Much Monkey Business', 'Something's Got A Hold on Me', 'It's in Her Kiss' etc, while Graham sings lead on 'To You My Love' and Allan solos on 'You'll Be Mine' while the third self titled 'Hollies' (1965) album sees their own songs getting more experimental (the echoing guitar led 'So Lonely', the ultra fast key changing 'When I Come Home To You', the piano/harmonica/guitar instrumental solo highlighted driving 'Put Yourself in My Place', the folky 'Too Many People') plus some strong covers of everything from R 'n' B soul ('You Must Believe Me', 'Mickey's Monkey') to Sun Records / Rock & Roll ('Down The Line', 'Lawdy Miss Clawdy', 'Fortune Teller') to folk ('Very Last Day' - a big hit in Sweden) while producer Ron Richards had them reluctantly cover the old fifties Frankie Laine 1932 era ballad 'That's My Desire' (which they loathed doing, but it topped the chart in South Africa later in 1967) the fourth album 'Would You Believe ?' (1966) again has a few Rock & Roll tracks ("Sweet Little Sixteen', 'Take Your Time') and R 'n' B Soul ('I Take What I Want') but again gets more experimental - 'Hard Hard Year' has a surprise heavy metal style rock guitar solo by Tony Hicks set over an acoustic folk Bob Dylan style song plus 'Oriental Sadness' (aka 'She'll Never Trust in Anybody...') has spiralling vocal tangents , a notable cover of Paul Simon's 'I Am A Rock' (which Paul thanked them for covering when he met up with them in New York) and closes with 'I Can't Let Go' - note Graham's first true 'solo' song the absurd yet haunting ballad 'Fifi The Flea' which features just Nash's voice and a guitar, and style wise clearly points towards 'Lady of The Island' etc and his later solo songs, Graham also sings lead on most of 'I've Got A Way of My Own' with Allan singing the bridge sections - this is the last album featuring Eric Haydock on bass guitar (tho' he appears on one track; 'Don't Even Think About Changing' included on the next album). the fifth studio album also released in 1966 'For Certain Because...' (a line from the children's song 'Teddy Bear's Picnic' that they once got Tony Hicks to sing onstage !) is their first totally original composed album, Nash solos on a couple of tracks notably the superb 'Clown' and Clarke solos on the dixieland styled 'High Classed' while some three tracks have additional accompaniment arranged by Ex-Manfreds guitarist Mike Vickers, notably the haunting 'Crusader' also Tony Hicks jangling guitar features on the Byrds influenced 'Suspicious Look in Your Eyes' while 'Peculiar Situation' has perverse deliberately non-rhyming lyrics (!) and 'What Went Wrong' features powerful drumming by Bobby Elliott with big band beat accompaniment. the surprise American chart hit 'Pay You Back With Interest', the big Swedish hit 'Whats Wrong With The Way I Live' and the classic 'Stop Stop Stop' are all featured on this 1966 album. Bernie Calvert debuts on bass/keyboards here A Volume Two Five Originals set includes the next set of Hollies studio albums of 1967-70; 'Evolution' (1967)/ 'Butterfly' (1967) / 'Hollies Sing Dylan' (1969)/ 'Hollies Sing Hollies' (1969) / 'Confessions of The Mind' (1970) Graham Nash features on the first two albums with Terry Sylvester taking over for the next three. 'Evolution' is their 'psychedelic' era album issued the same day as 'Sgt Pepper' in June 1967 - it features additional accompaniment on all but three songs again arranged by Mike Vickers - Nash features on his haunting 'Stop Right There' while Clarke's 'Water on The Brain' has interesting instrumentation simulating cascading water, and his 'Heading For A Fall' is a standout track, Nash sings Clarke's song 'Lullaby To Tim' with an odd 'warbling' voice effect !, 'You Need Love' again has a Byrds guitar influence, while Tony Hicks fuzz guitar shines on 'Have You Ever Loved Somebody' (covered by The Searchers as a UK chart single), 'Then The Heartaches Begin' is another standout track. Bobby Elliott was unwell for most of this album playing on just three songs, thus deputy seasoned 'session' drummers stood in for Bobby - Dougie Wright (of The John Barry Seven), Clem Cattini (of Johnny Kidd and The Pirates & The Tornados) plus John 'Mitch' Mitchell of The Jimi Hendrix Experience (who played on 'The Games We Play') Graham Nash's final original sixties studio album with The Hollies; 'Butterfly' is heavily dominated by him with four solo vocals, including the title track, 'Postcard', 'Away Away Away', and 'Maker' (an Indian flavoured track featuring sitar and tablas)...note that each of his solo songs significantly reflects the desire for 'escapism' while Clarke shines on his 'Would You Believe', 'Try it' and Hicks takes a rare lead vocal on his own song 'Pegasus' 'Dear Eloise' is the opening track being just one of two tracks here, along with 'Step Inside', to be written by the full Clarke-Hicks-Nash team yet despite quite a lot of solo songs the album still has a very unified feel to it flowing quite beautifully and it remains a classic in many Hollies fans opinion, again quite a number of songs feature additional accompaniment, directed by Johnny Scott, tho' on about half of this album 'Hollies Sing Dylan' was controversial at the time - some disliked it - but the harmonies are supreme as Terry Sylvester was the perfect replacement for Graham Nash, with a more emotive pathos tinged edge to his voice as opposed to Graham's dynamic or haunting voice... 