Romany (album)

Last updated

Romany
HolliesRomany.jpg
Studio album by
The Hollies
ReleasedNovember 1972
Recorded13 April–30 August 1972 [1]
Studio EMI Studios, Abbey Road, London
Genre Rock, pop
Length45:29
Label U.K.: Polydor LP 2383144
U.S.: Epic KE 31992
Producer The Hollies
The Hollies chronology
Distant Light
(1971)		Romany
(1972)		 The Hollies' Greatest Hits
(1973)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Christgau's Record Guide C− [3]

Romany is the twelfth UK studio album by The Hollies, the first not to feature their lead singer Allan Clarke, who had left to embark on a solo career. He was replaced by Swedish singer Mikael Rickfors. In the opinion of contemporary and retrospective critics, this album moved the band further away from the original vocal harmony style of Allan Clarke, Tony Hicks and Graham Nash. [3] [2]

Contents

The album only features two songwriting contributions from band members: one song was co-written by Tony Hicks, who had been a co-writer on a significant proportion of the band's material since their second album; and another was written by new member Rickfors. Previous albums, with the exception of Hollies Sing Dylan and the band's debut album, had much more original material.

The US Epic Records version of the album, which reached number 84 on the Billboard 200, omitted the track "Lizzy and the Rainman", and has a slightly altered side one track order. The album failed to chart in the UK. The cover of Romany is a rendering of the summer location depicted on Distant Light as a winter scene.

As the album was nearing release[ when? ] the members of the group were getting nervous and made at least three changes in the album, announced a single before retracting it,[ vague ] which delayed the album for three months. Due to the success of the previous album and its smash hit single, the LP initially sold very well in the US. Upon its release, Romany sold six times more copies in the first week in the US than any previous Hollies album had sold in a year. It also received more US FM airplay than the band had ever got in their previous nine years. [4] [ additional citation(s) needed ]

Track listing

UK Version

Side one
  1. "Won't We Feel Good That Morning" (Day, Leslie)
  2. "Touch" (Mikael Rickfors)
  3. "Words Don't Come Easy" (Colin Jennings)
  4. "Magic Woman Touch" (Colin Jennings, Garth Watt-Roy)
  5. "Lizzy and the Rainman" (Larry Henley, Kenny O'Dell)
  6. "Down River" (David Ackles)
Side two
  1. "Slow Down" (Day, Leslie)
  2. "Delaware Taggett and the Outlaw Boys" (Colin Jennings)
  3. "Jesus Was a Cross Maker" (Judee Sill)
  4. "Romany" (Colin Jennings)
  5. "Blue in the Morning" (Kenny Lynch, Tony Hicks)
  6. "Courage of Your Convictions" (Alan Rush, Randy Cullers)

US Version

Side one
  1. "Magic Woman Touch" (Colin Jennings, Garth Watt-Roy)
  2. "Touch" (Mikael Rickfors)
  3. "Words Don't Come Easy" (Colin Jennings)
  4. "Won't We Feel Good" (M. Leslie, B. Day)
  5. "Down River" (David Ackles)
Side two
  1. "Slow Down" (M. Leslie, B. Day)
  2. "Delaware Taggett and the Outlaw Boys" (Colin Jennings)
  3. "Jesus Was a Cross Maker" (Judee Sill)
  4. "Romany" (Colin Jennings)
  5. "Blue in the Morning" (Kenny Lynch, Tony Hicks)
  6. "Courage of Your Convictions" (Alan Rush, Randy Cullers)

Remastered CD

The album was released on CD by EMI in 2007, featuring the (remastered) 12 tracks from the original UK release plus the following bonus tracks: [5]

  1. "The Baby" - 2003 Digital Remaster (Chip Taylor)
  2. "Magic Woman Touch" - Acoustic Version 2007 Digital Remaster (Colin Jennings, Watt-Roy)
  3. "Indian Girl" - 2007 Digital Remaster (Terry Sylvester)
  4. "If It Wasn't For The Reason That I Love You" (Cooke, Greenaway)
  5. "Papa Rain" (Colin Jennings)
  6. "Witchy Woman” (Don Henley, Bernie Leadon)
  7. "Oh Granny" - Terry Sylvester Version 2007 Digital Remaster (Terry Sylvester)
  8. "I Had A Dream" (Terry Sylvester)

