The Hollies :: View topic - "Changin' Times: The Hollies January 1969-July 1973 (5-

In July 2015, Warner Music's "Parlophone Label Group" will release a Hollies 5-CD boxed set "Changin' Times:January 1969 to July 1973" including the albums "Hollies Sing Dylan", "Hollies Sing Hollies", "Confession of The Mind", "Distant Light", "Romany" & "Out on The Road", plus all non-L.P. singles from that period, and songs from that period that were exclusive to "Hollies Rarities" and bonus tracks from previous expanded editions, but, alas, NO PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED TRACKS.

As with the earlier boxed set, the music will be presented in the chronological order of the recording sessions, not the original running order of the albums.

This would seem to permanently close the door on any chance of hearing the remaining unreleased tracks from these years. All this to avoid adding one more disc to this boxed set.

Rythym Guitar Joined: 16 Jan 2007 Posts: 486

Never say Never - the big problem re any unreleased material is:

1) The recordings in question (that WE so want to hear) may not be in a releasable state - i.e. 'Marrakesh Express' which apparently is just a rough unrecognisable instrumental backing track (which does NOT mean that in all cases they can't ever be made releasable of course- but that requires studio time...and studio costs !)

2) The Recordings may be considered to be 'unfinished' or 'not that strong' by the artist themselves (a listed track title in the sessions COULD in fact turn out to be be just a 'run through' take, a rough 'working version' maybe with a 'guide vocal' - if that - or have some other musical or technical problem etc) or even they just felt the song WASN'T 'coming together' properly - we do know The Hollies were masters of knocking a song into shape very quickly...they instinctively knew when it wasn't working too...

3) A BIG issue - The fact the track(s) were left 'in the can' in the first place is possibly because the Hollies and/or their producer / record company etc, were not agreeable about their suitability for release (and here we must respect the artists' own views )

4) other factors re business issues etc can come into play too...like featured members later departing perhaps having a veto/word on use of their songs etc

this doesn't mean we won't ever get anymore 'Rarities' but clearly these Warners sets are focusing on the back catalogue as is currently releasable

a few years back when 'The Clarke, Hicks, Nash Years' box set came out I recall some Hollies fans were most irate that no 'Sylvester' or 'Rickfors' material was being put out...

well this new set due for release in July concentrates purely on 'Sylvester' & 'Rickfors' eras in the 'post-Nash' era - which surely IS a positive sign for future latter era Hollies material both their back catalogue and any unissued archive releases - yes ?

IF Warners are prepared to compile a CD set consisting of 'post Nash' era Hollies material 1969-73 it indicates they certainly have faith in The Hollies later years

-Bear in mind that strong sales of this forthcoming set would logically then ENCOURAGE Warners to explore The Hollies back catalogue still further....
(maybe hopefully then leading to a 'Rarities 2' set at some point in the future ?)

whatever, Warners releasing this set must surely be an encouraging and very positive sign re further such compilations for Hollies fans ?

- and at long last it gives a proper 'official' release to the Non UK / USA released 'Out On The Road' tracks from 1973 (as opposed to inferior bootleg CD versions or the vastly expensive now quite old vinyl LP version)

Rythym Guitar Joined: 16 Jan 2007 Posts: 486

That is what I was referring to at the end of item (1) of my reply - 'studio times and studio costs' (which are excessive these days)

there is the odd 'Live' version of Bob Dylan songs that might be considered - a brief live version of 'Blowin in The Wind' with Terry Sylvester, on the Japanese 'Dylan' CD but no further studio cuts..

Re 'Rare tracks' I know from experience it is not easy to convince an artist or a record company exec that there is a 'Market' for anything 'rare' or unissued
- their argument always being the time honoured line;
'IF it was any good we would have put it out AT the time...' - which is hard to knock back...but we try...

...and the record companies MUST first believe there is a market for the product , otherwise it just ain't gonna happen...is it ?

