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Post by lulubell on Oct 22, 2020 18:19:18 GMT
I have never understood the meaning of the lyrics of the 1972 song ''The Baby''. Can anyone enlighten me? Thanks
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Post by Deleted on Oct 22, 2020 18:29:48 GMT
I've never particularly liked (or understood) that song. A poor choice to launch Mikail's career with The Hollies imo.
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Post by lulubell on Oct 22, 2020 18:43:11 GMT
No it's not one of my favourites. Even though I don't understand the lyrics, the song depresses me.
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Post by Stranger on Oct 22, 2020 20:40:41 GMT
It's about an unwanted pregnancy. The lyrics are fairly easy to interpret when you know that.
I really like it, though it's a bit overblown and dated.
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Post by cameron on Oct 22, 2020 21:27:47 GMT
I actually really like 'The Baby'. It's a very adventurous song, the way it builds up and the tempo is constantly shifting. It's a stellar performance from the Hollies, one of Bobbys last truly great drum pieces before he toned it down in the 1970s. And Tony's electric sitar is sublime. I understand why it wasn't a hit though. On the first album, I always felt that 'Won't You Feel Good That Morning' was the hit, along with 'Touch' and maybe 'Slow Down'. 'The Baby', as much as I like it, is way down the list of potential hits from that era, IMO. A very poor choice to launch Mikael's stint with the Hollies. The overall Romany album stands up much better than that single.
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Post by thejanitor on Oct 22, 2020 21:28:40 GMT
I think it's a great song and Tony's electric sitar is definitely the highlight, but I do think they could have made a better choice for their first single with Mikael. Maybe Won't You Feel Good That Morning which was released as an international single might have done them better at home and sits much better between Hey Willy and LCW. I imagine the complex structure of the track (similarly to King Midas In Reverse a few years earlier) and particularly the overly-wordy lyrics hindering the song subject alienated a lot of listeners at the time.
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Post by cameron on Oct 22, 2020 21:34:28 GMT
I'd be interested to know if the Hollies considered Kenny Lynch/Tony Hicks' 'A Better Place' as a first single with Rickfors? This was recorded either just as he joined the group or just before, with the Hollies (minus Rickfors) on the recording backing Kenny Lynch. It's a great debut for Tony's electric sitar, and strangely a much more exciting version than the Hollies' own version a year later. Perhaps giving it to Kenny to try and re-launch his solo career stopped it becoming a Hollies single at the time. I feel like this would have really got further than it did in the charts had the Hollies released it...
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Post by anthony on Oct 22, 2020 22:02:40 GMT
Must say I'm a fan of the Baby, funny a mate who just saw the clip recently in my Hollies collection didn't know it was the Hollies as there was a different lead singer. really liked the song.
The fact the Hollies still do it in concerts show they rate it too. |
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Post by johnt on Oct 22, 2020 22:57:50 GMT
Yes, it was included in the Hollies set list when Carl Wayne joined in 2000. His powerful voice suited the song perfectly. And Tony's 'guitar sitar' made a great live version of the song.
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Post by Mevrouw Bee on Oct 22, 2020 23:40:16 GMT
I actually really like 'The Baby'. It's a very adventurous song, the way it builds up and the tempo is constantly shifting. It's a stellar performance from the Hollies, one of Bobbys last truly great drum pieces before he toned it down in the 1970s. And Tony's electric sitar is sublime. I understand why it wasn't a hit though. Actually it reached #8 in the Netherlands. And #26 UK and #23 Germany isn't exactly a flop either, imo. It's grown on me over the years... |
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Post by JamesT on Oct 23, 2020 5:19:50 GMT
A song which has grown on me over the years, too. An adventurous track, terrific performance by all plus stellar added percussion and orchestration. And yes, the song was particularly well suited to Carl's magnificent voice - I just wish the band had dipped into the Rickfors era more. Imagine 'Down River' sung by Carl? Plus, we've had Tony's electric sitar featuring in live performances for about 18 years due to this song's inclusion in the set, and that inclusion was about 30 years after the song was released in the first place!
