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Post by Gralto on Nov 14, 2014 0:25:15 GMT
This is one of those great little Hollies-related curios that rarely gets mentioned. In 1970, artist John Bowstead, older brother of Jeni (Allan's wife) devised a stage production titled, 'Oh Flux'. This was a type of Alice In Wonderland concept, viewed through a television screen, featuring film, videotape and TV cameras. The soundtrack was written by Bowstead (lyrics) and Clarke and Sylvester (music). Recordings were produced by the two Hollies, and were heard by the audience throughout the show.
Grandiose plans were announced that 'Oh Flux' may open in London's West End if the trial five-day opening at the Gulbenkian Theatre in Canterbury, England was a success. However, this production never graduated further than this brief run in May (May 26-30, 1970).
I'm unsure of all the tracks that were written and performed for this production but Love Makes The World Go Round (destined for the Hollies 74 album), was one of the tracks. From memory, several were also sourced from the Confessions of The Mind album.
So...anyone out there reading this ever attend one of these shows or know someone who did? I would love to read a review of just exactly what went on, how it was received, the songs performed etc. It sounds like a very ambitious project and one that needs to be examined in greater detail. cheers Simon
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Post by JamesT on Nov 14, 2014 6:52:30 GMT
Good post, Simon. Yes, seems odd that it didn't get much attention. Perfect Lady Housewife was one of the songs from 'Confessions' used in the stage production, was it not?
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Post by Stranger on Nov 14, 2014 9:19:04 GMT
Here are all the published songs co-written by John Bowstead either with Clarke or Clarke and Hicks:
CHICKEN OUT AND THE CHANNEL HE THREW A DIMINISHED SEVENTH LIFE IS NEXT TO SOMETHING ELSE LOVE MAKES THE WORLD GO ROUND THERE S NO BUSINESS LIKE IT THING OF BEAUTY WELCOME TO OUR SHOW
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Post by cameron on Nov 24, 2014 14:12:54 GMT
Confessions Of The Mind was the Hollies' only real "concept" album. It's great how it flows through the various stages of a relationship. It's such a travesty that the album doesn't get more of a look in as it's excellent - but I don't think the cover does it any favours...
I've heard little bits about the "Oh Flux" play, but had no idea that the Hollies were so involved. I wonder if any photos or audio survives? I doubt it though.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 24, 2014 16:00:22 GMT
The Gulbenkian Theatre in Canterbury is still very much in business (it's about 15 miles from where I live). I did message them last week to ask if they had any more info on this but didn't even receive a reply.
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Post by JamesT on Nov 24, 2014 20:08:19 GMT
I don't think the cover does it any favours... The Moving Finger cover is quite quirky.
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Post by cameron on Nov 24, 2014 21:12:29 GMT
There is a rare version of the LP (detailed in the issue of Record Collector with the list of the Hollies' vinyl rarities) where the image used for the now rare paper insert was used for the cover instead. Looks far better. Can't remember which country it was released in though.
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Post by Gralto on Nov 25, 2014 0:10:44 GMT
Cam - this was the first version of the German LP cover, known as the 'Nuremberg (Nurnberg) Cover'.
PeterC - good work trying. I think Clarke may have some tapes somewhere of Oh Flux but I'm not sure anyone's heard them.
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Post by cameron on Sept 16, 2020 21:50:43 GMT
A new interview with Allan - skip to 1:01:00 and Allan talks in detail about “Oh Flux”, who played on it, how it came about and what the music is like. He mentions that he still has the tapes:
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Post by Stranger on Sept 17, 2020 15:42:35 GMT
Sounds like good bonus material if Ron Furmanek eventually gets to do a Confessions Of The Mind special edition!
