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Post by cameron on Nov 12, 2022 12:31:54 GMT
As someone who wasn't around at the time, I discovered the Beatles in the early 2000s and spent many years diving into the back catalogues of iconic 60s bands like the Rolling Stones, Kinks, Small Faces and the Who. I then went onto the "second tier" of artists like the Monkees, Hermans Hermits and the Dave Clark Five. My philosophy was to always buy the full discography and explore it all, starting with the album that grabbed me the most. When I'd heard it all, I'd get a bit bored and move onto the next artist. The Hollies came along very late on that musical path for me, and I was astounded at the sheer variety of their back catalogue. I was equally grabbed by 'Evolution' on a first listen as I was 'Distant Light'. To an extent, I'm still digesting some of their late 1970s output that I'm not too familiar with, because the Hollies just recorded so much music during their first 20 years. It could be said, I've just never got bored of the Hollies. Their music still excites me. Even the ones that are done to death, 'He Ain't Heavy' still sends shivers up my spine when I hear Allan's slightly husky voice sing the first few lines. 'Carrie Anne' still remains in my head for days after when I hear it. 'Bus Stop' continues to unveil more detail in its duelling guitar parts with every listen. The Hollies have that magical combination of musicianship and raw talent, plus a broadly well recorded back catalogue (certainly compared to the Rolling Stones and the Kinks at least).
In terms of the Hollies being the Beatles' replacement, I've been told numerous times by those who were around at the time that this was the case in Scandinavia. The Hollies were such a draw there that they toured more in Scandinavia in 1967-9 than anywhere else in the world. People wanted live music, and interest broadly waned in the Beatles when they stopped touring, but history forgets that. But their experimental new music drew in a completely new crowd, not necessarily taking their old fans with them. It was interesting reading Malc's book 'Riding The Carousel' to see the huge impact that the Hollies had as a live act across the world, it's not something I've really known about. From record-breaking sell-out concerts in Australia in the early 1970s to headlining pop festivals in eastern Europe in the late 1960s with fans patiently waiting hours in the rain to see their beloved Hollies, they were really the best of the best. That new footage from Australia in 1971 just shows why - they were such an exciting and musically stimulating group to see live. There's no on-stage antics, no big light show, no theatrics; just five guys playing tighter than any pop group you've ever seen with impeccable three-way vocal harmonies to match. That in itself is so thrilling to see.
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Post by Mevrouw Bee on Nov 12, 2022 13:47:49 GMT
Hi Moorlock, I too was a big Beatles fan, you said something very interesting you said when the Beatles broke up it left fans sad and looking for a replacement, I think that will be true with the Hollies, if they broke up why would you want to be on a site like this, everything would be totally in the past, why would anyone really bother. Big Beatles fan but not on any Beatles sites, everything is 50 plus years ago. Comparing the Beatles and the Hollies is madness, the Beatles would always win hands down. They were the greatest ever. Personally, I don't care if music is from this year or 100 years ago, I enjoy it the same. Maybe it's the history grad in me. Or that I wasn't dependent on live concerts and albums are forever. I admit I was forever looking for "my" Beatles as a teenager. They had Elvis in the 50s, the Beatles in the 60s, but the 70s? Gah, I hated being a teen in that decade. Nothing sounded "new" and "fresh.". So I reverted to my 60s music in the end.
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Post by baz on Nov 12, 2022 14:00:32 GMT
I admit I was forever looking for "my" Beatles as a teenager. They had Elvis in the 50s, the Beatles in the 60s, but the 70s? Gah, I hated being a teen in that decade. Nothing sounded "new" and "fresh.". So I reverted to my 60s music in the end. I had the same problem in the 80's. Seems Noel Gallagher and I were cut from the same cloth as I remember him once saying that during his teens in the 80's he was so dismayed by current music, that was when he dug into his parents record collection and revelled in that. I did likewise hence why 60's and early 70's music means the most to me... it sounded way more natural and fresher than the over-synthed and ultra-processed sounds of the mid to late 80's. So when The Hollies reached number one in 1988, it was big news for me as I had been a fan for some time.
