Butterfly
The Hollies
Parlaphone PMC 7039/PCS 7039
1967
The Hollies
Epic BN 26344
1967
"Butterfly" is my favorite Hollies album. This is the 2016 reissue that contains both the mono and stereo versions of the album. To be honest I don't need to have both versions, I can't really hear much difference between them and I would be happy with either. I first acquired this record in its American version released on Epic. It is decidedly inferior to "Butterfly." The butchers at Epic removed three songs from "Butterfly" and changed the running order on this album. Those three missing songs, the lovely "Pegasus" and the psychedelic "Try It" and "Elevated Observations," were among the best songs on "Butterfly." They were replaced with the single "King Midas In Reverse" and "Leave Me" which had been on the British version of the Hollies' previous album "Evolution" which Epic had also chopped up. "Leave Me" is a good song but it doesn't fit in with the rest of the album. Its harsh lyrics encourage a lover to leave the singer. It is a riff driven rocker with prominent bass and organ. Its vindictive attitude and rough sound are the opposite of the good vibes, refined tone and colorful visions that permeate "Butterfly." "King Midas in Reverse" is about a guy who destroys everything he touches and the lyrics alternate between first and third person. Although not part of "Butterfly," it fits in quite well with its rich harmonies and orchestration. I think it is one of the best songs Graham Nash ever wrote and I can see why its commercial failure as a single upset him so much. It is really the only reason to buy the Epic version of "Butterfly" but you can get it on Hollies compilations too so why bother. Stick with "Butterfly." The songwriting on the entire album is credited to Allan Clarke, Tony Hicks and Graham Nash. The record is an enticing mix of chamber pop and sunny British psych that makes me feel good whenever I play it. It opens with "Dear Eloise" which features Nash and Clarke sharing the lead vocal. It is a poppy tune in the Hollies tradition with some psychedelic touches. The band's trademark harmonies are evident throughout. It is kind of a creepy song in which a guy sends a letter to a woman who has lost her lover feigning condolence while smugly saying I told you so and gleefully anticipating having the woman for himself. "Away Away Away" is a description of a pair of lovers escaping their problems with a blissful vacation by the sea. It is an upbeat chamber pop track given a twee feel by the woodwinds and horns. "Maker" is a trippy account of escaping reality through what sounds like a religious retreat but it could also be a drug trip given the vague but colorful descriptions that are used throughout the song. The song features a sitar and exotic percussion making it one of the most overtly psychedelic tracks on the album. I'm surprised that Epic didn't remove it and keep the more pop oriented "Pegasus" instead for their version of the album. "Pegasus" comes next. It is a delicate chamber pop song with idyllic imagery that I find enchanting. "Would You Believe" is about a guy in love with a girl who is out of his league. It is a heavily orchestrated ballad with a powerful vocal from Clarke. Side one concludes with "Wishyouawish" which is a jaunty song that features a pied piper type character describing a blissful walk through the countryside. It sounds a bit like Simon and Garfunkel and is bolstered by some tasteful brass accompaniment. Side two opens with the propulsive "Postcard" which is one of my favorite tracks. It is an invitation to join the singer and experience the joys of living by the sea. It is an extremely catchy and atmospheric song. "Charlie and Fred" is about an impoverished rag man and his horse. Despite the humble subject of the song, it is a majestic tune with a soaring vocal from Clarke and robust support from the horns. The tone of the album shifts dramatically with the psychedelic "Try It" which is a thinly veiled invitation to get high with trippy flower power language and swirling music driven by a hypnotic bass riff. "Elevated Observations?" continues in the same vein although the music has a slightly jazzy flavor to it. When you hear Graham Nash crooning "ego is dead" you know this is not your typical Hollies song. There is another dramatic shift in tone with the poppy "Step Inside" which is an invitation to a former lover to come and enjoy the singer's hospitality. It is a joyous song with an engaging melody and wonderful vocal harmonies. The album concludes with the chamber pop "Butterfly" which is an idealized portrait of the countryside that reminds me of Donovan. The song is a quiet ballad gently sung by Nash backed by an orchestra. It gives the album a lovely graceful finish. This album offers the typical Hollies amenities of delightful vocal harmonies and superb production and supplements them with ambitious lyrical content, adventurous programming and a startling eclecticism that makes it a stimulating and rewarding listening experience. This album represents the pinnacle of the Hollies' artistic development. They would never come close to making a record this good again. Regrettably the album's lack of sales convinced the band to assume a more commercial direction. They would follow this up with the disastrous "Words and Music by Bob Dylan" album and drive Graham Nash out of the band setting them out on the steep downward slope to irrelevance. Of course Nash himself would never make a record this good either and that includes the ditties he composed for Crosby, Stills and Nash (and sometimes Young.) This record is so enjoyable and appealing, it makes me regret that the band couldn't continue in this vein a little longer. Although not as far out as Pink Floyd, Tomorrow or Tinturn Abbey, the album is definitely in the spirit of its time. It embodies British psychedelia in the lushness of its sound, its colorful imagery, its whimsy and its preoccupation with escape from reality. I consider it to be one of the best albums of its era. Recommended to fans of Kaleidoscope and the psych-era Small Faces.
No comments:
Post a Comment