The Hollies - Bus Stop (1966)

 By 1966, the Hollies were hitting their stride. They were coming into their own in terms of sound, as well as hits. Additionally, they were writing more of their own songs. They didn't shake off covers right away, but that's not a terrible thing, since they sound as good as always. The big hits on this lp are the titular "Bus Stop", as well as "Look Through Any Window". Also here is a cover of "If I Needed Someone", originally done by The Beatles, who cristicized The Hollies version as sounding like it was recorded by "souless session men". Whatever, it sounds good.

There's only elevin tracks here, including "After The Fox", which was recorded for and featured in the film of the same name starring Peter Sellers. The song is okay enough, but, it also features Peter Sellers singing in response to The Hollies: "Who is the fox?" "I am the fox" etc. The whole thing is kind of silly, but the harmonies are impeccable.

The album art is just the US cover for the album of the same name.

Side One

1. Don't Run and Hide
2. A Taste of Honey
3. Running Through The Night
4. I Can't Get Nowhere With You
5. Look Through Any Window 
6. After The Fox (Feat. Peter Sellers)
   

Side Two

1. If I Needed Someone
2. I've Got A Way Of My Own
3. Little Bitty Pretty One
4. She Gives Me Everything
5. Bus Stop

The Hollies - Hollies' Days (1965)

By 1965, The Hollies still weren't too popular, but they had minor hits here and there. This lp covers tracks from April 1964 through May 1965. The main hits on this lp, as far as I can tell, are the tracks "Here I Go Again" and "We're Through, which stem from April '64 and August '64 sessions, respectively. The span of time this covers is a tad broad, starting just after the band's debut album would come out, and continuing through their second, and moving into the sessions for their third. Ultimately, though, it seems to work out.

The title and cover are taken from an international version of one of their albums.

Side One

1. Baby That's All
2. You Know He Did
3. I'm Alive
4. Honey and Wine
5. She Said Yeah
6. Bring Back Your Love To Me 

Side Two

1. Nobody
2. Listen Here To Me
3. Here I Go Again
4. We're Through
5. Come On Back
6. Yes I Will
   

The Hollies - Just One Look (1964)

The Hollies are where Graham Nash came from, and rose to prominence alongside The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. However, they have had nowhere near the amount of longevity that those other two have. How is that? Well, basically they were very uncool in their time. They weren't as fun as The Beatles, and they weren't as dangerous as The Stones. They were kind of a goody-two-shoes band. That being said, they weren't bad. Not even boring! They just didn't have an ambitious producer or manager. 

Eventually, one of the three main songwriters, Graham Nash, left the group to go onto better things with the band Crosby, Stills, and Nash. He rose to prominence in 1963 with The Hollies, however, which is where this album takes place.

As was the standard practice at the time (especially in the UK, where this band is from), The Hollies recorded a lot of singles that never made it onto any studio album. As was also the standard practice, the US releases of these albums were quite different, featuring different tracks, different orders, etc. Unlike I did with The Stones, I won't be using their US albums as a base, since The Stones (or at least their manager) oversaw the production of the US albums, which wasn't the case with The Hollies.

Thus, this first album cleans up the outtakes, A-sides, B-sides, and EP exclusive tracks that The Hollies recorded between April 1963 and March 1964. I'll keep it to twelve tracks to make future albums easier, as well as the fact that besides the first Hollies album, they usually only had twelve tracks per album.

For the album art, I altered the US debut cover.

Side One

1. (Ain't That) Just Like Me
2. Hey, What's Wrong With Me?
3. Searchin'
4. Now's The Time
5. Just One Look
6. Whole World Over 

Side Two

1. I Understand
2. Poison Ivy
3. What Kind Of Love
   
4. Zip A Dee Doo Dah
5. Keep Off That Friend Of Mine
6. When I'm Not There
   

Elton John - Elsewhere (1977)

 By the start of the second half of the 70s, Elton John's long and painful decline had begun: his albums were getting less overall good, and he was less productive overall, falling extremely deep into drug addiction, eating disorders, and proably severe burnout. That all being said, he was still putting out bangers, if even at a less consistent rate. 