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Post by gee on Nov 12, 2022 22:52:40 GMT
While today there is so much universal 'Beatles squee' it seems by many ...it certainly was NOT the case back in the sixties when quite a chunk of the music buying public were less than impressed with the Fab Four and saw other more specialist artists as more important to them - also some of the press actually were derogative, and 'Help !' had taken a bit of flak when compared with 'A Hard Days Night' both film and resulting album (hinting at what would come re the critical blasting in the UK press re 'Magical Mystery Tour' later...)
hence John Lennon's telling onstage remark in Blackpool in 1965 on 'Big Night Out'
'this is our latest record or electronic noise depending on whose side your on...'
certainly many folk, blues fans, R & B fans, jazz fans, and soul fans preferred their own artists to the 'pop' music of The Beatles and similar groups then
many into the likes of The Rolling Stones, Pretty Things, Yardbirds etc much preferred the harder edged guitar led sounds of those bands to the lighter pop style of The Beatles
mods certainly were no great Beatles fans or Rockers either - they had their own culture and favortites
while film and theatre soundtracks...and even Herb Alpert and far more mature audience aimed solo singers such as Val Doonican (whose album knocked 'Sgt Pepper' off top spot in the UK)and Ken Dodd ('Tears' the biggest selling UK single of 1965) and others all had massive audiences and record buyers
Short haired, smart suited figures Tom Jones, Gene Pitney and Roy Orbison were in another realm entirely with continuing hits and big fan acclaim...so too The Walker Brothers and the adoration of Scott Walker was something else !
Cliff Richard overall was pretty much unaffected by The Beatles at home too - 'The Minute Your Gone' topped the UK chart in 1965 and his flow of regular decent UK hits continued...even scoring with a great guitar led cover of The Stones 'Blue Turns To Grey' with The Shadows in 1966
Australia's The Seekers - whom John Lennon belittled at an NME Poll winners concert backstage...saw 'The Carnival is Over' kick The Beatles off top spot in the UK in 1965 - while their 'Best of The Seekers' album was one of the biggest selling UK albums of 1969 and many of their singles over 1964 to 1967 were really big hits in the UK
in 1966 buying albums such as; 'Fresh Cream', 'Yardbirds', 'Aftermarth','Face To Face', 'Pet Sounds', 'Fifth Dimension', 'Blonde On Blonde', and the more specialised ''East West' The Paul Butterfield Blues Band album and John Mayall's 'Bluesbreakers' with Eric Clapton ...I actually found 'Revolver' more of a enjoyable lighter album of straight songs with a couple of more adventurous tracks but not as some claim now 'light years ahead' of what else was going on....no way !
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Post by Mevrouw Bee on Nov 13, 2022 13:20:04 GMT
While today there is so much universal 'Beatles squee' it seems by many ...it certainly was NOT the case back in the sixties when quite a chunk of the music buying public were less than impressed with the Fab Four and saw other more specialist artists as more important to them - also some of the press actually were derogative, and 'Help !' had taken a bit of flak when compared with 'A Hard Days Night' both film and resulting album (hinting at what would come re the critical blasting in the UK press re 'Magical Mystery Tour' later...) hence John Lennon's telling onstage remark in Blackpool in 1965 on 'Big Night Out' 'this is our latest record or electronic noise depending on whose side your on...' certainly many folk, blues fans, R & B fans, jazz fans, and soul fans preferred their own artists to the 'pop' music of The Beatles and similar groups then many into the likes of The Rolling Stones, Pretty Things, Yardbirds etc much preferred the harder edged guitar led sounds of those bands to the lighter pop style of The Beatles mods certainly were no great Beatles fans or Rockers either - they had their own culture and favortites while film and theatre soundtracks...and even Herb Alpert and far more mature audience aimed solo singers such as Val Doonican (whose album knocked 'Sgt Pepper' off top spot in the UK)and Ken Dodd ('Tears' the biggest selling UK single of 1965) and others all had massive audiences and record buyers Short haired, smart suited figures Tom Jones, Gene Pitney and Roy Orbison were in another realm entirely with continuing hits and big fan acclaim...so too The Walker Brothers and the adoration of Scott Walker was something else ! Cliff Richard overall was pretty