Released in the wake of
the Hollies' American breakthrough, Bus Stop is standard British Invasion fare, with the titular Top Ten American hit leading off an album split evenly between pop and American R&B cover songs. As far as the R&B goes, there were English groups that did it much better, from
the Stones to the
Animals,
Yardbirds, and
Small Faces. "We're Through" has an arrangement borrowed from the
Johnny Rivers hit "Secret Agent Man," not coincidentally recorded for the same label. The most unusual cuts are the cover of Simon and Garfunkel's "I Am a Rock," notable for
Graham Nash's high harmony vocals atop
Allan Clarke's lead, and "Oriental Sadness," with its piercing chorus vocals by
Nash. The best cuts reflect what the group is fondly remembered for: crackling, Merseybeat pop, as in the bouncy "Don't Run and Hide" and the sweet, harmony-laden "Baby That's All."