Slumgullion #9

Watch out for those Daleks, mister. Photo of Eccleston as Lennon from Blogtor Who blog.

Number 9 - - - number 9 - - - number 9. It’s Slumgullion Number Nine, and so it’s only fitting to open with a bit on John Lennon.

When I first read on Blogtor Who that Christopher Eccleston, the actor who did such a grand job of bringing Doctor Who back to life, will be portraying Beatle John in the new Lennon Naked film due to air on England’s BBC Four later this year, I just couldn’t picture it. David Tennant, Eccleston’s successor on Doctor Who would make a good young Lennon. But Eccleston? Blogtor Who and now several other Internet sites have clips from Naked Lennon, and Eccleston seems quite believable in the role. Wonder if we’ll get a chance to see the movie here in the states.

The critically acclaimed Mary-Arrchie Theatre in Chicago will celebrate its 25th Anniversary in 2011, and has just launched a fundraising campaign that will hopefully keep this cutting edge group around for at least another 25 years. Patrons are being asked to take on the role of angels via donations. $50 to $100 equals a Bronze Angel, while $1,000 or more equals a Guardian Angel. There are also Silver, Gold, and Platinum Angel options in between. Mary-Arrchie’s ultimate goal is to reach $60K, but it will settle for $25K to celebrate its 25th year. For more information on the fundraiser, as well as the upcoming performance of Kirk Lynn’s experimental play, Cherrywood, check out the Mary-Arrchie website.

Fans of 1960s English music should be pleased with the arrival of a new DVD series called British Invasion from Reelin’ In The Years Productions. The San Diego company has its own Facebook Fan page, where it announces, “The first four artists are: The Small Faces, Hermans’s Hermits, Gerry And The Pacemakers, and Dusty Springfield.” The documentaries include vintage footage, interviews, and “cool extras too.” They’re available on Amazon and can be purchased individually or as a boxed set. Hopefully, British Invasion will spotlight more U.K. acts in the near future.

The April 15th edition of Rolling Stone offers a backstage look at the recent 2010 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Ceremony, including that odd incident involving a mic during The Hollies’ performance. According to the magazine, Terry Sylvester, who had been with the band from 1969 to 1981, was miffed about not being invited to join Graham Nash and Allan Clarke in the rehearsals for the performance. Shortly after “Long Cool Woman” started, with Train’s Pat Monahan doing the lead vocals and Little Steven Van Zandt playing lead guitar, Sylvester ambled onstage and gestured for Monahan to give him the mic. Monahan complied, and Sylvester sang a few lines before Clarke took the mic away and gave it back to Monahan.

I’m going to wimp out and come down squarely in the middle of this, but first, here’s a tip of the hat to Monahan. He not only did a great job on the vocals, he was a good sport. I can kind of see the logic of concentrating on lifelong friends Nash and Clarke, who co-founded The Hollies, but I also think Sylvester should have been included. I met him at a Fest For Beatles Fans show in Chicago a few years back, and he’s an outgoing, friendly guy. I did a phone interview with Nash over a year ago, and also found him to be very down-to-earth. I’ve never spoken with Clarke, but I’m sure I’d find him affable, and he’s more than welcome to contact me.

Meanwhile, Sylvester must still be in The RRHOF s good graces, because he’s scheduled to perform with Gene Chandler, Sheila E., Mark Farner, and Tommy James and the Shondells at the organization’s It’s Only Rock and Roll Annual Benefit Concert in Cleveland on May 15th.

P.S.: Viewers may have noticed Green Day’s Billy Joe Armstrong, who had introduced The Stooges for their RRHOF induction, singing along with “Carrie Anne” as he sat in the audience. Rolling Stone reports that Armstrong later approached Nash at an afterparty at the Waldorf Hotel’s Bull and Bear Bar, and told him, “Thank you for songs that will last an eternity.”

Slumgullion #8

Heart will be at Lilith Fair in Chicago. Photo from Heart's official website.

As the weekend arrives, here’s another heaping bowlful of entertainment offerings and oddities.

