The Psychedelic Blight

[RJHC]

_A LOT OF PEOPLE ON HERE HAVE BEEN BEATING THEIR

BRAINS OUT TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHY THE SEARCHERS'

POPULARITY WENT DOWN IN THE LATE 60'S . THE

ANSWER IS THE FICKLE PUBLIC AND THE PSYCADELIC

BLIGHT .

_THE FICKLE PUBLIC HAVE BEEN ENTHRONING AND

DETHRONING STARS FOR YEARS . HOW MANY ROCK STARS

HAVE GONE UP AND DOWN SINCE THE MID 50'S ? HOW

MANY GOOD STARS HAVE GONE DOWN WHILE BAD ONES

HAVE GONE UP ?

_IN THE LATE 60'S PEOPLE STARTED TAKING

SUBSTANCES AND BLOWING THEIR MINDS . IT WAS

DURING THIS PERIOD A LOT OF GOOD GROUPS LIKE

HERMAN'S HERMITS , FREDDIE AND THE DREAMERS ,

BILLY J. KRAMER AND THE DAKOTAS , THE DAVE CLARK

FIVE , AND GERRY AND THE PACEMAKERS WENT DOWN .

PEOPLE WANTED TO BURN THEIR BRAINS OUT ON JIMI

HENDRIX AND THE GREATFUL DEAD . EVEN AMERICAN

GROUPS WHO SURVIVED THE BRITISH INVASION LIKE ;

THE FOUR SEASONS AND THE BEACH BOYS WENT DOWN IN

POPULARITY . THE BEATLES AND THE ROLLING STONES

WENT DOWN IN QUALITY .

_THE SEARCHERS TRIED . I WAS AMAZED THE FIRST

TIME I HEARD "CRAZY DREAMS" THE EXCELLENT MIXTURE

OF PSYCADELIC AND MERSEY . BUT THIS THIS WASN'T

GOOD ENOUGH FOR THE BURN OUT BRAINS .

_THE PSYCADELIC BLIGHT , MORE THAN THE THE LACK

OF ORIGINAL SONGS OR PERSONELL CHANGES , KILLED

OFF THE SEARCHERS POPULARITY .

[jjr]

I don't think psychedelia helped, but I think the Searchers were declining in popularity before it hit. As I recall, 1965 started very well for them chart-wise, and declined precipitously before the psychedelic stuff really took hold. If I remember right, 1966 was a REALLY bad year for the band as far as hit singles. Between that, and Chris Curtis leaving (after Tony Jackson left 2 years before), I think they lost their momentum, and never recovered.

I would attribute their loss of popularity to their inability to find good covers (I never thought much of "Western Union", even when done by the 5 Americans), their failure to trust their own compositions to a greater degree than they did, and a lack of support(and better advice or direction) from Pye.

[admin]

While the psychedelic period changed the direction of rock music considerably, I agree with John that The Searchers were already on the decline with respect to their popularity previous to this time. It was tough enough for cohesive groups with limited internal strife to be successful given the trememdous competition in the 1960s. I still consider that the problems of personality and poor management took their toll and left The Searchers at a disadvantage.

[Ron_Nasty]

I have to disagree with RJHC about the impact of psychedelica to the Beatles music. I would take
"Strawberry Fields" or "I am the Walrus" over
"She Loves You" or "I Want To Hold Your Hand" any day. Personally, the Searchers material does not hold up against Hendrix or the Beatles. The Stones were just copying the Beatles.
It was tough to compete and the cheeky moptop image became as "yesterday" as Vanilla Ice.
There was a "depth" to the music that wasn't in many of the bands' noted in the post. Just my opinion.

[RJHC]

_RON NASTY : GO WASH OUT YOUR MOUTH WITH SOAP .

WASH OUT YOUR KEYBOARD TOO . SAYING SEARCHERS

MATERIAL DOESN'T HOLD UP AGAINST JIMI HENDRIX .

GO TO YOUR ROOM WITHOUT ANY SUPPER .

_HENDRIX HAD NO SENSE OF MELODY . HIS VOICE WAS

ROTTEN . HIS GUITAR WORK WAS OVERLY DISTORTED

AND UNMELODIC . YES IT WAS DIFFICULT . YES HE

COULD PLAY WITH HIS TEETH BUT THAT DIDN'T MAKE

HIM SOUND ANY BETTER . THE TWO GUYS BEHIND HIM

OVERPLAYED THEIR INSTRUMENTS . JIMI WOULDN'T HAVE

MADE IT BIG IF HIS AUDIENCE WASN'T ZONKED OUT OF

THEIR SKULLS .

_THE BEATLES SOUNDED BETTER IN THEIR MOP TOP

DAYS . THEY WERE GOOD AFTER SGT. PEPPER , BUT NOT

AS GOOD .

_THE SEARCHERS HAD AN EXCELLENT SENSE OF MELODY .

THEY CHOSE GOOD SONGS TO COVER AND MOST OF THE

TIME IMPROVED THEM . THEY PLAYED THEIR GUITARS

CLEAN WITH THE TREBLE CRANKED UP . NOT ONLY WERE

MIKE PENDER'S SOLOS MELODIC BUT THE INTROS ,

FILLS , AND ENDINGS WERE VERY IMPRESSIVE .

WHEN THEY FINALLY GOT INTO DISTORTION THEY USED

IT TASTEFULLY . THEY ALWAYS HAD GOOD VOCALS ,

ESPECIALLY WHEN TONY JACKSON SANG . EXCELLENT

HARMONIES . THE DRUMMING OF CHRIS CURTIS AND THE

BASS PLAYING OF JACKSON AND ALLEN WAS USED FOR

ACCOMPANIMENT , INSTEAD OVERPLAYING AND TRYING TO

COMPETE WITH THE LEAD GUITAR AND VOCALS . TONY

JACKSON COULD DO MORE WITH A 1-5 ALTERNATING BASS

PATTERN THAN NOEL REDDING COULD WITH HIS COMPLEX

RUMBLINGS .


JUST MY OPINION .

[Ron_Nasty]

I know Hendrix didn't play a Rick, but to call
"Little Wing" and "May this Be Love" unmelodic...Well
it's certainly not "Needles and Pins".
(Which in America is the only reason we are talking about the Searchers other than as a footnote to the Beatles)
That's why you have your stereo and I have mine.
I can't wash my mouth out, my foot is stuck in it.

[admin]

Actually Hendrix did play a Rickenbacker but perhaps only in private. Word has it that he had three. I am still working on this story as the data comes in, hopefully in my lifetime. There can be no doubt, however, that Hendrix was a great guitarist and changed the face of music during his short time on earth. I would have loved to hear his version of "Needles and Pinza."