The 1972 "Romany" LP by THE HOLLIES On CD Inside The "Changin' Times..." 5CD Set
"...Cast You Spell Over me One More Time..."
"...Cast You Spell Over me One More Time..."
The
1972 album "Romany" by The Hollies can be found on CD in two places –
the now deleted 2007 EMI singular CD reissue with 8 Bonus Tracks (has become
very pricey since deletion) – or inside "Changin' Times: The Complete
Hollies - January 1969 - March 1973". I'd suggest getting
"Romany" inside the 5CD set because its easily accessible and offers
so much more on top of that great album (five other LPs worth as well as
non-album 7" singles, outtakes and rarities). "Romany" was also
issued with different track lists in the UK and USA and the "Changin'
Time..." set will allow fans to sequence both. Here are the finite
details...
UK
and USA released July 2015 - "Changin' Times: The Complete Hollies -
January 1969 - March 1973" by THE HOLLIES on Parlophone 0825646336111
(Barcode 0825646336111) is a 5CD Set in a multiple-layer double-sized jewel
case. The "Romany" album had different tracks lists in the UK (12)
and USA (11) and either can be sequenced from this 5-disc set as follows (3/5 =
Track 3 on Disc 5 - 6/4 = Track 6 on Disc 4 etc.):
"Romany"
- November 1972 UK 12-Track LP on Polydor 2383 144
Side
1:
1.
Won't You Feel Good That Morning [3/5]
2.
Touch [6/4]
3.
Words Don't Come Easy [17/4]
4.
Magic Woman Touch [13/4]
5.
Lizzy And The Rainman [15/4]
6.
Down River [12/4]
Side
2:
1.
Slow Down [2/5]
2.
Delaware Taggett And The Outlaw Boys [15/4]
3.
Jesus Was A Crossmaker [11/4]
4.
Romany [7/4]
5.
Blue In The Morning [10/4]
6.
Courage Of Your Convictions [18/4]
"Romany"
- November 1972 USA 11-Track LP on Epic E 31992
Side
1:
1.
Magic Woman Touch [13/4]
2.
Touch [6/4]
3.
Words Don't Come Easy [17/4]
4.
Won’t We Feel Good [aka Won’t You Feel Good That Morning] [3/5]
5.
Down River [12/4]
Side
2:
1.
Slow Down [2/5]
2.
Delaware Taggett And The Outlaw Boys [15/4]
3.
Jesus Was A Crossmaker [11/4]
4.
Romany [7/4]
5.
Blue In The Morning [10/4]
6.
Courage Of Your Convictions [18/4]
BONUS
TRACKS:
The
eight Bonus Tracks on the 2007 'Expanded Edition' CD of "Romany" are:
13.
The Baby - a non-album UK 7” single A-side released 4 February 1972 on Polydor
2058 199 (Track 5 on Disc 4). For the non-album B-side "Oh Granny"
see Track 4 on Disc 4
14.
Magic Woman Touch (Acoustic Version) – Track 14 on Disc 4
15.
Indian Girl – non-album B-side of "Magic Woman Touch" – a UK 7”
single released 10 November 1972 on Polydor 2058 289 – Track 9 on Disc 3
16.
If It Wasn’t For The Reason – recorded between the sessions for “Romany” and
“Out On The Road” – Track 4 on Disc 5
17.
Papa Rain – Previously Unreleased until 2007 on the 'Expanded Edition' – Track
8 on Disc 4
18.
Witchy Woman - Previously Unreleased until 2007 on the 'Expanded Edition'
(Eagles cover version) – Track 1 on Disc 5
19.
Oh Granny (Terry Sylvester Vocal Version) - a non-album UK 7” single B-side to
"The Baby" released 4 February 1972 on Polydor 2058 199 - Track 4 on
Disc 4
20.
I Had A Dream - non-album B-side to the US 7" single of "Jesus Was A
Carpenter" (Judee Sill cover) release May 1973 on Epic Records 5-10989 -
June 1973 German 7" single (in picture sleeve) of "Jesus Was A
Carpenter" on Hansa 12 728 AT – Track 16 on Disc 5
OUTTAKE:
If
It Wasn't For The Reason That I Love You – recorded September 1972 after the
"Romany" sessions - from the November 1988 LP and CD compilation
"Rarities" on EMI Records EMS 1311 – Track 4 on Disc 5
THE
HOLLIES (December 1971 to March 1973)
Tony
Hicks, Bobby Elliott, Bernie Calvert, Terry Sylvester and Mikael Rickfors
The
24-page booklet features a witty and clever introduction called 'Elucidating
Observations' by the band's long-standing drummer BOBBY ELLIOTT (reminiscences
of Graham being rescued from the beer-swilling Hollies by David Crosby to join
him on the CSNY odyssey) - a UK Discography for the singles and LP – pages of
rare European, US and Japanese 7” single picture sleeves – album covers – and
track by track recording details. It's well done - the colour centre pages
photo sees the boys staring out of set of broken windows somewhere in Nuremberg
- and for such a huge haul of music is priced cheaply too.
