Why did Allan Clarke insist on frequently performing bare chested throughout the 70s?

Doubt he could speak English too well, which surely would've hampered group relations, and their couple of albums were relative flops in the UK and US despite strong criticial reception. It's a shame, as I'm sure they would've had an audience in the late 70s as a more aor-oriented arena rock band with Rickfors at the helm.
I also suspect that Hicks, Calvert, Elliott and Sylvester were pretty conservative when it came to the band's image, particularly given Sylvester came to the band with the infamous Dylan covers he probably didn't want to jeapordise his safe position hawking cheesy pop covers to dwindling audiences.
Do you know anything of Rickfors' post Hollies output? I love the man's voice, and I'd like to hear if he's got anything similar to the csn-styled pop of that era.

 

Afraid I don't (and apologies to him and to all for getting his name wrong, a mistake I've now corrected). He seems to have an active career in Sweden/Scandinavia, according to wiki: Mikael Rickfors - Wikipedia

Most Swedes I know speak English OK but I suppose there may have been 'cultural differences' that were more important. His tenure in the band isn't well-known (I think only The Baby - a Chip Taylor song - was a minor hit in Britain). Michael Schenker had serious language problems when he joined UFO (he didn't speak a word of English, apparently, though I doubt if the others spoke any German, either) but commercial success meant he stayed in the band.

 

No doubt I imagine he could've stayed regardless of language barriers, but as I said I suspect the decision was more commercial than artistic or communicative. It'd be brilliant, now that Clarke's voice is well and truly ruined, if Rickfors could sort something out with the remaining Hollies (though I seriously doubt it). Man was an incredibly talented vocalist, songwriter, performer and even instrumentalist - it'd be interesting to have maybe heard those Hollies harmonies put to work on some harder rock or blues courtesy of the extra guitar option Rickfors put forward. Can still pull it off today by all accounts from what I've seen. Regardless, it'll never happen, no point fantasising about the Hollies deposing Journey in the late 70s

 

Shockingly enough, it actually looks like the Rickfors-era pop classic Magic Woman Touch was the Hollies' first flop single in the UK! At least we got it to no.33 here in Australia!

 

I was thinking more this!

 

Language problems...whatever that means.

 

When you're hot, you're "hot".

 

Rickfors had a decent career in Sweden, singing soul influenced rock music. In 1987, his career had a huge upturn. First with this duet track, taken from a soundtrack:


Then, two years later, he had his biggest hit ever:
Rickfors VINGAR

Followed up with Mikael Rickfors - Vart tog Alla Vilda Kvinnor Vägen

Then, in the early 90s, he was a member of the Swedish Traveling Wilburys counterpart, Grymlings, and the singer of the first verse of their breakthrough hit: Grymlings - Mitt Bästa För Dig (TV 1990)
(The singer of the third verse is Göran Lagerberg from Sweden's best ever band, Tages.)

 

Mikael Rickfors has claimed that he simply lost interest in being in The Hollies; - "We had been touring a lot, and after a break I called Robin Britten who was the manager, and told him I wanted to quit". Brittens answer was apparently: "you're lucky - I was just about to fire you!" No official reason given, but Rickfors later also said he wanted to do more blues and rock'n roll, and less pop and felt The Hollies were heading in the wrong direction.

While we're on the subject of Mikael Rickfors, did you know he wrote a song for Cyndi Lauper's first album ("Yeah Yeah")?

 

Turner Scott Van Blarcum from Pump N Ethyl

 

I didn't think it was all that uncommon for rock musicians to open their shirt or even take the thing off? I don't know, I don't go to those sort of concerts so my impression may come from seeing lots of promo pictures.

Aren't drummers supposed to be shirtless? I thought that was one of the rules.

 

None of his solo output is in that CSN direction. I hoped the same and was disappointed.

 

At an Allman Brothers show at the Detroit Pine Knob shed in the early eighties, both Gregg
and Dickey appeared shirt-less for the encore. First and only time I saw that!

 

Did Clarke perform bare chest so much as perform with an open shirt?

 

Hamburg- January 1969
A bit too chilly (or uncool ) for Jimi to go all the way.

 

Which bare chest are we looking at?

