REMINISCENCES OF A NIGHT TO REMEMBER WITH THE HOLLIES
                                                          by
                    ROCHELLE (better known as SHELLS) MANSON

First of all, let me tell you how I came to  write this article.  I had only been online for a short time, since July actually, so the first thing I had to find out was "Do the Hollies have a web site."  I took a chance and typed  www.hollies.co.uk , never thinking I would find it that easily, but low and behold, up popped the web site on screen, it was Rob Haywood's Hollies Site.  There in front of me was a wonderful picture of my heroes!  I signed the Guestbook, scrolled down the page and found Geoff's e-mail address.  I don't know why I chose that address, but I am so glad now that I did.  He told me all
about the site he had dedicated to the lads. Because I am disabled and cannot sit at my computer for ages, I printed out the biography he had written.  Then I tucked myself up in bed to have a read. I came to one particular paragraph, then immediately e-mailed Geoff to chat about it!  It was then that I found a topic for me to write about for the site! But bear with me till I fill you in on the background.

I have been a faithful fan of the Hollies since I was only a wee teenager at school (1st year at Eastwood Senior Secondary, the brainy school 'cos I passed the "quallie") just outside Glasgow.  One day my best friend Dot, with whom I have been pals since we went to the Brownies many moons ago, came rushing into school with a magazine in her hand. She was really excited about this new group (as they were known as when we were kids) called The Hollies.  The mag was called "Fabulous 208" and had a poster of these good looking lads (well gorgeous as we said at the time and still do) and asked me if I had heard their record yet.  I told her I hadn't, so after school we rushed back to her house to listen to the Tranny (transistor radio for all the young folk out there).

Well from that moment on we were hooked, well and truly on the Hollies. Every single magazine, newspaper etc with pictures of them was carefully cut out and sellotaped   (much to our parents' disgust) to our bedroom walls, and when they were covered even mum and dad had no need to wallpaper their room until we left home to get married!  Forget the Beatles who were always on 'Top of the Pops',  Dot and I only had eyes for the Hollies.  She swooned over Tony, I fell for Allan, we were well and truly smitten!

As the years passed, we tried to go to their concerts, but being in the sixties parents were reluctant to let "their little girls" go to something as terrible as a pop concert.  When we finally left school and were working, we spent all our money on Hollies records, posters and of course concert tickets.  It is about one golden moment in their history that I want to tell you about.

The paragraph that caught my eye was about a concert Geoff had attended in 1974 at Leeds University, the first time he had seen them live.  As he says "the Hollies were now back together, so God was in His Heaven"  We had been broken-hearted when Allan Clarke left the Hollies, but now he was back.
Fantastic!  Geoff says they sang all the hits and they did the same in Glasgow too!   But that Golden Moment was yet to come for me.

I was married by now to Raymond, and months before I had had my first daughter Julie.   This was going to be the best girls night out ever, 'cos up till then I was too busy feeding baby and changing nappies.  The Hollies concert was my first night of freedom in ages!  I left Julie with her dad, and with Dot we set off to Green's Playhouse in Glasgow.  For those of you who do not know, it was the biggest Flea Pit of a theatre in the world, but a favourite for all the popular groups to appear in.  I suppose that is why
The Hollies chose there, although they know better now! (They use the Royal Concert Hall nowadays. Much more salubrious surroundings I can tell you). We were so excited, that we didn't care where they performed, as long as we could see and hear them, that was all that mattered!  The atmosphere in the
theatre was electric and full of people, who like us, were dying to see their idols in the flesh!  The stage was really weird.  The band was elevated above us on a stage, that was at least 7 and half feet high, so we had to crane our necks to get a good view.  Apparently this was to keep hysterical fans from getting onto the stage and injuring themselves and the stars. Everyone was screaming, cheering and generally going nuts, and needless to say Dot and I were screaming the loudest!  It was ridiculous really because
no-one could hear a word they were singing, but at least we could SEE them, that was just as important to us then!

Then a really strange thing happened.  Allan announced, after getting everyone to quieten down enough to hear him talk of course, that Terry Sylvester, Tony Hicks and Allan himself had a surprise number for us to listen to, but if we weren't quiet we would miss it!  Then without any backing whatsoever, they began to sing, in  their beautiful and well known harmonies, "Amazing Grace".  The reaction of the audience was incredible.  As their voices rang out so clearly, we all quietened down, and then an amazing hush descended upon that old, ugly and horrible theatre.  You could have heard a pin drop, and it seemed that we had been transported to a wonderful far off place.   NOT ONE PERSON STIRRED, they just listened in awe, mesmerised by the sounds they were hearing.  We just stood there, bathing in the beautiful music.  The whole audience, who not long before were going crazy, but that song silenced them.  It was truly a golden moment.  When the lads finally finished and stopped singing, still no-one moved an inch.   It was so quiet that it was eerie. Then the applause rang out, first just one set of hands clapping, gradually followed by others, until it was deafening. We all screamed, cheered and shouted for more.  In fact, nearly raised the roof of that old theatre.  I don't think there ever has been, or will be again, a reaction like that, to such a  Golden Moment.

The theatre has been demolished now and most concerts are held in the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre here.  But the Hollies are the fairest to their loyal fans in Glasgow.  Nowadays we sit in the beautiful surroundings of the Royal Concert Hall and enjoy comfort and good surroundings, when we see the Hollies in Concert, but often when you walk past the site of the old Green's Playhouse, if you listen carefully, you can just here the sound of "Amazing Grace" as performed by the Hollies.

For years now, Dot and I have often wondered why they never actually recorded it, and wish they would perform it again soon for us.  Geoff seems to be the only other person I know who remembers it.  Let us know if you do too, and if you know of a recording out there, tell us about it.

Maybe, just maybe, we can persuade them to perform AND record it for us, some time soon.

Geoff, I didn't realise how long I had been sitting typing that!  Almost an hour and a half, phew!  I hope you like this and that it isn't too long.  I tend to get carried away, when I start thinking about this subject, but I will understand if you have to edit it, but I hope you won't.  I REALLY enjoyed doing that.  It evokes so many wonderful memories for me and I hope it does for the rest of your readership.

Enjoy

Luv 'n' stuff

Shells