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Post by cameron on Apr 2, 2017 19:15:24 GMT
I just wish they'd get someone in who can really handle those soaring high harmonies. That's what the Hollies were always about to me. Just listen to Steve Lauri straining to hit those high notes on "I Can't Let Go". The harmonies just don't gel at all like a unified sound anymore like they always did with Clarke/Nash/Hicks, Clarke/Sylvester/Hicks, Rickfors/Sylvester/Hicks, Clarke/Coates/Hicks and Wayne/Coates/Hicks. That was the secret of the Hollies' sound - that chorus of vocals that gelled into one voice.
I think Tony always concentrated on playing his guitar too much to worry about his lower harmony, you often see him pulling away from his mic mid-lyric to play some guitar lick or riff. The work fell to the lead singer and the higher harmony singer to work in tight harmony and then Tony would just round it off nicely to give it a unified sound, often on the chorus. Just listen to their acapella cover of "Amazing Grace" on the LTAW DVD, dating from their 1971 Australian concert. It sends shivers down my spine every time I hear it. That's the Hollies sound to me, irrespective of who the lead singer was, because it sounded just as good when they did the same acapella version with Mikael Rickfors two years later.
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Post by johnt on Apr 2, 2017 19:58:20 GMT
Here you go, for todays Hollies fans...... Thanks for sharing, Tony.
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Post by Gralto on Apr 6, 2017 12:27:44 GMT
The interview took place during the latest "Frontm3n"-Tour in Germany. (Frontm3n is an unplugged formation consisting of Peter Howarth, Mick Wilson (10cc) and Pete Lincoln (Sweet)). In the interview Howarth is quoted, that the Hollies are going to tour Australia and Germany soon, while Wilson said, that 10cc recently had been playing a concert in Ludwigshafen (September 2nd and 3rd, 2016). So I assume the the interview must have been made during the Frontm3n's concerts in December 2016 and January 2017 in Germany. Let's see what will happen... Re: Peter Howarth's comment, here's a brief response from Mr Nash himself: ============= It's not correct...... Allan is waiting for his voice to heal and the BBC want to do a Hollies show in Hyde Park..... I'd be there if Allan can sing..... ============= I must admit, I'm intrigued by the comment about healing as I understand that Allan has not had any surgical procedure to fix his vocal issues. Given he's arguably been resting his singing voice since his Hollies retirement in 1999, I'm not sure how much longer you would need to wait to have something fixed that has had 18 years already! Perhaps he is trying some natural remedy? Personally, I think he's the most naturally gifted songwriter of all the main Hollies past and present and would happily pay $$ to see him perform a solo show with a few mates doing low key versions of any songs - Hollies/solo/covers - in a lower key. cheers Simon
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Post by Deleted on Oct 7, 2017 19:12:35 GMT
I suspect Gerry will still do the occasional dates. I'll be seeing that tour in Margate (2nd row ticket!), looking forward to it as I've never seen The Searchers (though I've seen Mike Pender) and the Tremeloes (though I've seen Brian Poole). “SIXTIES GOLD”, Margate Winter Gardens, 6th October 2017A few years back, I saw a similar show at the same venue that featured Mike Pender (ex The Searchers), Brian Poole, PJ Proby and Chris Farlowe, with backing by Vanity Fare, so I was keen to see how this compared to that memorable night... After a quick warm-up by Vanity Fare (who played excellently throughout the evening), Brian Poole and The Tremeloes were introduced on stage. The first surprise was that the three members (Brian Poole, Chip Hawks and Dave Munden) all stood at the front of the stage without instruments, with backing by Vanity Fare. Second surprise was the shock of seeing how frail and thin Chip Hawkes looked, wearing a hat and a baggy suit that looked 2 sizes too big for him: he revealed later in the show (with as much humour as he could) that he’d recently undergone chemotherapy for cancer for the 2nd time in a few years, and consequently had lost his hair. He then said that he hated wearing hats, so through it aside! After getting over the initial shocks, I must say that they were excellent. Dave Munden looked a little lost being out front instead of beihind his drum kit (and I did notice that he was walking rather stiffly), but vocally they were all excellent, and they clearly are all great mates with a real rapport between them. They performed a selection of hits from both the Brian Poole and The Tremeloes eras, with Brian harmonising admirably on the latter. Songs included: Here Comes My Baby, My Little Lady, Suddenly You Love Me, Twist and Shout, Call Me Number One, Do You Love Me and Silence Is Golden. Next on stage was Gerry and The Pacemakers. I saw them earlier in the year at Margate’s smaller Theatre Royal, and I thought then he was excellent despite his obvious age. This time he seemed noticeably less energetic and, despite attempts to hide it with humour, a little grumpy (he’d also dyed what hair he has left brown, rather than the more flattering white hair of earlier in the year). All the big hits were present and correct though, and were generally well played and sung. There were a couple of exceptions: when he started I’ll Be There, he had a “frog in the throat” and started coughing, so he stopped the song, had a drink of water, then started again, this time without mishap. The same cannot be said for I’m The One, where he and the band seemed to play different things about halfway though, with the song grinding to a messy halt. He tried not too successfully to make light of it, but clearly both he and the keyboard player were annoyed with each other. There then followed confusion as he said he’d play it again, but then proceeded to play a different song instead. This tour is announced as Gerry’s last (despite some dates already being booked for 2018), and when I saw him earlier in the year I thought any (semi-)retirement was a little premature. However I now sadly think it’s the best thing to do before things become too embarrassing. There then followed a 20 minute interval, so I took the opportunity to go to The Tremeloes’ merchandise stand to buy a CD, and get it signed by both Brian and Dave (Chips was nowhere to be seen, not surprising as the performance earlier couldn’t have been easy for him). I’d met Brian before and found him a lovely guy, but this time shook both his and Dave’s hands, thanking them for the music (Dave was lovely too!). To start the 2nd half, Vanity Fare played 3 of their hits, and then they introduced Steve Ellis (ex-Love Affair). He performed 4 Love Affair hits + an enthusiastic cover of The Small Faces’ All Or Nothing, and remains in good voice, but I have to say he also came across as a bit of a t*sser, with few of the on stage graces needed for such a package show. Perhaps he’d come across better in a smaller venue on his own… Last of all were The Searchers. It was the first time I’d seen them in concert, and having heard good reports I was looking forward to them. Sadly, I found them a slight anti-climax. First of all, guitarist John McNally was sick so he was replaced by the guitarist from The Pacemakers. He played and sang all the right notes, but as he kept to a 6-string throughout, The Searchers trademark jangly 12-string sound for hits like Needles And Pins and Don’t Throw Your Love Away was missing. Secondly, the sound left a little to be desired, with Spencer James’ lead vocals often drowned out by the harmonies from the others. Add to that Frank Allen’s disconcerting blinking and screwing of the eyes (was he suffering an adverse reaction to contact lenses or does he always do that?), the overall result wasn’t what I expected. Most the hits were there, as well as fine covers of Del Shannon’s Runaway and Roy Orbison’s Running Scared, and to be fair they were competently performed, but I did find the band compared unfavourably to Mike Pender (with Vanity fare) a few years earlier. Unlike on the Mike Pender / Brian Poole / PJ Proby /Chris Farlowe tour, there was no big grand finale featuring all the performers together, I’m guessing at least partly due to Chip Hawkes and Gerry Marsden’s frailty. To summarise, an entertaining and memorable evening! If it was up to me though, I’d have Steve Ellis followed by the Searchers to play the first half, and then Gerry and The Pacemakers starting the 2nd with Brian Poole and The Tremeloes topping the bill. Peter C.
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