Customer Reviews

Dear Eloise / King Midas in Reverse

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Released at "Butterfly" in the UK, this was the last album of a 1966-67 trilogy, along with "For Certain Because"/"Stop! Stop! Stop!" and "Evolution" and a host of classic singles, that marked the creative peak of the Hollies' career. Brilliant as many of the tracks are, it's easy by the tracks' diversity that this was a band clearly divided about it's future direction. There are easy pop ditties that put the Hollies on the map like "Away, Away, Away" and "Step Inside" mixed with heavy, drug-laced psychedelic dirges like "Maker" and "Try It." The arrangements are nearly as complex as "Sgt. Pepper" or "Pet Sounds" but for some reason they don't gel as well here as on those classics. Sometimes they sound too ambitious, too many unexpected instruments. The best exception, however, is "Butterfly" with its complete "Days of Future Passed"-style orchestration. "Maker" takes on George Harrison's Indian RagaRock and actually beats it. The album shows Graham Nash trying to get to the front of the group. 7 of the songs are clearly his with his lead vocal. This album, along with the title singles fell flat At the end of this year and a half of tremendous creative output, 1968 only brought two singles. The decision to do an all-Dylan album to start off 1969 iced Nash's departure. Perhaps the Hollies can't hold up to the Beatles, but compared to the Monkees, who have had a dozen resurgencies over the decades, the Hollies can hold their own.

Having been a fan of the Beatles for a few years I found that I had grown a taste for their British inspired harmonies. Looking in several different directions for new talent, I happened upon the Hollies. This album is as good if not better than the records the Beatles and their other contemporaries put out at the time. With it's lazy pop in "Postcard", to its backward tape effects in "Try It", it covers lots of ground. "King Midas In Reverses'" failure to take off as a single is simply amazing after you hear their tonsils lock on it. If you like the beatles and are looking for another more harmony laced group to try, start by buying this album and then go get "Evolution". You won't be dissapointed.

This CD is filled with plenty of good songs. "Maker", which takes a page from George Harrison's Indian songs, is a great track. The title tracks, "Dear Eloise" and "King Midas.." are also good psychedelia-light songs using slight effects and manipulations. "Pegasus" is a rather embarassing track filled with corny whimsy and horse sound-effects. The cd's best track is the druggy "Try It", with its trippy lyrics and backwards tape loops. Followed by "elevated observations", another great song with hallucinagenic references. Next, is the more straightfowardly pop, but still good, "Step Inside". Another favorite is "Do the Best You Can", with tinges of country. Its pretty obvious that the Hollies were just trying to keep up with the times by adding psychedelic touches to these pop songs, however they do it with class (except for Pegasus) and it makes for a good listen. You'd do no wrong by picking this one up.

One of the best albums of the psychedelic era. A real diamond full of kaleidoscopic lights and fresh breezes of patchulie. A must for conoisseurs and lovers of the best kind of music. Expressionism full of warm colour tones. The triad Clarke-Hicks-Nash by definition.

Could this be the best Hollies album? easily! They were without a doubt one of the better british groups from the 1966-70 period.

This would be pretty close to their version of Revolver or Sgt.Pepper, with experimental songs like "Maker"(Sitar), "Peguasus"(Pepper and MMT type horns),and "Try It"(Backward loops).

The Pop/rock ditties, "Wishyouawish", "Charlie & Fred", and "Leave Me". "Butterfly" is mellow and nice.

Pop/rock/folk songs like the following are amazing, "Away,Away,Away", "Would You Believe", The two titled songs, and "Do The Best You Can".

Packed with all Hicks,Clark,Nash written songs. with 4 bonus tracks, songs 4,9,10 and 15.

You can't go wrong with this 1967 album, The organs, the flutes, the banjo, great sounding bass guitar from Calvert, Elliott on drums did a darn good job, and the folk/pop sound will hook you.

If you like the Hollies this is the one to get. Buy and enjoy.

I love this album, and bought it in the original US version, then in the UK version, than again in the Sundazed CD. Graham Nash's last album with the group before the reunion album, "What Goes Around," had so many good songs. From the beautiful atmospheric "Butterfly" by Graham Nash, to a rare Tony Hicks vocal, on "Pegasus" to the incredibly powerful vocals on "Charlie and Fred" this album is a gem. The singles from this album, "Dear Eloise" and "King Midas" are among the best from a group that produced so many great tracks. The US cover was one of the best, and showed the growing distance between Alan and Graham, just before Graham left for CSN.

The Hollies may have made nice catchy pop songs before and after this album, but forget Jennifer Eccles and The Air That I Breathe, this is where it's at. The Hollies had their game lifted into a whole new dimension by the more expermental times and tracks such as the classic King Midas and the Walker Brothers-like Would You Believe? show a willingness to embrace more ambitious arrangements. The Indian-influenced Maker and Try It, with its fantastic electronic whooshing effects are other stand out tracks, but the chorus on Pegasus - "I'm Pegasus the flying horse" - and the equine sound effects that close the song deserve five stars on their own! Shame Graham Nash ever left really.

"Dear Eloise/King Midas in Reverse" fue originalmente editado en USA en 1.967 como la versión americana de "Butterfly"(UK 1.967), y como era habitual en la época, con algunas diferencias en una y otra orilla del Atlántico: en este caso cambiaron la selección de temas, el título del disco y la portada. Gracias a Sundazed, en este remaster encontramos la totalidad de temas editados en ambos continentes, apareciendo aquí como bonus tracks ("Pegasus", "Try It", "Elevated Observations", "Do The Best you Can") los temas de Butterfly que no aparecieron hace 37 años en los USA -por cierto, todos ellos imprescindibles-.
En total 15 temas que muestran a los Hollies en su esplendor, con su trío original de intérpretes/compositores (Nash, Hicks y Clark) exprimiendo lo mejor de sí mismos: grandes temas, primorosamente interpretados -armonías vocales marca de la casa-, arreglados y producidos, y como no podía ser de otra manera en 1.967, bañados con litros de pachuli y psicodelia...exhudando un perfume arrollador.

Hollies
Butterfly CD

I'm on my second copy of their finest album, as far down the paisley path as Nash could lead his conservative bandmates. His sitar seminars and elevated observations on people with small minds who haven't gotten high yet might've been inside digs at the rest of the group. Tony Hicks' grudging entry the psychedelic sweepstages has him dolefully singing "I'm Pegasus the flying horse," promising to take you anywhere but asking you to be discreet about it. In the Hollies world, this qualifies as a Ringo song. After Nash bolted to fight the ego wars in CS&N, the Hollies' impeccable harmonies took on an annoying mosquito like sameness but any group interview thereafter makes a point of saying the Hollies enjoyed their biggest chart hits after Nash left. That's like saying Lennon had his biggest chart hits after Mark David Chapman shot him.
Serene Dominic: Phoenix New Times