The Hollies
 When
The Hollies began recording in 1963, they relied heavily upon the
R&B/early rock & roll covers that provided the staple diet
for most British bands at the time (including The
Beatles).
They quickly developed a more distinctive style of three-part
harmonies (heavily influenced by The
Everly Brothers), ringing guitars and hook-happy material,
penned by outside writers (especially Graham Gouldman, who would
later find fame in 10cc) and the band
themselves.
The best early Hollies records evoke an infectious, melodic
cheer similar to that of early Beatles,
although The Hollies were neither in the class (which is not an
insult - nobody was) nor demonstrated a similar capacity for
artistic growth. They tried easing into more sophisticated
folk/rock and mildly psychedelic sounds as the decade wore on,
especially on their albums (which contain quite a few overlooked
highlights).
Allan Clarke and Graham Nash had been friends since childhood
in Manchester and formed the nucleus of The Hollies in the early
60s with bassist Eric Haydock. In early 1963, EMI signed the group
after seeing them at the famous Cavern Club in Liverpool.
Guitarist Vic Steele left before the first session to be
replaced by 17 year old Tony Hicks. Drummer Don Rathbone also only
lasted for a couple of singles before being replaced by Bobby
Elliott, who had played with Hicks in his pre-Hollies group, The
Dolphins. The line-up changes were most fortuitous as Hicks
contributed a lot to the group with his guitar work and song
writing, and Elliott was one of the very finest drummers in all of
British pop/rock.
 Although
their first singles were R&B covers, The Hollies were no match
for The Rolling Stones in this
department and were much more at home with poppier material that
complemented their glittering harmonies.
They achieved an awesome string of hits in the UK in the 60s,
making the Top 20 almost twenty times. Some of their best mid-60s
singles like Here I Go Again, We're Through and the
British number one, I'm Alive, passed virtually unnoticed
in the USA, where they didn't make the Top 40 until early 1966
when Look Through Any Window did the trick. In 1966, Eric Haydock left the group under cloudy circumstances
and was replaced by Bernie Calvert.
The Hollies didn't really break in America until Bus Stop
(1966), their first US Top Ten record. On A Carousel, Carrie
Ann and Stop, Stop, Stop were also big hits. Their
albums showed a more serious and ambitious side, particularly on
the part of Graham Nash who itched to make an impression as a more
serious artist, notably on the King Midas In Reverse single
of 1967. Their excellent 1967 'flower power' album Butterfly
alienated many of their fans and failed to chart.
Its modest commercial success didn't augur well and their
subsequent 45s went back to the tried and tested tradition.
 By
1968 Nash felt constrained by the band's commercial orientation
and by the end of the year he was gone, leaving for the US to help
found Crosby, Stills & Nash. His
departure really marked the end of the groups peak era.
In 1969 the band tried to have their cake and eat it too by
doing a whole album of Dylan songs given
The Hollies treatment. The LP was received poorly by some critics,
although it was a decent seller in Britain. Nash was replaced by
Terry Silvester (formerly of The
Swinging Blue Jeans) and the hit streak continued for a while.
The sublime He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother was one of
their biggest international singles. But the group was really
reaching the end of their long run at the top.
A modest slide in the 70s was arrested by Long Cool Woman In
A Black Dress (which sounded a lot like Creedence
Clearwater Revival) making it to number two in the US in 1972.
Their timing was not great - by the time it became a hit, Clarke
(who sang lead vocal on the single) had left the group and been
replaced by Swedish vocalist Mikael Rikfors. Clarke rejoined in
1973 and the group had one last international monster, The Air
That I Breathe.
The Hollies recorded several other albums in the 70s and 80s
and toured often. Graham Nash even rejoined them for a 1983 album.
Their post mid-70s output though is really only for fanatics.
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