Forgotten Treasure: The Hollies “Draggin’ My Heels” (1977)

via Wax Poetics 12 x 12 Written by Andrew Mason (@MonkUno) – Originally appeared in Wax Poetics Issue 4, Spring 2004.

“An unlikely Loft anthem, this 1977 offering from British pop rockers The Hollies is a lush melancholy number with understated percolating percussion and tasty keyboard work.

Though any vinyl hound has probably thumbed past untold expanses of The Hollies LP’s, this 12-inch is extremely elusive and the subject of heated internet bidding amongst those in the know.”

Louie Vega (@NuyoricanSoul): “I was at the flea market in the city on 6th Avenue with a friend of mine (producer and Tribal Winds label founder) Antonio Ocasio, when he found this and told me it was a big David Mancuso record at the Loft.

I took his word for it, and when I got it home and listened to it, it blew me away. I could just feel being in the Loft and feeling this vibe. This is what it’s about. And you know the other songs the Hollies sing! I used to hear them on WABC and the other pop stations. The Hollies?! I would love to know how a group like that came to do a record like this. It’s so cool that they would do this kind of thing; their usual style was totally different.

In a way this was very inspirational to Masters At Work, because one of our goals is to bring in people from different genres of music and collaborate with them. Kenny and I actually did an updated version of this song, but we never put it out, because I didn’t know who could sing something like this, but we did the track. These guys have an incredible tone; it reminds me a little of The Cyrkle.

It’s not a record that you can play everywhere, only because people are educated enough (in dance music). Or you really have to be playing for a long time in the night to take them on that journey. I played this in Japan and the people screamed. Over there, the deeper the better. Pull our your rare jams – they’ll love it!”

via Wax Poetics 12 x 12 Written by Andrew Mason (@MonkUno) – Originally appeared in Wax Poetics Issue 4, Spring 2004.