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Scanned
from the original US inner sleeve
THE
SEARCHERS
Let's
recap for a moment. The Searchers are of course the group responsible for
that clutch of Merseybeat classics— "Sweets for my Sweet", "Needles and
Pins", "Love Potion #9", "When you Walk in the Room" et al. Liverpool's
number two ranking group, second only to the Beatles, The Searchers were the
only really successful and stylistically innovative Mersey group outside the
Brian Epstein stable.
The
nucleus of The Searchers today is the same as during their mid-sixties
heyday: John McNally, lead guitarist and singer, founded the group back in
1961 with Mike Pender, guitarist and lead singer, while Frank Allan, bassist
and occasional lead singer, joined the fold in August 1964 after The
Searchers were the First major beat group to suffer a split in their ranks.
Frank played on all Searchers records from "When you Walk in the Room"
onwards. Only drummer Billy Adamson is a newcomer, though of ten years
standing.
The
Searchers didn't quit, although the hits stopped flowing as the sixties
started waning. Without ever disgracing their name, they carried on, playing
the clubs, touring Europe, America and Australia. Recordings during this
period were scarce (and now much sought after), while for five years they
had no deal at all. Then, in late 1978, The Searchers signed to Sire, not to
cut nostalgic recycled hits, or a rock'n'roll revival collection, but a
modern album. They'd waited for someone with the faith to let them prove
that their brand of rock was utterly timeless.
"The
Searchers", the resulting album, leaves no room for doubt. As contemporary
as any album released this year, it has already been universally acclaimed
by the far from gullible British rock press. Three tracks speak volumes for
The Searchers' undeniable place in today's rock world, the Will Birch/ John
Wicks' song "Hearts in Her Eyes", Tom Petty's "Lost in Your Eyes", and a
rare Bob Dylan effort. "Coming from the Heart". Will and John's group. The
Records, along with Tom Petty's outfit, are both self-confessed admirers of
the sound that The Searchers made so compelling and original in the sixties.
Both are committed to bringing that genre back into contention. The
Searchers anticipated the jangling folk rock sound that inspired groups such
as The Byrds and Beau Brummels as well as Dylan himself.
Ultimately, though, it's not The Searchers' track record that enables them
to compete with today's groups; it's their playing and singing. Their
instrumental work is as tight and exhilarating as ever, still that same
blend of rhythmic precision and inventive melody. Those trademark harmonies,
too, highlighted by Mike Pender's emotion-charged lead vocals, have simply
matured with the years.
And the
group proves the point as it works out on these hand picked songs: Mod
Brown's "No Dancing", which has drawn comparisons with Dave Edmunds and Nick
Lowe's mighty Rockpile: Lowe himself has had a bash at veteran pub rocker
Micky Jupp's "Switchboard Susan", and, dare I suggest. The Searchers'
version has the edge. Add, among others, a radio classic from Airwaves man
John David, "It's Too Late", and a brace of group compositions, and "The
Searchers" is probably the first so-called 'comeback' album to thoroughly
justify the coming back.
—
Mick Houghten
Below are the American version, promo
cover front and back plus inner sleeve information, then the regular cover
and label |