much unaffected by The Beatles at home too - 'The Minute Your Gone' topped the UK chart in 1965 and his flow of regular decent UK hits continued...even scoring with a great guitar led cover of The Stones 'Blue Turns To Grey' with The Shadows in 1966 Australia's The Seekers - whom John Lennon belittled at an NME Poll winners concert backstage...saw 'The Carnival is Over' kick The Beatles off top spot in the UK in 1965 - while their 'Best of The Seekers' album was one of the biggest selling UK albums of 1969 and many of their singles over 1964 to 1967 were really big hits in the UK in 1966 buying albums such as; 'Fresh Cream', 'Yardbirds', 'Aftermarth','Face To Face', 'Pet Sounds', 'Fifth Dimension', 'Blonde On Blonde', and the more specialised ''East West' The Paul Butterfield Blues Band album and John Mayall's 'Bluesbreakers' with Eric Clapton ...I actually found 'Revolver' more of a enjoyable lighter album of straight songs with a couple of more adventurous tracks but not as some claim now 'light years ahead' of what else was going on....no way ! In short, they inspired American teens to pick up guitars and start bands...or for (folkie) musicians to change their style. Kind of the reverse in the UK, where kids were inspired by American artists. In the end, both sides came together.
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Post by Mevrouw Bee on Nov 13, 2022 13:27:14 GMT
I admit I was forever looking for "my" Beatles as a teenager. They had Elvis in the 50s, the Beatles in the 60s, but the 70s? Gah, I hated being a teen in that decade. Nothing sounded "new" and "fresh.". So I reverted to my 60s music in the end. I had the same problem in the 80's. Seems Noel Gallagher and I were cut from the same cloth as I remember him once saying that during his teens in the 80's he was so dismayed by current music, that was when he dug into his parents record collection and revelled in that. I did likewise hence why 60's and early 70's music means the most to me... it sounded way more natural and fresher than the over-synthed and ultra-processed sounds of the mid to late 80's. So when The Hollies reached number one in 1988, it was big news for me as I had been a fan for some time. I had SO much hope though by the end of the decade. Although punk didn't reach my hometown, the influences of New Wave were knocking disco off the Canadian charts. Pop music became fun again. And then the rot set in. There isn't much from the 80s I listen to voluntarily, I agree. Those synths and electronic drums didn't impress me and haven't aged well. I truly believe no one should snort coke, then make an album.
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Post by johnt on Nov 14, 2022 9:20:05 GMT
Liverpudlians can have long memories if upset - some NEVER forgave footballer Kevin Keegan in the seventies for 'deserting' Liverpool to go and play for Hamburg in Germany ! Ringo Starr caused a huge furore - he performed at the Liverpool City of Culture opening ceremony in 2008 then a few days later on Jonathan Ross's show admitted he didn't really have the fondest feelings about Liverpool. That did not go down at all well! I went to some art exhibition not long after which had a large painting of the Yellow Submarine in which sat John, Paul and George. Ringo? He was a mere face, "drowning" in the sea behind it, the artist making it clear he felt Ringo was a traitor. Also Ringo was 'decapitated' in a topiary hedge sculpture of the Beatles at John Lennon Airport! www.uncut.co.uk/news/ringo-beheaded-in-liverpool-50738/
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Post by baz on Nov 14, 2022 15:41:09 GMT
Ringo Starr caused a huge furore - he performed at the Liverpool City of Culture opening ceremony in 2008 then a few days later on Jonathan Ross's show admitted he didn't really have the fondest feelings about Liverpool. That did not go down at all well! I went to some art exhibition not long after which had a large painting of the Yellow Submarine in which sat John, Paul and George. Ringo? He was a mere face, "drowning" in the sea behind it, the artist making it clear he felt Ringo was a traitor. Also Ringo was 'decapitated' in a topiary hedge sculpture of the Beatles at John Lennon Airport! www.uncut.co.uk/news/ringo-beheaded-in-liverpool-50738/lol! I'd forgotten about that! It was all going down during my final year living there so some of the finer details have been forgotten! Ringo went and made matters even worse when he did his infamous YouTube video "warning" fans "with peace and love" that he was no longer gonna do autographs and that all fan mail after a certain date would be "tossed".
