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Hollies Best?

IJEFF | Milwaukee, WI USA | 06/29/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"In retrospect this could be the best ever non-greatest hits Hollies CD. If it isn't it comes pretty close. This remastered addition adds great sound quality and bonus tracks. This CD was the first release of the recently reunited Hollies with Allan Clarke. Its obvious that both sides were energized and happy with the reunion. At this time the various members of the Hollies were writing separately. What they lacked in writing unity was offset by the great songs that Clarke brought back to the band including Curly Billy and Don't Let Me Down. Obviously, without the reunion these songs would have landed on an Allan Clarke solo release. Clearly, Clarke brought back to the band his "A-list" of material (this is also confirmed by the lack of strong Clarke originals on subsequent solo releases until the late 70's).



Listening to these songs today they all hold up very well. I was somewhat surprised at how fresh they sounded. Besides the previously mentioned Clarke orginals, I love "Falling, Calling", "Out on the Road", "Down on the Run" and "Its a Shame, its a Game". And then there is the huge hit, "The Air That I Breathe". Simply one of the most beautiful recordings ever by an band. The brilliance of this song I feel has lead to some under-appreciation of this entire CD. Give this CD another listen (especially in this new remastered version). Too often the success of Hollies singles has lead people to believe they didn't make fine albums. This one is a great example of that."

A very fine album

Gordon Pfannenstiel | Russell, KS United States | 07/22/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Based on the recommendation of a friend, I bought this when it came out in 1974. It was an odd choice, because though I'd been weined on the British Invasion I'd really left it behind, and hadn't listened to my two Hollies LPs in years. I don't know what I expected, but I know I was pleasantly surprised. The production was crisp, the songs were strong, and the vocals were maybe the best sounding Hollies vocals ever, before or since. Ron Richards (the producer) was in top form and so were the Hollies.



I could have given this album five stars, but I really reserve that for what I consider to be classic albums....Rubber Soul, Pet Sounds, Blonde On Blonde, Who's Next, etc. This album just doesn't quite achieve classic status, but is a consistant, enjoyable listen. No rough edges, no obviously inferior material, certainly no throwaways, and several real gems. The Air That I Breath is a classic, and Don't Let Me Down, Curly Billy and Shame It's a Game are great fun. It's very atmospheric quality makes it a great listen on a good stereo. I haven't heard the remaster, but my old LP still sounds awesome!"

The hollies

B. E Jackson | Pennsylvania | 05/22/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"First of all, WHY OH WHY did the band have to simply title this album "The Hollies?" Are you kidding? It takes *forever* to find it on amazon. The Hollies should have known that 35 years later people would have trouble finding this album in a search engine. :)



The music featured on this album is pretty solid (like always). Perhaps the songwriting is a bit more predictable than usual though. In fact this may have been the first sign the band was beginning to lose steam after being such a pop-oriented harmonic powerhouse throughout the late 60's. Gotta give the band a ton of credit for trying to pull it together and carry over the same kind of success for another decade, though.



"The Air That I Breathe" is the big hit obviously, and you can see why- it's an incredibly sappy, melodic, and bombastic rock ballad. I still love it to pieces though. Should I feel guilty for enjoying a song like this? Since I'm a grown man? NO! And I *don't* feel guilty at all either.



"Falling Calling" just seems predictably written... by the Hollies high standards of course. It's enjoyable but it's definitely missing *something*. It's missing that high level of quality songwriting, that's what.



Other moments, such as on "Rubber Lucy" the band feels like they were trying too hard to write something brilliant, and fell just short. Yes it's definitely a good song, but it drives me crazy sometimes when I hear it because I just KNOW it could have been even better had the band shown more determination when writing this material. I still definitely enjoy it, though.



Then again, a song like "Don't Let Me Down" almost brings me tears. The lead singer is really darn emotional sometimes.



Check out 60's Hollies first, and if you're really thrilled with that, by all means progress to the 70's stuff. It's not at the same amazing level of quality, but it's good enough to recommend a purchase."