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

I think I read somewhere here that the band tried to make sure that the first 5 seconds absolutely grabbed the listener by the um, ears.
So that left the lifting up to Tony, most of the time.
Stop Stop Stop, that heavy acoustic of Bus Stop, I Can't let Go, Long Cool Woman.

 

plus Tony's guitar / sitar - used on 'The Baby' but also tastefully here on Terry's 'Pick Up The Pieces Again' in 1973-74

 

Tony's guitar features well on the solo and to outro here on Narida from the album 'Write On' in 1976

 

One of the all-time great Hollies songs, and allegedly the first song Allan and Graham ever wrote together.

I have been performing this song myself for many years now.

 

the title track from the album 'Russian Roulette' in late 1976

 

Except, of course, that it was Allan Clarke who played the iconic guitar introduction to "Long Cool Woman"!

 

and '48 Hour Parole' from the 'Russian Roulette' album of 1976

 

their 1980 album 'Buddy Holly' is not most Hollies fans favorite - indeed it's failure was probably a contributing factor to Terry Sylvester's exit from the band , quickly followed by bass player Bernie Calvert in early summer 1981....!

it was very likely the final straw for Polydor records interest in the band as well

the biggest problem I felt was putting too many well known songs into unfamiliar styles - 'Peggy Sue Got Married' was done to a reggae beat !

"too many keyboards, string machines" etc is one criticism I have seen and in truth Tony's guitarwork was NOT featured much at all on the album

one track they did do nicely I felt was this driving version of 'That'll Be The Day' which does feature Tony Hicks guitar right up front in a style not unlike Status Quo - who had a UK hit with a cover of 'The Wanderer' in a similar style to this two years later in 1982

If more tracks on the 'Buddy Holly' album had been guitar led it might have been a far more successful album for them while this version of 'That'll Be The Day' would surely have made a better single 'A' side than the rather dreary slow ballad cover of 'Heartbeat' which despite nice vocals and a cool sax solo hardly surprisingly sank without trace....


Pete Wingfield guests on piano

 

I was just thinking that while I was watching it!

JG

 

I came here specifically to point out the brilliance of Bobby Elliot's drumming, but have seen that many others have beat me to the punch. I'm glad that we're all in agreement: A FANTASTIC DRUMMER!!

 

Good songwriter, harmony vocalist and lead guitarist.
Bobby Elliot is a great drummer too.
When I think of British Invasion harmony vocals it’s The Beatles, The Hollies, and The Searchers.

 

Yep.
Tony and Zal from the Lovin' Spoonful are two guys that don't get much respect but were great.

In many ways it was harder to play this sort of thing than just playing generic blues licks but because these guys were in pop bands they get overlooked .

 

Saw the Hollies live when Nash was still with the band. Yes Hicks and Elliott were memorable. I have the Hollies DVD with the same title as the thread.

 

Nice pick out Steve .
A song I never tire of is 'On a Carousel'
Great video of the band recording at Abbey Road all those years ago.
I always believed that Graeme Nash was the creative heart of the group but Tony Hicks was a more than able lieutenant.

 

When I first heard The Everly Brothers' version of "Hard Hard Year", I naturally assumed that Jimmy Page had played the lead guitar parts (since Page was known to have played on their Two Yanks In England album). But then I heard The Hollies' version of the song, and now I think that it might have actually been Tony on the Everlys version. Either that, or Page was consciously copying Tony's style and sound:

 

Interesting footage. The scenes with the three around the mike singing - must be a rehearsal since they aren’t wearing headphones to sing to the track.

 

This song is the real deal. The studio version has the most sublime singing Nash ever did. I think Gouldman was 15 or so when he wrote it which is remarkable.

 

Good to see Bobby Elliott getting some attention too. Tony was often part of the Nash and Clarke writing team. Like all great bands more than the sum of their parts.

 

Fantastic band. Ian Paice (Deep Purple drummer) once named Bobby Elliot as a key influence as well. Totally underrated as musicians!

 

Interesting Live program
on Swiss TV 1974
Allan,

Tony, Bernie, Bobbie & Terry​

 

What struck me when watching the video in post #1 is how I recall those days as having a genuine excitement to music that just isn’t around today, maybe never to be repeated.

 

Ages ago I saw an article from a mid-60s British teen magazine that featured Mitch Mitchell. It was pretty funny because this was pre-Experience by a year or more, and Mitch had very short hair, kind of what Clapton looked like in The Yardbirds.

IIRC, Mitch was with Georgie Fame at the time. Anyway, when asked to name his favorite drummers, Bobby Elliot was at the top of his list.

 

Great song and great footage! Thanks for posting.