Across
92 tracks are the A&B-sides of eight British 7" singles, six full
albums (five British on Parlophone and one European on Hansa), six LP and CD
compilation exclusives, non-album European/USA single releases and the bonus
tracks that came with the ‘Extended Version’ CD of “Romany”. The six albums
are: "Hollies Sing Dylan" (May 1969), "Hollies Sing
Hollies" (November 1969), "Confessions Of The Mind" (November
1970), "Distant Light" (October 1971), "Romany" (November
1972) and "Out On The Road" (Germany-Only, June 1973).
By
all accounts the "Romany" LP shouldn’t work. The band’s mentor and
one of their principal songwriters Allan Clarke had jumped ship for a solo
career and that other great tune contributor and original member Tony Hicks
coughed up only one song - "Blue In
The Morning" – a co-write with fellow Englishman Kenny Lynch. Swedish
singer Mikael Rickfors gave them the gorgeous "Touch" whilst
"Down River" and "Jesus Was A Crossmaker" were covers of
David Ackles and Judee Sill songs. The remainder were primarily from the pen of
Colin Horton-Jennings – the Vocalist and Guitarist with obscure Harvest Records
act The Greatest Show On Earth. It shouldn’t work but it does...
Instead
of feeling like an LP of disparate songs written by other people – it feels
like a grown up Hollies album – gorgeous harmony vocals allied with superb
Abbey Road production values (Produced by The Hollies but engineered by Pink
Floyd men Alan Parsons (The Dark Side Of The Moon) and Peter Bown (The Piper At
The Gates Of Dawn). In fact I’d argue that if "Romany" had been the
next Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young after 1970’s "Deja Vu" – they’d
have even more garlands laid at their holy CSNY feet than they already do.
The
UK LP opens with "Won’t You Feel Good That Morning" – the first of
two songs written by the Trio of Cy Crane, Herbert Weiner and John Gluck Jr. –
the other is "Slow Down" – both still mysteriously credited to M.
Leslie and B. Day in the booklet (whoever they are). After the semi-rocker of
"Won’t You Feel Good That Morning" – the beautiful "Touch"
establishes the true tone of the album – melodious ballads. I love the
understated guitar playing on this track and that ever present comfort organ. "Words
Don’t Come Easy" is the first Colin Horton-Jennings song – a crying
Spanish lady song with the shadow of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young lingering
over the entire melodious production.
He
also contributed the winner of "Magic Woman Touch" – a co-write by
Horton-Jennings with his fellow Greatest Show On Earth band member Norman
Watt-Roy (who also did a stint with Deram Prog Rockers East Of Eden). Worlds
away from Prog or complicated overtures - "Magic Woman Touch" is pure
Hollies pop brilliance and why the November 1972 UK 7” single on Polydor 2058
289 wasn’t a Top 5 smash is an absolute mystery (it didn’t make the Top 40).
Americans Kenny O’Dell and Larry Henley penned "Lizzy And The
Rainman" and even put it out as a US 45 on Kapp K-2178 in July 1972 (as
"Lizzie And The Rain Man"). Both it and David Ackle’s "Down
River" feel right – piano ballads that work.
The
rocker "Slow Down" feels like bad Status Quo at times and slightly
out of place. Better is another Colin Horton-Jennings tale of dodgy cowboys
"Delaware Taggett And The Outlaw Boys" that has more than a passing
musical resemblance to the slick guitar chug of "Long Cool Woman In A
Black Dress". May 1973 saw The Hollies release their sublime cover of
Judee Sill’s "Jesus Was A Crossmaker" in the USA on Epic 5-10989 with
the non-album "I Had A Dream" on the flipside (Track 16 on Disc 5).
But that’s trumped by the final Colin Horton-Jennings composition – the superb
title track "Romany" – The Hollies sounding so damn good. It ends of
"Blue In The Morning" – a ‘as soon as I saw the look in her eyes I
knew it was over’ song penned by Tony Hicks and Kenny Lynch – while the poppy
guitar of "Courage Of Your Convictions" is from Alan Rush and Randy
Cullers both of whom have contributed songs to Kris Kristofferson, David Linde
and Elvis Presley in his final years.
Further
glory would follow for The Hollies on Polydor with Alan Clarke taking the
song-writing ascendancy ("The Air That I Breathe") - while Graham
Nash went on of course to conquer the West Coast of America and then the entire
world with David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Neil Young and all of the CSNY
off-shoots.
"…Cast
your spell upon me one more time..." - THE HOLLIES sang on the wonderful
"Magic Woman Touch".
"Romany"
is a blindingly good album and you want it in your home. Let this 'Elucidating
Observation' touch your life and roam over your undulating hills (if that’s not
too fruity for 2016)...
