On The Turntable - The Hollies, For Certain Because.
Released in December 1966, For Certain Because was the first Hollies album to be made up entirely of songs written by band members Allan Clarke, Graham Nash and Tony Hicks. It's one of my favourite albums and is frequently on the turntable in my house as it has a bit of everything and so fits with pretty much whatever mood I am in. I thought I would start what I hope will be a regular series of posts talking about albums I have been listening to and The Hollies were an obvious place to start. I can assure you I will mix things up and talk about plenty of other artists as we go along, but I cant promise I wont eventually work my way through all of their albums as I am a bit of a Hollies fangirl and dont need much of an excuse!
Side 1
What's Wrong With The Way I Live - A punchy, defiant start to the album, this jaunty track features Tony Hicks' banjo (look out for it later, it's not the only time you'll hear it) and offers a short simple message of 'leave me the f**k alone'. Alan Clarke and Graham Nash are both in enthusiastic vocal form here, with Nash hitting his signature high notes and lifting the harmonies, as Hicks' provides that extra layer of Hollies depth. A swift chorus/verse/chorus/verse with a banjo solo for good measure wraps this first track up just a shade over 2 minutes and doesn't rely on any padding or flourishes as it serves to drop you straight in to the album without preamble.
Pay You Back With Interest - OK, I am happy to fight you in the comments but the plain fact that Bobby Elliot is a ridiculously underrated drummer is a hill I will die on and this track makes my case beautifully. This is a rolling, beautiful track which I can tell you, having seen the band play live a number of times, never fails to get a glorious reception from the crowd. Allan Clarke soulful vocal offers thanks to the loved one who has sacrificed and waited while he has been off working and building his success and I will never tire of this song.
Tell Me To My Face - This is a clever little song, that I think often flies under the Hollies fan discourse radar. Graham Nash gives one of a couple of uncharacteristically restrained vocal performances on this album and his gentle tone is a perfect balance to the bouncy Latin feel of this track. Tony Hicks shows why he is the absolute master as he nimbly picks his way through the melody adding an energetic pulse that sits playfully over new boy Bernie Calverts bass. A favourite of mine, in case that wasn't clear.
Clown - There's an early touch of psychedelia which I enjoy and the soft Nash vocal is lovely, but there is something that doesn't quite land for me with this one. It feels like it needed something, just to lift it and create a little more texture. I dont think there is anything I wouldn't want a Tony Hicks solo added to, so I may not be the most discerning of opinions, but I really do think that this song in particular would have benefited.
Suspicious Look In Your Eyes - Having let Nash take the lead on the previous couple of tracks, Allan Clarke steps back up to the mic. This one is a great vehicle for the famous Hollies harmonies, although I personally think this song suffers from saying the same phrase (the title of the song) so many times, you just kind of want it to end. Which is a shame as the harmonies are gorgeous and I quite like the cute little echoey 'bop, bop' backing vocal from Graham and Tony.
It's You - Ending Side 1 in similar form as we started, It's You is high energy, banjo fuelled and gives Allan Clark a nice chance to belt out the lyrics and show off his harmonica skills in the same place. The ending is slightly messy sounding but that works as a sign off for this side of the album.
Side 2
High Classed - There is a lot going on here, least of all the fascinating lyrics which indicate a couple where one partner knows the other is embarrassed to be seen with them due to their lower social standing but, it seems, is perfectly happy to be a dirty little secret. There is a whole variety of different percussion on offer here and you get the impression that Bobby Elliot and Bernie Calvert were given free range of Abbey Road's instrument collection after a pub lunch and gamely decided to give everything a go and see how it landed. It has the overall air of a song written to be a soundtrack to a sit com, and I'm not mad about it.
Peculiar Situation - Another unusual relationship is the focus of this song. I am not sure if this is about two close friends who have creeping feelings of romance they haven't acted on yet, or a happily a-sexual couple who are enjoying each others company and have no desire to get physical, but either way, this is another Bobby Elliot special and the drums almost steal the show from the harmonies, which are given a significant amount of space to run. It's a weird song, but at the same time it's classic Hollies.
What Went Wrong - This is a rare one for me, a Hollies song I can take or leave. I dont hate it, but it also doesn't really do a huge amount for me. It's a bit Vegas, with the big band injections, but it doesn't have a genuine energy and instead comes off like an attempt to make a cabaret version of The Beatles 'Got To Get You Into My Life', which had been released earlier the same year.
Crusader - This is a change of pace on any album that is squarely focused on love, both lost and blossoming. It's got a very gentle, eery feel to it, conveying the absence of normal day to day life that has been missing from this returning soldiers home. I had to check what Tony Hicks is playing here, as it sounded very different to anything else we've heard so far on this album and it's a mandolin which, in combination with some very clever vocal choices from Graham Nash, gives the whole thing a very medieval lute feeling which, though genuinely off the reservation when considered as part of a whole, makes for one of the most interesting listening experiences on the album.
Dont Even Think About Changing - Urgh. I love so much of this song. Allan Clarke gives a belting vocal performance, Bobby Elliot is being Bobby Elliot all over the drums, this track is the last time you'll hear original bassist, Eric Haydock, play with the band and the hand claps are a joyful stroke of genius. But, for the love of God, why with the bloody harmonica? Were they worried they hadn't used it enough during earlier tracks and it would rust if not given more time out in the air? Did they get a sliding scale deal on renting it and the more you use it, the cheaper it gets? I dont know what the reasoning is but I want to cry every time the harmonica kicks in right over the top of the clever Hicks chord work and the harmonies battle to be heard in the background. Urgh.
Stop! Stop! Stop! - Right. No messing about, this is it. I dont know if you have ever heard around 1000 people go crazy over a few bars being rattled out on a banjo to signal the start of a song but, if you haven't, it's safe for me to assume you haven't been to a Hollies concert. This is song has entered legend for the band and it is so incredibly easy to see why. Clever, funny, ridiculous and unstoppable, this is such a strange subject for a hit song but here we are, listening to the story of a man who goes to a club and falls in love with a belly dancer before trying to physical accost her and being ejected sharply by the doorman. You'd think that the listener would be put off but you're so busy trying to catch all the magic of Tony Hicks' banjo that you genuinely dont mind the creepy narrator and his inability to keep his hands to himself. A triumph to round out one of my favourite Hollies albums.
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