I have been 'respectfully asking after' (for decades now) to try to get 'Out on The Road' properly remastered and 'officially' issued on CD (hopefully with relevant 'bonus' tracks from that era) - however this forthcoming CD set including those 1973 tracks , to date, looks as likely as it is going to get...for now

once the 'Out On The Road' 1973 songs HAVE been 'officially' released, the chances of 'Out on The Road' then appearing AS it was on CD will increase - if Warners spot potential further sales to be made in; "The Legendary Lost Hollies album of the Seventies" line that could be applied to any future CD release of the album in it's original tracks format with original cover depicted etc...

yes the songs will have already come out on this forthcoming 5CD set but not as the original album itself, which Hollies fans and completists, plus those interested in 'Lost' albums in general will be drawn towards...

as I said IF this forthcoming 5CD set sells well enough then logically we MAY at some point next get another such set covering the Clarke return in late summer 1973 ('Curly Billy', 'Mexico Gold' etc) onwards through the seventies...set (??)

with decent sales these CD sets hopefully would bring us right up to date...THEN maybe they might consider any 'Rarities 2' such set (?) IF they believe there is a market in place - thus the chance of anything 'rare' or unissued ever seeing light of day really does depend on the sales performance of this new set...and if so the sales of any follow up seventies set.

Warners are still exploring the sales potential of the 'back catalogue' artists they have aquired thus these Warners CD sets sales are VITAL re any possibility of anything of a 'Rarities' nature in the future

IF these sets don't do that well we can likely forget anything further along the rare tracks route, so the sales figures of these CD sets are of paramount importance if we want to see anything emerge from The Hollies archive in the future

As I said unissued tracks are often 'unfinished' (often instrumentally as opposed to vocally in The Hollies case - remember 'Schoolgirl', 'Samuel' etc ? - which is a big plus... ) or maybe in need of a proper mix (i.e. 'Sign of The Times' - which per the studio chatter comment at the end was clearly a 'working version' etc)

- while some tracks are apparently finished such as; 'Angel of The Morning' sung by 'Clarke-Hicks-Clarke' (!) or 'Dang me', 'The Race is On', 'Kentucky Woman' etc...but again old recordings like there require studio work (& that costs) to bring them up to par...and it will only happen IF they (Warners, The Hollies Limited,) perceive a market exists for such...(that is beyond the Hollies fanbase and in the wider public domain)

we also may have to just accept that some songs we'd LOVE to see released are just NOT in any fit state for issue - I've been told 'Survival of The Fittest' (Nash version) and 'On The Summer Side of Life' are sadly 'unuseable' while early cuts like 'Cry Me A River' simply wern't in the can marked as such (!)

Of course that might later be proved wrong (I hope) but we may just have to accept we won't hear them...

I've made the case for some time for 'Wings' 'Sylvester version' (March 1970) to be released but no luck so far...

I can tell you that technical problems can beset these old recordings too - when 'The Hollies Greatest Hits' 2CD (white clouds cover) was being worked on there was a problem with 'Magic Woman Touch' (single version) in that massive 'dropout' occurred right at the start on the intro - not noticeable on vinyl but on CD it really hit you (!), thus they had to 'play about' in the studio to try to mix that out...costing studio time & money

Time...and decent sales of any new product like this forthcoming CD set...will tell

But, I wouldn't be surprised that Warner's Japanese affiliate will eventually release another batch of SHM-CD releases, with the relevant singles & compilation tracks added. To issue all the remaining 1970's albums, all that Japanese Warner would have to do is get Warner Music/Uk to supply properly mastered versions of "Corrine" & "Crossfire". Everything else for expanded editions could be taken from existing masterings....and probably will be.

Rythym Guitar Joined: 16 Jan 2007 Posts: 486

I would think Warners may also continue their 'Five Originals' set with the next batch of Hollies studio albums, tho' rare tracks are probably unlikely there.

'Corrine' does require some work I feel (if possible) - even the original Polydor 'B' side seems to have a notable background 'hiss' on it...

while 'Crossfire' (which surely ought to have gone on 'A Crazy Steal' in 1978 ahead of a two year old UK 'flop' single 'Boulder' from February 1976 ? - can you imagine say 'Yes I Will' going on 'Evolution' or 'Butterfly' ?) was a 'B' side that somehow has managed to slip through the net re any later compilations and is a latter day rarity in need of proper remastering for inclusion on a CD set

the entire Hollies back catalogue could do with a sonic upgrade, several albums have that weker (cheaper) vocals on one channel stereo (hence EMI & now Warners often opt for the mono versions of some sixties songs)

- 'Evolution' never sounded that clear in mono or stereo (as Bobby Elliott agreed years ago in an Aussie Hollies fanzine interview)

but it all costs, so it's unlikely we'll see any great upgrades as say The Beatles catalogue recently enjoyed (this of course also applies to most other EMI acts of that era too)

Meanwhile the UK seventies Hollies albums re-issue remastered with 'bonus' tracks series currently remains stalled at 'Another Night' ...a shame as the next two studio albums issued in 1976 were particularly strong efforts.

