Post by scousette on Sept 26, 2011 10:57:43 GMT -5
Thursday night, Sept 22, I attended the premiere of the new DVD documentary of the Hollies, "Look Through Any Window," at Santa Monica's Aero Theatre.
This Reelin' in the Years production, the fifth in their British Invasion series, is phenomenal. First of all, the sound is magnificent. Second, the interviews with Graham, Allan, Tony and Bobby are illuminating. Third, there is unseen footage that is just exceptional.
(Oh, there are fourth, fifth, etc but that can get a bit stale. Let me just babble on.)
The film chronicles the Hollies from 1963-1975 -- their prime years, including the post-Nash big pop hit stuff. It begins with Graham and Allan talking about how they met as small children and sharing their love of singing. There is a terrific film snippet of Allan and Graham singing on stage as the Two Teens, one of their stage incarnations in the 50s in Manchester.
It goes pretty quickly into the genesis of the Hollies in Manchester in 1962, with the eventual hitmaking lineup of Clarke, Nash, Tony Hicks on lead guitar, Bobby Elliott on drums, and Eric Haydock on 6-string electric bass. The other personnel changes were of course discussed (especially the departure of Nash), but including Haydock's replacement, Bernie Calvert, and the addition of Terry Sylvester.
Bits and pieces of footage shot at Abbey Road by Granada Television when the Hollies were recording "On a Carousel" have been seen previously. This documentary uses the complete footage for the first time. It's stunning. We see the band members recording their parts---Nash singing lead a cappella, the wonderful 3-part harmony, Hicks laying down his lead guitar. After each of the 22 complete performances that are included in this film, the crowd applauded, but probably not as loudly or as enthusiastically as after we were treated to this rare footage.
The Hollies' road manager, Rod Shields, took lots of home movies of the band, and some of those reels are used in the production, most notably for visuals for "King Midas in Reverse," for which a proper promo film was never made. We see the Hollies in Croatia (then Yugoslavia), Japan, poolside in those Speedos, and in other playful settings that capture their youth, enthusiasm and charm.
The four Hollies interviewed for the documentary take time to talk about their music, what it was like to record at Abbey Road, and the debt they owe their late producer, Ron Richards, for helping them to become the chart-topping band in the 60s and 70s.
One of the best segments was during a Hicks interview, where he showed how he came up with the banjo part of Stop!Stop!Stop! Then, as Bobby continues the story, he tells us Tony had never played banjo before! Their love of experimentation and not wanting to be bored with their music led to these wonderful innovations.
The British Invasion series has had rave reviews (other titles include Dusty Springfield and Herman's Hermits) and this Hollies edition is certain to continue the praise for Reelin' in the Years. Its principal producer, David Peck, was on hand Thursday night for the post-screening discussion, along with Graham Nash and Allan Clarke. He spoke of his joy in being able to make this documentary and how much he loves the Hollies' music. It is indeed a labor of love.
Allan and Graham walked on stage to a standing ovation that seemed like it lasted 10 minutes (probably only about 2, but who's counting). They both look great. They talked more about their early days, riffed off each other playfully and affectionately. They took a few questions from the audience, which were for the most part, quite lame. Those fanboys!
And for this fangirl, seeing young Tony Hicks on the big screen was heaven on earth. What a cutie!
Oh, the DVD is available for pre-order at amazon.com and amazon.co.uk and is highly recommended -- 10/10!
This Reelin' in the Years production, the fifth in their British Invasion series, is phenomenal. First of all, the sound is magnificent. Second, the interviews with Graham, Allan, Tony and Bobby are illuminating. Third, there is unseen footage that is just exceptional.
(Oh, there are fourth, fifth, etc but that can get a bit stale. Let me just babble on.)
The film chronicles the Hollies from 1963-1975 -- their prime years, including the post-Nash big pop hit stuff. It begins with Graham and Allan talking about how they met as small children and sharing their love of singing. There is a terrific film snippet of Allan and Graham singing on stage as the Two Teens, one of their stage incarnations in the 50s in Manchester.
It goes pretty quickly into the genesis of the Hollies in Manchester in 1962, with the eventual hitmaking lineup of Clarke, Nash, Tony Hicks on lead guitar, Bobby Elliott on drums, and Eric Haydock on 6-string electric bass. The other personnel changes were of course discussed (especially the departure of Nash), but including Haydock's replacement, Bernie Calvert, and the addition of Terry Sylvester.
Bits and pieces of footage shot at Abbey Road by Granada Television when the Hollies were recording "On a Carousel" have been seen previously. This documentary uses the complete footage for the first time. It's stunning. We see the band members recording their parts---Nash singing lead a cappella, the wonderful 3-part harmony, Hicks laying down his lead guitar. After each of the 22 complete performances that are included in this film, the crowd applauded, but probably not as loudly or as enthusiastically as after we were treated to this rare footage.
The Hollies' road manager, Rod Shields, took lots of home movies of the band, and some of those reels are used in the production, most notably for visuals for "King Midas in Reverse," for which a proper promo film was never made. We see the Hollies in Croatia (then Yugoslavia), Japan, poolside in those Speedos, and in other playful settings that capture their youth, enthusiasm and charm.
The four Hollies interviewed for the documentary take time to talk about their music, what it was like to record at Abbey Road, and the debt they owe their late producer, Ron Richards, for helping them to become the chart-topping band in the 60s and 70s.
One of the best segments was during a Hicks interview, where he showed how he came up with the banjo part of Stop!Stop!Stop! Then, as Bobby continues the story, he tells us Tony had never played banjo before! Their love of experimentation and not wanting to be bored with their music led to these wonderful innovations.
The British Invasion series has had rave reviews (other titles include Dusty Springfield and Herman's Hermits) and this Hollies edition is certain to continue the praise for Reelin' in the Years. Its principal producer, David Peck, was on hand Thursday night for the post-screening discussion, along with Graham Nash and Allan Clarke. He spoke of his joy in being able to make this documentary and how much he loves the Hollies' music. It is indeed a labor of love.
Allan and Graham walked on stage to a standing ovation that seemed like it lasted 10 minutes (probably only about 2, but who's counting). They both look great. They talked more about their early days, riffed off each other playfully and affectionately. They took a few questions from the audience, which were for the most part, quite lame. Those fanboys!
And for this fangirl, seeing young Tony Hicks on the big screen was heaven on earth. What a cutie!
Oh, the DVD is available for pre-order at amazon.com and amazon.co.uk and is highly recommended -- 10/10!