biffbampow🍰 16th May 2015
| | After over 20 years since their last album - the awful reunion album with Graham Nash - The Hollies finally got round to making a new album. Oh dear...
Original lead vocalist Allan Clarke had "retired" in 1999. His singing had seriously declined over the previous ten years and he was finding it impossible to sing like he used to hence the live show became rather peculiar as they dug out strange tracks from their past like "After The Fox" and 1969 B'side "Not That Way At All" to try and lessen the load on Allan, but things came to a head twofold in 1999 when Allan's wife fell seriously ill so he took time out to care for her during which it also appears Allan may have also been pushed out of the band he formed as criticisms about a tour in Germany had resulted in promoters telling the band that if Allan stayed, they would never be booked again... Allan left and was replaced by Carl Wayne formerly of The Move. Carl quickly proved popular with fans and many demands for a new album were ignored and that line up cut just one song for a greatest hits compilation and sadly, it was a stinker.
Carl sadly fell terminally ill and with rather insensitive timing, no sooner had Carl died, the band announced new lead singer Peter Howarth who also worked as a backing singer for Cliff Richard... and continued to do so, hence The Hollies could only work when Peter was not working with Cliff. With Howarth the band finally got down to recording their first studio album in over 20 years and unfortunately this was it. It completely split Hollies fans down the middle as some loved it and others like me, loathed it. One of the problems was, The Hollies were a fine rock band but during the 1980's became over-reliant on keyboards... unfortunately they stuck to that sound so this had a very 80's feel about it and worse, Bobby Elliott's drum parts were more or less all sampled... he barely played any drums at all which is insane given what a fine drummer he is... so the album felt... sterile. Bobby also did much promotion hailing this as the bands best ever album which given their catalogue and pedigree is most definitely not the case. I remember getting this and being rather excited to finally get to listen to it only to find myself listening to something so bland it angered me and I swiftly got rid of it.
The Hollies tour to this day and remain a popular live draw still able to sell out shows and Howarth has grown on some fans but sadly, as much as I've tried, he completely lacks personality and command and I cringe at the many YouTube clips of them live in action. Sure, they may still be able to do those harmonies but it simply isn't the same. |