Lessons from dvds…

The Hollies
Look Through Any Window 1963-1975
Eagle Vision DVD
www.eaglerockent.com
By George W. Harris

Yes, once upon a time, pop groups had this thing called…are you ready…harmonies! Yes, more than one person sang at one time, and the voices melded like sauces in a curry. The British Invasion brought many such bands to the United States in the early 60s, and the Hollies, were one of the best. This 184 minute dvd extensively documents the band from its early days from when they did covers of “Rockin’ Robin” to the heavy 70s when they delivered standard bearing performances of “He Ain’t Heavy” and “Long Cool Woman.”

The 22 performances that span this time period can either be enjoyed with interspersed commentary by members Graham Nash, Allan Clarke, Tony Hicks and Bobby Elliot, or they can be taken in order in a completely musical fashion (hence the 3 hours duration of the disc). The performances both harmonically and sartorially reflect a completely different world view…substance is more important than style and attitude here. The insights of the blokes about the inspiration for songs like “Stop Stop Stop” and “Carrie Anne” are clever and fascinating. Graham Nash’s departure is done objectively and tactfully, with no hard feelings; a rarity in popular music.

Underrated here in the States, the Hollies perform enough material on this impressive dvd to make you wonder why they weren’t given more credit than lesser qualified bands. Surprisingly strong stuff here.