This album covers the period between 1975 and very early 1977, with "The Goaldigger's Song" being the newest song on here, recorded in April of '77. I decided to call the album Elsewhere becuase after this, Elton would start looking elsewhere for songwriting partnership, musicianship, production, etc. Even on this album, three of the songs are covers (Pinball Wizard, One Day at a Time, and Sugar on the Floor), and two of them are collaborations with Kiki Dee.

For the album art I used a picture of Elton looking whistfully out of a window.

Side One

1. Don't Go Breaking My Heart
2. House of Cards
3. Planes
4. One Day at a Time
5. The Goaldigger's Song
   

Side Two

1. Sugar on the Floor
2. Snow Queen
3. Pinball Wizard
   
4. Philadelphia Freedom
   

Elton John - Young Man's Blues (1974)

 By 1974, Elton John was on top of the world. He'd put out Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Don't Shoot Me I'm Only The Piano Player, Honky Chateau, Madman Across The Water, Friends, Tumbleweed Connection, and his self titled sophomore album all in the matter of three years. That's a lot of grinding. I picked up his scraps from the starts of his career, but he left enough breadcrumbs to make a full album out of his tunes from 1973 to 1974 (Yes, I'm including the christmas songs, becuase even disconected from christmas Step Into Christmas slaps). These include outtakes, B-sides, non album singles, and whatnot.

 I got the cover from this blog, which has a similar premise.

 

Side One

1. Screw You (Young Man's Blues)
2. Cold Highway
3. Sick City
4. Step Into Christmas

Side Two

1. Ho! Ho! Ho! (Who'd be a Turkey at Chrstimas?)
   
2. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
3. Whenever you're Ready (We'll Go Steady Again)
4. Jack Rabbit
5. Let Me Be Your Car

Elton John - Rock N Roll Madonna (1971)

 Elton John was a goddamn maniac. He put out so many albums back in the day, usually two a year, which was common in the early to mid 60s, but fell out of favour by 1970 or so. Elton just kept on chooglin', though. Maybe it was the cocaine, who knows? Anyway, you'd think that that wouldn't leave much room for outtakes or non album singles, but shockingly, he was churning those out left and right, too! A real workhorse.

The tracks on this range from 1969 to 1970, with one track from 1971 to fill out the rest, since there's a bit of a gap between that one and the next ones. Anyways. The cover is from 1970, IIRC

Side One

1. Rock N Roll Madonna
2. All Across The Havens
3. In The Morning
4. It's Me That You Need
5. Sing Me No Sad Songs
6. From Denver to L.A.

Side Two

1. One Time, Sometime, or Never
2. Into the Old Man's Shoes
3. Just like Strange Rain
4. Rock Me When He's Gone
5. Lady Samantha
6. Bad Side of the Moon
   

Elton John - Two of a Kind (1968)

 Elton John's debut album Empty Sky came out in 1969 to little fanfare, but in 1968, he recorded a whole different album with a whole different vibe called Regemental Sgt. Zippo, which would've been a kind of summer of love type deal, but a year late, like Odessey and Oracle by The Zombies. Zippo finally came out this year, but maybe like two years ago or something, Elton John released a career and rarities retrospectve called Jewel Box which included a fat stack of early demos and previously unreleased tracks.
If one only uses the Arranged Band tracks and Band Demos, then you see that Elton could've put out two full lenth LPs in 1968!

The cover I use is a colourised photo of Elton John from 1968

These are songs that were recorded with a full band, sourced from the Jewel Box.

Side One

1. If I Asked You
2. Cry, Willow, Cry
3. Two of a Kind
4. I've Been Loving You
5. The Girl on Angel Pavement
6. Smokestack Children
7. 71-75 New Oxford Street

Side Two

1. Here's to the Next Time
2. Taking the Sun From My Eyes
3. There is Still a Little Love
4. Baby I Miss You
5. I Can't Go On Living Without You
6. When The First Tear Shows
7. Thank You For All Your Loving