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Post by dirtyfaz on Oct 22, 2022 22:39:30 GMT
Guess guys that this is all a pipe dream. Never gonna happen in my lifetime.
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Post by becca67 on Oct 23, 2022 2:30:51 GMT
I caught the Magic Records (France) CD for In The Hollies Style (with great extras), and thought it was gear in pretty much every way... but then I had trouble finding much else from the label. I did get Evolution, but other releases from them didn't seem to follow the UK albums format or mixed tracks from very different eras. It would take Bear Family (Germany) to do it right I think, but possible another label could step up their game. BGO did a few on CD early on and I've liked many other releases they put together. Mostly I have the Mono/Stereo CDs of the UK albums from EMI. I have not been at all tempted to try any of the Sundazed Imperial album rereleaaes although i have bought a lot of their other items over the years.
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poco
Junior Member
Posts: 86
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Post by poco on Oct 23, 2022 5:00:31 GMT
Good God, The Magic CD's are garbage other than the packaging. Their sound quality is marginal. Stick with the old EMI copies. They are best Baz and I will get in our life time. LOL
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Post by anthony on Oct 23, 2022 5:08:50 GMT
the interest is probably not there for them to bother really.
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Post by cameron on Oct 23, 2022 16:24:26 GMT
I feel like the interest is there if people higher up make the interest there. How many bands such as the Kinks, Small Faces and Move have completely turned around the reputation of their 1960s output in the last 20 years through constant reissues, expanded editions and press coverage. I know the Hollies don't have the "bad boy image" that people feel like they need, but a lot of people think that their music speaks for itself.
A quick look at some stats on Spotify: Long Cool Woman 248,807,885 streams The Air That I Breathe 107,875,063 streams He Ain't Heavy He's My Brother 78,605,791 streams
Top three albums: Distant Light Hollies (1974) Confessions of the Mind
Now compare that to the Kinks: You Really Got Me 247,145,605 streams Lola 191,103,943 streams All Day and All of the Night 166,565,292 streams
Small Faces: Itchycoo Park 33,934,681 streams Lazy Sunday 10,469,691 streams All or Nothing 8,604,034 streams
The Move: Flowers In The Rain 2,171,973 streams Do Ya 1,319,936 Blackberry Way 1,243,622 streams
These three bands had extensive deluxe/reissue campaigns for the last 15 years, when the Hollies' popularity is clearly on display here to show them in a significantly more popular light than at least two of the bands. The demand is obviously there, especially given that one of their most streamed albums contains no hit singles. Not only this, surprisingly, fourth on the list is 'Romany'!!!
So here we are, in the digital age, and the Hollies still compare extremely favourably and clearly still have a keen audience.
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Post by gee on Oct 23, 2022 21:34:14 GMT
I think it's a case of The Hollies always having had a far greater appreciation from the general public...than from the music press or record companies !
To an extent The Moody Blues also have this too - loved by generations of fans BUT never given any great liking or critical credibility by the music press (certainly in the UK) and hence both Hollies and Moodies were very late inductions into that American Hall of Fame when you consider how many records and concert tickets each band have sold over the years...each band almost inducted as an afterthought !
The Hollies always seem so 'taken for granted' by the mainstream music press and even now both their sixties and seventies album catalogues are largely overlooked
even the main classic Hollies members themselves just don't appear to have that much pride in the group sadly - so no wonder their back catalogue has scant attention paid to it's sonic status
That Beatles 'expert' Andrew at Parlogram Auctions got many very positive youtube replies thanking him for bothering to do a posting on The Hollies albums - which I think surprised him somewhat !
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Post by Stranger on Oct 24, 2022 9:02:58 GMT
I think this down to Hollies "EMI think", it just wouldn't occur to them to give their catalogue over to a boutique label. Perhaps there are sound commercial reasons.
I think for EMI to release it the band would need to do all the leg work and hand it over. I can't see them doing that.
Procol Harum, for example, have their entire catalogues released by different labels over the last 15 years. All with bonus tracks etc etc.
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Post by Mevrouw Bee on Oct 24, 2022 12:45:50 GMT
Tony and Bobby are quite content making the "Bus Stop" fans happy. The rest of us are too high-maintenance.