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Post by moorlock2003 on Nov 15, 2022 15:58:18 GMT
It does seem that not everyone back in the day was bowled over by The Beatles Sgt Pepper. I don't remember from which magazine this album review came but it is an interesting read. View Attachment I agree. I don’t even have a copy of Pepper in my music collection. I don’t have the White Album, Abbey Road, or Let it Be either. I’m burnt out on those albums and I don’t care to listen to them again.
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Post by moorlock2003 on Nov 15, 2022 16:01:05 GMT
Hi Moorlock, I too was a big Beatles fan, you said something very interesting you said when the Beatles broke up it left fans sad and looking for a replacement, I think that will be true with the Hollies, if they broke up why would you want to be on a site like this, everything would be totally in the past, why would anyone really bother. Big Beatles fan but not on any Beatles sites, everything is 50 plus years ago. Comparing the Beatles and the Hollies is madness, the Beatles would always win hands down. They were the greatest ever. Yes but my personal favorite band is The Hollies.
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Post by moorlock2003 on Nov 15, 2022 16:16:00 GMT
While today there is so much universal 'Beatles squee' it seems by many ...it certainly was NOT the case back in the sixties when quite a chunk of the music buying public were less than impressed with the Fab Four and saw other more specialist artists as more important to them - also some of the press actually were derogative, and 'Help !' had taken a bit of flak when compared with 'A Hard Days Night' both film and resulting album (hinting at what would come re the critical blasting in the UK press re 'Magical Mystery Tour' later...) hence John Lennon's telling onstage remark in Blackpool in 1965 on 'Big Night Out' 'this is our latest record or electronic noise depending on whose side your on...' certainly many folk, blues fans, R & B fans, jazz fans, and soul fans preferred their own artists to the 'pop' music of The Beatles and similar groups then many into the likes of The Rolling Stones, Pretty Things, Yardbirds etc much preferred the harder edged guitar led sounds of those bands to the lighter pop style of The Beatles mods certainly were no great Beatles fans or Rockers either - they had their own culture and favortites while film and theatre soundtracks...and even Herb Alpert and far more mature audience aimed solo singers such as Val Doonican (whose album knocked 'Sgt Pepper' off top spot in the UK)and Ken Dodd ('Tears' the biggest selling UK single of 1965) and others all had massive audiences and record buyers Short haired, smart suited figures Tom Jones, Gene Pitney and Roy Orbison were in another realm entirely with continuing hits and big fan acclaim...so too The Walker Brothers and the adoration of Scott Walker was something else ! Cliff Richard overall was pretty much unaffected by The Beatles at home too - 'The Minute Your Gone' topped the UK chart in 1965 and his flow of regular decent UK hits continued...even scoring with a great guitar led cover of The Stones 'Blue Turns To Grey' with The Shadows in 1966 Australia's The Seekers - whom John Lennon belittled at an NME Poll winners concert backstage...saw 'The Carnival is Over' kick The Beatles off top spot in the UK in 1965 - while their 'Best of The Seekers' album was one of the biggest selling UK albums of 1969 and many of their singles over 1964 to 1967 were really big hits in the UK in 1966 buying albums such as; 'Fresh Cream', 'Yardbirds', 'Aftermarth','Face To Face', 'Pet Sounds', 'Fifth Dimension', 'Blonde On Blonde', and the more specialised ''East West' The Paul Butterfield Blues Band album and John Mayall's 'Bluesbreakers' with Eric Clapton ...I actually found 'Revolver' more of a enjoyable lighter album of straight songs with a couple of more adventurous tracks but not as some claim now 'light years ahead' of what else was going on....no way ! Re: “The Carnival is Over”. It is up there with “He Ain’t Heavy” and “You’ll Never Walk Alone” as one of the saddest, most tear-enducing songs ever. By contrast to its deserved No. 1 UK status, the record completely stiffed in the US.
