|
|
59 of 66 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Classic 60s and 70s Music, March 21, 2003
I admit, this is bubblegum music for the most part, but who cares? I enjoy variety in my music, and occasionally The Hollies are an excellent change. Furthermore, while many of The Hollies songs were throwaway tunes with relatively simple lyrics, occasionally The Hollies threw themselves into their music and transcended themselves.Perhaps the song that was furthest from The Hollies traditional music on this CD is "Long Cool Woman (In a Black Dress)". This song is styled exactly like Credence Clearwater Revival. The song begins with a heavy beat and moves into a fast-paced beat with reverb and solid guitar work that all sounds like the bayou music of CCR; one of The Hollies best works. Two songs with similar styling that ache for a big hall with heavy echo are "The Air That I Breathe" and "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" are both slow, mellow songs. "The Air That I Breathe" begins with a wailing lead guitar leading immediately into a heavy vocal. But it's the harmony in the refrain that everyone who lived from the 70s will remember with its soaring vocals. Play it loud in a big room. While some called it a pop travesty or sickly-sweet, I admit to liking this song a lot. I've also seen where one reviewer stated that this song was a prelude to Abba's music, and perhaps in some ways there is some similarity in styling. Of course, I also like Abba too. The other, somewhat similar, song is "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother". Somewhat maudlin, with a wailing harmonica interjected from time to time, and soaring vocals on the refrain, in some ways this song is like a reprise of "The Air That I Breathe". Perhaps I just have a thing for sickly-sweet songs from the 60s and 70s. In any case, I love to play this song really loud. The Hollies were around for a long time, releasing albums from 1963 to 1983. However, most of their hits came in the 60s and early 70s. Most of their top 40 hits are on this CD; however, a word of caution. While this CD contains the core Hollies songs, there are collections with many more songs. If you are interested in The Hollies top 40 music, then this CD is likely perfect for you. If you think you might like more than just the top 40 music, you may want to go find one of the collections that is more of a "best of" than just their single hits. One other word of caution; this CD has a paucity of liner notes. I think most people look for some history of a group or the songs, and liner notes have started to become mini-biographies and histories. Forget about that for this CD, there are some but not nearly enough. There may be another CD out there that has better liner notes, but I am unable to direct you to it. Yes, The Hollies had bubblegum music. Yes, some of it may be considered sickly-sweet. But I still enjoy listening to it. Perhaps it reminds me of my 60s youth. Occasionally The Hollies were able to rise above their own throwaway music to create classics that are played and enjoyed again and again. 4 stars for the good songs on this CD, not reaching 5 because of the lack of good liner notes.
|
Interact With Your Music: Discover, listen to, and buy new music, all from the pages of SPIN's digital edition, free to Amazon customers.
by The Hollies 