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Post by baz on Oct 24, 2022 15:26:36 GMT
I think this down to Hollies "EMI think", it just wouldn't occur to them to give their catalogue over to a boutique label. Perhaps there are sound commercial reasons. I think for EMI to release it the band would need to do all the leg work and hand it over. I can't see them doing that. Procol Harum, for example, have their entire catalogues released by different labels over the last 15 years. All with bonus tracks etc etc. It's such a farce and suggests that Tony and Bobby not only don't give a toss but are too tight fisted to do anything useful to explore and exploit their works and legacy. As they technically "own" all the tapes from mid 1966 onwards, any such archive projects or reissues would have to be financed by them. That 1966 agreement was both a blessing and a curse as sure, it gave them complete control and better royalties but what was the point of it when they sit back and do nothing with it? There have been mentions of how The Move, Procol Harum and The Small Faces catalogues have all been successfully mined and revamped and each of them had their own headaches and logistics. In the cases of all three, tapes were mislaid and lost and many no longer exist. Toss in being signed to different record companies yet they all got decent treatment. The Hollies have all of their masters and almost all the multitracks, can license to whoever they like but... nah... can't be bothered. Given Bobby likes to think and present himself as the band's archivist and historian, why isn't he remotely interested in wiping the slate clean and ensuring his and Tony's assets are dealt with properly and given the treatment it deserves? There's only so much income they're making from their touring and lets face it, any new album or singles are never gonna turn in anything much so why aren't they letting the legacy material generate funds whilst they can still enjoy them? I know and agree some of us sound like broken records about an issue that is indeed destined to remain a pipedream, but those streaming figures Cameron posted tell a staggering story - interest IS there in their legacy so what's stopping them re-issuing the original catalogue with decent remasters done properly? I like to think and hope if we keep on grumbling about it, others will also think "hmmm... they have a point, why isn't that work available?" and demand would become very apparent. I do wonder if one of these days they might sell out the entire catalogue to some big company as we've seen massive deals done with the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, The Beach Boys, Tina Turner and various other older acts who are cashing in their chips whilst they can and letting some faceless corporate exploit and profit from the catalogues.
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Post by cameron on Oct 24, 2022 21:05:03 GMT
It's actually been mentioned on the famed Steve Hoffman forums now - fans in both the UK and US calling out for their mess of a back catalogue to be sorted out. I agree, at this point, handing it over to a "boutique" label would be the ideal option. But I don't think they will do that due to their "exclusive licence" deal with Parlophone. Parlophone are famously a bit rubbish at reissuing stuff, as were EMI, with the odd really good set occasionally creeping out. Having said that, I don't know where they stand with the Magic Records releases (which the Hollies' official website actually endorsed, back in the days when something other than new tour dates were shared there) and the Japanese SHM releases. I am LOATHE to accept those Japanese issues as official, due to the mixed mastering, needledrops and the appalling grouping of bonus tracks!
Tony and Bobby famously veto quite a lot of stuff too. I believe that it's actually mostly Tony, and Bobby just agrees. We know how "matter of fact" Tony can be with his opinions on things... That's what saw the 1968 Lewisham Odeon set cut down, various outtakes consigned to the vaults (that have been prepped for release) and some remixes culled. Interestingly, a few things get out that ought to not see the light of day, like that god awful remix of 'King Midas' in 2010 or the ridiculously overcooked mastering of the new stereo mixes on the 'Clarke, Hicks & Nash Years' boxset. It's also worth noting that Ron Furmanek has Tony and Bobby's blessing for his archive set, but not any involvement from them directly. The smart thing to do would be to assign someone within Hollies Ltd to handle their archives and work to have re-releases in a staged manor to help raise funds for deeper archival trawls.
I wonder what became of Allan and Graham's chats with record execs in America following the LTAW launch, as mentioned in their panel interview with the producers shortly after... Graham is a great person to work on a Hollies archival release, given his work on the CSNY catalogue and their solo efforts.
I've long said that the Hollies ought to dip their toe in with some new releases for Record Store Day. SO MANY other artists have done this, including all of their 1960s contemporaries. It's seen Parlophone even release niche 1960s psychedelic albums with replica flip-back sleeves and coloured vinyl. I say they should start with a proper mono re-issue of the 1968 'Hollies Greatest' (maybe adding in 'Listen To Me' for continuity?) and perhaps a stereo remix of 'Evolution'. On the subject of that, I argue that perhaps 'Evolution' suffers the same issue as The Beatles' 'Revolver', in that pre-bounce tapes weren't kept. The Artificial Intelligence software used on the 'Revolver' remix sounds absolutely incredible from what I've heard so far.