'new boy' the eager young Terry Sylvester (a longtime Liverpudlian musician friend of the band from his days in The Escorts and The Swinging Blue Jeans) immediately sounds as if he's been with them for years ! Terry's voice perfectly suited the later hits and changing times - indeed 'Times They Are A Changin' is included here. A dynamic 'Wheels on Fire', glorious 'I'll Be Your Baby Tonight', powering 'Quit Your Low Down Way'(with snappy Hicks acoustic guitarwork), and a reflective 'I Shall Be Released' are notable Dylan 're-constructions' here a vocal re-cut of their earler 1968 big band take of 'Blowin in The Wind' was included too and an interesting slowed tempo take on 'Just Like A Woman' and a jaunty 'Mighty Quinn' (nothing like the Manfred Mann hits) are included too.Three tracks feature accompaniment arranged by Lew Warburton with 'Blowin' featuring noted jazz players Ronnie Scott and Ronnie Ross arranged by Mike Vickers. Allan Clarke's lead voice was magnificent here and their new Clarke-Hicks-Sylvester Hollies harmony sound was mega tight. 'Hollies Sing Hollies' (1969) - saw them emerge as seventies style songwriters with a complete mixture of styles - from country ('Please Sign Your Letters') to early seventies disco ('Do You Believe in Love') to pop ('You Love Cos You Like it') to gospel rock ('Why Didn't You Believe ?') plus Terry Sylvester's first composed song the operatic style 'Gloria Swansong' and Allan Clarke's acoustic number 'Marigold' Clarke's epic 'My Life is Over With You' was his half bitter / half sad reaction to Nash's exit from the band and his life...while his first anti war song 'Soldier's Dilemma' was dropped from the American version of the album, tho' it's included here... Tony Hicks takes another rare lead vocal on Clarke-Sylvester's charming song; 'Look At Life' (an early song about nature) Tony Hicks own song; 'Don't Give Up Easily' featured early use of a synth' (probably the same one The Beatles were using on 'Abbey Road' recorded alongside this set at Abbey Road), Alan Tew and Johnny Scott do the orchestral and additional accompaniment arrangements here 'Confessions of The Mind' (1970) - featured accompaniment on a few tracks arranged by Johnny Scott, with Tony Hicks shining as a solo songwriter, notably on his 'Too Young To Be Married' (a No.1 hit single for them in Australia and New Zealand), plus 'Lady Please', 'Little Girl', 'Frightened Lady' and the complex near title track. Allan and Terry joined forces as songwriters too for 'Man Without A Heart', 'Isn't it Nice ?', 'Perfect Lady Housewife' (with Elton John on Hammond organ) and 'I Wanna Shout' while Allan's 'Separated' again reflected his feelings towards Nash's departure albeit with Eastern instrumentation - and a odd Indian 'caller' voice ! the album opens with the final Clarke-Hicks-Nash composed number 'Survival of The Fittest' re-cut with Terry Sylvester. there are of course notable seventies albums thereafter, but to start your Hollies collection I'd suggest you get these two sets, they don't have the bonus tracks other versions have but would give you the original UK albums as released 1964-1970 to start your Hollies collection, while these two sets plus 'The Hollies Greatest Hits' (2001 with 'white clouds' cover) is a 2CD set full of worldwide chart hits all in stereo ! later you might want to get single album CDs with bonus tracks and mono/stereo versions etc, - while the CD box sets 'The Clarke Hicks Nash Years' and 'Changin Times' gives you almost all the released tracks recorded from 1963 to mid 1973 set out in chronological order of recording - but if you get those two 'Five Hollies Originals' box sets & that 2CD 'Greatest Hits' singles set to start with it will give you all the sixties/early seventies albums as originally released in the UK as The Hollies intended (the overseas albums were often chopped about with singles, 'B' sides etc added in place of album tracks which often got spread out across the releases) gathered together all one go at no great expense. hope this helps Hi Gee! Nice to meet you! Yes this really helps! Thanks so much!
