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Dennis Post subject: Staying Power....or not?
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OK, we've lived with this project for 18 months or so. What do people think of it now? After listening to older Hollies recordings as a point of comparison, I have to say that this album falls short in just about every way, except one, and that one is "Suspended Animation". Yes, I've prattled on about this track's merits before, but really, for me, it is the only track that I can go back to and still get pleasure from. At least there's one song on it that I can honestly say I like, and will even go so far as to say I love. I'm basing my opinion purely for musical content; I would love this track no matter who had performed it, so my opinion is totally unbiased. As for the rest, I just can't listen without wanting to put something else on by The Hollies from the '60s or '70s, or one of a handful of '80s tracks that I think are top notch. Nothing else on it even comes close to the best music the band has produced in the past. I have no desire to revisit the remainder of the album, and again, this is purely a statement on the music, not the artist. "Staying Power" doesn't have any, save that one engaging, delightful track. Rating: 3 out of 10 (those 3 points are only for "Suspended Animation", nothing else.) Is it that, like other British Invasion bands such as The Who and The Rolling Stones, they just don't translate beyond their peak periods of the '60s and 70s? Do Stones or Who fans really like anything those groups have put out in recent times?
PostPosted:Wed Oct 17, 2007 15:52 pm
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Knut Post subject:
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Dennis, I agree you have a point, but you go too far. Suspended animation is certainly my favourite track too, but I also enjoy the new songs played in concert, like Emotions, Hope, So damned beautiful, Weakness and Prove me wrong. I rate the live versions of the song much higher than the studio CD versions.

I believe they had some kind of a production problem on Staying power, with too much synthesizer based backing, and too little guitar. I am also missing Alan Coates' high harmony. Steve Lauri did a wonderful job during the acoustic medley last time I saw them in Nottingham, but in 3- or 4-part harmony Ray Stiles in fact fits in better than Steve on the old songs. The band may have realized this, since they play some great versions of old Hollies songs with Ray up front with Pete and Tony. I think this is they way to go, and let Steve have more solos.

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PostPosted:Wed Oct 17, 2007 18:01 pm
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Anthony Post subject:
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My favourite song from Staying Power is Let Love Pass, a brilliant song, in days gone past I'm sure it would or should I say could have made the charts.
To be honest I have not really listened to staying power for some time, the last cd I played was the Hollies '83 concert a few weeks back.

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PostPosted:Fri Feb 15, 2008 9:54 am
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Bonus Post subject:
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Anthony wrote:
My favourite song from Staying Power is Let Love Pass, a brilliant song, in days gone past I'm sure it would or should I say could have made the charts.
To be honest I have not really listened to staying power for some time, the last cd I played was the Hollies '83 concert a few weeks back.


Agree, Let love pass is a wonderful song and best performed on the concerts! Brilliant!
PostPosted:Fri Feb 15, 2008 13:13 pm
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Dennis Post subject:
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Knut wrote:
Dennis, I agree you have a point, but you go too far. Suspended animation is certainly my favourite track too, but I also enjoy the new songs played in concert, like Emotions, Hope, So damned beautiful, Weakness and Prove me wrong. I rate the live versions of the song much higher than the studio CD versions.

I believe they had some kind of a production problem on Staying power, with too much synthesizer based backing, and too little guitar. I am also missing Alan Coates' high harmony. Steve Lauri did a wonderful job during the acoustic medley last time I saw them in Nottingham, but in 3- or 4-part harmony Ray Stiles in fact fits in better than Steve on the old songs. The band may have realized this, since they play some great versions of old Hollies songs with Ray up front with Pete and Tony. I think this is they way to go, and let Steve have more solos.


As I stated, the only song that appeals to me at all is "Suspended Animation", mainly due to its catchy chorus and quirky nature. It's a highly unusual track to have The Hollies name attached to it, but the bottom line is it's good and stands up to repeated listenings. The other tracks on the album are overproduced, bombastic, and glossy to the point of being unlistenable. It doesn't matter if they are decent songs, the production simply kills it for me. It's even worse than the production on "What Goes Around..", and that one was pretty bad as well, but at least a few tracks on the album are worthwhile. The Hollies' best music is a great pleasure to listen to, but the remainder of the tracks apart from "Suspended..." are, to me, a chore to get through, not what music by The Hollies should be. Hey, I have a longtime Hollies pal who absolutely detests the whole album, so that proves how it has really rubbed certain Hollies purists the wrong way.
PostPosted:Fri Feb 15, 2008 16:05 pm
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Carrie Anne Post subject:
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I totally agree with Dennis regarding Suspended Animation being the best song on Staying Power.It doesnt really fit in with the rest of the tracks which are very safe,middle of the road,soft rock Brian Adams esque sounding.I also agree withKnut whole heartedly about the songs that they perform off Staying Power sounding so much better live.There is so much more energy and sheer drive and enthusiasm when you see them in concert.I throughly enjoyed the gig at Preston last year Peters vocals were excellent,Steve.Ray,Ian and of course Bobby and Tony all perfomed brilliantly.The production On Staying Power was very poor you could not hear the guitars which were very muffled and the overall sound was muddy and lacked atmosphere.Its just a case of get it right next time.
PostPosted:Fri Feb 15, 2008 22:18 pm
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Dennis Post subject:
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Carrie Anne wrote:
I totally agree with Dennis regarding Suspended Animation being the best song on Staying Power.It doesnt really fit in with the rest of the tracks which are very safe,middle of the road,soft rock Brian Adams esque sounding.I also agree withKnut whole heartedly about the songs that they perform off Staying Power sounding so much better live.There is so much more energy and sheer drive and enthusiasm when you see them in concert.I throughly enjoyed the gig at Preston last year Peters vocals were excellent,Steve.Ray,Ian and of course Bobby and Tony all perfomed brilliantly.The production On Staying Power was very poor you could not hear the guitars which were very muffled and the overall sound was muddy and lacked atmosphere.Its just a case of get it right next time.


