Thursday, February 2, 2012

The Next Shiny Thing

This is my first post for "When You Motor Away."  I am honored to be among such august company. There has been a delay since I was first asked to post.  I was constant distracted by the next shiny thing.  I was always learning something new while on my way to complete another task.  First is was the discography of Robert Pollard, then dances of the 50's, 60's and 70's (RIP Don Cornelius) followed by a focus on funk.  The only constant was my daily birthday post on another site.
Today's birthday was for a godfather of jangle rock/pop.  Graham Nash 70 years old today.  Prior to his stint with CSNY, Graham was a member of the Hollies - one of the best acts of the British Invasion.  Their music was characterized by three part harmonies, ringing guitars, and, of course, the memorable hook.  Their influence is recognizable in jangle pops throughout the rock era - The Rasberries, Big Star,  and Shoes.  Would there have been the New Pornographers without Graham Nash and the Hollies?  Their influence has been a constant for the past 45 years.   Hollies were a presence on the charts from 1966 to 1969.  Give them a listen.

Their first recordings were covers.

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Later recordings were written by the three main vocalists - 2:40 of jangle, rock, and harmony.


Aus London:



The harmonies have been cuffed by other groups for years.  I often hear the harmonies lifted from this song.








2 comments:

Jim Desmond said...

Welcome aboard, Frank. Good post. Hadn't seen those vids, enjoyable.

YCHIOTR said...

It's a radio staple but "Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress" is an enduring classic of a song.