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Post by grahamnashgirl65 on Jul 1, 2016 0:39:24 GMT
Hi Dara, Welcome to the forum and thanks for joining up! I'm always interested to know how new people find us - was it simply typing something into Google like 'Hollies forum'? It sounds like you have had a truly remarkable life already dealing with such significant adversity but the good news right now is... you've now found The Hollies! If sublime harmonies and strong melodies backed by quality instrumentation are your thing in pop/rock music, then you are sure to have lots of great times ahead listening to the band's music. There are many knowledgable fans with strong opinions who lurk on this discussion forum and all of them (for the most part!) very helpful and friendly. I'm sure if you have a question about the group, someone on here will most likely have an answer. Not everyone agrees with each other here, as you will doubtless read, so don't be put off by that. Debate and differences of opinion are encouraged as long as everything remains civil - the standard chat board stuff. At the end of the day, we are all here to celebrate the music of an enduring band who have left behind an extremely impressive body of work across more than 5 decades. Thanks again for dropping by and adding your voice to Elevated Observations! Best wishes Simon (site moderator) Hi Simon! Thanks for the welcome! Nice to meet you!! It's ok if everyone has different opinions' that's what makes the world go round. Yes I did find this forum on Google! Everyone is so friendly here! I can't wait to explore more of the music of this incredible band, especially my favorite member who I will be seeing in 2 weeks, Graham Nash!
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Post by grahamnashgirl65 on Jul 1, 2016 0:42:00 GMT
Hello Dara and welcome, Got to endorse 'gee's' comments re the 2 x 5 cd compilations plus the Clarke ,Hicks, Nash years along with changin' times . For not a lot of money you would have some 21 cd's in total representing a massive part of Hollies history... I would be envious of anybody embarking on this journey, hope you heed our advice and play them until you know every word. Best of luck.... Hi Tony! Nice to meet you! Thanks for the info! I usually look up all the music on Spotify and if I like it, I get the CD's.
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Post by grahamnashgirl65 on Jul 1, 2016 1:08:56 GMT
Welcome to the forum Dara, Like yourself, I arrived late the Holliedom; growing up loving the likes of the Stones, Beatles, Who, Kinks, the Beach Boys, I'd never gravitated towards the Hollies for some reason. They didn't seem as relevant as the 60s giants mentioned; however, how wrong I turned out to be. After finally discovering more than just the few hits I knew, I discovered an absolutely amazing band with as many classic recordings as any other great act. Summer 2013 following a viewing of the 'Look Through Any Window' documentary set me on the Hollies course, and by Christmas that year I'd obtained all of the albums up to 1970s 'Confessions of the Mind' and have to say I was astonished at just how good those records were and how I had overlooked this band. A spectacular run of mid to late 60s gems especially that I honestly feel are every bit the equal of what the Beatles were doing; 'For Certain Because', 'Evolution', 'Butterfly', and 'Hollies '68' (an ipod collection I made of the 1968 recordings to collect them into an album). The album run from 1970-1975 is, as Cameron remarked in another post, almost flawless. One of the only 60s acts to artistically reach similar highs in the 70s to their earlier work. Albums like 1971s 'Distant Light' in my opinion are top quality, and it's a shame the Hollies are not recognised for making such artistic, high quality albums well into the 70s. Hi irelandcalling4! Thanks for the welcome! Nice to meet you! I may have to check out that documentary; that sounds interesting! Like you, I also started out on the Beatles. I've seen Ringo twice and Paul 5 times. But now that Paul's voice is starting to fade, I stopped going to his concerts. I am still a Beatles and 60's fan; however, I decided it was time to "meet" the Hollies! I am currently listening to Graham Nash's autobiography "Wild Tales: A Rock and Roll Life" with my father. Graham has some very interesting stories about the band. It's hard to believe that he and Allan Clarke met when they were only six years old! My dad is a huge CSN fan and my mom is also one and a huge Hollies fan as well; so I grew up listening to this music. I can see how their harmonies and songwriting are very similar to the Beatles. I listened to all the Graham Nash albums (that era is my favorite!). Graham became my favorite member of both groups. And he's like me in many ways. For one thing, I can relate to him personally. We both have had operations on our legs. I'm counting the days till I see him in concert on July 16th!