Tickets go on sale tomorrow for Lilith Fair’s July 17th Chicago area stopover at First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre in Tinley Park. This is a classic example of the glass being half empty or half full. Certainly, we can’t complain about a line-up that includes the Fest’s co-founder Sarah McLachlan, Cat Power, Mary J. Blige, and Heart, but it’s hard not to lament the absence of other Lilith Fair acts like The Bangles, The Go-Go’s, and Metric.

The Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame is now selling t shirts and mugs honoring the 2010 Inductees. That’s good news for fans of ABBA, Genesis, Jimmy Cliff, The Stooges, and The Hollies. The mugs are $8.99 and the t shirts, which have the RRHOF logo on the front and the inductees on the back, go for $20.99.

A recent announcement regarding the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2), which is coming to Navy Pier April 16th - 18th at Navy Pier, will give Star Wars fans reason to celebrate. Performers from the films, including Carrie Fisher, Ray Park, Daniel Logan, Amy Allen, Orli Shoshan, and Peter Mayhew will be on hand to meet fans and sign autographs. C2E2 will also have a special BBC America screening of the first two episodes of the latest incarnation of Doctor Who.

Chad and Jeremy are coming to FitzGerald’s in Berwyn on May 7th and will be at SPACE in Evanston on the following night. The British Invasion duo, who had hits with “Yesterday’s Gone” and “A Summer Song,” have seven gigs scheduled through April and May. That includes a May 29th Gordon Waller Tribute at The Cannery Casino in Las Vegas that will also feature Peter Asher of Peter and Gordon, Terry Sylvester of The Hollies, original Moody Blues vocalist and former Wings member Denny Laine, singer-ukulele player Ian Whitcomb, John Walker of The Walker Brothers, and Elvis Presley’s drummer, D.J. Fontana. Admission is free. Chad and Jeremy have recorded three new songs, “You Are She,” “Dragon Wanted,” and “Another Time,” which are available for downloading at Chad & Jeremy’s Digital Store.

Author Clay Eals noticed my item in last week’s Slumgullion about a Chicago post office being named in honor of the late singer-songwriter Steve Goodman. Eals wrote Steve Goodman: Facing The Music, an 880-page bio of Goodman that includes 575 photos, and says his 1,050 sources include Arlo Guthrie, Hilary Clinton, Steve Martin, and Studs Terkel. The book, which sold out its initial run of 5,000 copies, won a 2008 IPPY (Independent Publishers Association” silver medal for biography. It’s now in its second printing.

Another visitor to my blog recommends the co-ed British indie band Burgess & Maclean, whose melodic music can be sampled on its MySpace page. As song titles like “Capitalistic Weekend,” “My Hair My Nude,” and “Little Mermaid Tells A Lie” would suggest, Burgess & Maclean exude a quirky and at times, childlike sense of humor. My favorite track was “Whisper In The Night,” which brings to mind the songs of XTC. Burgess & Maclean’s latest CD is Outtakes In His Sickroom.

Hollies Album Tracks - The Defense Rocks Part 2

Further proof that The Hollies were more than just a hit singles band.

“I’ve Been Wrong Before” Guitarist-vocalist Terry Sylvester recently noted on his website that he would like The Everly Brothers to induct The Hollies into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame at the ceremony on March 15th. The Everly Brothers were among the very first acts to be honored. As a member of The Hollies from 1968 to 1981, Sylvester is keenly aware of the band’s deep-rooted admiration for Phil and Don.

Back in 1966, when The Hollies were at the peak of their popularity, they were invited to serve as the backing band on the Everly Brothers album, Two Yanks In England. Eight of the twelve tracks were original Hollies compositions that had been previously released on the band’s albums or as the B-sides of 45s. “I’ve Been Wrong,” an energetic tale of a jilted lover from the Hear! Here! LP, had a fetching melody, sophisticated vocal arrangement, and a jagged guitar sound that evoked a live performance. On Two Yanks, The Everly Brothers put their own stamp on this classic pop song, thanks to those legendary harmony vocals. Working on Two Yanks In London must have been particularly thrilling for vocalist Allan Clarke and vocalist-guitarist Graham Nash, who prior to forming The Hollies, had performed as an Everly Brothers inspired duo called The Two Teens.

