The Hollies
Evolution

Better than the Beatles from a technical instrumental and vocal standpoint, the Hollies have faded into oblivion for most, although their discography continued to expand until the eighties. A fantastic band, second only to the Beatles in terms of the number of hits in England. I'm listening to Evolution, one of their albums from 1967. The vocals are perfect with vibrant and precise harmonies in the attacks and endings, the guitars, drums, and everything else work magnificently. Even the recording and production are excellent; after all, they also recorded in the legendary Abbey Road studios.

The album progresses, and I arrive at the third track Water On The Brain and I think “this could easily be on ‘Sgt. Pepper.’" The next track disappoints due to the naivety of inserting a tremolo effect on the voice, which, although it's the first case in the history of light music, still results irritating to listen to and it would have certainly been better to leave the voice clean instead of trying to “dazzle with special effects.” The following tracks flow pleasantly but without leaving noteworthy impressions, and the album ends with elegance and energy. And now, in the silence, I really find myself thinking “now I understand why the Beatles are the Beatles.” There's nothing wrong with the Hollies, everything aligns with the music market, the songs are pleasant and well-structured, the sound is enjoyable.

In short, everything is perfect, perhaps too perfect. Something is missing from this album and the others by this great band, something's not right. I can't figure out what it is, but there's a feeling of something forced, something that doesn't convince me, something intangible, something between the notes perhaps? In the way they sing? In the construction of the songs? In their arrangement? I don't understand what it is, but I feel that, although they are excellent, they will never deeply touch my heart. Like a model too beautiful, so beautiful it's boring. Like a dress too elegant, so elegant it becomes ridiculous. Like a love letter without that spelling mistake that reveals the emotion in the writing. Like a cake so well made it seems fake, and perhaps it is?