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Post by grahamnashgirl65 on Jul 1, 2016 1:15:26 GMT
Welcome Dara Like Gralto says "There are many knowledgable fans with strong opinions" on the site. That is a true statement. Our passions for the band become obvious when you read through the topics throughout the forum. Hope you stay and enjoy the forum for a very long time. Hi dirtyfaz! Nice to meet you! I love this forum already! This is a very helpful site when I do my research on this band. I will try to come to this site more often!
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Post by grahamnashgirl65 on Jul 1, 2016 2:07:46 GMT
One thing I forgot to mention: this young lady also helped lead me to Graham and his other friends/bandmates David Crosby, Stephen Stills, and Neil Young:
That young lady is another favorite singer-songwriter of mine, Joni Mitchell! Through Joni's song "Woodstock," I came across CSN&Y's version of the song! My father used to blast the Deja Vu album when he was in college in Philadelphia. Now that I'm in college, I too do the same thing! His two favorite songs on that album are "Carry On" and "Woodstock." He sings along to those two songs every time I play them! I had first heard "Our House" as a little girl in the early 90's on an old Kidsongs videotape not knowing that Graham wrote it or that it was about Joni and Graham. I had not discovered CSN&Y's version until many years later when I heard it on the radio along with "Teach Your Children" and other songs. It was also through Joni's song "Willy" that piqued my interest in her and Graham's love story. So Joni is the one I truly have to thank along with my parents for introducing me to Graham and his music. It was from this point on that I found The Hollies!
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Post by JamesT on Jul 1, 2016 19:39:46 GMT
Welcome, Dara! I think you'll enjoy it here - the site is brimming with some very knowledgeable Hollies fans and any questions you have, I'm sure someone will be able to answer!
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Post by grahamnashgirl65 on Jul 2, 2016 19:03:39 GMT
Welcome, Dara! I think you'll enjoy it here - the site is brimming with some very knowledgeable Hollies fans and any questions you have, I'm sure someone will be able to answer! Thanks for the welcome James! Nice to meet you! I'm enjoying this forum already!
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Post by cameron on Jul 4, 2016 18:04:02 GMT
It's nice to see other young Hollies fans on the site too. Proof that they're still as popular as ever. I discovered them about eight or nine years ago now when I was just finishing school. I'd been watching a show on one of the Freeview channels called 'Pop Goes The Sixties' (presented by Jimmy Saville, no less - they can't show it anymore!) and the Hollies played 'He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother'. I was on a bit of a mission to discover all the major 1960's groups at the time, I noted it down as a great song and kept an eye out for a Hollies LP on my travels. Many months later, after seriously getting into the Kinks and the Who thanks to the same show, I was looking on eBay and found an absolutely mint first pressing of 'Hollies Greatest' from 1968. I saw that 'He Ain't Heavy...' wasn't on it, but it was only at £4.99 so I thought I'd take a chance. What struck me was it was on the same Parlophone label as the Beatles, so in my head, I was thinking that this was worth a lot of money! Perhaps I could sell it if I didn't like it, I thought! It arrived a few days later along with a few other LPs, which I spent all evening listening to. Just as I was going to bed, I thought I'd have a quick skip though this Hollies album. From the first few chugging notes of 'I Can't Let Go' right through to the last "la la la's" of 'Jennifer Eccles', I was hooked. This was the first time that such "old" music had really grabbed my attention and affected me. It was so joyous to listen to, without the pretence of, say, the Beatles' songs. Their music was just so upbeat and carefree but I was studying music at the time, so I was really struck by their musicianship too - particularly Bobby's drumming and Tony's guitar riffs.
