Underappreciated Beatles label-mates. Harmonious 60s Mancunians. However the world chooses to remember them, I�m going to try my best to make sure they�re at least remembered.

Now I know what you must be thinking��Right, The Hollies, now there�s a band in need of introduction. Hell, even �Long Dark Road�s� been heard blaring inappropriately through a Starbucks speaker now and then,� but it�s unnerving to imagine a generation unfamiliar with such a pivotal band.

Then again, perhaps I�m overestimating the gravity of this situation. After all, �Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress� was featured in 2000�s hip-foreign-flick-of-choice Amores Perros, and while the song is clearly more CCR than Hollies, at least it�s a start. Then, of course, there are a multitude of bands inspired by The Hollies. The Billy Nayer Show�s �Love Smiles� from The American Astronaut (2001) soundtrack clearly takes from The Hollies�s �If I Needed Someone,� and yes, I�m choosing to ignore the rivalry between The Beatles and The Hollies at this point.

Yet, despite all that, I still get uneasy thinking about the band. Maybe it�s the lack of Hollies vinyl at the record stores I frequent, or the lack of Hollies namedropping by the myopia-struck bin hounds at the trendy coffee shops; maybe it�s the fact that they seem doomed to obscurity beneath the seemingly never-ending supply of Beatles/Beach Boys/Buddy Holly fans. Then again, maybe the obscurity is deserved, and maybe I don�t know how to deal with it. Allan Clarke�s no Brian Wilson. �Dear Eloise� intro versus �A Day in the Life� intro? Come on. But there�s more about The Hollies that calls to me than the urge to root for the underdog.

I mean, what was it? Isn�t �Just Like Me� as catchy and inane as any early-day Beatles or The Who song? Weren�t they great in concert? Didn�t they embrace psychedelia like everyone else? If not, then how does one account for �King Midas in Reverse,� an arguably incredible song? What happened? Were The Byrds too much? Honestly, I can�t tell whether they were simply overshadowed or if I�m over-appreciating their toe-tap-inspiring tunes. Whatever it is, I�m sorry for it, and I hope their revival doesn�t occur through an episode of The O.C..

[buy stuff here]