Many bands have come and gone – some making a bigger impact than others in the music world. Everyone is familiar with “The Beatles” and “The Rolling Stones”, among those groups whose music still reign supreme today. But does the young generation in this day and age recognize the name “The Hollies”?

Well, I for one was a devoted fan back then… and still am actually. It was through sheer coincidence that I came across a videoclip of theirs while I was doing a research on another band, and suddenly without warning, I was transported back to a time when beautiful melodies filled the airwave. And for a few minutes that followed, I was overcome with such nostalgia of a time when I used to enjoy listening to their “hits” while driving my trusty ol’ 2-door Opel Gemini Coupe. Ah… those were the days!!

So naturally I just had to pen an article and throw in a couple of videoclips of my favorite songs from this band. For the uninformed, “The Hollies” is an English rock band from the 1960s. Although the group was reported to have been formed in Manchester, most of the members of the band actually originated from Lancashire, England.

Their music was categorized under the “beat music, psychedelic rock and rock” genre but they were better known for their “distinctively bright vocal harmony style”. During their hey-days, they were among the leading British groups popular not only in England but all over the world. Although the group members have changed through the years since the 1960s, “The Hollies” have never officially broken up as they have continued to record and perform right to this day. This year in 2010, they were finally inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. About time too, I should say!!

In case anyone is interested as to how the group got its name, apparently it was because of their admiration for Buddy Holly, citing that they named themselves after Buddy and Christmas.

From my personal point of view, Allan Clarke the lead vocalist of the group from its original lineup contributed much to
the early success of the band. Although Graham Nash was also present during the group’s inception, he later left to join forces with Stephen Stills and David Crosby to form Crosby, Stills and Nash which later became Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young when a fourth member joined the group.

Anyhow, back to “The Hollies”. This “British Invasion” act brought about many many (and dare I repeat another “many”) memorable tunes. Among those I loved and still remembered were “Just One Look”, “Bus Stop”, “Carrie Anne” (incidentally, the actress Carrie-Anne Moss got her name due to the fact that she was born during the time the song was on the charts), “Jennifer Eccles”, “Sorry, Suzanne”, “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother” (a civil rights-themed emotionally-charged ballad featuring Elton John on piano), “I Can't Tell The Bottom From The Top”, “Gasoline Alley Bred”, “Too Young To Be Married” and their last major hit “The Air That I Breathe”.

Like I mentioned earlier, I’ll just tempt you with a couple of videoclips which I painstakingly selected (for their sound clarity) for my readers’ listening pleasure. I’ve included “The Air That I Breathe” and “Sorry Suzanne” – 2 opposing styles, one of which is a slow number while the other consisting of a quick-tempo tune. Listen to both of them and enjoy!!!