The Hollies Greatest Hits - the best sonics?

Yes, some of the confusion comes about because the three UK At Abbey Road CDs were also packaged as one box.

 

Here's the three "At Abbey Road" disc's.

 

Here's the "30th Anniversary Collection"
This is the RF's remixes, and clean sound throughout!

 

Yes, these 3 are the ones I'm talking about. I haven't heard the other one.

 

A picture's worth a thousand words...

Thanks, Joe.

 

The original stereo mixes of the Hollies in two track stereo leave a lot to be desired.

The Ron Furmanek remixes on the 2 Cd set are excellent, and in my humble opinion, WAY too much nonsense has been said about that set. Its awesome sounding, it sounds as if The Hollies are in your living room. When I want to hear The Hollies, THATS the set I reach for.

 

Mikey, I agree!!!

 

The original stereo mixes of the Hollies in two track stereo leave a lot to be desired.

The Ron Furmanek remixes on the 2 Cd set are excellent, and in my humble opinion, WAY too much nonsense has been said about that set. Its awesome sounding, it sounds as if The Hollies are in your living room. When I want to hear The Hollies, THATS the set I reach for.
__________________

Howdy Mikey & Joe!

Thanks gents,..you guy's have good ears!,...ya know,..it is kinda old already,..ya know what I mean!,...(how did the lyrics of Rick Nelson's "Garden Party" go again ?)

Ya know,..you go crazy,..issue tons of rare first time stereo,..unreleased tracks,..alternates,..etc,.&,..there are always one or two that have to bark!,..I mean,..its been out 10 years folks!,..its not new for heaven sakes!,...Mr. Graham Nash approves 150%,..thats all I need to know,....the constant flow of reissues have come & gone since this set came out,....there's certainly something somewhere for everyone,..old or new,....no?!

Life's too short for games,..just play the music & enjoy it for goodness sakes!

& as the Hollies song goes,(&,.please listen to the lyrics!!), DO THE BEST YOU CAN

play it loud!

Ron F

 

Thanks, Ron! That "30th Anniversary" gets a lot of play at my house. I just love it, great job! Good to see you back on the forum, its been awhile, no?

 

Yet another cd I will now have to add to my collection.............

 

It never ends, reb. It never ends!

 

I don't think the At Abbey Road discs are that bad. They're not ideal, but they could be far, far worse. And besides, it's the only place you can get certain tracks.

 

Be very scared about the new 40th Anniversary box set....it was one of the worst sounding collections in a long list of terrible sounding CD's from EMI...what it could have sounded like and what it does sound like are two different things. We all know the story here...it hurts the ears..and just for the record..the new 2CD set "The Hollies Greatest Hits" ...the same way....this is all over the map...remixes..mono versions...and original stereo mixes...they even used the original stereo mix of "I Can't Let Go" with the distortion and mono glitch during the solo...why??? At least they could have used the mono version...but it all sounds bad anyway.

The way to go is just what is said here...
20 Golden Greats EMI UK
Anthology..From The Original Master Tapes US Legacy
3CD Anniversary set...w/Ron's remixes US EMI
2CD set..."All The Hits and More" EMI UK
and any of the early UK collections pre-NR...
The Hollies Singles A's & B's 1970-1979 on EMI a music for pleasure release...20 tracks from the later years..sounds good.
or even the 3 Sundazed releases......

JF

 

The only NR I've heard (and I wasn't listening for it) was during the really cool chatting they left in before the tracks start. That's not a deal braker for me. I don't like it but at least they left the music in tact.

The problem I have with this set isn't the mixes. I have a problem with the mastering. Some of the tracks (like the Alan Parson mixes) are from the original tapes yet the EQ Kevin Reeves did is just shy of a Bill Inglot EQ set on stun. The top end is accentuated (not the tippy top air that Bill Inglot loves but lower, harsher treble) and the bottom end is a bit shy. Listen to The Air That I Breathe as mastered by Vic Anesini and then listen to it on this set. Both are sourced from the same tape but there's quite a LARGE difference in the sound.

 

I am surprised at the praise for Ron F's Hollies collection. Mr. Furmanek certainly ruined the vocal mix of my favorite Hollies song ("Look Through Any Window") - just check any mono version.

 

I'm with Mikey and Joe. When I reach for stereo Hollies, it's Ron's 3 CD set. I rarely listen the 20 Golden Greats CD anymore. Those wide stereo mixes for me are very wonky in places.

The mono needle drop CD-R I created actually is a two-fer. I put Ron's stereo tracks on the back half of the disc in the same order as the original U.K. LP set rather than using the original stereo mixes. I especially enjoy the longer stereo version of my favourite Hollies song "Stop Stop Stop".

 

I agree with you. I settle for Twenty Golden Greats.

 

Me too. It's not the sound people usually prefer around here. It's a little EQ'd for this forum's tastes.

 

It wasn't the sound quality but the vocal mix that bugged me, R.F. lost the vocal blend of the hit version in that tune - how did he miss that? That's all I was talking about. (Personally I liked a lot of his remixes but it was a solid vocal hook that got lost.)

 

I have far more issues with the mastering on this set than I do with the mixes which, are interesting to listen to. Personally, I prefer the Mono mixes on a number of the older Hollies singles with a couple of exceptions, Bus Stop, being one. Thankfully, we have the original Stereo mix of Bus Stop as mastered by Steve. Sadly, it is unlikely that we will ever have the Mono mixes on CD without NR...

Bob

 

Guess I'm off the hook afterall $$$$..........

 

The thing that gets to me about the "30th Anniversary Collection" is the horrific digital overload distortion on the remixed "I Can't Let Go". Someone should have caught that before the discs went to press.

 

That version of "I Can't Let Go" was always an issue for me too..why did it have to sound like that? I never had a problem with any of Ron's remixes, I like them,but I just wish the distortion on ICLG was'nt there.

JF

 

I'm really glad Ron's a member here with his interesting stories and insights, but I kinda wonder if he does at this point...

Let's have Ron join up so we can rag his work, shall we?

 

I appreciate Ron F's remixes, but...I prefer the W I D E Stereo mixes...Just love turning that balance control, hard left and right Hey were did those vocals go?