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Dennis Post subject: Imagine this US follow-up to "Romany"
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THE HOLLIES - LIVE IN CONCERT 1972. Imagine if US Epic had done the right thing and recorded the band when they toured the US in the fall of 1972 with Mikael Rickfors. A live album could have/should have been released after "Romany" instead of that unnecessary and incomplete "Greatest Hits" album. It was an embarrassment at the time, as it had all previously released studio tracks with Clarke. It didn't make a lick of sense to issue such an LP. The cover art sucked, the playing order was lousy, the liner notes contained errors, and the band's names were messed up under the photos. It was ill-conceived and pointless. It flopped on the charts too, topping out at No. 184 or something. By failing to simply record the band while on tour, Epic really missed an opportunity to give the new lineup an added boost. I remember the 1971 live album by Humble Pie really doing that band a lot of good. They got radio play they previously hadn't gotten. Epic put out a live album by Poco (and got a hit single out of it, too, "C'mon") around the same time, why not one by The Hollies? Such a pity it didn't happen.
PostPosted:Mon Feb 12, 2007 20:39 pm
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Gee Post subject: Imagine....Hollies "Live" in The U.S.A.": 19
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could they have done a Live album in 1973 ?
PostPosted:Sat Feb 17, 2007 12:24 pm

Last edited by Gee on Thu May 27, 2010 12:47 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Dennis Post subject: Re: Imagine....Hollies "Live" in The U.S.A."
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Geoff coles wrote:
Imagine this "Live in Concert" set coming out in say January 1973...
The Hollies COULD have sung and recorded a live album thus:

Side One:
The Baby / If it Wasn't for The Reason... / Hits Medley : Carrie Anne - Bus Stop- I Can't Let Go - On A Carousel -I'm Alive / Won't we feel good that Morning / Touch /Magic Woman Touch / Long Dark Road (vocal: Tony Hicks)
Side Two:
Slow Down / Jesus was a Crossmaker (Vocal: Terry Sylvester) & Romany / Delaware Taggert... / Blue in The Morning /Gasoline Alley Bred / Courage of your Convictions / Long Cool Woman...(Vocal: Terry Sylvester) / He Ain't Heavy...

All Lead Vocals Mike Rickfors (Except where Stated)

Would such a "Live" set have charted...especially in the USA ?


Absolutely. But I'm referring to the actual tour they embarked upon. Elsewhere in the Fan Forum I posted the set list of the show I attended.
Your list is very wishful thinking. Hmmm....who would sing "Gasoline Alley Bred"? Some Hollies songs are really meant for certain voices. That one belongs to Allan Clarke I think. Plus the vocal blend with Terry & Tony is just incredible on that track. "I'm Alive" also belongs to Clarke. Such authority in his vocal performance on that one.
PostPosted:Sat Feb 17, 2007 17:29 pm
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snowflake Post subject:
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Didn't Allan and Terry share lead vocals on "Gasoline Alley Bred"? I understand your point about Allan, but I think either Terry/Mikael or Terry/Tony would have done a smashing job on it as well.

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PostPosted:Sat Feb 17, 2007 17:53 pm
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Gee Post subject: Vocals....
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Mike Rickfors could sing the Clarke songs, but not as well as Clarkey !
PostPosted:Sat Feb 17, 2007 18:23 pm

Last edited by Gee on Thu May 27, 2010 12:45 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Dennis Post subject: Re: Vocals....
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Geoff coles wrote:
Absolutely correct...IF Mike Rickfors could do "He Ain't Heavy..." Very closely associated with Allan Clarke and Terry sing Clarke's song "Long Cool Woman..." (which the "rest of the world"...and indeed Graham Nash... knows as a "Clarke song"....as "Strawberry Fields" was a Lennon song....that Paul sang ONCE !)
I would say Mikael and Terry (who sang on the original hit anyway ) could have done "Gasoline Alley Bred" no problem...."I'm Alive" was sung by both Carl Wayne and Peter Howarth with no problems too !

