Graham Nash Song Survival

Confessions of the Mind is the 1970 released album by The Hollies. It was released in the United States as Moving Finger, with a different track sequence, the tracks "Separated" and "I Wanna Shout" omitted and replaced with the Clarke/Sylvester penned "Marigold: Gloria Swansong" saved from the previous album (Hollies Sing Hollies aka He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother - U.S.) and "Gasoline Alley Bred". In Germany, it was released as The Hollies Move On. The UK version peaked at UK #30. The US version peaked at US #183.

The Hollies' first album of original material following Graham Nash's departure was an attempt to regain the edge they'd had on Butterfly and Evolution albums, after the digression of the album of Dylan songs, the regrouping with Terry Sylvester in the lineup, and the unexpected hit achieved with "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother." It's a surprisingly strong album, not only in the songwriting (which includes the last Clark/Hicks/Nash song ever recorded, "Survival of the Fittest"), but also in the production, which isn't too far removed from what was heard on Butterfly and Evolution. There's no sitar here, but Tony Hicks – who is the real star of the group on this album – employs at least a half-dozen different guitars in uniquely fine voicings, and there is also some very striking use of orchestra, producer John Burgess making particularly fine employment of a string section as a lead instrument on the Allan Clarke/Terry Sylvester-authored "Man Without a Heart."