 

Whatever Mike Rickfors might say about wanting to quit he was actually asked to leave the band as Allan Clarke was returning

Mike was unlucky as clearly he was - and still is - a very talented guy and in retrospect if possible (which I doubt it was) The Hollies should have retained him alongside the returning Clarke but that's hindsight

Problems beset Rickfors relatively short stint as Hollies lead singer - some Hollies 'Clarke' fans gave him the same response current singer Peter Howarth has got from a minority of vocal 'fans' !

also then Mike wasn't that comfortable as a out and out featured frontman it seems preferring to be one of the band front line NOT the guy out front as Clarke was, they line up differently for TV spots on 'The Baby' and 'Magic Woman Touch' with a front line or Rickfors and Sylvester behind Hicks and Calvert

they got the 1972-3 USA Tour on the strength of the Clarke sung USA chart hits Long Cool Woman and Long Dark Road but as Terry Sylvester said;
'The Americans wanted Allan but we just didn't sound like that anymore...'

they did get 'Romany' just into the USA album chart but it flopped in the UK as did 'Magic Woman Touch' - the first UK official Hollies single not to chart since they began in 1963

they never did a UK tour with Mike and the follow up album 'Out on The Road' was never released in either UK or USA only in Germany and Mexico (I think) plus maybe Spain - as Mike was suddenly without any big announcement just gone back home to Sweden and Clarke was in the studio with The Hollies in August 1973

Tony Hicks has spoken of problems with Mike's accent causing them to cut vocal tracks into tiny sections increasing recording times and costs, plus Mike apparently feeling rather homesick too - how true that is we can only guess

with Clarke's solo career not taking off that brilliantly despite some fine albums and The Hollies clearly not finding the overall chemistry right with Mike (despite two great albums) and it seems their longtime producer Ron Richards (who produced 'The Baby') dropping out of the 'Romany' sessions the decision was made by Hicks to meet up with Clarke, and they agreed his return, thus it seems Mike was deemed to be not required - a great shame and a mistake in my opinion as any 'issues' re Mike's language problems would soon have faded and he DID add much instrumental and songwriting power to the band

they could have gone in a CSNY and Eagles direction with FOUR vocalists...but instead chose the safer more 'traditional' Hollies style relying far too much on melodramatic ballads later in my opinion which cost them re chart singles and ultimately albums too

Later Mike spoke of having to sing 'silly' pop songs like 'Bus Stop' (upsetting some Hollies fans) and clearly he longed to be singing his Hollies seventies album recordings rather than sixties hits far more associated with Clarke and Nash

while none of the other Hollies, tho' accepting Mike was and is a talented guy, seem to reflect very positively on that brief era...which is sad as the two albums show the short lived 'Rickfors Hollies' were well worth their place in The Hollies long history

 

Put a bra on for God's sake! *


* Him, not her.

 

I'm primarily a Graham Nash fan. The rest of the Hollies are second. But Romany is my favorite Hollies album.

The least Hollies-sounding album they made, with a singer who was neither Nash, nor Clarke, is easily may favorite.

 

They probably could've in retrospect kept Mikael on as acoustic guitarist or bassist, perhaps, as his live playing wasn't bad and I doubt Terry's parts were altogether too difficult (I only play a little guitar so can't really comment), but it doesn't really matter anymore I guess.

 

Then you mean a bro.

 

Mike played electric and acoustic guitars, bass guitar, keyboards and harmonica besides percussion !

on an instrumental level alone he was a great asset to the band and his acoustic guitar duets with Tony Hicks were superb

vocally Mike sounded somewhat like Scott Walker at times, and despite comments re his accent (in places) Mike's voice was very much a fine harmony voice and a number of songs with passages sung in full harmony such as; 'Magic Woman Touch', 'Touch', 'Romany', 'Blue in The Morning', 'Delaware Tagget', 'The Last Wind', 'They Don't Realise I'm Down' etc show how strong the Rickfors-Hicks-Sylvester vocal harmony sound really was, with (ironic) quite a strong CSNY influence !

listen to this example;

 

and just like CSNY the 'Rickfors Hollies' also had an electric rock side too

 

Oh please start one.
I have been over on the Abba singles thread chatting about Agnetha's bad early 80s perm...

 

Jeez that shirt needs ironing...