Personnel

Technical

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Hollies</span> English pop group formed in the early 1960s

The Hollies are a British rock and pop band formed in 1962. One of the leading British groups of the 1960s and into the mid-1970s, they are known for their distinctive three-part vocal harmony style. Allan Clarke and Graham Nash founded the band as a Merseybeat-type group in Manchester, although some of the band members came from towns further north, in east Lancashire. Nash left the group in 1968 to form Crosby, Stills & Nash, though he has reunited with the Hollies on occasion.

<i>Two Yanks in England</i> 1966 studio album by The Everly Brothers

Two Yanks in England is an album by The Everly Brothers, released in 1966.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allan Clarke (singer)</span> British rock singer and songwriter

Harold Allan Clarke is an English rock singer, who was one of the founding members and the original lead singer of the Hollies. He achieved international hit singles with the group and is credited as co-writer on several of their best-known songs, including "On a Carousel", "Carrie Anne", "Jennifer Eccles" and "Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress". He retired from performing in 1999, but returned to the music industry in 2019. Clarke was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Hicks</span> English guitarist and singer

Anthony Christopher Hicks is an English guitarist and singer who has been a member of the British rock/pop band the Hollies since 1963, and as such was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010. His main roles within the band are lead guitarist and backing singer.

<i>Hollies</i> (1974 album) 1974 studio album by The Hollies

Hollies is the 14th UK studio album by the English pop rock group the Hollies, released in 1974, marking the return of Allan Clarke after he had left for a solo career. It features the band's cover of Albert Hammond's ballad "The Air That I Breathe," a major worldwide hit that year. The album has the same title as the band's third album from 1965.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terry Sylvester</span> English musician (born 1947)

Terence Sylvester is an English musician and songwriter. He is a former member of the Escorts, the Swinging Blue Jeans (1966–1969), and the Hollies. In the latter role, he took on the high parts formerly sung by Graham Nash, who had left the band in December 1968.

<i>Distant Light</i> (Hollies album) 1971 studio album by The Hollies

Distant Light is a 1971 album released by the Hollies, their 11th UK album and their last before brief departure of lead vocalist and founding member Allan Clarke, and reputedly the first album to come out of AIR Studios. The album spawned two hit singles: the Allan Clarke penned "Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress", which peaked at number two in the US and number 32 in the UK; and Tony Hicks penned "Long Dark Road", which reached number 26 in the US. The US version of the album peaked at number 21 in the album charts. The summer scene on the cover is rendered as a winter scene on the next Hollies album Romany.

<i>Confessions of the Mind</i>

Confessions of the Mind is the tenth studio album by the Hollies. It was released in the United States as Moving Finger, with a different track sequence and the tracks "Separated" and "I Wanna Shout" replaced with the Clarke/Sylvester penned "Marigold: Gloria Swansong" saved from the previous album and "Gasoline Alley Bred". In Germany, it was released by Hansa as Move On with an alternate track sequence with "Gasoline Alley Bred" added. The UK version peaked at number 30 in the charts and the US version at number 183.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mikael Rickfors</span> Swedish singer and songwriter (born 1948)

Mikael Rickfors is a Swedish singer and songwriter. From 1968, he was the lead singer and bass guitarist in Swedish band Bamboo. The band released two singles before breaking up in 1970. Rickfors later performed with the British rock group The Hollies for about two years. At this period he displayed a wide vocal range and powerful chest voice. In later decades he took on a deliberate, slightly raspy tone. After his time in The Hollies, he started a somewhat successful solo career. The commercial highlight was the 1988 hit "Vingar" in Sweden.

