Special Collection

The Hollies

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Special Collection Review

by Bruce Eder

The Hollies Special Collection was originally issued in the late 1990s, around the same time as the At Abbey Road vault excavations of this and numerous other bands, and then re-released by EMI in 2008 in its EMI Gold line. What makes it "special" is anyone's guess -- not even the notes by drummer Bobby Elliot really explain that, though its sheer breadth could be an explanation...1963 to 1999 is a long history for any working rock & roll band, and they've gotten ten years past that as of this particular writing. There's also a strange consistency and unity to the material, across 60 songs covering over 35 years -- from R&B covers at the outset to a closing live rendition of Prince's "Purple Rain." Nor have the producers focused only -- or even over-much -- on hits, drawing on numerous worthy B-sides, EP, and album tracks. The result is the fullest cross-section of the group's sound heard on an anthology, this side of The Hollies Collection -- one might disagree with some of the emphasis embodied in the selections, such as the non-presence of a single one of the Bob Dylan songs they cut in the late 1960s; that Dylan collection had some very good moments, despite what some critics said. And couldn't they have fit in the Mikael Rickfors-era single "The Baby," which was a great record regardless of who was singing lead? Those criticisms aside, however, the virtues here far exceed the minor flaws -- the sound is excellent and the lineup of songs, if not perfect, is eminently listenable in the extreme, rivaling the very best that the British Invasion could deliver on its best days. The stereo masters are used wherever possible, and the collection is successfully designed to please longtime fans and maybe pull in a few more casual listeners.

Track Listing - Disc 1

	Title/Composer	Performer	Time	Stream
1	(Ain't That) Just Like Me	The Hollies	02:08	Spotify Amazon
2	Talkin' 'Bout You	The Hollies	02:07	Spotify Amazon
3	Lucille Richard Penniman	The Hollies	02:27	Spotify Amazon
4	Little Lover	The Hollies	02:00	Spotify Amazon
5	Here I Go Again Mort Shuman	The Hollies	02:20	Spotify Amazon
6	Don't You Know	The Hollies	01:56	Spotify Amazon
7	To You My Love	The Hollies	02:07	Spotify Amazon
8	You'll Be Mine	The Hollies	02:00	Spotify Amazon
9	We're Through	The Hollies	02:15	Spotify Amazon
10	The Very Last Day Yarrow	The Hollies	02:58	Spotify Amazon
11	Look Through Any Window Graham Gouldman	The Hollies	02:17	Spotify Amazon
12	So Lonely	The Hollies	02:36	Spotify Amazon
13	I Am A Rock	The Hollies	02:49	Spotify Amazon
14	I'm Alive	The Hollies	02:25	Spotify Amazon
15	Bus Stop Graham Gouldman	The Hollies	02:54	Spotify Amazon
16	Tell Me To My Face	The Hollies	03:07	Spotify Amazon
17	Clown	The Hollies	02:13	Spotify Amazon
18	It's You	The Hollies	02:09	Spotify Amazon
19	After The Fox	The Hollies	02:18	Spotify Amazon
20	Stop Stop Stop	The Hollies	02:49	Spotify Amazon

Track Listing - Disc 2

	Title/Composer	Performer	Time	Stream
1	Carrie Anne	The Hollies	02:55	Spotify Amazon
2	Dear Eloise	The Hollies	03:06	Spotify Amazon
3	Then The Heartaches Begin	The Hollies	02:47	Spotify Amazon
4	Pegasus	The Hollies	02:43	Spotify Amazon
5	Postcard	The Hollies	02:19	Spotify Amazon
6	Rain On The Window	The Hollies	03:13	Spotify Amazon
7	On A Carousel	The Hollies	03:14	Spotify Amazon
8	Have You Ever Loved Somebody?	The Hollies	02:59	Spotify Amazon
9	Leave Me	The Hollies	02:17	Spotify Amazon
10	Listen To Me Tony Hazzard	The Hollies	02:39	Spotify Amazon
11	Open Up Your Eyes	The Hollies	02:50	Spotify Amazon
12	Wings	The Hollies	03:00	Spotify Amazon
13	Do You Believe In Love? Sylvester	The Hollies	03:42	Spotify Amazon
14	Goodbye Tomorrow	The Hollies	03:51	Spotify Amazon
15	He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother	The Hollies	04:18	Spotify Amazon
16	Frightened Lady	The Hollies	03:13	Spotify Amazon
17	Man Without A Heart Sylvester	The Hollies	02:26	Spotify Amazon
18	Too Young To Be Married	The Hollies	04:01	Spotify Amazon
19	Isn't It Nice Sylvester	The Hollies	03:46	Spotify Amazon
20	Gasoline Alley Bred Greenaway	The Hollies	03:53	Spotify Amazon

Track Listing - Disc 3

	Title/Composer	Performer	Time	Stream
1	Long Cool Woman (In A Black Dress) Greenaway	The Hollies	03:17	Spotify Amazon
2	Hold On	The Hollies	04:08	Spotify Amazon
3	To Do With Love	The Hollies	03:27	Spotify Amazon
4	A Little Thing Like Love	The Hollies	03:21	Spotify Amazon
5	If It Wasn't For The Reason That I Love You Greenaway	The Hollies	03:15	Spotify Amazon
6	The Day That Curly Billy Shot Down Crazy Sam McGee	The Hollies	03:51	Spotify Amazon
7	The Air That I Breathe Albert Hammond / Mike Hazelwood	The Hollies	04:07	Spotify Amazon
8	No More Riders Sylvester	The Hollies	02:57	Spotify Amazon
9	Draggin' My Heels Sylvester	The Hollies	03:41	Spotify Amazon
10	Daddy Don't Mind Sylvester	The Hollies	03:37	Spotify Amazon
11	Caracas Sylvester	The Hollies	03:16	Spotify Amazon
12	Let It Pour Sylvester	The Hollies	03:49	Spotify Amazon
13	Soldier's Song	The Hollies	04:03	Spotify Amazon
14	Take My Love And Run Chatton	The Hollies	03:40	Spotify Amazon
15	Too Many Hearts Get Broken	The Hollies	04:51	Spotify Amazon
16	This Is It Maldwyn Pope	The Hollies	03:33	Spotify Amazon
17	Reunion Of The Heart Maldwyn Pope	The Hollies	03:54	Spotify Amazon
18	Find Me A Family	The Hollies	04:01	Spotify Amazon
19	The Woman I Love	The Hollies	03:37	Spotify Amazon
20	Purple Rain Prince	The Hollies	05:00	Spotify Amazon

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