The Hollies: Look Through Any Window 1963-1975

I also attended the premiere on September 22, 2011, in Santa Monica. What a night! What a great documentary!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 them 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 then Yugoslavia, Japan, 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 a 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 at the premiere 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.I give this DVD my highest recommendation. It's a must-buy for any Hollies fan or anyone who treasures the finest of British Invasion music.

Just received my copy in the mail today of this DVD and as I watch the career of the Hollies pass by I notice the soundtrack of my life passing by as well. Talk about being at the right place at the right time, imagine being at Abby Road studio and the Beatles recording right down the hall...it must have been something in the water or maybe it was the monogram toilet tissue at EMI, I don't know but the songs that followed had me personally singing them in the bathroom, cars and street corners, maybe not as well as the Hollies did but I had a shot of insperation in my own life from the music coming across the big pond.All that said I feel a little short changed here because of Allan's statement regarding the Hollies ending after "The Air That I Breath" a song I felt was better suited for a band like Air Supply than the greatness of the Hollies and also the fluffing over of Terry Sylvester, not to mention the way he was treated at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame dinner much like second hand news. Sure he was drunk but who there wasn't. Don't get me wrong I'm a big Graham Nash fan, but what big shoes Terry had to fill and really right off the bat he filled them well. I have all the CD's that are written off here by Allan. My favorite and the LP that my wife and I fell in love to "The Hollies Sing Buddy Holly" was sadly over looked at that point in their career and this DVD. I was so obsessed with that LP and how well crafted it was as well as the other LP made up to that point....BTW...Bobby is one of the best drummers out there and Tony's guitar is second to none, but please note that the currently touring band isn't the Hollies...you don't have the Hollies without Allan's voice up front.My personel Hollies meeting were when the Hollies came to the US without Alan Clark. I was working at Tower Records Sunset and Bobby came in and I asked him "where's Allan" he turned away and didn't give me an answer....I thought "oh well"...Next I was at the Beverly Center in the early 80's and I ran into Graham with his wife Susan and family, his son Jackson was only ten. I asked Graham when the Hollies would be available on CD because there were very few CD's available at that time and explained to him how I knew how he felt about CS&N but that there were a lot of fans out there that still loved the Hollies he said that he would look into it and told me in the nicest way that this was a family day, I thanked him for his time and said "see ya"....OH WELL :)Love the Hollies and always will and Thank You for this wonderful DVD, it's nice to have all of these performances in one place instead of roaming through youtube looking for them one at a time.RS

The Manchester group 'The Hollies' are represented on this DVD with their own skill and artistry put together on film by director David Peck who said, "My goal with all music films is to educate the public". Not only do we hear and see 22 performances, we have the benefit of the history of the band via talks with the group members detailing their careers, problems, personnel changes, challenges with acceptance in America. These aren't just fillers. They enhance the story and are interspersed between the songs. The 60's were a marvellous time for further musical progress. Looking to the Beatles, Stones, Searchers, Kinks etc were a delight. The Hollies songs were by no means less awaited with expectancy and did not disappoint. Their hallmark was their harmony, energy and as usual neatly attired and attractive!The initial covers of 'Rockin' Robin','Stay','Baby That's All', were followed by the better known hits. The DVD 'complete performances' are memorable. Mimed performances are well-synchronised, the live versions note-perfect. The harmonies were apparently based on the influence of the Everly Brothers. Graham Nash and Allan Clarke were at infant school together, sang in the choir, were known for their vocal harmonies, (even including 'The Lord's Prayer') and decided to form a group. Allan Clarke's vocals are instantly identifiable as are Nash's high-pitched complimentary hallmark unison.The 'Hollies' name came from a combination of Buddy Holly and Christmas!The songs are all vital to the period and are still fresh. Graham Nash's departure after a meeting with David Crosby was a dent but well-explained. The last filmed Hollies with the established line-up are here. 'Listen To Me' and 'Do The Best You Can'. They did impact on America but they remain British.Allan Clarke went and came back. Tony Hicks and Bobby Elliott were no means just in there. They were integral to the sound. Tony Hicks vocals and guitar work were vital. Elliot's fluent driving, likewise. They are part and parcel of the Hollies' sound. Nor miss the contribution of Terry Sylvester, later joining having been with the 'Swinging Blue Jeans'.They are all highlights. 'King Midas In Reverse', 'On a Carousel', 'I'm Alive', 'Here I go Again', 'Air That I Breathe','Bus Stop','Carrie Anne' and the emotional 'He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother'. The others are here to see and hear.Superbly produced, well-filmed with great sound. They have done 'Dylan' and 'Buddy Holly' tributes with distinction. This is a wonderful group and a precious reminder of their talent and influence. They stayed together through a period of rapid evolution.The film and music are everlasting.Took a while to be inaugurated into the American 'Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame' in 2010.The 12 page booklet and interviews are most informative. The menu gives the choice options for flexibility. 184 minutes of running time including interviews. Home movies (knocking Elliot's hat off when he had hair) and backstage films are an added attraction. The Hollies have a unique sound and place in music. Highly recommended and lends to repeat viewing.