<i>Hollies Sing Dylan</i> 1969 studio album by The Hollies

Hollies Sing Dylan is a 1969 cover album featuring songs written by Bob Dylan and performed by the Hollies. It is their eighth UK album. It was also released in the US as Words and Music by Bob Dylan with a different cover but using the same band image and track order. First released on compact disc in West Germany in the late 1980s, it was not released in that format in the rest of Europe until 1993. For this issue, two bonus tracks, the single version of "Blowin' in the Wind" and a live version of "The Times They Are a-Changin'". A later remastered issue in 1999 added a third bonus track, a live version of "Blowin' in the Wind".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lizzie and the Rainman</span> 1975 single by Tanya Tucker

"Lizzie and the Rainman" is a song written by Kenny O'Dell and Larry Henley. The song was first recorded in 1972, being that year a single release for its co-writer Kenny O'Dell and an album cut for Bobby Goldsboro and the Hollies.

<i>Another Night</i> (Hollies album) 1975 studio album by The Hollies

Another Night is the 15th UK studio album by English rock/pop band, the Hollies. It is the band's second album with returning vocalist Allan Clarke who rejoined in 1974 for the album Hollies, after leaving for a solo career in 1972. The album is made up of original material, with the exception of "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)" by the relatively unknown Bruce Springsteen.

<i>Write On</i> (album) 1976 studio album by The Hollies

Write On is the first of two 1976 studio albums by the English rock/pop band, the Hollies, and their 16th UK studio album. Like the previous one, this album has mostly songs written by the group's songwriting team. The final track of the album is the only one not composed by them. This album was not issued in the US.

<i>Russian Roulette</i> (Hollies album) 1976 studio album by The Hollies

Russian Roulette is a 1976 self-produced album by English rock/pop group, the Hollies, and their 17th UK studio album. The album is the band's second release in 1976. It was composed entirely by the group's songwriting team. The album was not issued in the US.

<i>A Crazy Steal</i> 1978 studio album by The Hollies

A Crazy Steal is the 18th UK studio album by English rock/pop group, the Hollies. It includes their version of Emmylou Harris' "Boulder to Birmingham", which had been released two years prior, reaching number 10 in the charts in New Zealand. Three other songs from this album were released in 1977, and 1978 as singles, yet failed to chart anywhere.

<i>Five Three One - Double Seven O Four</i> 1979 studio album by The Hollies

Five Three One - Double Seven O Four is the 19th UK studio album by the English rock/pop group the Hollies. When rendered as digits, the album title is the band's name upside down in digital number view. The idea is credited to guitarist Terry Sylvester.

<i>Clarke, Hicks & Nash Years: The Complete Hollies April 1963 – October 1968</i> 2011 CD box set by The Hollies

Clarke, Hicks & Nash Years: The Complete Hollies April 1963 – October 1968 is a 6-CD box set released in the United Kingdom by EMI Records in 2011. As the title suggests, it encompasses, in chronological order by recording date, almost every song The Hollies have released to date that was recorded between April 1963 and October 1968, when Graham Nash left the band. Included were 14 previously unreleased tracks such as French-language versions of hit songs, alternate stereo mixes and a live set from the Lewisham Odeon recorded 24 May 1968. Besides various mono and stereo mixes of tracks, previously released material excluded from the set were the alternate version of "Stay" from the 1988 UK The Hollies: Compacts for Pleasure CD and the longer Take 9 of "Poison Ivy" from their first Australian LP.

Carla Olson is a Los Angeles-based songwriter, performer and producer. Her discography consists of 10 studio albums, 4 live albums, and 4 compilations. In addition, she has been featured as a performer and producer on many albums by other artists.

<i>Hollies Live Hits</i> 1977 live album by The Hollies

Hollies Live Hits is the first live album by the Hollies, released in 1977. It reached number four on the UK Album Chart.

References

  1. ↑ "Session Listing". Archived from the original on 25 September 2018. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
  2. 1 2 Allmusic review
  3. 1 2 Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: H". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies . Ticknor & Fields. ISBN   089919026X . Retrieved 26 February 2019– via robertchristgau.com.
  4. ↑ Circus Magazine, May 1973. - "Romany - The Hollies Hop Over Disaster" by Janis Schacht.
  5. ↑ "Hollies information page". Hollies.co.uk. 13 August 2007. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.