Ahhhhhhhhh……. (Cough, hack!)
Having trouble coming to your senses at the start of another week? Well, The Nest will have you feeling alive once again with another Monday treat for your ears! This is the day we feel through the dark closet and smell the musty mildew on another lost hit that’s a sight for sore eyes out of that tasty cellar of classic treats we like to call the Dusty Vinyl Archive! DJ Scratchy’s always in XTC with her senses working overtime, while the Sponkies are just hoping this old record isn’t really scratch-and-sniff. Go ahead and listen, watch, smell, taste and touch this moldy oldie…
Sixty (!!!) years ago in 1962, a band formed in Manchester, England by the name of The Hollies. Although they haven’t had founding member Graham Nash (CSN and Sometimes Y…. that Nash) for the last five of those decades, and have undergone a litany of lineup changes along the way…. The Hollies have remained a group for that entire time. Of course, most people could be excused for thinking they went away in the mid 70’s, as it’s been that long since The Hollies had a big hit on either side of the water…
A Hollies fan waiting for someone to share their umbrella.
The Hollies are my pick for the band with the most variety of sounds per big hits. If you’re familiar with the group’s handful of US Top 10 hits, you’ll know what I mean. “Bus Stop,” “Carrie Ann,” “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother,” “Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress”…. each one of those songs is like a completely different genre! If you played all four together, nobody would ever guess it was the same group on any two of those songs, let alone all four.
And then there’s this one with has yet another different vibe altogether….. and their last (original) Top 10 hit in either the US or the UK:
Oh, I absolutely adore this major piece of mellow schlock! “The Air That I Breathe” was co-written by Albert Hammond, and hit #6 in the US in 1974. All told, The Hollies are pretty underrated in my opinion for being able to pull off so many different musical styles. They sure did nail this one with that snazzy guitar opening, the neat drumming sequence during the chorus and of course those harmonies. Sometimes, all I need is “The Air That I Breathe”….
Fire breathing is cool, too…
Come back next Monday for another song you just can’t do without…
Evil Squirrel's Nest 
I like them too… and I like the face he makes while he sings this song LOL
I think he’s breathing in more than just air with that smile…
I’d forgotten how much I liked this song!
It’s really good!
I would never have realized all of the songs came from the same band… how dare you educate me!!! 🤣
I am as shocked as anyone that my blog would have enlightening content!
And it’s kind of a decent song, though I did have to rush to my personal music collection to find something to get that out of my head…
A fun return to younger days. LOTS younger…
WAAAAAAY younger for me, as in not even born yet!
😁👍
One of my fav groups in the late 60’s and 70’s. Then again I’m a sucker for any group with Graham Nash. Great Monday selection.
I had no idea Graham Nash was in The Hollies until I did the research for this post! Of course, he was already long gone to CSNY by the time they did this song…
It sounded kinda familiar – I recognised it properly when he got to the chorus. I’m most familiar with “Carrie Ann” from the Hollies though. I didn’t know this song was the Hollies.
“Bus Stop” is their most famous song here, and finding out separately that this song and “Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress” (If you aren’t familiar with that song, check it out… I think you’ll like it) were by the same group that did “Bus Stop” was quite a shock. They’re quite the chameleon of oldies groups…
Oh I surely remember that song……really beautiful and you’re right about The Hollies having MANY sounds – they really did!
Pam
The Hollies could have probably done disco, punk and gangsta rap if they wanted to! And it would be cool to see them do those sounds….