While such a live set may have charted stateside, I doubt if it would have in the UK where they never did a tour...(and "Romany" got a critical hammering in our Rock Press sadly).....possibly it might have in other countries tho'


Yes. The UK press is known for slamming anything having to do with change, in this case a change in lineup of a well-known group. Conservative thinking is not good when it comes to art. "Romany" got excellent reviews in the US, but then the playing order was better, as well as the mix. Epic did a great job with it sound-wise. Get ahold of a US copy of the LP and you'll hear what I mean. The UK LP sounded muted by comparison. I just wish Epic would get around to releasing their version on CD. That is No. 1 on my CD wish list.
PostPosted:Sun Feb 18, 2007 3:53 am
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Gee Post subject: UK Rock Press...
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The UK rock press have alot to answer for !
PostPosted:Sun Feb 18, 2007 11:02 am

Last edited by Gee on Thu May 27, 2010 12:44 pm; edited 2 times in total
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Dennis Post subject: Re: UK Rock Press...
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Geoff coles wrote:
Don't "Get me Started" on the UK rock press....!!!
In the Seventies they were the most abusive, unpleasant, downright rude...close minded objectionable bunch of... you could imagine (and I am being "polite" !)
Reviewing Jethro Tull's "Songs from the Wood" album circa 1977, "Melody Maker" gave ten reasons why they REFUSED to review it...! (explain that ! )
One of the leading Rock Papers Reviewing "Chicago 16" told the band to "All folow the late Terry Kath's example...." (how disgusting can you get...? ),that album went platinum...and gave them two big hits with "Hard to say I'm Sorry" a big UK / USA hit.
The Hollies, Kinks, Beach Boys, Roger McGuinn, CSN, all got "crucified" in print
Cult Progressive band Gentle Giant were told "They are in danger of disappearing up their own progressive backsides on this album..."
The Moody Blues labelled "Plush Pretentious Hollywood Bulls*it !
Barclay James Harvest...dismissed as nothing more than a "Poor Man's Moody Blues..." (!) ...hence they did a song of that title...`(Guitarist John Lees "having a go back" at the Press !)

Singer / Songwriter Roy Harper had an ongoing "Feud" with one Rock Paper...Roy duly "Blasting away back "...and giving every bit as good as he got ! (well done that man ! )

Even Ex-Beatles were mercilessly chopped....when Lennon became a "House Husband" in the mid seventies...they wrote "Lennon "Retires"...who cares...? " - Then in December 1980 were falling over themselves paying "tributes" (such hypocrites ! )
McCartney's first wife Linda got a particularly nasty time of it...very personal digs...!

These delightful "Rock Writers" have been featured in a BBC series looking back at the seventies...they all promoted punk bands...and were a VERY nasty bunch of objectionable self orientated people pushing their own careers...and out to "convert" kids to their view...thus ANY "established" artists got a very nasty hammering....

Curiously tho'....these "established" artists ALL still sold records...and are still in demand now...as most UK people just ignored this vicious rubbish in the Rock Press....and all of those papers eventually folded...But just look how many of those artists they "blasted" are still recording and performing today.....How many "punk" bands survived....?
(while some who did quickly became "established" as "general bands" not "Punk" acts...)

Can you still get that USA Epic "mix" of "Romany"....?


Funny, '70s (and beyond, unfortunately) punk rock has become as establishment and normalized as swiss cheese, but still not as easy to digest. I could never get into it, having grown up in the 1960s with all the garage bands essentially doing punk 10 years before The Sex Pistols, with far better songs and clothes.

The UK press seems to consist of snot-nosed brats who can't tell good music from their own arses. Some things never change. But today's music scene needs critical bashing. I saw a bit of Justin Timberlake last night on the telly and instantly turned it off. This junk is considered music?

Sure you can still get a vinyl copy of "Romany" on US Epic. Check out Ebay. Best of all, you might even find a sealed copy. Smile
PostPosted:Sun Feb 18, 2007 20:09 pm
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James Towill Post subject:
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I quite understand your comments, Dennis. It does seem that the UK music critics can't tell their *rse from their elbow at times. Likewise, DJ's jump on to the latest thing and profess it to be the best thing ever. Regarding Justin Timberlake, I heard DJ say about one of his songs 'isn't that the best ever, you couldn't wish for more in a song'. I nearly crashed the car trying to turn the station over I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

There is quite a lot of good stuff out there, but it's trying to separate the wheat from the chaff and the reality from they hype that takes time and perseverance.

Getting back to Romany, forgive me if you have done this before, Dennis, but what was the US running order? I must admit I quite like the UK running order, but then again that's all I have been used to.

