The Hollies

The Hollies' best full-blown psychedelic album is still an imposing record 37-years later, and this Japanese import is the way to hear it, for those with the money to afford it. The mastering quality takes everything about a half-step further up in quality from the audio on EMI's 100th anniversary CD edition, released in England in 1999 -- not that anything is a revelation, but the definition of the rhythm instruments, especially the bass, is ever so slightly better on this new release; both the stereo and mono mixes are present, as they were on the 1999 U.K. version, and the new edition includes the chronologically-related single "King Midas in Reverse," and its little-heard, flower power B-side "Everything Is Sunshine" -- which made it onto the 30th and 40th anniversary sets, but was somehow missed by Sundazed Records in their reissue of the group's psychedelic work -- in both their stereo and mono versions. The sound is superb, with the cymbals on "King Midas" crisper than they were on Sundazed's edition of the CD -- though that disc also includes "Would You Believe," which isn't here -- but there's not enough difference in quality between this and the EMI-U.K. anniversary edition to unequivocally recommend this release, except perhaps to those listeners with the best sound systems; on the other hand, anyone taking the plunge into the Hollies' deep catalog for the first time might want to start with this, and its companion EMI Japan issues. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide