Distant Light - THE HOLLIES***

What A Life I've Led/Look What We've Got/Hold On/Pull Down The Blind/To Do With Love/Promised Land/Long Cool Woman (In A Black Dress)/You Know The Score/Cable Car/A Little Thing Like Love/Long Dark Road

By the time of the release of Distant Light The Hollies were beginning to fade a little in Britain. Nevertheless the group would achieve their biggest hit single in the US when Long Cool Woman peaked at No. 2. (US:21)

“One might think that an early 60s British pop group would be out of place in 1971 and generally you would be right. However, this may be an exception - nice harmonies and some decent guitar riffs, not hard rock but not bad.”

“Distant Light may possibly be considered their last great album before they descended into boredom. There are some solid tracks. The songs are also more serious and conceptual than on Confessions despite the highly derivative sound of the record. Then again, most of their work was derivative in some way. It was their vocal charm, songwriting and spirit that made all the difference to even the casual fan, let alone the die-hards like myself.”

“A largely overlooked post-Graham Nash offering from The Hollies has dated well. Even though the track list includes one of the band's most recognizable radio hits Long Cool Woman don't be fooled into thinking this is entirely finger-popping sing-alongs. Most of the album features more complex musical arrangements than previous Hollies releases.”

“The rocker Long Cool Woman is untypical of Distant Light, the overall aura is polished folk-rock: symphonic, mysterious such as Look What We've Got, and majestic You Know The Score, a mesmerizing three-part suite with an elegant a capella sandwiched in the middle. Hidden among the spirited hook-laden pop is an anti-war message which is pretty clever for a pop album.”

“On the albums before this one they always sounded too clean. Here they sound like a rootsy-rock band doing great pop-songs, which is exactly the combination I like.”

"Distant Light showed a mature, well-rounded band at their peak. Soaring harmonies, topical songs and varied instrumentation are the key elements here. They tackle such subjects as war, the complexities of relationships and even gangsters with flair and panache.”