Mike Batt and The Hollies

[JamesT]

A recent Tweet from Mike Batt concerning 'If The Lights Go Out':

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[cameron]

I’m pretty sure it was re-cut due to Graham Nash adding his vocals. And I don’t think it was re-cut anyway, it’s overdubbed and remixed. The second mix is way cleaner and much better balanced. I’ve never favoured the first mix.

[gee]

Mike Batt gets a credit on 'What Goes Around...'as one of the additional musicians, as does Brian Chatton re his song 'Take My Love And Run'

in both cases they took the original 1980 / 81 backing tracks featuring each on keyboards and remixed them slightly altering the tempo of TMLAR and dropping the vocal collage on ITLGO respectively with some revision to the prominence of some instrumentation before adding fresh Clarke-Hicks-Nash vocals

note that  the second 'Nash version' of ITLGO has a louder guitar intro to the original identical 1980 'Sylvester version' - Mike Batt's keyboard work is given greater prominence on the 1980 original version but IS retained in the 1983 'Nash version'

note that Allan Clarke sings; 'Take my Take my...' towards the end of the original 1981 Polydor single version of TMLAR which features Brian Chatton on high harmony vocals besides that 'keytair' fing !

however Clarke does NOT sing that on the 1983 'Nash version'which only features Chatton on 'Keytair' keyboards and is somewhat shorter with a faster fadeout

- EMI almost used the 1983  'Nash version' TWICE on the 'Head Out of Dreams' CD set as initially they had duplicated the same version -  but I pointed this out to Tim Chacksfield when he sent me a 'test' CD set to listen to and the correct 1981 'Brian Chatton' Polydor single version was then used with the Allan Clarke 'Take my Take my...' lines being the most obvious difference besides the overall track running time and the fact Graham Nash is only on the second 1983 album track version

[albatros]

For myself the version from 1979/1980 - IF THE LIGHTS GO OUT - is the much better one. The Highlight on this version is the duell between Tonys Guitar and Mike Batts harpsichord playing. I`m sure: If they release this one in 1979 or 1980 - maybe after the Soldiers Song - they had a great hit again. The version from Katie Melua - a very fine female singer - is not half so good as this Hollies version. They made any other great songs with MIKE BATT - my favorite is "I CABN`T LIE NO MORE".