“Suspicious Look In Your Eyes” The Hollies released an entire album of Bob Dylan covers in 1968, but like The Beatles, their music reflected his influence earlier than that. The best example is “Suspicious Look In Your Eyes,” which appeared on the Stop Stop Stop album. The mid-tempo arrangement features the band’s familiar chiming guitars and almost choir boy harmonies, but what stands out most is Allan Clarke’s distinctively Dylanesque delivery. “You’ve no control of what you’re saying,” Clarke sneers, “No faith in the things that I do.” Later, he complains, “You’re changing all your thoughts on me, you’ve no right to put me down this way.”

Released as For Certain Because - - - in the U.K., Stop Stop Stop just might be The Hollies’ finest moment. It shows Clarke, Nash, and guitarist Tony Hicks growing leaps and bounds as songwriters, and while not as adventurous or psychedelic as Evolution or Dear Eloise/King Midas In Reverse, which followed directly afterward, it’s a fine example of original British Invasion pop.

“Won’t We Feel Good That Morning” Romany, released in 1972, probably sounds less like The Hollies than any of their other albums. With Nash long gone and Clarke temporarily off pursuing a solo career, the band called upon Swedish native Mikael Rikfors to take over the lead vocalist chores. He didn’t sound anything like Clarke, and Romany had more hard rock and introspective ballads than fans were used to hearing. Some of the tracks now sound hopelessly locked in the 1970s, but there is some good music here, particularly “Won’t We Feel Good That Morning.” Rikfors’ deep, rough lead singing, combined with higher harmonies from Hicks and Sylvester, created a vocal sound similar to the one Cheap Trick would implement a few years later. Energetic guitars spark an arrangement that melds pop and hard rock as Rikfors belts out, “I’ve took a long, hard drag of miserable life, you see/Nothing means much to me.”

The Hollies would dabble in hard rock for about as long as they kept Rikfors in the fold, which is to say not for very long at all. But when they did crank up the energy, they did it surprisingly well.

It's A Long, Long Road ...

Hollies illustration by Pam Minch

Finally! The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame has taken the first step toward honoring The Hollies. The British Invasion group was among 12 nominees recently announced for induction in 2010. It’s not a done deal; only five of the dozen acts will actually make the cut, and The Hollies will have to overcome the misconception that they were strictly a Top 40 singles band.

A lot of solid material could be found on The Hollies’ albums throughout their career, including tracks like the exotic “Tell Me To My Face,” the delicately beautiful “Butterfly,” the ambitious mini rock opera “Confessions Of A Mind,” the melodic pop of “To Do With Love,” and the harder-edged “Won’t You Feel Good That Morning.” The band’s three-part harmonies and infectious melodies continue to set the standard for power pop bands to this day. The Hollies were second only to The Beatles in terms of hit songs in the U.K.

The Hollies gave us one third of Crosby, Stills, & Nash, who have already taken their place in The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. When I interviewed Graham Nash for the Illinois Entertainer last January, he agreed The Hollies should be there as well. “It infuriates me when I think of the lack of respect for The Hollies,” he said. “They were very influential in the ‘60s and part of the British Invasion. It would be great to induct them.”

If The Hollies are inducted, there may be a logistics problem in terms of getting all the past and current members on stage. Of course, Graham Nash should be there, as well as former lead vocalist Allan Clarke, and Terry Sylvester, who replaced Nash back in 1969. Mikael Rikfors, who filled in for Clarke for a few years in the early 1970s, should also be considered. Some mention should be made of the late Carl Wayne, who replaced Clarke in 2000. Wayne, who got his start with The Move, was a kind-hearted performer who strived to bring The Hollies closer to their fans. (And I have an autographed program to prove it.) But should they reach all the way back to the earliest days for bassist Eric Haydock and drummer Don Rathbone? The Hollies continue to record and tour to this day, although guitarist Tony Hicks and drummer Bobby Elliott are the only original members. Still, some of the current band members have been in The Hollies for a longer period than Nash. Who knows? Let’s just hope that come next year, there’ll be a huge Hollies reunion going on at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.