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Post by moorlock2003 on Nov 15, 2022 18:42:21 GMT
we always tend to think Cliff Richard had NO success in the USA however overall Cliff has scored six top thirty hits and some 21 chart singles in the USA (mostly minor chart placings but nevertheless chart singles) 'Devil Woman' made no.6 and 'We Don't Talk Anymore' reached no.7,'Dreamin' made no.10, 'A Little In Love' reached no.17 while his duet with Olivia Newton John 'Suddenly' made no.20 Cliff's association with both 'Livvy' and Elton John via Rocket Records and their duet on 'Slow Rivers' helped boost Cliff's later career profile stateside - when some American Disc Jockey's couldn't believe Cliff had been making records since 1958...! 'Living Doll' reached no.30 and Cliff's idol Elvis Presley had a copy of Cliff's single on his juke box at Graceland Cliff Richard is such a phony. I have zero tolerance for him. His music is blah. I don’t even like “Move It”.
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Post by moorlock2003 on Nov 15, 2022 19:08:59 GMT
I admit I was forever looking for "my" Beatles as a teenager. They had Elvis in the 50s, the Beatles in the 60s, but the 70s? Gah, I hated being a teen in that decade. Nothing sounded "new" and "fresh.". So I reverted to my 60s music in the end. I had the same problem in the 80's. Seems Noel Gallagher and I were cut from the same cloth as I remember him once saying that during his teens in the 80's he was so dismayed by current music, that was when he dug into his parents record collection and revelled in that. I did likewise hence why 60's and early 70's music means the most to me... it sounded way more natural and fresher than the over-synthed and ultra-processed sounds of the mid to late 80's. So when The Hollies reached number one in 1988, it was big news for me as I had been a fan for some time. I like George Harrison’s one word assessment of Oasis; “Rubbish”.
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poco
Junior Member
Posts: 86
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Post by poco on Nov 15, 2022 20:18:09 GMT
It does seem that not everyone back in the day was bowled over by The Beatles Sgt Pepper. I don't remember from which magazine this album review came but it is an interesting read. View Attachment I agree. I don’t even have a copy of Pepper in my music collection. I don’t have the White Album, Abbey Road, or Let it Be either. I’m burnt out on those albums and I don’t care to listen to them again.
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poco
Junior Member
Posts: 86
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Post by poco on Nov 15, 2022 20:20:06 GMT
Your going to Hell Moorlock.
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Post by becca67 on Nov 17, 2022 5:16:11 GMT
I'd argue that "Fifi the Flea" is the most covered Clarke-Hicks-Nash composition of all. By no less than The Everly Brothers, The Sidekicks, Paul & Barry Ryan, Ronnie Burns, Four Jacks and a Jill, Mary Black, Svarti Loghin, the Electric Sound Orchestra and a Finnish translation by Lasse Mårtenson with the Rauno Lehtisen orkesteri. Am I missing any? If you keep going you could inspire me to try and do an all Fifi compilation! I've done one for Wolverton Mountain (titled Mountain Of Wovertunes), and Walk Don't Run (including a vocal version by The Marty Cooper Clan). I used to let Fifi get as far as the first line on that Everly's album with it before hitting the skip button... kind of like how Ray Davies would start Lola on stage and then stop telling the audience he didn't think they were ready for it yet. Is anybody ever ready for Fifi? It's a tie between it and Muskrat Love by Captain And Tennielle for songs I never need hear again but know they are forever branded onto my brain.