I actually stayed up until about 4am listening to the album over and over. I was even late to school the next day! But I knew there and then that I wanted to know everything about this band. Thanks to YouTube, I discovered a lot of their music and put the names to the faces. What struck me though, was how there was NOTHING about the band on the internet. No books, no official DVDs, no bootlegs - not even a full history of the band. I was previously a very die-hard Beatles fan (well, I still am) and I bet from 1963 - 1970 you could piece together every waking moment of their every day. With the Hollies, there was nothing! Each new interview I found gave me something super revelatory. I remember an article in 'Shindig!' magazine in 2010 or so with Bobby Elliott and Tony Hicks talking about their "Flower Power bit" and their "awful" 1968 Lewisham Odeon concert that was recorded but left in the can as they were dissatisfied with their performance. I laughed to myself, "I bet that's on YouTube now!" but to my surprise, no Hollies fans - even the die hard ones - had ever caught a glimpse of this rare Hollies live set when they were at their peak with Graham Nash. The Hollies' master tapes were firmly under lock and key. Luckily, my prayers were answered in 2011 when 'Clarke Hicks & Nash Years' saw the first official release of that mythical Lewisham Odeon concert. I waited by the postbox all week when that came out! It seems I found them at the right time really, as I was learning of these rarities, they'd get released. First the 'Clarke Hicks & Nash Years' boxset, then 'Radio Fun', their first official BBC sessions CD and then the fantastic 'Look Through Any Window' DVD documentary. I may have been over 40 years late, but 2008 - present is a very exciting time to be a Hollies fan!
Besides their amazing and very varied back catalogue, it's the unknown about the Hollies that fascinates me. There's so many stories to tell, they're almost like the "underdogs" of the 1960's revival. They deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as the Beatles, Rolling Stones and the Hollies, but they continue to be "part of the furniture". Perhaps because they're the only major British band besides the Rolling Stones and the Who to never have broken up? The Small Faces and Kinks have had a huge revival especially. Perhaps they've loomed large in their legend? Either way, we all know how great the Hollies are, I'm certainly glad that more and more people are re-discovering their music.
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Post by grahamnashgirl65 on Jul 6, 2016 20:20:56 GMT
It's nice to see other young Hollies fans on the site too. Proof that they're still as popular as ever. I discovered them about eight or nine years ago now when I was just finishing school. I'd been watching a show on one of the Freeview channels called 'Pop Goes The Sixties' (presented by Jimmy Saville, no less - they can't show it anymore!) and the Hollies played 'He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother'. I was on a bit of a mission to discover all the major 1960's groups at the time, I noted it down as a great song and kept an eye out for a Hollies LP on my travels. Many months later, after seriously getting into the Kinks and the Who thanks to the same show, I was looking on eBay and found an absolutely mint first pressing of 'Hollies Greatest' from 1968. I saw that 'He Ain't Heavy...' wasn't on it, but it was only at £4.99 so I thought I'd take a chance. What struck me was it was on the same Parlophone label as the Beatles, so in my head, I was thinking that this was worth a lot of money! Perhaps I could sell it if I didn't like it, I thought! It arrived a few days later along with a few other LPs, which I spent all evening listening to. Just as I was going to bed, I thought I'd have a quick skip though this Hollies album. From the first few chugging notes of 'I Can't Let Go' right through to the last "la la la's" of 'Jennifer Eccles', I was hooked. This was the first time that such "old" music had really grabbed my attention and affected me. It was so joyous to listen to, without the pretence of, say, the Beatles' songs. Their music was just so upbeat and carefree but I was studying music at the time, so I was really struck by their musicianship too - particularly Bobby's drumming and Tony's guitar riffs. I actually stayed up until about 4am listening to the album over and over. I was even late to school the next day! But I knew there and then that I wanted to know everything about this band. Thanks to YouTube, I discovered a lot of their music and put the names to the faces. What struck me though, was how there was NOTHING about the band on the internet. No books, no official DVDs, no bootlegs - not even a full history of the band. I was previously a very die-hard Beatles fan (well, I still am) and I bet from 1963 - 1970 you could piece together every waking moment of their every day. With the Hollies, there was nothing! Each new interview I found gave me something super revelatory. I remember an article in 'Shindig!' magazine in 2010 or so with Bobby Elliott and Tony Hicks talking about their "Flower Power bit" and their "awful" 1968 