Search - Hollies :: Reunion

What Goes Down; The Hollies in 1983

Fredric A. Cooper | Los Angeles, CA | 10/13/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This brief reunion of 4/5 of the Graham Nash-led 1960s Hollies lineup resulted in a U.S. #29 hit, "Stop in the Name of Love", that recaptured some of the old Hollies magic, and an album, "What Goes Around", that mostly didn't, due to a preponderance of weak material and a then-trendy synthesizer-heavy sound. The tour that followed echoes the comeback effort of the fictitious band in the film "This Is Spinal Tap"; gigs were cancelled or replaced with ones at lesser venues, such as this concert at Kings Island Amusement Park in Cincinnati, Ohio. Musically, once dynamic guitar-driven tunes such as "Look Through Any Window" and "I Can't Let Go" sound rather limp and cheesy with the over-reliance on keyboards. The best moments here, therefore, include an acoustic version of "King Midas in Reverse" and a pair of CSN tunes, proof of The Hollies' superior vocal harmonies. While it is good to hear Nash sing his solo vocal bit in the ever-charming "Carrie-Anne", one misses his opening lead vocal on "On A Carousel"; here it is sung by Allan Clarke. Of the new material, the two best songs, "If The Lights Go Out" and "Take My Love and Run" are sorely missing; the former was played at this show, but is absent from this CD for reasons unknown, and the latter wasn't in the set list at all. Instead, we get two others; the mediocre "Someone Else's Eyes", which actually made the Billboard AOR chart, even though it was the B-side to the downright bad "Casualty", with its synth riff sounding too similar to Laura Branigan's "Gloria" for comfort. The nostalgia-fueled show ends with an extended version of The Hollies' biggest & best U.S. hit, "Long Cool Woman (in a Black Dress)", featuring Tony Hicks delightfully working in some "Shakin' All Over" licks.

For a band that always has claimed to be at its best on stage, it is tragic and ultimately damaging to The Hollies' reputation that the only live concerts commercially available are this one and the 1976 New Zealand show, neither of which were recorded during the band's peak years. Hollies fans can only hope that the live concert vault door will open wider one of these days."

A great addition to the Hollies library

Deborah MacGillivray | US & UK | 08/06/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Hollies were and are one of my favourite groups. Allan Clarke's voice, the trademark of the group, really is still there. I don't usually care for live albums, but this is a delight and made wish I had been there for the recording. Yeah, some of the songs are not duplicates of the 1960s songs, but you get the idea they were just having fun. I am sure the fans felt the same way. Hey, times has passed. While they do not duplicate their early works to the letter, they are good to hear them doing them, loving them for giving us one more go around on the carousel!



Especially great is to hear Alan chiming in on the CS&N "Teach Your Children" I just wish the album had more and more of their hits.



Thanks for one more trip down memory lane."

Almost but.............

Rick Holly | Lafayette, NJ. USA | 06/23/2005

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I wish there were half stars for the review because I would give it 2 1/2 stars. Read the other reviews here for details about the origins of this concert CD. Although this concert was technicaly very well recorded the actual performance was just "OK". There are moments when the vocals are perfect and some when they are very shakey. The use of the keyboards in place of guitars is a bit disappointing especially on the intro to "Bus Stop". This CD is historical since you get to hear Graham Nash sing on songs that were recorded after he left the band like "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" and "The Air That I Breathe". It also gives you a chance to hear songs Graham might have brought into the band as they run through "Wasted On The Way" and "Teach Your Children". In the liner notes Graham mentions that though he enjoyed being out with his old friends, the tour also reminded him why he left the band in the first place. The Hollies were a great band but on this paticular day they sound a little tired. The bottom line is there is no energy to these performances."