I'm glad to find someone who is in agreement with me. Yes, "Suspended Animation" indeed doesn't really fit in with the rest of the album because it's so much more appealing than the other tracks. It is very different, making me wish they had gone more into that sort of Electronica sound for the whole album, instead of the '80s-style power ballad mode. "Suspended..." is understated and simple, as many of the best Hollies tracks are. Even though the rest of the album fails to hit the mark, "Suspended Animation" is a little gem that will stand the test of time.
PostPosted:Sun Feb 17, 2008 5:13 am
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benny-b-goode Post subject:
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O.K., "Staying Power" is not their strongest moment but "Suspended Animation" is not the only great track. "Prove Me Wrong", "Shine On Me", "So Damn Beautiful" and "Let Love Pass" are great Hollies songs. The point why I put this CD not too often into my player is that the other tracks like "Break Me" are so weak. The whole album is full of contrasts of great and bad, nothing is inbetween. And the album is full of songs which are too similar and that is unusual for a band like The Hollies. We are accustomed to albums with a large variety of diverse styles. That is missing on "Staying Power". Making songs which are too similar is more like a Rolling Stones album but not a Hollies album. I hope that there will be a follow-up to "Staying Power" and that this album will not be a last chapter of a long history, of a story full of successful singles and great albums that did not get the attention they deserved. I think that they still have the "staying power" of making a better album with great tracks and good ones but not all too bad ones.
Can't wait for a new Hollies album. Very Happy
PostPosted:Sun Feb 17, 2008 14:43 pm
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Dennis Post subject:
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benny-b-goode wrote:
O.K., "Staying Power" is not their strongest moment but "Suspended Animation" is not the only great track. "Prove Me Wrong", "Shine On Me", "So Damn Beautiful" and "Let Love Pass" are great Hollies songs. The point why I put this CD not too often into my player is that the other tracks like "Break Me" are so weak. The whole album is full of contrasts of great and bad, nothing is inbetween. And the album is full of songs which are too similar and that is unusual for a band like The Hollies. We are accustomed to albums with a large variety of diverse styles. That is missing on "Staying Power". Making songs which are too similar is more like a Rolling Stones album but not a Hollies album. I hope that there will be a follow-up to "Staying Power" and that this album will not be a last chapter of a long history, of a story full of successful singles and great albums that did not get the attention they deserved. I think that they still have the "staying power" of making a better album with great tracks and good ones but not all too bad ones.
Can't wait for a new Hollies album. Very Happy


Just my point. The tracks aside from "Suspended..." all seem to run in together as one mash up; as you say, too similar-sounding, due to the heavy-handed production. The songs are generic, bland, and unmemorable.
PostPosted:Sun Feb 17, 2008 19:31 pm
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Bee Post subject:
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I think also that the songs sound much better live, but I don't think the album was that bad!! I like Suspended Animation, also Weakness, Hope and Prove Me Wrong. I'm only 22 years old and may not have much knowledge, but I think this album is good, not brilliant, but good enough to play and sing along to in the car! Very Happy
PostPosted:Mon Feb 18, 2008 23:11 pm
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shootthebusstop Post subject:
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I got my copy two days ago and I'm very pleasantly suprised at how good it is Very Happy . From reading some people's comments on this forum I nearly didn't buy it Evil or Very Mad . But after hearing Let Love Pass on the Hollies Finest Compilation and being encouraged by a very dear Hollies fan ( who really knows their stuff)I bought it. I love it Very Happy Very Happy . My favorite tracks are So Damn Beautiful, Break Me, Suspended Animation, Touch me, Emotions and Let Love Pass. The tracks don't ALL sound the same ( that's rubbish). OK we can't compare it to the highs of the 60's and 70's but that doesn't mean that this album hasn't got it's own merits. The vocals, harmonies are strong and you can still hear some lovely Hicksy moments. What do some of you SO CALLED fans want...............blood!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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PostPosted:Fri Apr 11, 2008 12:36 pm
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Bee Post subject:
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After hearing this album again more recently, it has grown on me more. Break Me is actually really catchy and I had it in my head for ages afterwards Smile
PostPosted:Fri Apr 11, 2008 13:42 pm
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Carrie Anne Post subject:
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You also want to purchase The Hollies Special Live Edition DVD which has live footage from The Sports Palais,Antwep,live performances from The Cafe de Paris in London and video's from Staying Power.I love the album Staying Power after initially being a bit reluctant and the live performances and video's from this DVD show what a superb album it is.If you haven't listened to it,give it a chance you will be pleasantly surprised.
PostPosted:Fri Apr 11, 2008 14:06 pm
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loenen16 Post subject: staying power
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everybody has his own favorits on this record so damn beautifull ,suspendid animation Lett love pass .....etc
for me i would want to if The Hollies make a new record this year they also made a live one as good as the concert was in Emmen on the januari 26 ,i think the fans would very much appreciated such one and yes give me on this one also the live tracks wich they do at the concerts .
bernard
PostPosted:Fri Apr 11, 2008 15:28 pm
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Carrie Anne Post subject:
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My favourites now on Staying Power are Yesterday's Gone,Break Me,Prove Me Wrong and Let Love Pass-brilliant songs by Mark Read and Rob Davies.I hear they have written material for the new album so here's hoping they are as great as the latter.
PostPosted:Mon Apr 21, 2008 20:36 pm
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