I've read that The Hollies have had plenty of opportunities in recent years to record and release new material. On the surface of it this would seem reasonable, but this pre-supposes one important thing, that the band actually wants to put something out - but then why wouldn't it?

The answer to that question is quite simple and is the reason that 'Staying Power' is now with us.

To make an album you need something to record, not just a collection of songs for the sake of it, but really good material that, in the case of The Hollies, could take it's worthy place in what is a great musical catalogue stretching back over 40 years. It's true to say that a new record wasn't uppermost in our minds, but when we heard these new songs, well, we just couldn't wait to get started.

As always with Hollies records, no matter what era they were recorded in, the product was modern. In a recording sense the band has always been current with the times.

In the 'old days', the amps and drums were brought into the studio and the records made - that was how it was done and accepted. But times have changed and so have the ways that many people make records, including us.

The songwriters are current with outstanding reputations and we felt no pressure that any song had to be written by anybody within the band. Indeed it took the pressure off because the single biggest hassle in putting together an album is the choosing of which songs go on and which don't. In our case it was quite easy, we simply all agreed and then set to work to get it made.

Of course we realise that many people may expect the old Hollies sound, but, as they say, that was then and this is now.

Our record company, EMI, is very happy with the outcome and feels that there are some tracks with the potential to be Hollies greats. We of course respect the past, but we are also very excited about the future. We are The Hollies of 2006 and this is how we made our album which we are extremely pleased with.

Recording was started in February 2005 at the studio which I have at my house. I was the recording engineer, coffee maker, garlick provider (for Pete), sandwich cutter, producer, wine taster etc. etc. and chief excuse maker when things went wrong. Anne, my wife, made some excellent food over the following months and we had a very satisfying time, in non musical terms, making the album.

Ian Parker would start the recording process off by laying down say 3 or 4 song arrangements on piano using click tracks and guide synth bass.

He would then let me have these in musical file format and I would load these into my recording system.

After balancing these tracks I made a CD and sent it to Tony who worked out what he wanted to play. We would then make a date for him to come over and start recording.

We 'direct injected' his guitar processor into the system and then we would start.

Tony and I worked alone for hours and I particularly enjoyed these sessions - he never came with just one idea but a selection, and just said to use whichever one I liked. This was difficult at times because they were all good and all worked very well.

People have said that Tony is a very under-rated player and this is undoubtedly true. He has played on this album some truly fantastic solos. His solo on Suspended Animation is absolutely superb - fast, trickey, beautifully melodic and original. He is also a very accurate player which means that you never have to hold his guitars back in a mix because they are slightly 'out'. We used his acoustic guitars throughout this project and I was always able to use them up front because they are spot on. He played great Spanish guitar (Parker Fly) on 'So Damn Beautiful' and you can hear that it is typically Tony.

We used a selection of guitars on Tony's sessions throughout the months. We recorded his PRS six string, Danelectro 12 string, Loudon acoustic, Parker Fly acoustic and Spanish guitars. Tony always comes up with parts that suit and is very imaginative in his choice of sounds. Have a listen to his 'underwater guitar' on 'Live It Up'. Check out his solo on the same song - again, melodic, simple but, for me, quite brilliant. I love it when you hit the record button and you get something as good as that.

On 'Prove Me Wrong', the demo had a very melodic intro which I thought was perfect. Tony came up with something different which was even better. He always seems to play exactly what is required at the right time.

Not that Steve Lauri didn't contribute - he did. The guitars on 'Weakness' are predominately Steve.

He has a distinctly 'rocky' edge to his playing style which suited this track. His guitars are also there on 'Break Me' and his solo on this is beautifully fluid, reminiscent of the Dutch band Focus.

One very interesting point to do with guitars is worth a mention. I programmed some acoustic guitars on 'Hope' from a keyboard. The sample used was a Martin Dreadnought and it worked so well that we left it on the track.

The programme used is called Virtual Guitarist and is an extraordinary piece of software. I also ended up using VG on 'Break Me' to add extra weight to the track - this time a Gibson electric sample. Again I used a 'little' funk guitar sample on 'Emotions' – all this was great fun, sitting alone being a guitarist.

