Happy 50th: The Hollies, HOLLIES SING HOLLIES

50 years ago this month, The Hollies released an album which – at least in title – was intended to remind listeners that just because they’d issued an LP earlier in the year that was all covers, it didn’t mean that they weren’t still quite capable of penning their own tunes.

Recorded at London’s EMI Studios and produced by Ron Richards, HOLLIES SING HOLLIES wasn’t just a humorous nod at the album of Bob Dylan covers that had preceded it. It also served to prove to fans that the departure of Graham Nash from their ranks (to join up with David Crosby and Stephen Stills, of course) shouldn’t suggest that all of the songwriting talent had left the band with him. New member Terry Sylvester brought a lot to the table in terms of songs, and the new LP even featured an instrumental written by bassist Bernie Calvert (“Reflections of a Long Time Past”).

What’s most interesting about HOLLIES SING HOLLIES, however, is that it came out in America the following month, and when it did, it featured a new song which provided the US release with its title: “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother.” Needless to say, that’s the song that really proved that the band was still pulling its weight without Nash.