THE HOLLIES import compilations on compact disc: Steve's recommended versions..

I agree. As I said, that particular comp is sourced from futzed-with tapes for many (if not all) of the songs. That's indifferent mastering from crappy tapes (as opposed to the Epic Anthology, which is good mastering from nicely-done dupe tapes.)

 

Just as an FYI for everyone, All The Hits and More, Not The Hits Again and The EP Collection all had vinyl editions. I have all of these.

All The Hits and More sounds really good to me on vinyl. A nice plus is when you do see it is that you can usually get it for really cheap--US$5 to US$15.

Not The Hits Again--OK, but crowded and so sounds mastered at low volume. The CD version (which I haven't heard) might be better. Great comp though. It's is the only place I know of outside of a rare and expensive (in good condition) 1965 EP where you can get The Hollies very cool cover of "Honey and Wine", which was strangely left off The EP Collection.

The EP Collection was actually released on vinyl twice--on See For Miles in the mid-to late-80s as has been noted, but there is also an earlier (vinyl) release on an EMI/Parlophone two box some time between 1976 and 1978, which sounds better to my ears. Both releases are crowded LPs, so don't have much volume. The earlier release has the edge for detail and tonality. The last time I listened to it, I remember enjoying it much more than the See For Miles vinyl press, which I also have.

Dale

PS: Sorry for the out of focus...

 

Even the new remaster Vic did of the Greatest Hits? It sounds like the Anthology he did (it's actually slightly fuller sounding) plus it has Bus Stop.

 

Hollies
All The Hits & More - The Definitive Collection (Disc 1)
1: Just Like Me
2: Searchin'
3: Stay
4: Just One Look
5: Here I Go Again
6: We're Through
7: Yes I Will
8: I'm Alive
9: Look Through Any Window
10: If I Needed Someone
11: I Can't Let Go
12: Bus Stop
13: Stop Stop Stop
14: Pay You Back With Interest
15: On A Carousel
16: Carrie Anne
17: King Midas In Reverse
18: Dear Eloise
19: Jennifer Eccles
20: Listen To Me
21: Sorry Suzanne
22: He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother


Hollies
All The Hits & More - The Definitive Collection (Disc 2)
1: I Can't Tell The Bottom From The Top
2: Gasoline Allley Bred
3: Hey Willie
4: Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress
5: The Baby
6: Day That Curly Billy Shot Down Crazy Sam McGee
7: Air That I Breathe
8: Sandy
9: I'm Down
10: Daddy Don't Mind
11: Too Young To Be Married
12: Soldier's Song
13: If The Lights Go Out
14: Take My Love And Run
15: Give Me Time
16: Heartbeat
17: Tell Me How
18: Don't Let Me Down

 

I've been listening to all my Hollies comps over the last few days. I can't speak for the remastered version of this comp, because I have the original CD version. Song for song, I preferred the sound on my 1988 Best Of The Hollies, Vol. 1 comp on EMI Manhattan:


Plus, the original Greatest Hits commits the unforgiveable sin of including a botched version of "Bus Stop". I don't know if it's an edit or just a digital fluke, but the song has 3 or 4 (what I will call) "burps" on the line "...she would stop & she would show me what she bought." They stand out like a sore thumb! (Sorry for my non-tech description!)

FYI...I saw some mentions on other threads about a comp called A's, B's & EP's. Note: it is supposed to be copy-controlled!

Now, I just need to figure out if 20 Golden Hits will be a step up from my EMI Manhattan comps! (Somehow, I don't think the EMI Manhattans were around very long.) Anyone have both?

Thanks for pulling it all together for us Steve!

Dexter

BTW...how do I get an image to appear in the text where I want it, rather than at the bottom?

 

Steve, I am surprised by the two recommendations on the 'See For Miles' label ("Not The Hits Again" and "EP Collection", mentioned above). Although I have never heard any of the Hollies CDs on 'See For Miles', every other CD I have ever had on that label had absolutely terrible sound.

 

Sounds like for an overall hits review (including the few Hollies songs I might know [Bus Stop, The Air That I Breathe, Carrie Anne, He Ain't Heavy and Long Cool Woman), the 20 Greatest Hits one is the one to get.

 

Yes, I searched previous posts <there are a LOT of them> and this was considered by almost everybody as the best single cd for the hits and familiar songs. I'm going to pick this up and "Not The Hits Again" for starters, then go from there...

 

Here's one I have from 93' by EMI in the UK. Anyone familar with this?

1. The Air That I Breathe
2. Bus Stop
3. Just One Look
4. Yes I Will
5. Look Through Any Window
6. He Ain't Heavy He's My Brother
7. Can't Let Go
8. We're Through
9. Searchin'
10. Stay
11. I'm Alive
12. If I Needed Someone
13. Here I Go Again
14. Stop Stop Stop
15. On A Carousel
16. Carrie Anne
17. King Midas In Reverse
18. Jennifer Eccles
19. Listen To Me
20. Sorry Suzanne
21. I Can't Tell The Bottom From The Top
22. Gasoline Alley Bred
23. Hey Willy
24. Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress
25. The Day That Curly Billy Shot Down Crazy Sam McGee
26. The Woman I Love

 

Never seen that one.

So, how does it sound?