Incidentally, I can't recall ever hearing Chip Taylor's original. I'll need to do some research.
Incidentally (part two), I recall reading an article from the time prior to the release of the song, reprinted in 'Carousel' years back. There was mention of a 'famous percussionist' or words to that effect. I've never found out who it was, but wondered if it might have been Ray Cooper.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 23, 2020 7:12:32 GMT
'The Baby' is very much 'Too Young To Be Married' Part Two lyric wise - another song I'm not at all keen on despite the excellent singing ang playing! I just don't think these overly social commentary songs suit a pop band like The Hollies (and I don't mean that dis-respectively, as "pop" isn't a derogatory term for me).
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Post by Stranger on Oct 23, 2020 8:35:59 GMT
I agree with cameron about this being an odd choice for a single in that this doesn't reflect the sound of Romany at all. I don't know how you describe The Baby, somewhere between Europop and blue-eyed soul? Even If It Wasn't For The Reason would have been more conventional sounding. This was one of the very first Hollies songs I ever heard, probably after 20 Golden Greats and I was intrigued by it. Especially by the electric sitar. Also discovering this new '60s group I was getting into had a strange period with a Swedish "soul" singer was kinda mysterious and intriguing too. peterc I actually don't think this is social commentary at all, I think it is personal. As it refers to a specific situation a friend of Chip Taylor's found herself in and what he said to her. But it does get weird when a pop group takes this small personal song and adds a big arrangement. The song loses all meaning on a certain level, or at least becomes detached from its moorings. |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 23, 2020 8:49:40 GMT
peterc I actually don't think this is social commentary at all, I think it is personal. As it refers to a specific situation a friend of Chip Taylor's found herself in and what he said to her. But it does get weird when a pop group takes this small personal song and adds a big arrangement. The song loses all meaning on a certain level, or at least becomes detached from its moorings. That's what I meant. The song(s) would work well if performed in a more stripped back singer/songwriter mode (ironically, 'Too Young To Be Married' would probably have suited Crosby, Stills and Nash more than The Hollies). |
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Post by The Dude on Oct 23, 2020 10:15:51 GMT
A song which has grown on me over the years, too. An adventurous track, terrific performance by all plus stellar added percussion and orchestration. And yes, the song was particularly well suited to Carl's magnificent voice - I just wish the band had dipped into the Rickfors era more. Imagine 'Down River' sung by Carl? Plus, we've had Tony's electric sitar featuring in live performances for about 18 years due to this song's inclusion in the set, and that inclusion was about 30 years after the song was released in the first place! Incidentally, I can't recall ever hearing Chip Taylor's original. I'll need to do some research. It was recorded by Al Gorgoni, Trade Martin and Chip Taylor in 1971 on their album "Gotta Get Back To Cisco" |
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Post by thejanitor on Oct 23, 2020 11:22:39 GMT
The Hollies version is pretty loyal to that original, but the electric sitar and Bobby's exciting fills propels the former as the better imo. 😊 The last song I can really think of where Bobby goes completely wild on the drums in the 70s to my knowledge is Curly Billy (this would make a good separate topic!)
Also,I wonder if Kenny Lynch was considered for Allan's replacement or if they immediately had Mikael in mind. I doubt it due to label differences, but I could see it potentially working.
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Post by baz on Oct 23, 2020 12:30:38 GMT
As ever, a variety of interesting thoughts on this song. For me personally, I think it was yet another Hollies misfire as it's not exactly a commercial song and the arrangement is all over the place... definitely not a record anyone could dance to and got the Rickfors era off on the wrong foot. However, I think I can see what they were aiming for by releasing it. Not only was it marking the debut of a new lead singer but it also marked a change in record company as they'd been with EMI/Parlophone since day one and switched to Polydor so I think they went all out gambling on a complete reboot of The Hollies as this was very different from what they'd done before so full marks for them being bold enough to do this but it didn't really come off. The next single, the far superior "Magic Woman Touch" was the first full on flop in the UK and we missed out on the "Out On The Road" album partly as a result of that, so "The Baby" marked a swift decline in interest in the band in their home country and it wasn't until Allan returned that the UK public got interested again.