Rythym Guitar Joined: 16 Jan 2007 Posts: 486

The Hollies later performed 'Live' in the USA both with Graham Nash (hence the later released 'Live at Kings Head Park', Ohi, album; 'Archive Alive' later re-issued with two extra tracks as; 'Reunion') and still later again with Carl Wayne (at a Cape Cod music fest playing alongside The Lovin' Spoonful both veteran bands getting very positive local American press reviews)

The Hollies USA standing also received a big boost with 'Long Cool Woman' featured in TV shows, also with 'Jesus Was A Crossmaker' being featured in the film 'Elizabethtown' (because the film's director loved it) and when the New York Fire Dept adopted The Hollies version of 'He Ain't Heavy...He's My Brother' as their anthem post 9/11- while 'Stop in The Name of Love' was a American Top Thirty hit in 1983.

Steve Van Zandt & Pat Monahan (of Train) & co saluting them at the 2010 American Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction show (where Barry & Robin Gibb of The Bee Gees were among those giving The Hollies a standing ovation) - which saw Terry Sylvester become the fifth Liverpudlian - after John, Paul, George, & Ringo - to be inducted as a "Hollie'

The Hollies version of 'Peggy Sue Got Married' with Buddy Holly's vocals & featuring Graham Nash led off the 'Not Fade Away' tribute album to Buddy...and 'Hollies Tribute' sets have since followed by other artists

and yes 'Write On' & 'Russian Roulette' were particularly strong - Allan Clarke mentions to the audience that 'Write On' was 'quite a big success...' (worldwide) on the 'Hollies Live Hits' (UK No. 4) album - just because some American execs at Epic Records may not think so doesn't alter the general view in Hollies fandom worldwide that both 'Write on' and 'Russian Roulette' were fine efforts - if sadly non promoted by Polydor (Then Top UK Disc jockey Noel Edmonds featured 'Write On' as his 'Album of the Week' on his BBC Radio One radio show in 1976 praising it highly - just as Kenny Everett had done 'Evolution' back in 1967)

I do feel that American fans got rather 'ripped off' at times in the sixties by record companies breaking up British albums by UK artists

Often the USA albums by Hollies, Beatles, and other British artists were dreadful 'mish-mashes' of random tracks, 'B' sides, hits just thrown together in a haphazard manner all for the sake of a quick buck with little or no thought re the artistic side of things at all...

- The Beatles and The Hollies certainly were never keen on what the American record companies did to their UK LPs, splitting up albums they had carefully put together, inserting hit singles - which they often named these re-vamped sets after - plus filling them up with older tracks and/or 'flipsides' (some several years old often sounding quite out of place !)

often USA album versions were short of a track (or more) and could have the oddest mixes

Allan Clarke's 'Soldier's Dilemma' was dropped from the American revamp of 'Hollies Sing Hollies' album ...chiefly as an anti war song was deemed unsuitable for the American market at that time...(so the Americans were not getting the albums as The Hollies intended them to be)

Dave Clark said he took ALL his DC5 catalogue off the market at one point (for a time)after being infuriated at what a USA record company had done in 'remixing' a DC5 album without his knowledge so that it sounded awful ... their 'fake' stereo was terrible !

Mike Nesmith of The Monkees was furious when fans presented the group with copies to autograph of 'More of The Monkees' - a 'thrown together' assortment of tracks leftover from the first album's sessions, plus a few hits, and out takes....
this being the first time The Monkees themselves even KNEW they had a 'second' album out....!

For the remastered with bonus tracks re-issue I had to make a point of pointing out to & getting EMI to take note that 'Hollies' (1974) had be restored to the ORIGINAL track running order - as The Hollies intended it to be and as they put it out on Polydor in 1974 - as opposed to the 'jumbled up' American version that had first come out on CD....

The Hollies ARE a British band after all...and as far as I'm concerned that is the most important thing - Some American record execs (not all of course) may think the USA is 'everything' but the rest of the world certainly don't !

Tony & Bobby certainly were not about to let their British fans down for that American Hall of Fame thing were they ?