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Post by gee on Oct 24, 2022 21:53:55 GMT
It does not help matters that the main 'classic Hollies' are now it seems sharply divided into three camps - Hicks-Elliott, Nash-Clarke...and sadly the lesser influential Sylvester-Calvert
whilst Tony & Bobby 'own' the back catalogue, Nash and to an extent Clarke are probably the higher public faces of the classic group still, with Nash by far the biggest name Stateside of course
but clearly that counts for little re 'The Hollies Limited' as a company...the fact 'King Midas' got a new drum part without Nash even being consulted is telling
I get the impression these guys rather 'bear a long grudge'
- Eric Haydock's case seemed to hint that strongly (1983 - 'they were still as horrible as ever...')
Nash may still be somewhat 'miffed' they had big hits immediately he departed the group in 1969 ('screw you Hollies...' / 'to think I gave up a white suit for this' - CSNY)
Clarke may still hold simmering 'cool' regard for Hicks re his exit in 1971, then the rebuttal of his tour offer re LCW in 1972, then his 'retirement' in 1999 ('who knows, friendship may even come in time')
and I need not quote Terry....!
on the other hand Hicks-Elliott put their UK group tour first and quietly 'snub' the Hall of Fame induction show offer
so, as Malc's book concluded, the three main factions of the classic group seem ever divided - which can't help the position re any back catalogue overhaul can it...?
note it was probably significant that that Clarke, Nash, Hicks, Elliott were each interviewed separately for that 'Look Through Any Window' DVD which is telling, with the interviews recorded on differing days....and no one seemed to even bother to consult either Calvert or Sylvester for their views...!
however there IS some hope in that Allan and Bobby, plus Bernie all appear fine - also Bobby and Graham seem o.k. - and Graham & Tony are fine I believe
so if only they could put a few past 'issues' where they belong - in the past - and work together, and hopefully if Terry is in a better place now maybe he could get back in favor (Allan has praised Terry as a high harmony vocalist no long ago) so maybe there is scope for some hope they could at least begin talking re their recorded legacy...
Bobby Elliott once asked me and Tony Marsden in an email if either of us had heard from Ron Furmanek re his project (!) - so hardly sounded a very 'hands on' attitude from Bobby about it...while Tim Chacksfield felt Ron's project was unlikely to go ahead (tho' only his view then and NEVER say never of course)
that was a few years back now, so hopefully something IS now underway re Ron Furmanek's project which may be our best initial hope now to improve the situation re interest in the group's history , for if that DOES happen, and more interest arises as a result then maybe EMI / Warner might in turn then become more interested in revamping the official albums sound
if at least the four sixties Hollies main figures could get on talking terms together a more united Hollies would be a far greater combined party to work with record companies that could become involved
Ironic but even with John and George no longer with us...'The Beatles' as a legal party are MORE united these days than they were back in 1969...! - which clearly helps their retrospective work on their catalogue and other famous bands are probably alot 'more together' as a legal party for negotiations re such projects than sadly The ('classic') Hollies currently appear to be..
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Post by becca67 on Oct 25, 2022 0:58:57 GMT
Good God, The Magic CD's are garbage other than the packaging. Their sound quality is marginal. Stick with the old EMI copies. They are best Baz and I will get in our life time. LOL My Magic edition of Evolution on CD is fantastic, and I can compare that to the EMI CD. I only have the Magic In the Hollies Style but I can't see why it would be condemned as garbage. It's as good or better than the At Abbey Road EMI CDs, although I have seen complaints about them. It might possibly be that there are some very bad editions and some very good ones? I have no explanation. Sometimes I just get slagged off as not a 'true audiophile' or 'ignorant female' so a bit nervous to even post this. My BF ran a recording studio for years which included a lot of vintage equipment and analog tape and I know that he thinks the EMI At Abbey Road CDs are decent, with some experience with original Parlophone and Decca 45 singles of the '60s. We do agree the '60s Imperial vinyl is not much good. I looked up on discogs the Magic Evolution CD release I had and it got one terrible (1 out of 5) and five excellent (4 or 5 out of 5) top grade ratings... I think the one extreme negative rating was based on some other edition of it. The two Hollies Magic CDs I have state Remastered in High Definition 96K/24-bit HDCD for whatever that's worth, perhaps there was another very different edition, or the vinyl pressing is crap?
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Post by gee on Oct 25, 2022 23:04:11 GMT
becca67 it's what YOU like that matters in the end
- no one has the right to dismiss your view as just an 'ignorant female' etc - that is just both rude and sexist ignorance in itself...!
It depends on what you like hearing - the Magic CDs vary re sound quality, they were little more than 'bootlegs' but often in terms of tracks actually were quite well compiled !
plus rare tracks such as 'Dang Me' could be located on a Magic release - but their version of Bernie's 'No More Snow on Heater Motor' (Heather Moor !) and 'A Whiter Shade of Pale' sounded TERRIBLE !