Lewisham Odeon concert that was recorded but left in the can as they were dissatisfied with their performance. I laughed to myself, "I bet that's on YouTube now!" but to my surprise, no Hollies fans - even the die hard ones - had ever caught a glimpse of this rare Hollies live set when they were at their peak with Graham Nash. The Hollies' master tapes were firmly under lock and key. Luckily, my prayers were answered in 2011 when 'Clarke Hicks & Nash Years' saw the first official release of that mythical Lewisham Odeon concert. I waited by the postbox all week when that came out! It seems I found them at the right time really, as I was learning of these rarities, they'd get released. First the 'Clarke Hicks & Nash Years' boxset, then 'Radio Fun', their first official BBC sessions CD and then the fantastic 'Look Through Any Window' DVD documentary. I may have been over 40 years late, but 2008 - present is a very exciting time to be a Hollies fan! Besides their amazing and very varied back catalogue, it's the unknown about the Hollies that fascinates me. There's so many stories to tell, they're almost like the "underdogs" of the 1960's revival. They deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as the Beatles, Rolling Stones and the Hollies, but they continue to be "part of the furniture". Perhaps because they're the only major British band besides the Rolling Stones and the Who to never have broken up? The Small Faces and Kinks have had a huge revival especially. Perhaps they've loomed large in their legend? Either way, we all know how great the Hollies are, I'm certainly glad that more and more people are re-discovering their music. Hi Cameron! Nice to meet you! Wow! What a great way to grow up with the Hollies' music!! You have quite the collection! I may have to check them all out, especially the documentary. Sounds very interesting!
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Post by johnt on Jul 7, 2016 21:08:51 GMT
Hi grahamnashgirl65
I'm not sure if you can get the Sky Arts Channel in the USA, but if you can, The Hollies Look Through Any Window documentary is being shown on Saturday at 4.30pm (UK Time). It's really excellent.
ps I first saw the Hollies live on stage when I was 15 years old. I'm almost 65 now!
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Post by gee on Jul 8, 2016 10:43:03 GMT
you can get the 'Look Through Any Window' DVD on Amazon too, it's not very expensive (currently under nine dollars on Amazon.com) and Graham, Allan, Tony, and Bobby are all interviewed at length telling some great stories of the band's history, intercut with full clips of 22 songs performances
- 18 songs, mostly hits but some album tracks and 'B' sides too featuring Graham Nash (some live performances on TV shows and in classic sixties concerts such as the NME Poll winners concert, plus German 'Beat Club' and 'Beat Beat Beat' TV show performances - including the only so far known live concert TV version of 'Bus Stop' with Graham at the time recorded early in 1967 etc), with the final four hits featuring Terry Sylvester.
the early 1963 colour 'promo' film of 'Little Lover' features original Hollies drummer Don Rathbone
Sadly NO actual song performance of 'King Midas in Reverse' from 1967 Seems to exist (the BBC 'Top of The Pops' performance appears to be long lost !) and no other TV show version so far has emerged (they never seemed to perform it probably as sadly at the time it was deemed a 'flop' single - tho' so many Hollies fans favorite Hollies song now !)
.....however longtime Hollies tour manager Rod Shields took home movie footage of the band in the Far East during that period...and Rod kindly allowed his home movie of the band to be cleaned up and used for this DVD... they have cleverly matched it to the studio recording of 'King Midas...' to create a 'new' video of the song - much like sixties Beatles ones for 'Penny Lane' / 'Strawberry Fields..' etc therefore 'King Midas...' can be included, and with the band looking just as they were at the time they recorded it...Graham, Allan, Tony, Bobby, and Bernie all relaxing with the girls, wandering around, Graham painting messages of 'LOVE' etc....at the end a sequence of Rod's home movie footage is even played 'in Reverse' (very apt) as they all wander off backwards - very '1967' !
also the film Beatles producer George Martin made in 1967 of The Hollies recording 'On A Carousel' at Abbey Road studios has been included - an 'alternate' version that is minus the annoying added camera tricks of zooming in and out etc, a far more watchable version, including additional shots of Tony playing the guitar, Graham singing the lead unaccompanied, Graham, Allan and Tony just getting the three part harmonies spot on, together with the complete song performance in the studio.
there is also an option to play only the songs which are in the main set out in chronological order from 1963 to 1974.
if you haven't seen it yet, you will love it...!
also try to get the CD / DVD set 'The Dutch Collection' which has a strong DVD with different songs and song performances on it - tho' it's a bit more expensive at around 62 dollars on Amazon.com at the moment and 40 UK pounds on Amazon.UK !
