Customer Reviews

Greatest Hits - The Hollies

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The Hollies were one of the best British groups around in the sixties. This anthology attempts to cater for the whole world by including songs that were hits in a variety of different countries. Clearly a lot of research went into the track selection, though a third CD would have been required to do the job comprehensively. Stewball (a huge hit for Peter Paul and Mary elsewhere) was a huge Swedish hit for the Hollies but is not included here. Two minor American hits (Another night, Do the best you can) are also missing, as are minor hits from some other countries.

Despite those omissions, this is an undeniably strong compilation. Of course, their biggest successes were in their home country, where their long list of big hits includes I'm alive, Sorry Suzanne, On a carousel, Look through any window, The air that I breathe, Carrie Anne, He ain't heavy he's my brother, Bus stop, Jennifer Eccles, Just one look and Yes I will. Of these, Just one look is a cover of a song that had been a huge American hit for Doris Troy.

The big UK hits are not the only ones worth hearing. If I needed someone and King Midas in reverse were, by their standards, modest hits but still wonderful. The generally less successful seventies are also well represented, not only by The air that I breathe (first recorded a year earlier by Phil Everly - yes, really), but by Long cool woman in a black dress, Gasoline alley bird and Boulder to Birmingham (a cover of an Emmylou Harris song). A new recording completes the set.

This is as good a collection of Hollies music as you are ever likely to find. If you enjoy British sixties pop music, you will find much to enjoy here.

46 stand-out songs culled from the breadth and width of the band's lustrous career (and a new song to boot) on 2 brimming discs. No liner notes information yet world-wide chart position listings and amazing photos. Almost all the key moments are here yet sadly missing is "Another Night". Why? Why can't EMI get its act together and release one complete, effectively sequenced anthology? Don't get me wrong: I'm happy I own this set. But I wish that it had given me liner notes, a chronological sequencing of songs and "Another Night" (especially!). To this day, The Hollies are a misunderstood band who never really got their props and this anthology could have righted so many misconceptions! On a sound reproduction level: a glorious and full remaster. Still, for newcomers wanting a solid picture of the group's entire career, a worthwhile purchase.

With 47 tracks, this is a genuine 'Greatest Hits' album, and it is usually available at discounted prices, so if you want one sprig of Hollies in your collection, this is the one to pick. The current alternatives are Sony's single-disc 2002 The Hollies' Greatest Hits, and the Anthology album. The latter looks like the worst choice because it omits the earliest hits like Bus Stop and On A Carousel. That's like a Beatles collection without She Loves You or I Want to Hold Your Hand. The Sony disc has 13 tracks that comprise all the essential songs and sells at about the third of the cost of this CD new, and about half the cost when used copies are compared. The insert notes on the Sony disc are minimal. Go for that only if you are really counting pennies, otherwise opt for this one.

The insert notes incorporate the excellent idea of pictures of every lineup (a dozen) over the years, with names to let you know who's who. In every picture, from 1963 to 2003, Tony Hicks looks just the same! There are also track listings that tell you at least as much as you want to know (Jennifer Eccles reached number 2 in Malaysia).

The group is still going, albeit with no original members apart from the ageless Hicks, although Bobby Elliot is almost original. Actually, the lineup has changed less frequently than most perennial groups but for me, Alan Clarke was the essential member, and during his brief absence in the 70s and since his retirement, they are The Hollies in name only. Clarke's singing is their trademark. Graham Nash got more attention, because of his later association with Crosby, Stills & Nash (& Young). But Nash was never a great singer, in either group.

The Hollies are light and frothy and poppy, but musically good nonetheless. They are very derivative. They are an amalgam of The Everly Brothers and the early Beatles. It is no surprise to see that many of these tracks were recorded at Abbey Road, including a George Harrison song, If I Needed Someone. Their lack of seriousness is most plainly heard in their kitsch, big-band swing version of Dylan's Blowin' In The Wind, which has to be heard to be believed. But they are great fun and very listenable. And let's not forget that He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother is one of the very greatest popular songs ever. That particular song absolutely has to be in your collection.

A terrific package of The Hollies' worldwide hits overall, but there are a few glitches. A few of the US chart positions are missing, as well as two charted singles: "Another Night" (US #71) and "Do The Best You Can" (US #93). In addition, "Man Without A Heart" made the Top 30 in Holland, but is not on this set. And "Wiggle that Wotsit" did chart in New Zealand, but its ommission is not any big loss. Also, Mikael Rickfors' name is misspelled "Michael", but at least they bothered to include photos of the various lineups through the years. Later this year, we dedicated fans will be treated to a, gulp, 6 CD box set of rarities. Something to look forward to, for sure.