What makes it even weirder is that EMI in a fit of pique released "Long Cool Woman" as a single the same month so there were two Hollies singles competing for attention which no doubt diluted the success of "The Baby" yet given "Long Cool Woman" had no harmonies one had two very different sounding Hollies songs neither of which really sounded like The Hollies!
Best thing about "The Baby" is Bobby's drumming. Tony's electric sitar gives it an extra bit of oddness but was put to better use elsewhere.
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Post by sandy on Oct 23, 2020 13:48:35 GMT
A song which has grown on me over the years, too. An adventurous track, terrific performance by all plus stellar added percussion and orchestration. And yes, the song was particularly well suited to Carl's magnificent voice - I just wish the band had dipped into the Rickfors era more. Imagine 'Down River' sung by Carl? Plus, we've had Tony's electric sitar featuring in live performances for about 18 years due to this song's inclusion in the set, and that inclusion was about 30 years after the song was released in the first place! Incidentally, I can't recall ever hearing Chip Taylor's original. I'll need to do some research. It was recorded by Al Gorgoni, Trade Martin and Chip Taylor in 1971 on their album "Gotta Get Back To Cisco" 😉We were on the same track😊🎶 |
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Post by Mevrouw Bee on Oct 23, 2020 15:06:19 GMT
A song which has grown on me over the years, too. An adventurous track, terrific performance by all plus stellar added percussion and orchestration. And yes, the song was particularly well suited to Carl's magnificent voice - I just wish the band had dipped into the Rickfors era more. Imagine 'Down River' sung by Carl? Plus, we've had Tony's electric sitar featuring in live performances for about 18 years due to this song's inclusion in the set, and that inclusion was about 30 years after the song was released in the first place! Incidentally, I can't recall ever hearing Chip Taylor's original. I'll need to do some research. It was recorded by Al Gorgoni, Trade Martin and Chip Taylor in 1971 on their album "Gotta Get Back To Cisco" I really like this! |
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Post by sandy on Oct 23, 2020 15:32:17 GMT
I have to say I really like it.I love the way Tony and Bobby beefed up the sound of the original.
I consider it a story song not social commentary.A bit like Soldier's song?
To me, it's about a young girl in a time of war,who gets pregnant,( unintentionally/ raped??). She is deciding whether to keep the baby? She's marrying young, to someone else,to be respectable, so it's secret. Songwriter telling her to keep baby, let him grow, then let him go as an adult,and tell him all that was good about his birth, not the awful story behind it?.....
Eemmm... anyway, that's how I always read it? ... Excuse me while I go sob in the corner after that.....
🤣😅😂😂
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Post by cameron on Oct 23, 2020 18:52:07 GMT
The Hollies version is pretty loyal to that original, but the electric sitar and Bobby's exciting fills propels the former as the better imo. 😊 The last song I can really think of where Bobby goes completely wild on the drums in the 70s to my knowledge is Curly Billy (this would make a good separate topic!) Also,I wonder if Kenny Lynch was considered for Allan's replacement or if they immediately had Mikael in mind. I doubt it due to label differences, but I could see it potentially working. IMO, 'The Baby' is the last time he really goes wild on drums in the 70s. 'Curly Billy' is a straightforward pattern throughout with very few drum fills. 'The Baby' features the last time he does the full kit roll like he did on 'Dear Eloise'. Either way, the most exciting part of this track for me has always been his drums. I never for a second considered Kenny Lynch, he would have been a superb replacement for Allan! He didn't have the power that Allan had, but he certainly had a good range and a nice tone to his voice. Perhaps he's a bit similar sounding to Tony Hicks. The three-way blend is lost on the Hollies backing Kenny on 'A Better Place' I think because Kenny sounds similar to Tony. Perhaps it was talked about but decided against. To my knowledge, Carl Wayne was approached but declined as he was forging into a solo career, as was Colin Blunstone, who again was about to hit big the following year as a solo artist. |
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