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Post by Mevrouw Bee on Nov 17, 2022 14:18:08 GMT
I'd argue that "Fifi the Flea" is the most covered Clarke-Hicks-Nash composition of all. By no less than The Everly Brothers, The Sidekicks, Paul & Barry Ryan, Ronnie Burns, Four Jacks and a Jill, Mary Black, Svarti Loghin, the Electric Sound Orchestra and a Finnish translation by Lasse Mårtenson with the Rauno Lehtisen orkesteri. Am I missing any? If you keep going you could inspire me to try and do an all Fifi compilation! I've done one for Wolverton Mountain (titled Mountain Of Wovertunes), and Walk Don't Run (including a vocal version by The Marty Cooper Clan). I used to let Fifi get as far as the first line on that Everly's album with it before hitting the skip button... kind of like how Ray Davies would start Lola on stage and then stop telling the audience he didn't think they were ready for it yet. Is anybody ever ready for Fifi? It's a tie between it and Muskrat Love by Captain And Tennielle for songs I never need hear again but know they are forever branded onto my brain. I'd almost bet it was written as a throwaway to test their marketability as a songwriting team...
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Post by gee on Nov 17, 2022 23:14:30 GMT
I believe Graham Nash alone composed 'Fifi' and performed it solo - the melody is atmospheric...the tale is tragic and poignant - totally at odds with the wry humour that it's all about a bloody Flea (!)...
who has a manager - which might be a wry comment on 'manager friend' re group's situations in general then as one or two bands were beginning to find themselves being 'fleeced' (Moody Blues being a prime example, Kinks and Fortunes had issues too - while Eric Haydock had his grave concerns...)
so maybe the inclusion in the lyrics of a 'manager friend' plus their roadie nicknamed 'Freddie The Flea' were indicative of the song's formation
I think far too much of an 'Anti' reaction is made by some as clearly it's meant to be a contrast of tragedy and comedy re subject and the characters in the song...and 'Fifi' IS a pivotal song for Graham Nash and both Hollies and his later works with CSN etc
'Fifi' as a haunting Nash sung solo ballad leads directly onto 'Clown', then 'Stop Right There' and on to both 'Maker' and 'Butterfly'
...later onto 'Lady of The Island' and more Nash singer/songwriter ballads
Clarke followed the musical avenue too with 'Marigold' and the 'solo ballad' style was for Nash, Clarke and later Sylvester ('Cable Car', Indian Girl' etc) always such an important part of The Hollies musical idiom - a shame that from 1975 it was pretty much dropped in favor of exclusively the 'group orientated' approach
they really should have retained the solo spots on albums thereafter - maybe both Clarke and Sylvester might have not grown so frustrated had they allowed them more solo scope on Hollies albums instead of over compensating probably fearing another Nash 1968 and Clarke 1971 'walking out' situation...but then only ended up causing both to occur !
