Tony Hicks of the HOLLIES, "Look Through Any Window" live in '65. Such an underrated guitar player!

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Steve Hoffman, Sep 25, 2018.

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  1. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Tony was SO good.



    Terrible recording capture but Tony is playing that fiddly Vox electric 12 string, and playing it so well.

    Tony is one of my Guitar Gods of the 1960's!
     
  2. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    BTW, guitar players, try singing that and playing the riffs he's playing at the same time (on a dinky 12 string). Ain't easy.
     
  3. deadbirdie

    deadbirdie Senior Member

    Location:
    Chicago, IL
    Tony is totally underrated. I've always loved his playing as well. Such fantastic, original licks.
     
  4. Billo

    Billo Forum Resident

    Location:
    Southern England
    Tony's unexpected rock guitar solo here in 1966

     
  5. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

  6. Billo

    Billo Forum Resident

    Location:
    Southern England
    The Hollies still do the song today - no Allan Clarke, Graham Nash or Terry Sylvester - all long gone from the band - so perhaps not THE Hollies, but in it's new style Tony can still play LTAW with just the salute to the original version on his guitar !

     
  7. Billo

    Billo Forum Resident

    Location:
    Southern England
    Tony is a fine Acoustic guitarist too

    here back in 1970 with Allan Clarke, Tony Hicks and Terry Sylvester vocals

     
  8. Man at C&A

    Man at C&A Senior Member

    Location:
    England
    Thanks for this Steve, he's one of my favourites too, along with Bobby Elliott being one of my favourite drummers. Tony Hicks looked cool too. The classic Hollies line up really was a fantastic band.
     
  9. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    That is possibly the worst stereo mix in recorded history.
     
  10. Billo

    Billo Forum Resident

    Location:
    Southern England
    but the guitarwork was still good !

    The Hollies back catalogue requires a complete sonic overhaul - a number of albums had that very basic 'vocals one channel / instruments the other' stereo

    Here's Tony live in 1969 on Bob Dylan's Quit Your Low Down Ways

     
  11. Man at C&A

    Man at C&A Senior Member

    Location:
    England
    Another fab clip of The Hollies with Tony playing the banjo part on Stop Stop Stop on the Vox 12 string:

     
  12. Nick Dunning

    Nick Dunning Forum Resident

    Wow. Never heard that in stereo before. Superb track, but obviously the mono is a winner.

    I'm quite convinced Tony Hicks was the most able guitarist of the beat boom, and also that Bobby Elliott would win against all comers as a drummer. Superb player.

    With the formidable vocal front line The Hollies had everything but a really really strong songwriter.
     
  13. Billo

    Billo Forum Resident

    Location:
    Southern England
    Tony's guitar in full flow here on Allan Clarke's 'Tomorrow When it Comes' from 1968

     
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  14. action pact

    action pact Music Omnivore

    The classic Hollies line-up is generally very underrated. It's been suggested it's because they didn't project a strong image, ie: they weren't funny or bad boys or especially cute.

    Or maybe it's just because they made it look too easy to do what they did so well.
     
  15. MikeM

    MikeM Senior Member

    Location:
    Youngstown, Ohio
    Tony had so many great guitar moments in the course of his long Hollies career.

    No fancy effects on his lead work here; just a very inventive part. Plus there's the bonus of Eric Heydock's thumping six-string bass solo with Alan's wailing harmonica on top of it.

    The Hollies are too often thought of as lightweight. I present this song, a great favorite of mine, as a counterweight that shows they could really rock.

     
  16. Billo

    Billo Forum Resident

    Location:
    Southern England
    That is guest Alan Hawkshaw formerly of The Checkmates and later in The Shadows 1968-70 playing piano on Put Yourself in My Place sharing the solo with Tony and Allan's harmonica

    So Lonely - 'B' side to LTAW in 1965 and an album track again featuring Tony's 'Flying phantom' guitar

     
  17. ash1

    ash1 Forum Resident

    Location:
    bristol uk
    Eric and Bobby were better than decent too, but yes, Tony doesn't get the kudos for his skills.
     
  18. ash1

    ash1 Forum Resident

    Location:
    bristol uk
    agreed, plus Eric was ace on the bass. Bobby would have been just as good with the Beatles or Stones. He is grossly underrated these days.
     
  19. Cameron.39

    Cameron.39 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Nottingham, UK
    The Hollies are underrated in general. Tony was without doubt in the top three guitarists of the whole British Invasion scene (debate the other two amongst yourselves...). Together with Bobby Elliott (who was THE best drummer of the British Invasion scene, no debate!) and Eric Haydock initially on a Fender six-string bass, they had the only rhythm section that could have even the Beatles worried.

    Tony was massively respected on the pop scene. He'd frequently be spotted jamming with some of rock's elite in the London Clubs circa 1966-1968. Paul McCartney personally sought out Hicks to give him an honest opinion of "Abbey Road" when it was completed, as he knew that Tony was very objective and had a superb set of ears when it came to finding hit songs. Jimmy Page wanted to copy Tony's solo note for note for "Hard Hard Year" when he was employed as a session guitarist to work on the Everly Brothers' 1966 LP "Two Yanks In England". Steve Marriott actually bought his Rickenbacker 360 from Tony Hicks in 1969-ish. Tony lived next door to and was good friends later on with George Harrison.

    Tony was also a major driving force in the Clarke/Hicks/Nash writing trio. He had a great ear for melodies and catchy hooks. Generally Allan Clarke supplied the contrasting middle eight section (of which there were many superb examples) and Graham Nash generally competed with Tony and they bought out the best in each other when they worked together.

    When Graham departed in 1968, Tony was bought to the fore as the natural group leader, and by 1970 he'd supplied most of the "Confessions Of The Mind" LP and some stunning guitar work on their LPs from around 1970 - 1975.
     
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  20. Billo

    Billo Forum Resident

    Location:
    Southern England
    Tony's guitar playing for Graham Nash's song 'Clown' in 1966

     
  21. CheshireCat

    CheshireCat Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cheshire
    Still is!
     
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  22. Billo

    Billo Forum Resident

    Location:
    Southern England
    Tony's guitarwork for Terry Sylvester's song 'Pull Down The Blind' in 1971

     
  23. Cameron.39

    Cameron.39 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Nottingham, UK
    Here's an alternative clip of them performing "Look Through Any Window" (as posted here initially), showing just how good Tony Hicks is but also showing the amazing prowess of Bobby Elliott on drums

     
  24. skydropco

    skydropco Rock 'n Roll Nurse

    Not only was (is) Tony a great player, but also one of the most melodic.
    I've always took a shine to his solo in this '63 recording of 'It's Only Make Believe', probably took no more than 2 takes.

     
  25. Billo

    Billo Forum Resident

    Location:
    Southern England
    and on Terry's song 'No More Riders' in 1974

     
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