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Post by sandy on Sept 17, 2020 16:24:30 GMT
A new interview with Allan - skip to 1:01:00 and Allan talks in detail about “Oh Flux”, who played on it, how it came about and what the music is like. He mentions that he still has the tapes: 😂😂So I just wrote a long rambling post about this guy..then deleted it, because I couldn't get my head around it🤔 The interview was great from Allan...but this guy who did this interview and the one with Bobby, was not the most impressive.. so I thought.Then....have you googled him?!? It was what Allan said at the end that made me look him up? He has a bloomin' mini empire!!!! How on earth, ( apart from being educated at Eton..), do you get to interview rockstars all over the world, have your own clothing line, offer media consultancy, and record an album at Abbey road with David Bowie's guitarist??? ..answers on a postcard please...I think my lifeplan went wrong somewhere...🤔🤣🤣
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Post by cameron on Sept 17, 2020 16:58:05 GMT
The interview was great from Allan...but this guy who did this interview and the one with Bobby, was not the most impressive.. so I thought.Then....have you googled him?!? It was what Allan said at the end that made me look him up? He has a bloomin' mini empire!!!! How on earth, ( apart from being educated at Eton..), do you get to interview rockstars all over the world, have your own clothing line, offer media consultancy, and record an album at Abbey road with David Bowie's guitarist??? ..answers on a postcard please...I think my lifeplan went wrong somewhere...🤔🤣🤣 I completely agree... one answer - money. His interviews have been borderline cringy. The only redeeming feature is that he doesn't interrupt them and lets the interviewee talk until they're finished. But I was getting frustrated with how many times he said "like" and didn't take the bait from either Allan nor Bobby to discuss things further because he'd blatantly not done much research. Fancy never coming across the 'Two Yanks In England' album, when it's one of the most talked about British Invasion curiosities because of its Hollies and Led Zeppelin link. Not to mention it features heavily in any Hollies biography because of the accolade of having such an established duo like the Everly Brothers take EIGHT of your songs for an album. I could think of a million things that I'd ask Allan or Bobby during an interview, which is why its frustrating when they give their time to someone who just skims the surface and manages to cover old ground for a whole hour. Rule number one of interviewing: do your research thoroughly.
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Post by Mevrouw Bee on Sept 17, 2020 19:20:15 GMT
The interview was great from Allan...but this guy who did this interview and the one with Bobby, was not the most impressive.. so I thought.Then....have you googled him?!? It was what Allan said at the end that made me look him up? He has a bloomin' mini empire!!!! How on earth, ( apart from being educated at Eton..), do you get to interview rockstars all over the world, have your own clothing line, offer media consultancy, and record an album at Abbey road with David Bowie's guitarist??? ..answers on a postcard please...I think my lifeplan went wrong somewhere...🤔🤣🤣 I completely agree... one answer - money. His interviews have been borderline cringy. The only redeeming feature is that he doesn't interrupt them and lets the interviewee talk until they're finished. But I was getting frustrated with how many times he said "like" and didn't take the bait from either Allan nor Bobby to discuss things further because he'd blatantly not done much research. Fancy never coming across the 'Two Yanks In England' album, when it's one of the most talked about British Invasion curiosities because of its Hollies and Led Zeppelin link. Not to mention it features heavily in any Hollies biography because of the accolade of having such an established duo like the Everly Brothers take EIGHT of your songs for an album. I could think of a million things that I'd ask Allan or Bobby during an interview, which is why its frustrating when they give their time to someone who just skims the surface and manages to cover old ground for a whole hour. Rule number one of interviewing: do your research thoroughly. My thought on this: his target audience isn't us -- it's the kids who weren't born when these guys became big. He can't wrap his head around the era and assumes the YouTube target market can't either. The Everly Brothers aren't even on the radar for them. It's an advantage Allan is a father and grandfather and shows infinite patience discussing it all because he probably knows the world the kids inhabit is so different than the one he came from. To answer your question Sandy: Eton says it all. Where they learn that they can do anything they set their minds to because they have the self-confidence that money and connections buy.
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Post by JamesT on Sept 17, 2020 19:55:17 GMT
The rhythm section of Murray and Olsson is quite something - I never knew of their involvement. Presumably it was Huw Lloyd-Langton on guitar, rather than Dave Brock?