so much as the absurd and of course comical lyrical scenario of 'Fifi' might cause one to dismiss the piece out of hand, from a musical avenue aspect it is in fact quite an important influential piece in The Hollies history as it marks for the first time a new style of solo feature - not just a solo sung song as they were already doing, but a complete new approach (in fact re featuring just a lone solo voice and lone guitar this was a move The Beatles had not quite done by 1966 as their solo performed songs to then had additional accompaniment normally by other band members or coming from outside musicians) and from the next album onwards the solo songs sung by Graham became a regular feature until he left the group
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Post by Mevrouw Bee on Nov 18, 2022 14:06:36 GMT
I believe Graham Nash alone composed 'Fifi' and performed it solo - the melody is atmospheric...the tale is tragic and poignant - totally at odds with the wry humour that it's all about a bloody Flea (!)... who has a manager - which might be a wry comment on 'manager friend' re group's situations in general then as one or two bands were beginning to find themselves being 'fleeced' (Moody Blues being a prime example, Kinks and Fortunes had issues too - while Eric Haydock had his grave concerns...) so maybe the inclusion in the lyrics of a 'manager friend' plus their roadie nicknamed 'Freddie The Flea' were indicative of the song's formation I think far too much of an 'Anti' reaction is made by some as clearly it's meant to be a contrast of tragedy and comedy re subject and the characters in the song...and 'Fifi' IS a pivotal song for Graham Nash and both Hollies and his later works with CSN etc 'Fifi' as a haunting Nash sung solo ballad leads directly onto 'Clown', then 'Stop Right There' and on to both 'Maker' and 'Butterfly' ...later onto 'Lady of The Island' and more Nash singer/songwriter ballads Clarke followed the musical avenue too with 'Marigold' and the 'solo ballad' style was for Nash, Clarke and later Sylvester ('Cable Car', Indian Girl' etc) always such an important part of The Hollies musical idiom - a shame that from 1975 it was pretty much dropped in favor of exclusively the 'group orientated' approach they really should have retained the solo spots on albums thereafter - maybe both Clarke and Sylvester might have not grown so frustrated had they allowed them more solo scope on Hollies albums instead of over compensating probably fearing another Nash 1968 and Clarke 1971 'walking out' situation...but then only ended up causing both to occur ! so much as the absurd and of course comical lyrical scenario of 'Fifi' might cause one to dismiss the piece out of hand, from a musical avenue aspect it is in fact quite an important influential piece in The Hollies history as it marks for the first time a new style of solo feature - not just a solo sung song as they were already doing, but a complete new approach (in fact re featuring just a lone solo voice and lone guitar this was a move The Beatles had not quite done by 1966 as their solo performed songs to then had additional accompaniment normally by other band members or coming from outside musicians) and from the next album onwards the solo songs sung by Graham became a regular feature until he left the group I'll just say you gotta start somewhere and Graham got better at it.
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Post by becca67 on Nov 18, 2022 20:26:08 GMT
I promise sometime/next time I'll give those lyrics more attention.
Miriam Makeba had a Naughty Little Flea song, so it's not unheard of subject matter I guess either.
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Post by gee on Nov 18, 2022 22:55:39 GMT
It's quite a haunting number with compelling atmospheric narration by Nash - something he really excelled at doing from then on....
- it's just the utter absurdness of it all being about a flea ...!
Nash's wry sense of humour here plus the massive contrast of the musical style to the subject matter
- this was something The Hollies did explore quite a bit on albums often putting their very commercial harmonies and strong instrumental abilities...to curiously NON Commercial more involved complex song structures
- such as; 'Come On Back' (which hints at 'Stop Stop Stop' two years later - 'Been so long since I last saw you...' / 'see the girl with symbols on her fingers..') but unlike the later flowing much more commercial structured 1966 hit single the 1964 'B' side twists and turns around with pauses and key changes
as then did 'When I Come Home To You' with fast vocal delivery and sharp harmonica blasts alternating with a guitar hook...and more twists and turns re tempo and key changes
also 'Oriental Sadness' with those unusual vocal spirals (as writer Alan Clayson put it so well)
then 'Don't Run And Hide' which again moves at speed then has an unexpected pause and a more ambitious structure along with a deeper lyrical stance about self confidence, harassment etc..
it cracks me up when some (not all) Beatles fans go on about how weak The Hollies were in (pointless) compare - there is alot of very interesting adventurous work going on in many of those sixties Hollies original album tracks and 'B' sides - including songs about death, struggles in life with ill health, unemployment even suicidal thoughts re life's problems being overcome and songs that saw Clarke and Nash both exchange usual vocal roles and swap over lead vocal duties and back within a line of a song...
or the unexpected change of 'song viewpoint' in songs such as; 'I've Got A Way of My Own' between the verses sung by Nash and the bridge section sung by Clarke; - 'I can't believe that the reason they're giving will entice ME to go, why then deny ME the right to start living oh I'll just never know...?' / 'Come back when YOU'VE time for the world ...'