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Post by cameron on Jul 8, 2016 15:30:40 GMT
The 'Look Through Any Window' DVD was a total revelation when it came out. That footage of them singing 'On A Carousel' had been lost for decades. It was originally shot in February 1967 for a programme called 'The World Tomorrow - Sound or Music?', that looked at the progressive recording technologies of the day. The Hollies played through 'On A Carousel' - they insist it was the whole recording session, but the dates don't actually make sense, the filming date was a few days AFTER 'On A Carousel' was recorded from what I've found. It was started on the 11th January, 1967 and the filming was done on the 17th of January, 1967. The film mainly shows an interview with Ron Richards (their producer) explaining the recording process. You can see it here:
Obviously there was a lot of footage not used (25 minutes was shot) and this was used in the LTAW documentary to create a more watchable version.
I loved the 'King Midas In Reverse' video. It was mostly taken on their tour of Japan in April 1968, with some behind the scenes shots of them recording the 'Carrie Anne' promo in June 1967. Very clever idea, and as Gee says, wonderfully in keeping with the era that saw music videos being produced for the first time.
As for performing 'King Midas In Reverse' live: they appeared only once on Top Of The Pops in September 1967, miming to the record but singing live over the top of it. They also made several TV performances in Japan in 1968, presumably they also performed it on TV there. They also made several TV appearances in Sweden in late 1967, just as they'd recorded King Midas, but just before it was released - perhaps they performed it there too? No TV shows featuring the Hollies in Japan have ever come to light and none from Sweden in August 1967 but some from Sweden when they went again in July 1968. King Midas In Reverse also featured in their set list of their tour of the UK with the John Paul Jones Orchestra in April - May 1968. I've also heard at least two different live performances of it on the BBC radio in late 1967 and early 1968.
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Post by grahamnashgirl65 on Jul 8, 2016 21:55:22 GMT
you can get the 'Look Through Any Window' DVD on Amazon too, it's not very expensive (currently under nine dollars on Amazon.com) and Graham, Allan, Tony, and Bobby are all interviewed at length telling some great stories of the band's history, intercut with full clips of 22 songs performances - 18 songs, mostly hits but some album tracks and 'B' sides too featuring Graham Nash (some live performances on TV shows and in classic sixties concerts such as the NME Poll winners concert, plus German 'Beat Club' and 'Beat Beat Beat' TV show performances - including the only so far known live concert TV version of 'Bus Stop' with Graham at the time recorded early in 1967 etc), with the final four hits featuring Terry Sylvester. the early 1963 colour 'promo' film of 'Little Lover' features original Hollies drummer Don Rathbone Sadly NO actual song performance of 'King Midas in Reverse' from 1967 Seems to exist (the BBC 'Top of The Pops' performance appears to be long lost !) and no other TV show version so far has emerged (they never seemed to perform it probably as sadly at the time it was deemed a 'flop' single - tho' so many Hollies fans favorite Hollies song now !) .....however longtime Hollies tour manager Rod Shields took home movie footage of the band in the Far East during that period...and Rod kindly allowed his home movie of the band to be cleaned up and used for this DVD... they have cleverly matched it to the studio recording of 'King Midas...' to create a 'new' video of the song - much like sixties Beatles ones for 'Penny Lane' / 'Strawberry Fields..' etc therefore 'King Midas...' can be included, and with the band looking just as they were at the time they recorded it...Graham, Allan, Tony, Bobby, and Bernie all relaxing with the girls, wandering around, Graham painting messages of 'LOVE' etc....at the end a sequence of Rod's home movie footage is even played 'in Reverse' (very apt) as they all wander off backwards - very '1967' ! also the film Beatles producer George Martin made in 1967 of The Hollies recording 'On A Carousel' at Abbey Road studios has been included - an 'alternate' version that is minus the annoying added camera tricks of zooming in and out etc, a far more watchable version, including additional shots of Tony playing the guitar, Graham singing the lead unaccompanied, Graham, Allan and Tony just getting the three part harmonies spot on, together with the complete song performance in the studio. there is also an option to play only the songs which are in the main set out in chronological order from 1963 to 1974. if you haven't seen it yet, you will love it...! also try to get the CD / DVD set 'The Dutch Collection' which has a strong DVD with different songs and song performances on it - tho' it's a bit more expensive at around 62 dollars on Amazon.com at the moment and 40 UK pounds on Amazon.UK ! Thanks gee! I will try to check that out! That footage of "On A Carousel" sounds interesting!!
