Evolution

First, I'll give my background to give some reader perspective on the type of person who likes what I like (feel free to skip to the album review), and then my general review followed by review of individual songs. Sorry if it's too long, but I wanted to get everything in.Background: I am NOT a musician, but love an eclectic bunch of rock music (I apologize in advance for any malapropisms or faulty recognition of instruments!). I grew up in an '80s household with a baby-boomer mother, pre-boomer father, and 70s rock brother. All members of my family loved "trippy" music, but we all could best be described by the modern term of "straight edge," and don't connect to psychedelia on a drug level. I connect to it, and all music on 1) overall blend and feel, and 2) abstract thought (my main addiction is probably "overthinking" things).General Impressions: After listening to the album several times, I've have determined that I like it. A lot. Why? Because it really is some cool music, some cool story-telling, and distinctive Hollies. The complexity of the harmonies feeds my ear (as a person who spends way too much time picking out harmonies to sing in songs, this is vital). The instrumentals are experimental but always much more than competent. Sure they play around with new instruments and distortion, but there's an overall lyrical and/or compositional point to everything they try.Carrie Anne: I've always liked it, and liked it more when I learned the history of the good-natured jab behind it. I think it was in keeping with the personality of the group.Stop Right There: The harmonies really get to me. Enjambment shows off Nash's really strong emotional understanding.Rain on the Window: I've read the comparisons to "Bus Stop," but other than the guitar, I just don't hear it. Tells a wistful story with both the words and the music. Three part harmony - exquisite. The "pitter-patter" interlude is rather weird, but like I said before, it serves a compositional purpose.Then the Heartaches Begin: LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the distortion! Really does feel like a heartache! That a sound can make you feel an emotion is wonderful. The weird percussion/strings really, really work. Plus, the contradiction of it and the subject matter with the uptempo and Clarke's bubblegum sound is doubly moving.Ye Olde Toffee Shoppe: For what it is, it is quite good. It is a nice sketch of life remembered on two levels. The Hollies were always good at giving the character sketches from different perspectives (like in Confessions....). It is overly-pretty with the harpsichord and all, but it serves the purpose on two levels: experimentation and scene construction. One might compare it in terms of sugariness to "Penny Lane," except that, unlike the Beatles song, THIS one has a readily-understood point.You Need Love: This one always hit me as being ahead of its time - not because it's groundbreaking, but because something about the sound gives an "80s" feel to it. (Like The Searchers "Hearts in Her Eyes") Maybe it's a recording or a tuning thing - as a non-musician, I couldn't tell you. The low harmony toward the end is weird, interesting, and like I said before, experimental.Heading for a Fall: Very powerful; the jangling banjo and dissonant strings build for the lyrical rhythm. Sing-along harmonies bring the listener back to a comfort zone...of sorts. Like the strangeness.The Games We Play: Perfectly adequate song, but nothing particularly interesting about it, either.Lullaby to Tim: Lyrics are pretty, but I really can't stand to listen to it because it sounds like he's gargling while he's singing. On this album, I wouldn't put anything past them.Have You Ever Loved Somebody: Again, I'm a sucker for well-measured distortion, so they kind of had me at the first riff. Predictable Hollies-esque lyrics, but in a more intense, driven musical format.When Your Light's Turned On: Have the same feeling about this song as "The Games We Play," except I think that the narrator's conflict in this one is interesting and makes me a bit more likely not to skip it*Water on the Brain: The percussion crescendo is awesome! And then it goes to a regular song about sleeplessness, complete with harmonies on the refrain, and then a percussion refrain! Just weird and wonderful. I understand the horns, but the brass sections always seem to be the Achilles' heel with the Hollies.Jennifer Eccles: Hate this song, always have hated it, always will hate it. Don't know why, probably just a gut reaction.Signs That Will Never Change: A little overly-sentimental, but so very pretty both with words and vocals. Instrumentation works. I enjoy it.Open Up Your Eyes: Love when they sing in the round! Harmonies are especially great. I ALWAYS rock out to the banjo solo! Sketches of life work because they resonate but don't become too preachy.

1967 was the year things started to change in music as ive been told i was only 2 at the time.But the music speaks for it self the BEATLES had SGT.PEPPER.THE WHO had SELL OUT the HOLLIES had EVOLUTION not nearly as earth shattering as PEPPER but very experimental CARRIE ANNE was the hitand yes its a little corny but the rest of the album was deffinately trying to be a step the HOLLIES needed to take to be taken seriously has a pop band.i think GRAM NASH had a lot to do with this.the album is on the psycodelic side but its great fun to listen to in 2007 a big departure from what music is today.but a definate pop rock cd from a band very underated and too associated with an AIR SUPPLY sound .This is a far cry from air that i breathe.

The CD sounds great!

"Evolution" was the first of two Hollies albums released in 1967. The band did a lot of experimenting in those years, both in songwriting and arrangements. Some of it worked, some of it didn't. "Butterfly" is often hailed as their finest and most consistent, whereas "Evolution" suffers from being anything but consistent. The songwriting is more or less on par with "Butterfly", but some arrangements in various degrees ruin the songs.Worst is the "underwater" effect put on Graham Nash's voice on "Lullaby to Tim". It could have been a great track, but as it is, it's almost unlistenable. I have often wondered if a version with unruined vocals exists.The distorted guitars put on the opening track "The the Heartaches Begin" and "Have You Ever Loved Somebody", give a forced feeling that does not help the songs, which are really good Hollies songs. The Searchers proved that "Have You Ever Loved Somebody" even had hit-potentials.Enough negative words said, because there are plenty of succesful tracks that make the album quite enjoyable after all.Like on the previous album all songs were written by Clarke, Hicks and Nash and Allan Clarke and Graham Nash more or less share the lead vocals with Tony Hicks joining in on choruses etc."Stop Right There" is a nice quiet Graham Nash ballad; fine violin solo. Nash also takes the lead vocals on one of the big highlights on the album "When Your Lights Turned On"; classic up-beat Hollies with great guitars and harmonies.The nostalgic "Ye Olde Toffee Shop" featuring harpsichord is quite charming, but no more.On "Games We Play" Clarke and Nash share the lead vocals. Incredible that this song was not released as a single. Extremely catchy with funny ( naive ) teenage lyrics.Allan Clarke demonstrates his powerful vocals on several tracks such as "You Need Love" and "Leave Me"."Water on the Brain" is another example; a song which also features a charming trombone solo.So all in all you could call it a hit and miss album, mostly hits!By the way, this review refers to the British version of the album.

The song list here is not quite the same as that of the British-European Evolution LP, which started off with the tense When then Heartaches Begin. Some singles have been added also. But to those who cannot get the Brit original, this is nevertheless an opportunity to relive the sixties and the magic years 1965-1969 when so much happened. 1966-67 in particular. Some complain that these songs have a fair share of silliness - well, then you haven't been young in those days when your mother really should not know the games you play. In particular the singing was so good here, and the instrumental playing also. I even learned to bear with the rather clichéish string arrangements. All in all, get it and play it loud. No politics, nothing very deep. It is just music, and as such fantastic.

good service and product

Happy with purchase

Gli Hollies sono una grande band, ma questo album non è uno dei migliori. Ottimi gli impasti vocali come sempre, ma sono proprio le canzoni che non sono eccezionali