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Post by baz on Sept 17, 2020 20:35:17 GMT
😂😂So I just wrote a long rambling post about this guy..then deleted it, because I couldn't get my head around it🤔 The interview was great from Allan...but this guy who did this interview and the one with Bobby, was not the most impressive.. so I thought.Then....have you googled him?!? It was what Allan said at the end that made me look him up? He has a bloomin' mini empire!!!! How on earth, ( apart from being educated at Eton..), do you get to interview rockstars all over the world, have your own clothing line, offer media consultancy, and record an album at Abbey road with David Bowie's guitarist??? ..answers on a postcard please...I think my lifeplan went wrong somewhere...🤔🤣🤣 I feel similarly. I haven't watched the whole interview as I found the Bobby one cringeful and seeing it was the same young guy and how he tested my patience... I did watch some random snippets of Allan talking and he's in great form, giving this guy more than he deserved. Yes, some very nice comments about Terry and nicer still to hear the ones about Mikael Rickfors. Then confusion kicks in as he then says that Bobby rang him about rejoining the band... his rejoining for re-recordings has been discussed recently which was apparently instigated by Terry. For years the official story has been Allan and Tony meeting for a drink and then being asked to rejoin and now Allan here says Bobby rang him... which is the true story? Intriguing!
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Post by calvertbesseralseric on Sept 19, 2020 3:12:29 GMT
A new interview with Allan - skip to 1:01:00 and Allan talks in detail about “Oh Flux”, who played on it, how it came about and what the music is like. He mentions that he still has the tapes: 😂😂So I just wrote a long rambling post about this guy..then deleted it, because I couldn't get my head around it🤔 The interview was great from Allan...but this guy who did this interview and the one with Bobby, was not the most impressive.. so I thought.Then....have you googled him?!? It was what Allan said at the end that made me look him up? He has a bloomin' mini empire!!!! How on earth, ( apart from being educated at Eton..), do you get to interview rockstars all over the world, have your own clothing line, offer media consultancy, and record an album at Abbey road with David Bowie's guitarist??? ..answers on a postcard please...I think my lifeplan went wrong somewhere...🤔🤣🤣 His whole background screams "trust fund kid" to me, to be quite honest. This guy really is one of the strangest characters I've ever seen, though. Claims to have a clothing business worth millions - I daresay it's basically an AliExpress storefront in all honesty - and, as you say, has toured the world, interviewed a bizarre assortment of seemingly unrelated musicians, and recorded with superstars. I can't seriously imagine this guy is such a big fan of Luis Fonsi, Cliff Richard and Allan Clarke at the same time that he managed to get them on through pure passion - I suspect it's a wealthy parent or relative propping this whole thing up. Obviously great for him, and he could be doing a lot worse with the money, but I've never seen someone so bereft of charisma or interviewing ability. I'd really love to know his whole story, to tell the truth.
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Post by calvertbesseralseric on Sept 19, 2020 3:23:54 GMT
I'd just like to add that there were a good half dozen moments in this interview that could've been absolutely fascinating, that any decent interviewer would've probed into but this, frankly, numpty fluffed completely.
I would've loved to hear Allan elaborate on: - The process recording and writing with Spencer Proffer in America - it was clear the interviewer didn't even know how many solo albums he'd put out! Allan's never really spoken about his second departure from the band in depth, so it would've been great to at least hear more than a couple of sentences on it - The apparent lack of control he had in the dismissal of Terry Sylvester. It's clear Allan, the gentleman that he is, still admires Terry a fair bit, and that Terry's departure was out of his hands. I'd love to understand the position of Allan in the Hollies Inc. hierarchies after his 2nd return. - The tinge of bitterness in Allan's voice as he described how he "absolutely never fought with the band" after 1980 - surely anyone could've identified he was withholding something! - His favourite album tracks. The interviewer could've made it a bit more clear what he was getting at with "deep cuts", and we never actually got to hear this.
