Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Bus Stop by The Hollies (by Brad Sourdiffe)
The Hollies was formed in 1962 by childhood friends Allan Clarke and Graham Nash, who performed together as The Two Teens, Ricky and Dane and The Guytones before becoming the Hollies. In the mid sixties the Hollies were, after the Beatles, England's most successful singles band. Though they had several singles enter the U.S. charts, it wasn't until Bus Stop (#5 in 1966) that they cracked the top ten. Bus Stop (written by future 10cc bassist Graham Gouldman) features a "tic tac" bass, commonly used in recordings in the '60's, especially in L.A. and Nashville. The tic tac bass was most often a Danelectro (though sometimes a Fender) six string bass doubling the standard bass line giving it a little more bite and definition.
In 1968 Graham Nash left the band, upset that they wouldn't record his song Marrakesh Express, and were recording an album of Dylan covers. The Hollies went on to have several more hits in the U.S., including their biggest hit "Long Cool Woman."

1 comment: