A number 21 hit for The Hudson Brothers in the fall of '74:



After their Playboy Records recording, and before signing to the Rocket label, the Hudson Brothers had a minor hit on Neil Bogart's Casablanca imprint with the dreamy, very British "So You Are a Star," and all indications were that this band would be huge. The problem here is image, image, image. Looking like Tony Orlando flanked by two male Dawn clones on the cover, this ensemble has much more substance than the New Kids on the Block, the Bay City Rollers, and other pop confections attempting to appeal to the teen market. A concept that would seem so simple to launch into stardom is a pop culture asterisk instead, and that is a shame. Despite the hokey six minutes and 45 seconds spent on the ridiculous live comedy piece "The Adventures of Chucky Margolis," making the second half of the disc lopsided at over 20 minutes long (side A is a mere 14 and a half minutes in length), there is still a lot of musical magic here. Just as Tony Orlando has a better resumé than musical reputation/perception, the Hudson Brothers' place in history is that of a teen idol group that didn't grab the brass ring. Had they been as serious about their image as they were about their music, things would be different. They come off like a modern Three Stooges in the 1983 film Hysterical but, just as they aren't the Beatles -- the group that they emulate on this and other discs -- they fall short of being as innovative as the Three Stooges as well. When the Hudson Brothers are themselves, like on the title track, "Hollywood Situation," they shine. "Three of Us" rocks like the Raspberries, while "Sometimes the Rain Will Fall" and "Song for Stephanie" are precursors to R.E.M. The "Chucky Margolis" episode is so bad that it really throws the flow for a loop, because the elegant sounds -- like guitars lifted from the Abbey Road medley and the eeriness of "Strawberry Fields Forever" ambience that fills the spaces under the teeny-bop harmonies -- are really sublime. "Razzle Dazzle" is experimental, and one of the weaker musical tracks, but for the most part Hollywood Situation drives harder than their Bernie Taupin produced follow-up, Totally Out of Control, and contains moments of sheer pop pleasure.