Great retrospective of the Hollies. Would have been much, much better in chronological order. Hardly a greatest hits collection either as the Hollies only had 12 top 40 hits; this collection having 47 songs. Their final charting single "Stop In The Name Of Love" made it all the way up to 29 but is NOT included here. Does include all the Imperial Singles and all the popular Epic songs.

AND it includes the LP edit of Long Dark Road! I'm especially impressed with the sound quality, songs like I Can't Let Go sound awesome. Lots of cuts you may have never heard and will enjoy. The best part of this 2 CD set is that it compilles the Hollies evolving style over 30 years of hitmaking.

I have been biding my time for a good many years waiting for just the right Hollies collection. There have been several issued over the years but not a single one of them included all of the groups great hits on both Imperial and Epic. Happily, EMI has finally corrected this oversight in a huge way. Issued in 2003, "The Hollies Greatest Hits" features 47 Hollies classics including all of the groups American hits as well as nearly 30 tunes that hit the charts in their native England. The Hollies were not only popular on both sides of the Atlantic, but they also made quite a splash in Australia as well. In fact, over the years the Hollies have had charted hits in around two dozen nations including Finland, New Zealand, South Africa, Israel and Singapore to name but a few. And oddly enough, there were numerous instances where a song would be a hit in two or three nations and not make the charts at all anywhere else.

This magnificent collection features all of the groups major hits including classics such as "Bus Stop", "Long Cool Woman (In A Black Dress)", "On A Carousel" and "The Air That I Breathe". In addition, it also features hard to find songs like "Just One Look" and "I Can't Let Go". I have been trying to find that one for years. I was also happy to sample a good many Hollies songs I had never heard before. Many of these tunes had been huge hits in England in the 1960's. Among these, I particularly enjoyed a tune written by Peter Yarrow and Noel Paul Stookey of Peter, Paul and Mary called "The Very Last Day". The group also does a nice job on George Harrison's "If I Needed Someone" and on "I Can't Tell The Bottom From The Top". Disc 2 also includes "How Do I Survive", a song the group recorded in 2003 especially for this project. Much to my surprise the group sounds just as good as ever.

"The Hollies Greatest Hits" features a unique 12 page booklet spotlighting the groups chart history in 24 countries around the world. I have never seen anything like it. When I first became aware of this collection I figured there was an awful lot of filler. This is absolutely not the case. Rather, what we have here is a pretty complete anthology of an extremely important British group. I sampled this 2 CD collection courtesy of my local public library. I can assure you that I will be ordering my own copy from Amazon as soon as I press the "Save" key on this review. Very highly recommended.

Here is a band that produced alot of good songs.There is alot of songs on this disk that are well known,and still get alot of radio play today.The name was influenced from Buddy Holly.They certainly did have one hell of alot of hits this band.Bus Stop ,Carrie-Anne ,Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress ,Sorry Suzanne ,I'm Alive ,Dear Eloise ,and a personal favorite He Ain't Heavy...He's My Brother ,Just One Look ,On A Carousel ,and in my opinion the best song of all The Air That I Breathe,i just love that tune.

As a kid, my sisters and brother used to buy all kinds of vinyl 45s, and several of them were by this legendary 60s British invasion group. I like the Hollies better than the Beatles (sometimes), but I like the Moodies even better than them (Surprise!). If you are a fan of great British 60s pop groups, you just have to own this; not only for all the classic hits you know, but also others you may not be familiar with. One of my recent favorite discoveries is "The Woman I Love," and a lot of the older chartclimbers that faired better overseas than here in the States.

If you're a longtime fan, you should love this 2-disc collection and, if you're new to them, you are in for such a wonderful surprise. Great songs, great musicianship, and awesome harmonies combined with a multi-faceted collection of influences, even the few bad songs on here are worth the reasonable price. Enjoy to the extreme and at a loud volume!

This 2-disc set is definitely worth having. It has all of the Hollies hits, plus many tracks you'd only know if you were a Hollies fanatic. These guys could sing! Some of the 3 & 4 part harmonies remind me of the Beach Boys work, and it is also clear that Graham Nash brought that influence to bear when he joined Crosby, Stills and Nash (& sometimes Neil Young). I am thoroughly enjoying this 2-disc set!