With that extensive existence came an unavoidable degree of turmoil and instability within its ranks, and even Allan Clarke couldn’t hold on forever. There was a creative battle going on within The Hollies as they entered the new decade, and ‘Hey Willy’ summed it up perfectly. Listening to that 1971 single, you could be forgiven for assuming it came from some pioneering hard rock harbinger, rather than the already-established pop stars in The Hollies. Clarke was rapidly reaching the end of his tether with regard to his creative freedom within the band, and ‘Hey Willy’ seemed to be the last straw. Once Distant Light, the LP that arrived a few months after ‘Hey Willy’ entered the charts, had been released into the world, Allan Clarke left The Hollies, embarking upon a solo career which began with 1972’s My Real Name Is ‘Arold.