Butterfly/Dear Eloise/King Midas in Reverse - The Hollies

Butterfly

The Hollies

Parlaphone PMC 7039/PCS 7039

1967

 

Dear Eloise/King Midas in Reverse
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.

Words and Music by Bob Dylan - The Hollies

Words and Music by Bob Dylan
The Hollies
Epic BN 26447
1969

This was the album that helped drive Graham Nash out of the Hollies and into the welcoming arms of Stephen Stills and David Crosby.  I can see why Nash was pissed, after the adventurous psych-pop of the previous two Hollies albums "Evolution" and "Butterfly" this album was a huge step backwards.  It has a terrible reputation which is not undeserved I suppose, but I still like it.  I do think it is the worst Hollies album of the 1960s though and Dylan is poorly served by it as well.  The songs get a poppy treatment and Allan Clarke frivolously sings the lyrics like he is still singing about Carrie Anne or bus stop romances.  The group's ludicrous lounge-style performance of "Blowin' In The Wind" is the most egregious example of this, although considering the myriad covers of this song back in the 1960s I give the Hollies points for trying something different.  This album would be better and more useful if the Hollies had attempted some more obscure Dylan songs.  All the songs are very well-known aside from "Quit Your Lowdown Ways" and there is not a single song on here that has not been done better by Dylan himself or others who have covered him.  The Byrds trounce them on "My Back Pages" and "All I Really Want To Do" (the Hollies' version features a steel drum solo!)  Peter, Paul and Mary had better versions of "Quit Your Lowdown Ways," "When The Ship Comes In," and "Blowin' In The Wind" - at least you know they cared about the words.  Dylan and Linda Ronstadt had better (and sexier) versions of "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight."  Even Julie Driscoll had a better cover of "This Wheel's On Fire" as did the Band and Ian and Sylvia.  Manfred Mann had the definitive version of "The Mighty Quinn," as did the Band with "I Shall Be Released."  Dylan's own versions of "I Want You," "The Times They Are A-Changin'" and "Just Like a Woman" are infinitely preferable to the Hollies' covers.  Numerous 1960s folk-pop acts from the Silkie to the Seekers to Jackie DeShannon, did Dylan better than the Hollies.  So why do I like this album?  I like it because it sounds like a Hollies album.  As a Dylan record it is a travesty, but it is nonetheless full of the pop bliss the Hollies brought to the lightweight ditties they normally performed.  The elaborate arrangements and enchanting vocal harmonies that were their trademark are prevalent throughout the album.  For all their faults, the Hollies were masters at creating catchy pop music that sounded wonderful.  I don't blame Graham Nash for leaving them, their commercial attitude stifled his artistic growth, but I'm not convinced that his subsequent career was any better than his work with the Hollies.  "Crosby, Stills & Nash" is a far superior record from an artistic standpoint, but this album gives me more pleasure.  Recommended to people who find Bob Dylan hard to listen to. 

Beat Group! - The Hollies

Beat Group!
The Hollies
Imperial  LP 9312
1966

This was the Hollies third album in the U. S. and eight of its eleven songs were drawn from the Hollies fourth British album "Would You Believe?" which contained 12 songs.  As is the case with most British Invasion groups, there are considerable differences between the British Hollies albums and their American equivalents with the latter having fewer songs and stupider titles.  The British albums are easy to find on CD but finding original vinyl copies in the U.S is pretty tough so I've settled for the Imperial albums.  This is a pretty good one with a mixture of quality original compositions and a wide array of covers.  The most memorable song is "I Can't Let Go" by Chip Taylor and Al Gorgoni which was deservedly a big hit in England but failed to crack the top 40 over here for some reason.  I think it is a terrific song with wonderful vocal harmonies and appealing jangly guitar riffs.  It is one of my favorite early Hollies songs.  Most of the other songs that I like were written by the Hollies under their collective pseudonym L. Ransford.  The country-flavored "Running Through The Night" did not appear on "Would You Believe?" and was the B-side of the British single of "I Can't Let Go."  It has a nice jangly guitar line and I'm pleased that Imperial stuck it on the album.  "Oriental Sadness" shows the group's growth as songwriters.  It has a memorable melody, a nice Asian style guitar lick and the vocals are typically outstanding.  Aside from the Beatles, I don't think any British group from that era can even come close to the Hollies' skill in that regard.  "Hard Hard Year" is reminiscent of the Beatles' folk influenced songs like "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" aside from an almost metallic guitar solo.  "Fifi the Flea" is just Graham Nash and an acoustic guitar.  I find it sappy and dull, but I respect the band's effort to break free of the limitations of being a beat group.  The originals give this album a little depth, the covers are mostly lightweight.  They include a pair of soul numbers.  "That's How Strong My Love Is" is pleasant enough but it can't really compete with the more soulful versions by O. V. Wright and especially Otis Redding.  "I Take What I Want" had been a single for Sam and Dave the previous year.  I don't find the Hollies version very convincing.  There are also a couple of covers that weren't on "Would You Believe?" and which were also recorded by the Beatles.  The group tackles "A Taste of Honey" at a slightly faster pace than the Beatles did although the arrangements are otherwise fairly similar.  The Beatles version is more romantic but I like the propulsive quality of the Hollies' version.  "Mr. Moonlight" was taken from the Hollies first English album "Stay With the Hollies."  It is also has a quicker tempo than the Beatles' version but I prefer John Lennon's more robust vocal to the vocal by Graham Nash which sounds whiny to me.  Both songs seem old fashioned compared to the progressive direction the band was moving in and I suspect they represent Imperial trying to make the record more commercial.  The remaining covers are "Don't You Even Care" by Clint Ballard Jr. (who wrote the band's earlier hit "I'm Alive") and "Take Your Time" by the band's namesake, Buddy Holly.  The former is enjoyable but routine commercial pop but the Holly cover is delightful, one of my favorite songs on the album.  This sparkling tune shows what adept pop craftsmen the Hollies were.  This was a transitional album for the Hollies that finds them moving towards the more progressive psych-pop direction they would take on their future records while not abandoning the commercial pop beat group direction of their earlier albums.  The group's songwriting was improving and they were exploring new sounds.  I think they were still a second tier band among the British Invasion groups, well below the Beatles, Stones, Zombies or Kinks, but they had developed a distinctive sound and style featuring jangly guitar and multi-part harmonies.  They had the technique, all they needed were better songs and they would come soon enough.  Recommended for people who think "On a Carousel" is a better song than "Our House."