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Post by grahamnashgirl65 on Jul 8, 2016 22:00:56 GMT
Hi grahamnashgirl65 I'm not sure if you can get the Sky Arts Channel in the USA, but if you can, The Hollies Look Through Any Window documentary is being shown on Saturday at 4.30pm (UK Time). It's really excellent. ps I first saw the Hollies live on stage when I was 15 years old. I'm almost 65 now! Hi John! Nice to meet you! Unfortunately, we don't get that channel here in the States, so I might just have to order the DVD through Amazon.com. And wow, only 15 years old? That must have been amazing to see the Hollies live on stage! I'm envious!
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Post by grahamnashgirl65 on Jul 8, 2016 22:11:30 GMT
The 'Look Through Any Window' DVD was a total revelation when it came out. That footage of them singing 'On A Carousel' had been lost for decades. It was originally shot in February 1967 for a programme called 'The World Tomorrow - Sound or Music?', that looked at the progressive recording technologies of the day. The Hollies played through 'On A Carousel' - they insist it was the whole recording session, but the dates don't actually make sense, the filming date was a few days AFTER 'On A Carousel' was recorded from what I've found. It was started on the 11th January, 1967 and the filming was done on the 17th of January, 1967. The film mainly shows an interview with Ron Richards (their producer) explaining the recording process. You can see it here: Obviously there was a lot of footage not used (25 minutes was shot) and this was used in the LTAW documentary to create a more watchable version. I loved the 'King Midas In Reverse' video. It was mostly taken on their tour of Japan in April 1968, with some behind the scenes shots of them recording the 'Carrie Anne' promo in June 1967. Very clever idea, and as Gee says, wonderfully in keeping with the era that saw music videos being produced for the first time. As for performing 'King Midas In Reverse' live: they appeared only once on Top Of The Pops in September 1967, miming to the record but singing live over the top of it. They also made several TV performances in Japan in 1968, presumably they also performed it on TV there. They also made several TV appearances in Sweden in late 1967, just as they'd recorded King Midas, but just before it was released - perhaps they performed it there too? No TV shows featuring the Hollies in Japan have ever come to light and none from Sweden in August 1967 but some from Sweden when they went again in July 1968. King Midas In Reverse also featured in their set list of their tour of the UK with the John Paul Jones Orchestra in April - May 1968. I've also heard at least two different live performances of it on the BBC radio in late 1967 and early 1968. Thanks for the link Cameron! That footage is AMAZING!! I really want to get the DVD now!
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Post by knut on Jul 10, 2016 5:54:08 GMT
Nice to follow this conversation. However I suggest that we do not quote the text we reply to.
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Post by Gralto on Jul 10, 2016 10:29:10 GMT
ps I first saw the Hollies live on stage when I was 15 years old. I'm almost 65 now! Hi John - out of interest, what and where was that gig? Remember the set list? Cheers Simon
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Post by johnt on Jul 10, 2016 18:45:26 GMT
Hi Simon
The gig was in March 1967 at the Granada Theatre in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire (my then home town) and it was the first concert of the package tour with The Hollies, Spencer Davis Group, Paul Jones, The Tremeloes and others. I've still got the ticket and programme somewhere. I remember the ticket cost me 10 shillings (50 pence) back then!
I can't remember the full set list but they included their latest single On A Carousel, and a medley of some earlier hits. I'm almost certain Bob Dylan's 'Like A Rolling Stone' was included as well. The Hollies topped the bill and their set was only about 30 minutes or so from memory because there were so many other acts on the bill.
I had always liked the Hollies' music but was completely hooked after that show and have followed them ever since for almost 50 years. I don't know if you recall but I met you at the Sentrum Scene in Oslo about 7 years ago.
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