The Hollies

When the Hollies - one of the best and most commercially successful pop/rock acts of the British Invasion - began recording in 1963, they relied heavily upon the R&B/early rock & roll covers that provided the staple diet for countless British bands of the time. They quickly developed a more distinctive style featuring three-part harmonies (heavily influenced by the Everly Brothers), ringing guitars, and hook-happy material, penned by both outside writers (especially future 10cc member Graham Gouldman) and themselves, eventually composing most of their repertoire on their own. The best early Hollies records evoke an infectious, melodic cheer similar to that of the early Beatles, although the Hollies were neither in their class (not an insult: nobody else was) nor demonstrated a similar capacity for artistic growth. They tried, though, easing into somewhat more sophisticated folk-rock and mildly psychedelic sounds as the decade wore on, especially on their albums (which contain quite a few overlooked highlights).

Released only ten months after their debut album, Stay With the Hollies, their second album was a huge leap forward in every respect. Their famous airtight harmonies were now in place, and the sloppiness of the instrumental attack gone. Most important, the group developed enormously as songwriters. Eight of the 12 tracks were Hollies originals and quite skillful in their mastery of the British Invasion essentials of driving, catchy melodies and shining harmonies. A couple of the covers are duds, but the "Nitty Gritty/Something's Got a Hold of Me" medley is first-rate, and the version of "It's in His Kiss" (retitled "It's in Her Kiss") respectable. The Hollies weren't from Liverpool (though Manchester is fairly close), but this nonetheless ranks of one of the very best Merseybeat albums not released by the Beatles themselves…

Except for "Whatcha Gonna Do About It" which is in stereo, this is a great and inexpensive way to get the best of the early 63-66 Hollies in pure monoponic sound…

The Hollies have a recorded many songs and everyone has their own list of favourites whether it be single or album track. With this Double set, we've included all the hits plus the classics that audiences request at every Hollies concert.

Just as the subtitle says, this six-CD, 158-track collection has "The Complete Hollies April 1963-October 1968". That's everything recorded when singer Allan Clarke, guitarist/singer Tony Hicks, and guitarist/singer Graham Nash, who were the three constants in the band (though drummer Bobby Elliott was there for all but the earliest of these recordings, too). As such, it's a major British Invasion document. Even if it's missing some work postdating Nash's departure in late 1968 which is highly regarded by some fans (including their hits "He's Not Heavy, He's My Brother," "Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress," and "The Air That I Breathe"), most fans would agree that the Nash era is by far the band's most significant…

Hollies Sing Hollies was the group's somewhat self-conscious follow-up to Hollies Sing Dylan - in the U.S., it formed the bulk of the He Ain't Heavy He's My Brother LP, with that smash single (totally unlike anything else on the album) overshadowing the rest of the record. If the Hollies began to lose credibility as a frontline rock group, the blame must rest with this album. The songwriting is generally melodic and very pleasant, but little of it is particularly memorable, and the arrangements mostly have a light rock/pop feel to them, closer to Gary Puckett & the Union Gap than to the Beatles. There are one or two very good songs, including "Please Let Me Please," with crisp rhythm guitars and slashing lead parts as well as a catchy central melody and an even better chorus…

One of the less essential '60s albums by the Hollies, whose capabilities were arguably stretched by the two-album-a-year-pace-in-addition-to-three-hit-singles model established by the Beatles during this time. Their version of Paul Simon's "I Am a Rock" is nice, but the soul and early rock covers of Sam & Dave, Otis Redding, and Chuck Berry are pretty dispensable; the Hollies were not the Stones or the Animals, lacking their soul and interpretative imagination. Some of the originals are pretty ho-hum too (including the pathetic "Fifi the Flea," which was covered by the Everly Brothers). But every Hollies album of the '60s has some strong overlooked tracks. On this one, they're the surprisingly tough folk-rockers "Hard, Hard Year" and "I've Got a Way of My Own." The ultra-catchy "Don't You Even Care," written by Clint Ballard, Jr. (also responsible for their number one British hit "I'm Alive," as well as "The Game of Love" and "You're No Good"), is the real obscure gem here and could have well been a hit under its own steam…

The Hollies albums usually sound like a few friends, who know nothing more natural than singing and playing together, just giving a try for a nice little jam. And they are not the street credible baddish guys who get into a heavy blues jam or a noisy, punky-drinky ball. Instead, you can imagine them in colourful shirts and velvet trousers, now and then sipping some wine from a glass or even having tea. It feels like such a friendly atmosphere that even Hollies Sing Dylan, probably the most problematic or troublesome Hollies album ever, sounds very nice. Virtually everyone who knows anything more about The Hollies than just the hits, knows that Graham Nash made his exit (to be a member of CSN[Y]) after the other members had decided to ditch the original songwriting and make a Bob Dylan covers album…