This dvd is great from the beloved Hollies band of the 1960s and 1970s. Not only do you listen to the Hollies excellent sounds and view the various performances, as well as the delightful harmonizing of Allan Clarke and Graham Nash, as I have stated in my Hollies "Reunion" review, they are like "Brothers in Harmony," as the harmonizing technique comes so easily to Graham Nash as he easily harmonizes with the brilliant voice of Allan Clarke their Lead Singer, but the interviews and other background information that are presented are extremely interesting and enjoyable. Yes! Truly the Golden Era of the Hollies, was when during the 1960s Allan Clarke, Graham Nash and Tony Hicks teamed-up with their special blend of the three-in-one harmonizing techniques, as only they could do, and not forgetting Bobby Elliott, their excellent drummer, also other members of the Hollies that I have not mentioned in this review. I give this dvd a five star rating of excellence and I would encourage anyone to buy this dvd and notice the fantastic voice of Allan Clarke, who was underated for his singing during that particular time, also to notice the speciality of the Hollies, their harmonizing techniques. Allan Clarke, Graham Nash and Tony Hicks were great composers of the Hollies songs and when Graham Nash left the band in 1968, Allan wrote along with Roger Cook "Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress," as well as singing this song with its remarkable lyrics, as you will know when you view this dvd. What a Team! This is a special dvd with special features - great memorabillia. I will finish this review by stating that the Hollies are: Kings of the past, present and future groups!

A comprehensive look at the Hollies live's All five talk about their experiences within the band. Allan Clark and Graham Nash fondly talk how they met at school and used to sing duets together before forming the band, the dvd goes on to say how the band was auditioned and who joined and later who leaves. These are the original members, shows old black and white clips of the young Hollies all playing live. It goes on to tell you of the bands expectations,limitations, aspirations, Bobby Eliot the bands drummer explains his special drumbeats created for certain song tracks its fantastic the music is good, well worth a purchase.Poppy's verdict- This is fantastic comprehensive look at the Hollies early life their music even shows you recordings of the making ,layering and harmonising their recordings at Abbey Road.

This series of releases is obviously targetted at the fans as there is a care and attention to detail taken here. This latest set includes the cream of The Hollies' most well-known songs from the '60s up till the mid '70s (when the hits dried up); a handful of songs which have performnces existing are missing from the set but are nothing drastic. The quality of most of the visuals is very sharp and where a record was mimed to, this has been re-dubbed with a crisp digital version of same. All songs are presented complete minus captions etc. (if selected as a "play all songs" option). Otherwise you get a long and interesting documentary featuring interviews with Clark, Nash, Hicks and Elliott, broken up by the numbers they are discussing.This DVD set is presented exactly as I would like to see it (i.e. complete song performances, no intrusive screen logos or song captions and re-dubbed digital sound where possible plus an option to view the songs in isolation or as part of the doc). It's also a long running time.The only criticisms I would make are:Firstly, there are more interesting performances existing of a few of the songs featured here which were omitted, such as lovely colour clips of Butterfly / Dear Eloise / On A Carousel from Mike Douglas Show (U.S. 1967), Carrie Anne (Smothers Brothers (U.S. 1967), Jennifer Eccles (Hollywood Palace, U.S. 1968) and U.K. TV appearances from 1968 (Bobbie Gentry Show; one of the last existing appearances with Nash) and Julie Felix (1970). All of which are prime Hollies material that deserved to be seen by a wider audience at last! The lack of those key U.S. performances is surprising as the set is U.S. produced. There are some interesting TV appearances included though which usually get overlooked (e.g. Croatian TV), so it isn't all bad news on the selection front.Secondly, a few (not all, I don't think) clips appear to be PAL original material converted to NTSC, with a slight resulting softness of image. It would have made sense to master direct from PAL to PAL for U.K. release, where originating material was in that format (and a lot of it was).Still, all told, these British Invasion series releases are well worth the modest price they sell for. This release is NOT the definitive or last word on The Hollies (as several key TV appearances mentioned above have been overlooked). But it's far superior to The Dutch Collection DVD and still rates four stars for high quality. I hope the range continues to expand. I would like to see further volumes on other overlooked (in DVD terms) '60s acts such as Manfred Mann, The Zombies, The Yardbirds and The Animals.

A great documentary with some amusing snippets (i.e. Tony Hicks' dad giving advice on fee, and Tony himself listening through a fanlight to see if he liked the sound of the Hollies). It is sad that Alan Clarke felt it necessary to comment, unfairly and unwisely, that Graham Nash leaving signalled the beginning of the end for the Hollies. Nevertheless, this DVD provides two hours of sheer pleasure for Hollies fans everywhere, giving many examples of earlier and later music. I particularly like the tales behind some of their compositions, e.g. Stop, Stop, Stop - even more enjoyable once you know the story behind it!