Customer Reviews

Evolution

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Hollies comes in colours. Still a masterpiece of the psychedelic catalogue, this album is one of the most beautiful flowers of the english garden. A breeze of fresh air in the magic summer of love.

"Evolution", like all the Hollies' lps, has it's share of filler and fluff. Nobody but the most diehard Hollies fan would really want to listen to "Ye Olde Toffee Shoppe" or "Lullaby To Tim", and "Rain On The Window" is just a less successful remake of their earlier "Bus Stop".

However, I'm pleased to report that the other seven songs from this US-version "Evolution" re-release are all very solid, enjoyable tunes, particulary "Then The Heartaches Begin", "Heading For a Fall", and of course, the hit, "Carrie-Anne".

Sundazed has also included five very good rare Hollies tracks ("rare" except for "Jennifer Eccles", of course.) "When Your Lights Turn On", in especially good.

Recommended to fans of sixties pop who are thirsting for something good beyond what they might already be familiar with.

The Hollies unique vocal stylings are never more predominate than on this reissue of their early 1967 album. Not as coherent as it should be, this album still has some merit for anyone seeking a british vocal "fix". "Carrie-Anne" and "Rain on The Window" are bolth great cuts. Not too sweet, but the sugar is definitley present. "Heading for a Fall" is a great example as to how to make a 2 minute song be so catchy. The bonus tracks are all pretty good, and Sundazed, as usual, did a primo job with the stereo remastering. Of note is the very drug influenced song "Open Up Your Eyes", which, although not predating any of the huge acts of the day, was significant to the groups attempt at doing musically different things. This album is aptly titled for their next few releases saw major changes in bolth the orchestration and singing arrangements. Is second only to the "King Midas In Reverse/Dear Eloise" album Sundazed also puts out. Go there and then come here.

I don't have many Hollies albums but if they are as good as this they are a great band that is over looked here in the USofA. This is a cacthy little album with some great songs on it. My personal favorites are Carrie-Anne, Lullaby To Tim and Games We Play. However all the songs are pleasent to listen to. The songs all gel together nicely which works aganist the album because if you don't listen carfully they can all blend in together on the first few listens but give it a try and you'll be greatly rewarded with a pop masterpiece. This version leaves off Leave Me from the British version (which has many more bonus tracks) so I guess your better off getting that one than this US version.

Another great album by The Hollies! They are definitely one of my favourite bands, and this album contributed to my loving them so much. This was the second album by The Hollies that I have ever owned so it's pretty precious to me, though my most favourite would be the album,"Butterfly". Now I have a lot more of their albums, and I've still got lots more to buy! This, I will recommend to anyone who loves The Hollies. Even if you've only heard their hits, you should try listening to some of their other songs, since they are all so good!

The song list here is not quite the same as that of the British-European Evolution LP, which started off with the tense When then Heartaches Begin. Some singles have been added also. But to those who cannot get the Brit original, this is nevertheless an opportunity to relive the sixties and the magic years 1965-1969 when so much happened. 1966-67 in particular. Some complain that these songs have a fair share of silliness - well, then you haven't been young in those days when your mother really should not know the games you play. In particular the singing was so good here, and the instrumental playing also. I even learned to bear with the rather clichéish string arrangements. All in all, get it and play it loud. No politics, nothing very deep. It is just music, and as such fantastic.

yes its true !!!! if you like the mid 60's sound of the beatles or the stones than you will love the songs on this cd. i have been a hollies fan for years and i just bought this cd from amazon and i was blown away by how good it is. thid cd is one of the very few i can listen to two or three times in a row without getting sick of it.

1967 was the year things started to change in music as ive been told i was only 2 at the time.But the music speaks for it self the BEATLES had SGT.PEPPER.THE WHO had SELL OUT the HOLLIES had EVOLUTION not nearly as earth shattering as PEPPER but very experimental CARRIE ANNE was the hit
and yes its a little corny but the rest of the album was deffinately trying to be a step the HOLLIES needed to take to be taken seriously has a pop band.i think GRAM NASH had a lot to do with this.the album is on the psycodelic side but its great fun to listen to in 2007 a big departure from what music is today.but a definate pop rock cd from a band very underated and too associated with an AIR SUPPLY sound .This is a far cry from air that i breathe.

"Evolution" was the first of two Hollies albums released in 1967. The band did a lot of experimenting in those years, both in songwriting and arrangements. Some of it worked, some of it didn't. "Butterfly" is often hailed as their finest and most consistent, whereas "Evolution" suffers from being anything but consistent. The songwriting is more or less on par with "Butterfly", but some arrangements in various degrees ruin the songs.

Worst is the "underwater" effect put on Graham Nash's voice on "Lullaby to Tim". It could have been a great track, but as it is, it's almost unlistenable. I have often wondered if a version with unruined vocals exists.

The distorted guitars put on the opening track "The the Heartaches Begin" and "Have You Ever Loved Somebody", give a forced feeling that does not help the songs, which are really good Hollies songs. The Searchers proved that "Have You Ever Loved Somebody" even had hit-potentials.

Enough negative words said, because there are plenty of succesful tracks that make the album quite enjoyable after all.

Like on the previous album all songs were written by Clarke, Hicks and Nash and Allan Clarke and Graham Nash more or less share the lead vocals with Tony Hicks joining in on choruses etc.

"Stop Right There" is a nice quiet Graham Nash ballad; fine violin solo. Nash also takes the lead vocals on one of the big highlights on the album "When Your Lights Turned On"; classic up-beat Hollies with great guitars and harmonies.

The nostalgic "Ye Olde Toffee Shop" featuring harpsichord is quite charming, but no more.

On "Games We Play" Clarke and Nash share the lead vocals. Incredible that this song was not released as a single. Extremely catchy with funny ( naive ) teenage lyrics.

Allan Clarke demonstrates his powerful vocals on several tracks such as "You Need Love" and "Leave Me".

"Water on the Brain" is another example; a song which also features a charming trombone solo.

So all in all you could call it a hit and miss album, mostly hits!

By the way, this review refers to the British version of the album.

Me parece increíble que nadie haya escrito un comentario sobre este álbum, aparecido en junio del 67', el mismo mes que el famoso Stg. Pepper, lo que puede explicar por que Evolution, como tantos otros discos aparecidos en la misma época sea tan poco conocido.

El título del disco es bastante apropiado, comparandolo con su anterior trabajo For Certain Because aparecido a fines de 1966. Muy influenciados por la sicodelia, partiendo por la colorida portada, los Hollies comienzan a incorporar nuevos instrumentos y efectos sonoros en sus temas, así como distorsión en las guitarras y voces, junto a breves pero eficientes arreglos orquestales.

En una época de gran experimentación y búsqueda sonora, los Hollies no abandonan el formato Pop en sus temas, logrando excelentes melodias en Stop right There, Heading for a fall o The games we play, así como en Water on the brain o Lullaby to tim, las cuales incorporan excelentes efectos sonoros.

Esta es la edición del disco aparecido en E.E.U.U, con 5 temas extras, dejando afuera del original solo Leave me. Aunque no muy apreciado en su momento, éste es uno de los grandes discos Beat sicodélicos ingleses de los años 60'. De toda la discografía del grupo,tan solo Butterfly, su siguiente disco también del 67' puede competir con este.