THE MORTON REPORT – Bentley’s Bandstand: The First Half – Favorite Albums of 2014 – HOLLIS BROWN “Gets Loaded”

hollisbrown-getsloaded

By Bill Bentley, Columnist
June 30, 2014

Hollis Brown, Gets Loaded. Defying the odds of gravity and greatness, the Brooklyn-based Hollis Brown band records all the songs on one of the perfect rock albums, Velvet Underground’s Loaded, and still manages to hold their head high. So what may have looked like a long shot on the assembly line turns into an inspired piece of music-making. When the Velvets’ fourth (and last) studio album was released in 1970, it finally looked like the ultra-boundary-breaking New York outfit would get their due. Except for one small problem: the Velvet Underground had already broken up. So soon-to-be classic Lou Reed songs “Sweet Jane,” “Rock and Roll,” “New Age” and others were left in the cold light of winter to die, only to live now and see another day.

Now that Hollis Brown has decided to do their own take of the entire album, it’s clear this is rock that has never been surpassed. By anyone. As much as what Hollis Brown has accomplished by putting their own life into these ten songs, it is also a mighty display of courage to even attempt such a thing, proving that lives are still being saved by rock and roll — and Lou Reed.

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