also the fascinating overall song structure of 'Pay You Back With Interest' (a title including a banking term !) with tempo changes, unexpected hand bells/guitar harmony, and a jazzy percussive intro...as the outro !
plus the incredible percussive work of Bobby Elliott, Eric Haydock's fast six string bass guitar runs...and Tony Hicks getting differing guitar sounds plus banjo...
and all music writers could say back then was;
'the singles hits were still better than anything on the accompanying LPs...'
which was utter nonsense in terms of adventure and imaginative experimentation (as The Everly Brothers clearly had spotted, hence the songs they chose to cover on 'Two Yanks in England' included not one Hollies hit single track) - the fact The Hollies were SO STRONG at commercial pop songs merely served to 'eclipse' their deeper original material on albums and 'B' sides which some of the music press obviously were clueless about...
Allan Clarke said they would put far more effort into their own songs once they had got the single 'A' side down for Ron...such as 'Bus Stop' nailed in less than an hour !
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Post by Mevrouw Bee on Nov 19, 2022 14:23:40 GMT
It's quite a haunting number with compelling atmospheric narration by Nash - something he really excelled at doing from then on.... - it's just the utter absurdness of it all being about a flea ...! Nash's wry sense of humour here plus the massive contrast of the musical style to the subject matter - this was something The Hollies did explore quite a bit on albums often putting their very commercial harmonies and strong instrumental abilities...to curiously NON Commercial more involved complex song structures - such as; 'Come On Back' (which hints at 'Stop Stop Stop' two years later - 'Been so long since I last saw you...' / 'see the girl with symbols on her fingers..') but unlike the later flowing much more commercial structured 1966 hit single the 1964 'B' side twists and turns around with pauses and key changes as then did 'When I Come Home To You' with fast vocal delivery and sharp harmonica blasts alternating with a guitar hook...and more twists and turns re tempo and key changes also 'Oriental Sadness' with those unusual vocal spirals (as writer Alan Clayson put it so well) then 'Don't Run And Hide' which again moves at speed then has an unexpected pause and a more ambitious structure along with a deeper lyrical stance about self confidence, harassment etc.. it cracks me up when some (not all) Beatles fans go on about how weak The Hollies were in (pointless) compare - there is alot of very interesting adventurous work going on in many of those sixties Hollies original album tracks and 'B' sides - including songs about death, struggles in life with ill health, unemployment even suicidal thoughts re life's problems being overcome and songs that saw Clarke and Nash both exchange usual vocal roles and swap over lead vocal duties and back within a line of a song... or the unexpected change of 'song viewpoint' in songs such as; 'I've Got A Way of My Own' between the verses sung by Nash and the bridge section sung by Clarke; - 'I can't believe that the reason they're giving will entice ME to go, why then deny ME the right to start living oh I'll just never know...?' / 'Come back when YOU'VE time for the world ...' also the fascinating overall song structure of 'Pay You Back With Interest' (a title including a banking term !) with tempo changes, unexpected hand bells/guitar harmony, and a jazzy percussive intro...as the outro ! plus the incredible percussive work of Bobby Elliott, Eric Haydock's fast six string bass guitar runs...and Tony Hicks getting differing guitar sounds plus banjo... and all music writers could say back then was; 'the singles hits were still better than anything on the accompanying LPs...' which was utter nonsense in terms of adventure and imaginative experimentation (as The Everly Brothers clearly had spotted, hence the songs they chose to cover on 'Two Yanks in England' included not one Hollies hit single track) - the fact The Hollies were SO STRONG at commercial pop songs merely served to 'eclipse' their deeper original material on albums and 'B' sides which some of the music press obviously were clueless about... Allan Clarke said they would put far more effort into their own songs once they had got the single 'A' side down for Ron...such as 'Bus Stop' nailed in less than an hour ! A lot of music fandom is based on what you want to identify as...As a goth? A mod? A rocker? I'm sure the critics wanted to be seen as "hip" and "cool" so would follow the crowd for the sake of their reputation (and jobs?).
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