My pal (and writer of many of the songs) Rob Davis also played guitar on the album. On the demo of 'Suspended Animation' Rob created such a great feel that both Tony and I felt that he should play on our version which he duly did. Rob also played acoustic guitar on 'Let Love Pass' - his own fantastic song. He used a special tuning and it really is a lovely sound

In between sessions with the guitar players, I layed down various bass parts which were fairly straightforward. I used my Warwick Streamer on some tracks because it has a very clean and clear sound, but for the more 'rocky' tracks I turned to my Fender Precision bass with its powerful bottom end. The bass line though, on 'Prove Me Wrong' is Ian's original synth bass guide - it's a lovely part and I felt that I couldn't really improve on it, so it stayed on the finished track.

With the tracks 'well on the way' with regard to the guitars, it was time for Bob to come down to the studio to replace the tempo clicks with his drums. We had two very enjoyable sessions in the Summer lasting 6 days. The drums were recorded and also percussion parts were added to many tracks including some really nice congas on 'Live it Up'.

Bob really thinks about the tracks we work on and very frequently sent me emails with lots of ideas for the songs. Although his previous recordings with the band down the years might suggest that he is totally a drum purist, Bob is really 'up' for anything that might add to the tracks. We had real fun exploring 'drum loops' and it is this kind of open mind that is so typical of The Hollies and is the reason that the band is still recording today.

Some people may expect the band to be as it was - fortunately the band does not expect this of itself - the history is there but so is the desire to move forward. Bob and I decided that drum loops would really work well on some tracks (along with his real drums) and so we went ahead without hesitation

'Emotions' has 2 nice little percussive loops running right and left stereo, as does 'Prove Me Wrong', although these are heavier in nature. Anyone who has seen us play this song live knows how well it works. Suspended Animation is the other track with 2 loops overlayed on each other – it's a great 'groove' and we love it!

While I was away on holiday, Ian recorded all the piano and keyboard parts on his computer. Very often we would speak on the phone and he would play me some songs that he was working on. We exchanged ideas and the result was that when I arrived home, Ian had sent me all the parts on a CD as music files. All I had to do was insert them into the tracks and hey presto! – completed backing tracks. Ian and I also spent days together tidying up the tracks, adding little extra touches where we thought necessary giving that sparkle which we felt we needed.

In the case of Prove Me Wrong, we cut short the session because he felt he needed to know the song in more detail. He came back another day and the result is there on the CD. He is so 'in tune' when he sings that no direction from me was hardly necessary. He delivers when the record light goes on and it's a pleasure just to sit there and listen. He can be frustrating though (in a nice way) because he sometimes wants to carry on when we already have a great take 'in the can'. He's a perfectionist and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that – except when he goes through a song literally word by word at some unearthly hour!

Backing vocals were a breeze. Steve took the top lines, Tony in the middle and Pete took the lower harmonies. We just worked them out in the studio and then recorded them straightaway. Pretty well all choruses were triple tracked for each side of the stereo, meaning that all lines were sung 6 times. The best example of this on the album is, I think, Emotions where the new Hollies' harmonies are very clear. The harmony blend that the three have is really good and has wound its thread throughout all the songs. On Touch Me, Pete did all the voices himself and I think it makes for a good contrast.

When everything was finally recorded, I set about mixing the tracks and this process took about 2 days per song. I mixed on 2 small speakers at a very low level. To play music back at high levels is very tiring for the ears, so at low volume you can actually hear more. I sent the lads CDs for their comments along the way and incorporated their observations in the final mixes as best as I could.

I have been aware (through the website) that many people thought we would go back to Abbey Road Studios to record, as in the past. To be honest, we required a great deal of flexibility in what, and how, we recorded.

Had we just set up the amps, drums, keys etc and then played, then OK. But this project was far more complicated than that, bearing in mind what we wanted to achieve. However, I did go to Abbey Road to 'cut' or 'master' the album. This is the process wherebye we play the album in a near perfect acoustic listening environment, and the cutting engineer makes tonal changes to the mix to add that final 'sparkle' to the overall sound. Once we have completed this, the project is done, at least for the time being, until it's time to think about the next album.

Ray.