The album produced two single hits, “Stop! Stop! Stop!” and “Pay You Back with Interest”; neither of which are the subject of today’s post. “Tell Me to my Face,” a little known cut featuring Graham Nash on lead vocals, has the distinction of being today’s selection. I became familiar with this cut due to a later cover of the song by Dan Fogelberg and Tim Weisberg from the album “Twin Sons of Different Mothers.”
Hearing Fogelberg and Weisberg’s version in 1978 prompted me to seek out the original as I was not aware of the cut. The song also had been recorded by Keith in 1967 and was a minor US hit, but I don’t remember his version at all. Keith’s cover is interesting, but I believe the original is the best of the three releases.
“Tell Me to My Face” was co-written by Allan Clarke, Tony Hicks, and Graham Nash. The production is sparse, which leads to its overall charm. The tune features Tony Hicks on what I believe is a Vox Mando-guitar. The pitch is right and it has double course strings, but I cannot find anything to verify my suspicions.
The All Music Guide to Rock considers “Tell Me to my Face,” as “one of the best ‘60s album tracks.” I would agree.
I, too, first heard this song in '78 through TSODM and it's my favorite song on the album, and I didn't hear the Hollies version, or even know it existed, until tonight. Watching a Fogelberg tribute concert on AXS brought me here. Now, I like the Hollies, I like Graham Nash, I love this song, but the Hollies version is not all that good. It's such an angry song and they use what sounds like a bouzouki on it? No. And as much as I like Nash, his high tenor doesn't fit the lyrics. Fogelberg's version is better, although Weisberg's flute kind of detracts in places. Gonna have to check out Keith's version, now.
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