LISTEN TO ME

As a long standing reader of Record Collector, I thought June’s issue was fantastic. Great articles about Dion, The Small Faces, the Ziggy album, and a review on the Hollies latest CD of BBC Radio recordings. All was going well until I read The Hollies’ Radio Fun review by Terry Staunton. While the review was not bad as such, it was so inaccurate that I question if Mr Staunton actually listened to the album. To his ears “what’s noticeably missing on some tracks is the third harmony usually provided by Tony Hicks”. His reasoning for Tony Hicks not singing is that he would want to concentrate on lead guitar, because “presumably there wasn’t the luxury of overdubs on a tight BBC schedule”. This review had me rushing to play the CD as I hadn’t noticed the two-part harmony when I played the album at first. Not only was Tony Hicks’ third harmony present throughout the album, there were several obvious overdubs and double tracked vocals from Clarke and Nash.

I have come to respect and rely on your reviews of new music releases. So when I read a review such as this, I am concerned that this may put prospective buyers off purchasing what they may think is a substandard release. I fully expect a reviewer to say whether they like or dislike a release, but not to listen properly and then write a review is irresponsible. So for all you Hollies fans who are considering buying Radio Fun, it’s the Hollies live and at their best!  

by Mike Gargrave
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