Hello

Although Hello never really broke through with either the impact or the enormity that it deserved, history has treated the band more than kindly, recalling the two hits the group did score ("Tell Him" in 1974 and a pre-Ace Frehley stomp through "New York Groove" a year later) as simply the icing on a cake that should have been far grander. Part of it was down to vocalist Bob Bradbury, a photogenic masterpiece whose doe-like eyes gazed soulfully out from every pop TV program of the day -- both "Game's Up" and "Star Studded Sham" bombed as 45s but, if you saw the band perform them on Supersonic, chances are you still remember the day. As full-length career summaries go, the best Hello CD collection remains the Star Studded Glam set released by former manager David Blaylock's own Biff label in 1988 -- it tracks them through both their years on the fringe of the U.K. scene and those spent as near-superstars in Germany, long after Britain had forgotten them. Early Years, on the other hand, is exactly what it says, tracing Hello from its debut single, "You Move Me," in 1972, through to 1976's "Love Stealer," the last release that anyone in Britain even noticed. Each of the group's A-sides is represented, together with five B-sides and three cuts from the crucial Keeps Us Off the Streets debut album, a generous tally that is topped up with one bona fide rarity.

In 1973, the band was offered the chance to record a new song by hitmakers Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman, "Dynamite." A demo was cut but the band was not enamored with the number, and passed it back to its writers. They promptly handed it to Mud and scored that band's latest hit single. Hello, on the other hand, released its own "Another School Day," and was granted another flop. Trying to determine why, however, is a thankless task. From start to finish, Early Years is the portrait of a band that was at least as glam-soaked, at least as energetic, and every bit as convincing as any of its more successful peers. Compare Hello's covers of "Tell Him" and "Game's Up" to earlier versions by the Glitter Band, and the youngsters' takes win hands down. Both "Lightning," the self-composed B-side to the first hit, and "Teenage Revolution," a withdrawn 45 from late 1975, have "undiscovered masterpiece" etched into their very souls. And, even in demo form, their "Dynamite" is every bit as explosive as Mud's. But somehow, something just didn't click with the public, and what should have been one of the era's most flawless greatest-hits collections instead emerges as an archaeology class for glam rock archivists. Still, at least they care. ~ Dave Thompson, All Music Guide