The Hollies (1972) Cable Car - LOST 70s GEMS

The Hollies' Distant Light album is adorned with an incredibly detailed drawing of a typical fairy tale scene of a young prince bent over a lake in a colourful and pastoral, supernatural image totally at odds with the Hollies' classic British Invasion clean cut pop image. Their last UK album starts with the thunderously gospel harmony stacked ballad What a Life I've Led, a strong country rock spirit is present with Allan Clarke's countrified growl reminiscent of Roger Daltrey's style of singing and a pedal steel solo combined with some country western strumming. But the ghostly stacked harmonies are the most soulful addition to the track along with the rumbling piano chords, a feature that starts off the next track Look What We've Got, another mix of soulful piano balladry and countrified tenor singing making it an excellent punchy pop rock classic for me. The blues and soulful piano notes keep the groove fluid, while the saxophone solo and the structure of the big gospel choruses and Clarke's downhome vocal mean this reminds me a lot of Elton John's early discography. Hold On is a folk rock meets cool blues boogie with more of a restrained Clarke performance as the drumming gets explosive and an organ fades in and out like a heavy cloud over the track; the rest is characteristic of hippy rock with 'ahh' backing vocals and some blues vamping.

The funky hard rock shuffle of Pull Down the Blind reminds me of late 60s groups like Bread and hevay sunshine pop or bubblegum groups; the blues licks are played with pure virtuosity in a thin tone that accentuates the lead guitarist' dexterity.
To Do With Love starts with some Classical Gas styled Spanish arpeggios before a 'Seasons in the Sun'/ Neil Diamond style of sunny folk rock pop hit begins, once again Clarke's voice has never sounded so clean and heartfelt. To Do With Love has a strong romantic yearning at it's core, it ends with a harpsichord and even tablas intensifying as the song rave ups like many 60s acts tended to do.


One of the best songs is Promised Land with it's gorgeously clunky acoustic strum so aggressive and funky like a hoedown as Clark, some more piano chords and a host of backing vocals ring out in stereo echo before a sudden pause and a fuzz guitar and organ section full of rock malice and sustained tension. The soloing is all very fluid and dazzling while the organ continues to dominate as much as the reverbed vocals and even a little Jimmy Page patented high register shred at the end. Long Cool Women is so analogous aside form it's reverb and thin guitar funkiness, but it's more an old school chugger like a biker anthem, it doesn't belong here, but on a T Rex album; a group that at the same time was melding ethereal folk balladry and more funky RnR bops. You Know the Score continues with a dramatic Clarke melody, twanging sitar like blues playing to a fuzz rhythm guitar and more epic reverb and some tasty blues fills in between the Stephen Stills' styled choral chants. Unfortunately it drifts off into an airey wind effect for a full minute and a half before the fuzz guitar breaks the silence and some Hey Joe 'oohs' join in before another full round of the chorus.


The standard piano shuffle of Cable Car reminds me of melodramatic productions by soul groups like The Unifics with the echo drenched reverb piano led tragi-tales of young heartbreak an doomed relationships. It's one of the best tracks with a soulful and remarkably smooth harmonica solo aolng with a sweet lilting vocal from Clarke and streaking string arrangements. The shimmying strings, oriental wah wah, funky harmonica add to the upbeat poppy strum of Little Thing Like Love stand out. Long Dark Road is the closer which with it's cheery drawn out group vocals throughout and rock steady acoustic strum in the central channel smacking of the Marmalade, another funky folk pop rock outfit form the late 60s along with Bread that this album reminds me of slightly alongside the very Elton-esque gravelly, drawling tenor. A watery echo pervades almost each track like the lake in the Hipgnosis cover art, with something darker and more ominous lurking under the surface of emerald trees and a multitude of birds.