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PostPosted:Sun Feb 18, 2007 21:54 pm
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James Towill Post subject:
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I quite understand your comments, Dennis. It does seem that the UK music critics can't tell their *rse from their elbow at times. Likewise, DJ's jump on to the latest thing and profess it to be the best thing ever. Regarding Justin Timberlake, I heard DJ say about one of his songs 'isn't that the best ever, you couldn't wish for more in a song'. I nearly crashed the car trying to turn the station over I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

There is quite a lot of good stuff out there, but it's trying to separate the wheat from the chaff and the reality from they hype that takes time and perseverance.

Getting back to Romany, forgive me if you have done this before, Dennis, but what was the US running order? I must admit I quite like the UK running order, but then again that's all I have been used to.

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PostPosted:Sun Feb 18, 2007 21:55 pm
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Dennis Post subject:
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James Towill wrote:
I quite understand your comments, Dennis. It does seem that the UK music critics can't tell their *rse from their elbow at times. Likewise, DJ's jump on to the latest thing and profess it to be the best thing ever. Regarding Justin Timberlake, I heard DJ say about one of his songs 'isn't that the best ever, you couldn't wish for more in a song'. I nearly crashed the car trying to turn the station over I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

There is quite a lot of good stuff out there, but it's trying to separate the wheat from the chaff and the reality from they hype that takes time and perseverance.

Getting back to Romany, forgive me if you have done this before, Dennis, but what was the US running order? I must admit I quite like the UK running order, but then again that's all I have been used to.


The US Epic "Romany" began with a remixed (with extra bass and louder acoustic guitars) "Magic Woman Touch". The UK mix is lousy. It just doesn't have the same punch. The playing order is the essentially the same except for "Magic..." and "Won't We Feel Good" (as it was correctly titled in the US) swapping places, but omitting "Lizzie and the Rainman". While a fine track, the album plays through quite well without it. I personally don't miss it. I think the album is better beginning with "Magic Woman Touch". To me it just feels right to have the first single lead off the album. I just like how it goes from the pensive & moody "Words Don't Come Easy" (stunning as Rickfors' solo spot in concert, with him playing congas) to the thunderous sound of "Won't We Feel Good". The song makes a greater impact that way. (And, yes, that's Tony singing the middle part.). After that, it's the incredibly dramatic "Down River", with Rickfors really letting loose with a powerful vocal performance. Side Two is the same as the UK LP, but again with better sound quality. I don't know what it was about UK Polydor's pressings, but they just didn't quite sound right. Same goes for the '74 Hollies LP; the US Epic version also had a better, more logical playing order and sounded brighter than its UK counterpart.

Re: the line from "Jesus was a Crossmaker"; Judee Sill sure had a way with words.
PostPosted:Mon Feb 19, 2007 4:01 am
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carlane3 Post subject: Re: Imagine this US follow-up to "Romany"
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Maybe U.S. Epic did record the tour and left the tapes in the vault after allan returned. Look how many years it took for the beatles hollywood bowl tapes to emerge on Capitol ( a bit abridged and combined 64 & 65 shows) One can only hope they will emerge if they do indeed exist at all.

Dennis wrote:
THE HOLLIES - LIVE IN CONCERT 1972. Imagine if US Epic had done the right thing and recorded the band when they toured the US in the fall of 1972 with Mikael Rickfors. A live album could have/should have been released after "Romany" instead of that unnecessary and incomplete "Greatest Hits" album. It was an embarrassment at the time, as it had all previously released studio tracks with Clarke. It didn't make a lick of sense to issue such an LP. The cover art sucked, the playing order was lousy, the liner notes contained errors, and the band's names were messed up under the photos. It was ill-conceived and pointless. It flopped on the charts too, topping out at No. 184 or something. By failing to simply record the band while on tour, Epic really missed an opportunity to give the new lineup an added boost. I remember the 1971 live album by Humble Pie really doing that band a lot of good. They got radio play they previously hadn't gotten. Epic put out a live album by Poco (and got a hit single out of it, too, "C'mon") around the same time, why not one by The Hollies? Such a pity it didn't happen.
PostPosted:Thu Sep 06, 2007 17:14 pm
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Dennis Post subject:
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If they did, it's about time they release it. After all, it's only been close to 35 years since that tour! Confused What a brilliant thing that would be for the company to do. They put out a previously unreleased concert by The Byrds from 1969. Why not an archive concert release from The Hollies?
PostPosted:Thu Sep 06, 2007 19:44 pm
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