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

For how long??

 

Ha! Not very. Not the Hits Again is around as well.

Eventually these See For Miles CDs are going to disappear. It's taking a long time, I suppose because there are so many Hollies comps around, but I trust that via discussions like this one people will become wise to them.

 

I managed to snag Not The Hits and EP Collection for great prices. "Someone" mentioned before "He Who hesitates...."

 

Hollies CDs

How is this one ?

At Abbey Road 1963-1966/At Abbey Road 1966-1970/At Abbey Road 1973-1989 (BOX SET) (IMPORT)

3 disc set

 

I'm assuming that the EMI 3-disc 30th Anniversary set and latter 6-disc 40th Anniversary Box (The Long Road) are no-noised to death and therefore not worth picking up.

 

The 3 discs 30th is mostly remixed. The new mixes are kind of thin and don't hold up to the original mixes, IMHO.

 

"Carrie Anne" sticks out like a sore thumb on that one. Was that the master tape?

 

I agree! I bought this some time ago on a whim. Never saw it before, knew nothing about it. I was pleasantly surprised of the sound quality and the material on this disc!

 

It could have been the master tape (or more specifically, the stereo mixing engineer opted to replicate what was done on The Beatles' Rubber Soul LP -- a four-track recording mixed to sound like an early twin-track recording). The original U.S. stereo release of that tune (on the Epic Evolution LP and on the first Epic Greatest Hits LP and CD) had (literally) tons of added reverb and a narrowed (semi-squashed) stereo presentation.

 

I'll add my two cents on this one as well. I have this on vinyl and was more or less pleased with it. Not the greatest sonics, but perfectly listenable and a good alternative to trying to track down all the singles. In fact, my last foray into Hollies singles led me to this comp -- I'd just had it trying to get a hold of 45s that didn't have hissy groovewear and distortion after buying a lot of beat to crap, but graded "EX" singles. This relieved me of that duty and aggravation...

Dale

 

Actually, it was never issued on 45 in the U.S. It was actually the B-side to "Jennifer Eccles" (Parlophone R 5680, 1968) in the UK. {The U.S. "Jennifer Eccles" 45 (Epic 5-10298, 1968) has a different B-side: "Try It."}

The notes in the EPIC ANTHOLOGY got the info wrong for "Everything Is Sunshine": In those notes, it was listed as being the B-side to "Jennifer Eccles" in the UK. In reality, "Everything Is Sunshine" was the B-side to "King Midas In Reverse" (Parlophone R 5637, 1967) in the UK.

 

Those early "Music For Pleasure" EMI discs are really good...pre NR and a wide variety of tracks.
"Do The Best You Can" had a 60's stereo mix...it was included on a rare German LP that had other first time stereo mixes.
I've been searching for a site that lists these original or odd mixes and where they were or are available...in fact some of these original stereo mixes were played on Andrew Sandoval's web cast back a few week ago...he played tracks from that German LP.
I see someone posted a scan of one of the EMI Manhattan CD's....how do these sound,these would be pre-NR and might be pretty good...could someone post the mono/stereo content of these.

JF

 

Signs That Will Never Change

http://www.hollies.co.uk/information.php?idx=77

 

I have a copy or two of that one back in the US, but I can't for the life of me remember the title. It's on the German Hansa label, has the same cover photo as the Parlophone Hollies Greatest from '68, and has a funny tracklist. It is kind of a 'best of' comp, but not a Greatest Hits album per se. IIRC, it might also have Everything Is Sunshine and Signs That Will Never Change in stereo.

Dale

 

I stand corrected on "Do The Best You Can." That tune, along with "Everything Is Sunshine," did not come out in stereo in either the UK or the U.S. until well into the CD era. These stereo mixes were, indeed, legitimately issued in (West) Germany. It's just that the people at the Sony Music vaults could not locate a stereo master for "Do The Best You Can" at the time of the compiling of the EPIC ANTHOLOGY.

 

"Carrie-Anne" b/w "Signs That Will Never Change" was one of the few instances during the '60s in which a Hollies single came out with the exact same A- and B-sides in both the UK (Parlophone R 5602, 1967) and the U.S. (Epic 5-10180, 1967).

 

Has anyone compared The Everly Brothers version of "Signs That Will Never Change" from their 1966 "Two Yanks In England" LP (with The Hollies providing backup) and the later Hollies version? I wonder if that was just an instance of The Hollies using the same backing track and recording new lead vocals?

Dale

 

Bummer... Anyone have any thoughts about the sound on the 6-disc set? It looks like it gathers up the singles and EP's rather nicely.

 

Not similar at all, especially Signs. It was mostly studio musicians on Two Yanks and a lot of it was done in LA (ironically).

EDIT: So Lonely is not unlike the Hollies' version. The one thing that really stands out on Two Yanks is the organ. Not sure why they felt compelled to use it.

 

Long Road Home is unlistenable to me.

 

You certainly know how to sell this dong

 

I wouldn't say unlistenable, but it sure was disappointing. It makes you shake your head sometimes what professional engineers and reissue producers pass off as definitive. Something a 6-CD set surely should be. A damn shame. Ron