Super Hits

Sometimes a group's songs will last longer in the listening public's mind than the name of the group. And sometimes, a listener will be familiar with a group when "so and so" was the lead singer, but fail to associate other songs as originating from the same band. The Hollies' Super Hits collects ten songs that hit the charts between 1967 and 1977, ranging from the hippie-inspired "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" to the pop-friendly "The Air That I Breathe." The English group made its reputation with tight, three-part harmony, and this remained a central element even with changes in personnel. Allan Clarke and Graham Nash are the movers and shakers on early material like "Carrie Anne" and "Dear Eloise." The odd hit, "King Midas in Reverse," revealed Nash's desire to venture beyond the safe waters of light pop, but these yearnings would cause friction within the band. After his departure, the group found success with the folkier sound of "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother." While this song and "Long Cool Woman (In a Black Dress)" have been played a gazillion times on "oldies" stations, they still hold up pretty darn good. Complaints? Only that the album is a short 35 minutes. Some casual fans will also miss pre-1967 material like "On a Carousel" and "Bus Stop," and wonder why the album skips, for whatever reason, Mikael Rickfors' early '70s vocal contributions. Still, Super Hits provides a good overview of the long life of a popular British band that specialized in great harmony and catchy songs. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr., Rovi