Magic did put out 'Write On' and 'Russian Roulette'on CD with bonus tracks as individual releases - so if EMI / Warner just copied their lead with strong sounding versions that would have been something...
Magic also put out Allan's 1972 debut solo album 'Arold' on CD - not in great sound (and they were unaware of 'Coward By Name' !) but again they were ahead of the 'official' record companies re what Hollies fans wanted
I found Magic's sound quality varied alot, often sounding very 'in ya face' re volume but it's all a matter of individual taste really
that Andrew guy at Parlogram Auctions dismisses some Beatles album mixes as 'flat', 'lifeless' etc...when they sound fine to me !
Never let anyone else intimidate you about what sounds good, bad, or whatever - sometimes it's just a case of somebody attempting to pass off their 'opinion' as 'fact'
- a trap which all of us can fall into doing at times - tho' EMI did go 'no-noise' mad as with the 'fake stereo' craze a few decades before, which spoilt the sound on later compilations
Back in the 80's 'Digital' CD mastering was all the rage...'Analogue' was totally out of date while we were being told vinyl was dead, passe, and before that MONO was dead (hence all that 'fake re-channelled' stereo in the seventies)
often it's a fashion thing it seems as different decades have different plus and minus aspects
what might sound a LOUSY album re songs or sound quality to one person...might well be a favorite album or sound fine to someone else
All views are valid and in the end it's what YOU like that counts (in each case for all of us) we can discuss our various opinions of course, but being rude, dismissive or argumentative simply tells you everything about that person...not the music or sound quality under discussion !
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Post by becca67 on Oct 25, 2022 23:42:53 GMT
I might have gotten lucky with those two Hollies CDs as of course I have heard other disappointing and thin sounding CDs, and poor quality vinyl; sometimes I don't know if the source material is to blame until coming across a much better edition. The only other Magic CD I have is The Ventures' 'Another Smash' album and never found it lacking, but that is one of theirs I happened to not have original vinyl for. I often make my own CD from vinyl with a Tascam recorder analog set-up, which is what I've done for all Hollies past 'Sing Hollies' (from Epic LPs and singles).
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Post by Stranger on Oct 26, 2022 11:20:17 GMT
note it was probably significant that that Clarke, Nash, Hicks, Elliott were each interviewed separately for that 'Look Through Any Window' DVD which is telling, with the interviews recorded on differing days....and no one seemed to even bother to consult either Calvert or Sylvester for their views...! For the record, I'm pretty sure David Peck or someone said they did make efforts to interview Bernie for the DVD but the dates didn't line up.
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Post by baz on Oct 26, 2022 12:59:15 GMT
note it was probably significant that that Clarke, Nash, Hicks, Elliott were each interviewed separately for that 'Look Through Any Window' DVD which is telling, with the interviews recorded on differing days....and no one seemed to even bother to consult either Calvert or Sylvester for their views...! For the record, I'm pretty sure David Peck or someone said they did make efforts to interview Bernie for the DVD but the dates didn't line up. I do have a vague memory of that being the case. Not sure about Terry, but given he's known for charging for interviews, I think that may have been why they gave him a miss.
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Post by dirtyfaz on Oct 27, 2022 3:08:48 GMT
Been a while since I watched but my recollections of the DVD was that it basically covered the Nash period of the band and that Peck didn't think there would be much interest in buyers of the DVD for post Nash. Remember that was aimed at the mass marked and who outside of Nash was that marketable. He could have used Bernie but Sylvester I doubt it.
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Post by gee on Oct 27, 2022 23:36:04 GMT
Thanks for the info re Bernie - I believe Bernie can be difficult to track down being out of the music business quite a long time now so maybe at the time David Peck was unable to contact him in time for an interview ?
of course they DID find him for the Hall of Fame induction show however...but he seems to have a low profile generally
I've heard Terry charges for interviews so he probably ensured he was not involved...
I think Peck did have little appreciation of the post Nash era Hollies - tho' Allan Clarke's strange remark about Nash's exit being the END of The Hollies couldn't have helped !
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Post by moorlock2003 on Oct 28, 2022 17:56:25 GMT
Some fans such as yourself would accept The Hollies farting for an hour and call it brilliant, the current lineup coming to mind. This sort of “your opinion is worthless” stuff is unacceptable. Please desist from getting personal. I don’t want people leaving the forum due to this level of baiting. Thank you. Simon [br Did I say “your opinion is worthless”!?? No I did not. Quit accusing me of something I did NOT say! I have my strong opinions based on facts and reason. To call that travesty of a tribute band “The Hollies” is downright laughable.
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