Hollies (The) - Look Through Any Window 1963-1975 (+DVD)

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Anyone wondering why Little Steven cajoled/massaged this magic Manchester British Invasion band's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame need only spend 184 minutes with this incredible documentary -- highlighted by complete-song TV broadcast footage of 22 enduring songs. (Smartly, choices tend toward live footage from obscure European television in lieu of famous lip-synced U.S. appearances on Ed Sullivan and The Smothers Brothers.) Even better than the Reelin' series' valuable look at Small Faces, Look Through Any Window is a history narrative in new, candid interviews with four-fifths of the principals: the three harmony singers Allan Clarke and guitarists Graham Nash (before CSN&Y) and Tony Hicks, plus fantastic drummer Bobby Elliott, relating the story between each three-minute clip. For even a collector/lifelong fan, much of what they uncover is unbelievable. Principally, ten minutes of hallowed Abbey Road Studio Two footage recording the 1967 U.K. number four "On a Carousel" is jaw-dropping, especially the a cappella takes of the three harmonizing; they can hear the backing track, but we can't, and it's mesmerizing how natural they are, like brushing teeth, at a dead-difficult chorus part. And good on Clarke for admitting the Hollies still did nice hit work, but were in fact disintegrating after Nash quit in December 1968; a bittersweet video of the elegiac farewell to his participation, 1968's Buffalo Springfield-inspired "Wings" from the World Wildlife Charity album and later Hollies Rarities collection, is just the icing on an unmissable cake. ~ Jack Rabid, The Big Takeover