I just couldn't believe the number of hints and leads that this interviewer completely missed. There was one moment Allan was discussing He Ain't Heavy '88, and referenced how he wasn't happy it was resurging off the back of a beer commercial - how did he miss this sort of thing?! This could've been a brilliant interview, but it was just frustrating. Allan's incredibly open and honest for a celebrity, but none of the interviewers he's spoken with lately have allowed this to come out.
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Post by Mevrouw Bee on Sept 19, 2020 14:14:12 GMT
I'd just like to add that there were a good half dozen moments in this interview that could've been absolutely fascinating, that any decent interviewer would've probed into but this, frankly, numpty fluffed completely. I would've loved to hear Allan elaborate on: - The process recording and writing with Spencer Proffer in America - it was clear the interviewer didn't even know how many solo albums he'd put out! Allan's never really spoken about his second departure from the band in depth, so it would've been great to at least hear more than a couple of sentences on it - The apparent lack of control he had in the dismissal of Terry Sylvester. It's clear Allan, the gentleman that he is, still admires Terry a fair bit, and that Terry's departure was out of his hands. I'd love to understand the position of Allan in the Hollies Inc. hierarchies after his 2nd return. - The tinge of bitterness in Allan's voice as he described how he "absolutely never fought with the band" after 1980 - surely anyone could've identified he was withholding something! - His favourite album tracks. The interviewer could've made it a bit more clear what he was getting at with "deep cuts", and we never actually got to hear this. I just couldn't believe the number of hints and leads that this interviewer completely missed. There was one moment Allan was discussing He Ain't Heavy '88, and referenced how he wasn't happy it was resurging off the back of a beer commercial - how did he miss this sort of thing?! This could've been a brilliant interview, but it was just frustrating. Allan's incredibly open and honest for a celebrity, but none of the interviewers he's spoken with lately have allowed this to come out. He mentions his disappointment about He Ain't Heavy being part of a Miller Lite ad quite regularly...and none follow up on that, preferring "interview lite" for the casual radio listener. That being said, are there any deep interviewers out there anymore? TV or radio? Seems to me that era has long past...
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Post by sandy on Sept 19, 2020 15:09:36 GMT
I'd just like to add that there were a good half dozen moments in this interview that could've been absolutely fascinating, that any decent interviewer would've probed into but this, frankly, numpty fluffed completely. I would've loved to hear Allan elaborate on: - The process recording and writing with Spencer Proffer in America - it was clear the interviewer didn't even know how many solo albums he'd put out! Allan's never really spoken about his second departure from the band in depth, so it would've been great to at least hear more than a couple of sentences on it - The apparent lack of control he had in the dismissal of Terry Sylvester. It's clear Allan, the gentleman that he is, still admires Terry a fair bit, and that Terry's departure was out of his hands. I'd love to understand the position of Allan in the Hollies Inc. hierarchies after his 2nd return. - The tinge of bitterness in Allan's voice as he described how he "absolutely never fought with the band" after 1980 - surely anyone could've identified he was withholding something! - His favourite album tracks. The interviewer could've made it a bit more clear what he was getting at with "deep cuts", and we never actually got to hear this. I just couldn't believe the number of hints and leads that this interviewer completely missed. There was one moment Allan was discussing He Ain't Heavy '88, and referenced how he wasn't happy it was resurging off the back of a beer commercial - how did he miss this sort of thing?! This could've been a brilliant interview, but it was just frustrating. Allan's incredibly open and honest for a celebrity, but none of the interviewers he's spoken with lately have allowed this to come out. He mentions his disappointment about He Ain't Heavy being part of a Miller Lite ad quite regularly...and none follow up on that, preferring "interview lite" for the casual radio listener. That being said, are there any deep interviewers out there anymore? TV or radio? Seems to me that era has long past... It was funny at the end...I almost punched the air, when Allan actually took control...the guy began to close it down, saying thanks very much etc, and Allan said...."Well no, that's not all! I've done a solo album too....."...and made sure he got that in!😉Quite right Allan..keep the little whipper snapper in line with the whole point of the interview!!👌😉
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Post by baz on Sept 19, 2020 16:46:24 GMT
That being said, are there any deep interviewers out there anymore? TV or radio? Seems to me that era has long past... YouTube has helped kill that off as there are now thousands of amateurs who like to think they're "stars" doing interviews, reviews, unboxings and all manner of crud which 99% of the time is just worthless ego gratification giving and adding absolutely nothing. Gone are the days when one would buy music papers or magazines and read decently written reviews as the internet has spawned thousands who think they can write reviews but end up saying very little. I was gonna say a few more thoughts on this guy who managed to "interview" Bobby and now Allan, but best I refrain.
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Post by Mevrouw Bee on Sept 19, 2020 17:26:32 GMT
That being said, are there any deep interviewers out there anymore? TV or radio? Seems to me that era has long past... YouTube has helped kill that off as there are now thousands of amateurs who like to think they're "stars" doing interviews, reviews, unboxings and all manner of crud which 99% of the time is just worthless ego gratification giving and adding absolutely nothing. Gone are the days when one would buy music papers or magazines and read decently written reviews as the internet has spawned thousands who think they can write reviews but end up saying very little. I was gonna say a few more thoughts on this guy who managed to "interview" Bobby and now Allan, but best I refrain. Reflecting society's disdain of "experts" unfortunately. We've gone too far the other way, from healthy skepticism (which many record reviewers deserved!) to outright disregard. I do like the Twins The New Trend YouTube channel, that being said. They truly LOVE music and give me hope for the future of our youth... www.youtube.com/c/TwinsthenewTrend/featured
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Post by thejanitor on Sept 19, 2020 17:38:17 GMT
On the deep cuts thing, that was a real missed opportunity for some new insight in an interview of mostly the same questions and stories we've heard in Allan's last few BBC Radio ones. Aside from maybe the Dylan album which Bobby talked a little about on a podcast shared here a while back, it feels like I've not really heard any Hollies member past or present talk much about the sessions and making of specific albums. I'd love one day for an interviewer to ask "what were the Evolution/Butterfly/Confessions/Romany/etc. sessions like? How did you get this track or that one?" to one of our lads!
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Post by baz on Sept 19, 2020 18:33:06 GMT
I'd love one day for an interviewer to ask "what were the Evolution/Butterfly/Confessions/Romany/etc. sessions like? How did you get this track or that one?" to one of our lads! Yes, the ancient "Elton John played on He Ain't Heavy" story has long been boring and predictable. Allan did touch upon "Distant Light" stating that Ron Richards was ill so the band were producing themselves but that was about it in the handful of bits I managed to watch of this latest interview. I've always had the feeling those sessions were not the happiest for the band - no Ron Richards, not at Abbey Road and not fully certain which direction to head in with Allan feeling more restless to try out some of his newer songs which he would do solo. Sadly, the chances of Allan or any other Hollies coming face to face (or cam to cam) with a decent interviewer feel ever slimmer.
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Post by Mevrouw Bee on Sept 19, 2020 20:39:01 GMT
On the deep cuts thing, that was a real missed opportunity for some new insight in an interview of mostly the same questions and stories we've heard in Allan's last few BBC Radio ones. Aside from maybe the Dylan album which Bobby talked a little about on a podcast shared here a while back, it feels like I've not really heard any Hollies member past or present talk much about the sessions and making of specific albums. I'd love one day for an interviewer to ask "what were the Evolution/Butterfly/Confessions/Romany/etc. sessions like? How did you get this track or that one?" to one of our lads! I think the closest we ever got was the Strange Brew Podcast. But that's from 2014. thestrangebrew.co.uk/allan-clarke-hollies-microsite/
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Post by JamesT on Sept 20, 2020 7:49:04 GMT
Is Allan's son still a member here? How about putting a Q&A (in whichever format is most convenient) forward as a suggestion to the record company? I'm a fan of the instrumental group Sky and about 4 years ago, the record company had a Facebook live event whereby the drummer, Tristan Fry, answered fans' questions with typed responses to the question, all conducted live. This is probably quite basic going by what we have available now, but yet was a superb hour or so in which a core group of fans learned so much. Just an idea.
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