'Russian Roulette' was one of Bobby Elliott's own fav Hollies albums & both albums were all original (bar one track) creative efforts with many fine tracks - maybe a few potential hits were overlooked ('There's Always Goodbye', '48 Hour Parole' etc) while 'Write On' charted in two countries,'Star' also (no. 7 in New Zealand) 'Draggin My Heels' made the Canadian contemporary chart, 'Daddy Don't Mind' charted in three countries (Germany, Holland, Belgium) , 'Wiggle That Wotsit' charted in four (Holland, Sewden, Belgium and made no.11 in New Zealand)

- thus four singles taken from those two albums reached a number of European and Aus/New Zealand international charts during a period of minimal record company promotion (certainly by Polydor) - also 'Boulder To Birmingham' made no.10 in New Zealand during 1976, while a re-issue of 'Sorry Suzanne' (1969) even made no.34 in Germany early in 1977 despite no promotion at all besides their live concert shows...

so The Hollies still retained their international commercial ability in that 1976-77 period despite little or no record company promotion - and having minimal UK radio airplay besides their earlier hits

Some vocal elements of fandom may have underrated those two mid seventies sets in later years, but certainly quite alot of Hollies fans I have spoken with over the years have told me they rated the two 1976 studio albums highly - I know Terry Sylvester certainly rated those sets highly too.

Joined: 23 Oct 2013 Posts: 22 Location: Ireland

Wonderful!!

Yes, it's got no unreleased stuff, but following on from the excellent Clarke Nash Hicks set, this will hopefully remind people of how good the Hollies continued to be into the 70s.

The big bonus will be of course 'Out on the Road' - IF the sound is very good, then we are all in for a treat.

The 1969-1973 Hollies is one of my favourites, I love all of the albums and genuinely think that, artistically, they are up there with the earlier albums. Sing Hollies, Confessions, Distant Light, Romany - first class albums.

Acoustic Guitar Joined: 10 Oct 2005 Posts: 172

Waiting for next Collection 1974-2009.

Rythym Guitar Joined: 16 Jan 2007 Posts: 486

Depending on how well 'Changin Times' sells (so it's up to Hollies fans to go and buy it !) there might be a follow up set, we can only wait...and hope

Period: 1973 to 1980:

If so, I would imagine it would likely be another FIVE CD set going from 1973 ('Curly Billy', 'Mexico Gold') up to 1980 ('Soldier's Song' & the 'Buddy Holly' album tracks - presumably minus the absurd 'reprise' track) to conclude The "Clarke-Hicks-Sylvester" Polydor era of the band

I'm told EMI / Warners are unlikely to do anything larger than a possible five CD set.

Period: 1981 to 1995:

There would then also be scope for a possible final Two CD set of the officially released tracks in the latter ('post Sylvester') Allan Clarke years from 1981 ('Take My Love And Run', 'Carrie') through to 1993 ('The Woman I Love') with Warners in a position to include all the 'Nash reunion' tracks issued on WEA Records in 1983

Any such 2CD set could be of particular interest to Hollies collectors as it could include some of the rarer non UK tracks such as; 'Let Her Go Down' (with Graham Nash), 'Nothing Else But Love', 'Your Eyes', 'Hillsborough', 'Baby Come Back', 'For What it's Worth (I'm Sorry)', and the rare 1990 UK concert only 12 inch single/cassette tracks; 'Purple Rain' (studio version), 'Two Shadows' & 'Naomi' together with UK 'B' sides; 'You Gave Me Strength' (not released on official CD to date) , 'You're All Woman', 'Laughter Turns To Tears', 'No Rules' etc in addition to all of their latter EMI (UK) and overseas (Coconut records & WEA records) singles 'A' sides sung by Allan Clarke

- 'Peggy Sue Got Married' featuring Buddy Holly and Graham Nash from 1995 could be included on this set as a final 'Bonus' track too.

In addition to the remaining officially released studio recordings from 1981-1993 (& 'Peggy Sue...') any such final set could include some rare Live recordings that have been officially released as well such as; 'Write On' & 'Blowin' in The Wind' (from 1982 released on Polydor '20 years' CD) & 'Another Night' (from 1991 featuring Alan Coates & electric piano in place of synth' which EMI Germany released on their CD single re-issue of 'The Air That I Breathe') plus 'Purple Rain' live at Harrogate Int Centre in 1991.

Both Bernie's officially unreleased second Hollies instrumental recorded over 9-13 March 1970; '(No More) Snow on Heather Moor' (mis-titled 'Heater Motor' !) Rolling Eyes

and 'A Whiter Shade of Pale' (Live ) have recently been included on a French 'Magic Records' release (unofficially) tho' both are in quite dreadful sound when (apparently) far better quality sound versions DO exist on bootlegs !