Plain and Fancy: The Hollies - Bus Stop / Stop! Stop! Stop! (1966 uk, marvellous folk beat, 2011 remaster)

Saturday, February 25, 2023

The Hollies - Bus Stop / Stop! Stop! Stop! (1966 uk, marvellous folk beat, 2011 remaster)

The Hollies scored their first American smash in 1966, when “Bus Stop” (written by Graham Gouldman, a future member of 10cc) cracked the Billboard Top Ten. Looking to cash in on that song’s success, Imperial Records threw together a quick compilation, Bus Stop, which combined the titular tune with several older Hollies songs. Some of the tracks were two years old, and -- who often released several albums a year during their heyday -- became angry with the label’s decision to exploit their success with a collection of old material.

They left Imperial the following year, but not before releasing Stop! Stop! Stop! (issued in Europe under the title For Certain Because…), the first Hollies album written entirely by the bandmates themselves. Spliced together on this two-for-one compilation, the albums mark a turning point for the band, documenting the point at which transformed their straightforward Merseybeat sound into an experimental pop hybrid. All 24 tracks are remastered, and the presence of the original sleeve notes (“Allan Clarke is a mischievous, grinning person with nomadic eyes which have surely tormented many a female heart”) should attract those who already own copies of both records.

by Andrew Leahey