 

thanks. just picked up both "all the hits and more" and the emi/parlophone version of the ep collection. looking forward to hearing them both on vinyl.

 

One man's meat is another man's poison!!!

I've got maybe a dozen or more discs on See For Miles that sound superb to me. I admit that I'm not keen on a Manfred Mann compilation, but that was the only one that I didn't like...

 

Or me, either. I'm sick of seeing that stupid cover in the bins. I remember thinking it very strange when that album came out in 1973, not exactly a time when 1960's music was being embraced. And even stranger when I saw those early Imperial hits on there and wondering what they were doing on an Epic LP. It was an incomplete compilation, surprisingly missing "Listen To Me", "Do The Best You Can" and "Sorry Suzanne", as well as some of the earlier Imperial hits. I didn't see the point of that comp, and it ought to be sent packing.

 

Actually, there is a stereo remix of "Do The Best You Can" on the Sundazed "Dear Eloise/ King Midas In Reverse" CD, which was the U.S. version of the Butterfly LP.

 

Jack, See for Miles was definitely not an audiophile label (as you know) but in the case of their Hollies comps it's one of the easiest places to get the tracks without NR. Not the Hits Again is an incredible comp too. Something about it works so well.

I'd like to nominate The Other Side Of... to the list. Not only are many rare tracks presented in their original mixes I think we determined that no NR was applied.

Here's the run down (original mono except were noted):

1. 'Cos You Like to Love Me
2. Everything Is Sunshine
3. Signs That Will Never Change
4. Not That Way at All
5. You Know He Did
6. Do the Best You Can
7. So Lonely
8. I've Got a Way of My Own
9. Don't Run and Hide
10. Come on Back
11. Open Up Your Eyes
12. All the World Is Love
13. Whole World Over
14. Row the Boat Together (stereo, great little song)
15. Mad Professor Blyth (stereo)
16. Dandelion Wine (stereo)
17. Baby That's All
18. Nobody
19. Keep Off That Friend of Mine
20. Running Through the Night (fantastic stereo!! GREAT lost Hollies classic from 1966)
21. Hey What's Wrong With Me
22. Blowin' in the Wind

It's still available cheap too:

http://www.amazon.com/Other-Side-Ho..._1/102-3635868-0123349?ie=UTF8&n=5174&s=music

 

I had tended to stay away from See For Miles CD releases as I had a vague memory of them featuring unimpressive sonics. Unfortunately I can't now remember which titles were responsible for forming this impression. However, on the strength of recommendations on here uncovered by using the search facility, I have recently bought some of the See For Miles EP Collection disks and been very pleasantly surprised with their sound quality.

 

Thanks, Steve. I have All the Hits and More and the Epic Anthology and both have served me well over the years. Now I will seek out the See For Miles comps to round out my collection.

On a side note, does anyone know if Please Let Me Please from the American He Ain't Heavy album is available on CD excluding the Long Road Home box set?

 

Back when, I had the original LP of "I Can't Let Go" that had an amazing Graham Nash song "Fifi the Flea". Unfortunately, somewhere over the years that LP walked away...

Does anyone know if the song "Fifi the Flea" is on any available comp - amazing song with a special connection to me.

 

I have another highly recommendable disc released in one of those slim line packages in 1988 on the EMI "Compacts For Pleasure" series. It's called "The Hollies" and has the following:

Stop,Stop,Stop-stereo
Gasoline Alley Bred-stereo
Searchin'-stereo
Listen To Me-stereo
What Kind Of Boy-mono
Rockin' Robin-mono
Come On Back-mono
Memphis-mono
Too Young To Be Married-stereo
Dear Eloise-stereo
He Ain't Heavy-stereo
Sweet Little Sixteen-stereo
Nobody-mono
Hey Willie-stereo
Ain't That Just Like Me-stereo
Sorry Suzanne-stereo
Lucille-mono
Keep Off of That Friend of Mine-mono
On a Carousel-stereo
Pay You Back w/Interest-stereo
Clown-stereo
If I Needed Someone-strange stereo (maybe fake)
Blowin' In the Wind-stereo

Great sound.

 

Compacts For Pleasure was a 'super budget' priced series put out by EMI which I think got merged into Music For Pleasure around 1990/1.
Many of the tracks in that listing were on a Music For Pleasure LP/Cassette simply entitled The Hollies, which came out in 1985.

Bye the way the Epic set is available from HMV in the UK as are some French EP collections but having not heard them, I can't comment.

 

This 2 CD set is reported to be very rare. I scored one in November, 2006 thanks to sh.tv member Bob Dugan.

I purchased the set through Elusive Albums in the U.K. The staff person who I was corresponding with told me they'd seen only 2 copies in 2006. I paid $55. U.S. + shipping. Worth every penny.

Now if I can only find those 2 See For Miles comps. "Put Yourself In My Place" is one of my favourite early Hollies songs and is not on any of the Hollies CDS that I own. I only have the song on an early Capitol Canada LP, Love 'N' Flowers.

 

Mike, did your "fat box" come with little foam cushions in each tray to help keep the discs from coming loose? I don't believe I ever saw this before and think it is a really good idea. It probably adds around .005 of a cent to overall packaging costs, so was probably scrapped by the manufacturers or labels.

 

That was a very nice touch when companies did add that foam for protection. My copy of ATHAM also has them.