{"id":1292,"date":"2008-03-18T19:04:37","date_gmt":"2008-03-18T23:04:37","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2011-05-19T08:45:12","modified_gmt":"2011-05-19T12:45:12","slug":"stop-look-listen-the-hollies-the-byrds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rocktownhall.com\/blogs\/stop-look-listen-the-hollies-the-byrds\/","title":{"rendered":"Stop, Listen, and Look: The Hollies Ultimately Pale in Comparison to The Byrds"},"content":{"rendered":"

As some of you know, I’ve long been troubled by the critical acclaim The Byrds<\/strong> have received<\/a> over the years relative to some of their contemporaries, some of whom I like better than The Byrds and others who have the sole advantage of not having included the annoying modern-day Roger McGuinn<\/strong>. It’s petty and pointless of me to harp on these feelings, but are not petty and pointless harping among the reasons we enter the Halls of Rock?<\/p>\n

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Isn’t it about time for The Hollies?<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The Hollies, “Carrie Ann”<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

The band I have felt has been most slighted by The Byrds’ inflated legacy is The Hollies<\/strong>. If I want to hear jangly guitars, lots of harmonies, and songs about wanting to hold hands with girls the singer is too shy to even say “Hello” to I want to hear The Hollies. The teenage-geek longing in their songs is moving, their beats are driving, and the abundance of harmonies never strikes me as saccharine. They don’t hit me with a bunch of second-hand hippie philosophy. Like The Easybeats, another one of my favorite second-tier ’60s bands, they were a pop band fully focused on the task of making pop records. <\/p>\n

So, after years of harping on this issue, I’m just about ready<\/em> to let it go. I’ve finally figured out why The Hollies<\/strong> never match the critical acclaim heaped upon The Byrds, that frequently lauded ’60s band I most often find least satisfying compared with the hype…
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Someone just asked them if the group would wear suits<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

You’ve got it: it’s their Look<\/strong>! <\/p>\n

Listen to this Hollies song<\/a><\/strong>. Now!<\/em><\/p>\n

Not an undeniable classic, but pretty catchy. Definitely up there with one of those Beatles for Sale<\/em> tracks that someone like myself will rave about for its craftsmanship.<\/p>\n

Now check out the band playing this same song on a tv show. Watch them play this same song!<\/em><\/p>