Searchers on Liberty Records

Jules · Post by **Jules** » Thu Aug 17, 2000 9:51 am

Anyone know if their Liberty recordings (Umbrella Man etc...) are or have been available on CD?

Jules ([email protected])

admin · Post by **admin** » Thu Aug 17, 2000 6:45 pm

Jules: The "Liberty" releases (1967-1969) Somebody Shot Lolipop Man, Pussy Willow Dragon, Umbrella Man, Over the Weekend, Kinky Kathy Abernathy, Suzanna and Shoot'em Up Baby were released on a German CD entitled "German, French and Rare Recordings" which has long since gone out of circulation. With any luck you may get a copy of these from an avid Searcher's fan who reads this post. I do not have any of them, but like yourself, would love to get a copy of these tunes.

Jules · Post by **Jules** » Fri Aug 18, 2000 5:36 am

Thanks, Peter! Much appreciated help.

tim · Post by **tim** » Thu Aug 24, 2000 10:17 am

There is a possibility that SEQUEL Records will licence the LIBERTY tracks from EMI for a future Searchers' release. John Reed is currently re-packaging all The Searchers PYE output. The SIRE (by RAVEN) and RCA (by TARAGON) tracks have recently been released on CD. The STAR-CLUB recordings were released on CD by PHONOGRAM (around 1989/1990) and (as you previously mentioned) REPERTOIRE issued the LIBERTY tracks on one of their CDs. However, these were dubbed from vinyl. If SEQUEL do release the tracks the CD will be mastered from the original master tapes.

admin · Post by **admin** » Sun Aug 27, 2000 7:56 pm

Tim: Do you have any idea when SEQUEL may release the LIBERTY tracks and how serious they are about it?

tim.viney · Post by **tim.viney** » Wed Aug 30, 2000 7:47 am

John Reed has told me that licencing the LIBERTY tracks would be the last CD in the series. SEQUEL recently released a 2-CD 'Searchers Anthology' [basically all their PYE A-sides and B-sides in chronological order with a selection of album tracks inserted at the correct time points. It was mixed in Mono as this how the tracks were originally issued by PYE (at least in the U.K. anyway).

It is intended that this will then be followed by a repackaging of the original PYE albums (maybe again spread over a 2-CD).

I believe John is serious, but it will all depend on sales of the re-releases.

david · Post by **david** » Wed Nov 07, 2001 8:23 pm

I have always had an unrequited curiosity about the song "Umbrella Man".As Roy Clough says in his article the song was hardly played on the radio.I believe I heard it just once but there is rather an interesting fuzz break if I recall correctly and quite a decent melody,certainly worthy of some kind of chart placing.Alas.
The second hearing at a live performance circa 1970 reinforced my initial impression.I recall the Searchers had to restart the song after a drum intro had seemingly gone awry.Not sure who the drummer was that night!A re-release of the Liberty tracks will be welcome.

admin · Post by **admin** » Thu Nov 08, 2001 2:19 am

David: Although you heard this song more than 30 years ago, would you be able to comment on the quality of the instrumentation of "Umbrella Man" outside of the inital blooper that you describe. The Searchers did the vocal track only in the studio,as far as I am aware, on this recording. That they may have been less familiar with the instrumental side may, in part, be related to this.

david · Post by **david** » Thu Nov 08, 2001 3:40 am

In reply to your question I assume we are talking about the quality of their live performance that night.Comparing their show with the many,many concerts and open air festivals of other bands I attended through the sixties and seventies that Searchers concert has always stayed in my memory as one of the best i.e flawless renditions of all their best known recordings at the time.

admin · Post by **admin** » Thu Nov 08, 2001 4:20 am

Yes David, I was referring to the quality. Thanks for this review. I quite enjoy "Umbrella Man" and as with many of The Searchers recordings, I am often puzzled why they did not do better in the charts after 1965.

sjd37 · Post by **sjd37** » Thu Nov 08, 2001 9:54 am

"Umbrella Man" is one of only two Liberty tracks I've heard so far, but it is quite a nice one. I feel that there is a certain sparkle that is missing from the instrumental backing--but the lyrics and vocals are exquisite.

einar · Post by **einar** » Thu Nov 08, 2001 10:59 pm

I\ve still got the Umbrella man single in the attic somewhere. It has a quite nice guitar sound (12-string?) but is too heavy orchestrated to my taste. Was it "Over the weekend" on the b-side? A Frank Allen song, sung by him. A weak song, I must say. And very badly produced! The s'es sounded like I don't know what! This is how I remember it. Haven't heard it for at least 25 years. Are the Liberty singles collector's items? If not for the bothersome process of getting them posted etc., I'd gladly consider giving them away to someone who'd dearly own them. I'm open for negotiations!

Einar/Trondheim/Norway (Snowy, at present).

tim · Post by **tim** » Fri Nov 09, 2001 8:18 am

"Umbrella Man" is the easiest to find, of all the LIBERTY singles, but at (circa) £20 it is still highly collectable. "Kinky Kathy Abernathy" at around £30 is harder to get hold of. The single they recorded under the name 'Pasha' - "Somebody Shot The Lollipop Man" changes hands at over £60. The German picture sleeve single of "Shoot 'Em Up Baby" goes for about £40 (or maybe more). The compilation album "Five Years Ago" containing three of the LIBERTY is harder to put a price on, although the German release does seem easier to track down than the British one.

royclough · Post by **royclough** » Fri Nov 09, 2001 9:25 am

I know someone who paid £100 for the Pasha single, wish I had that kind of money, however, I was not aware of the exsistence of the single until 1981 when MP told me about it. I passed this info onto another Searchers "Avid" I knew quite well at the time and "Sod's Law" he found the single in a dump bin in some Bric a Brac shop and paid 10 pence( $14 cents ) for it.
Frankly that is all it is worth.
A rather unkind reviewer, I later found out, had when reviewing the single( Didn't know it was The Searchers, remember), stated he believed Pasha was the name of the producer's ( Kenny Young) dog and that the dog could have made a better job of it.
Of the Liberty stuff, the "B" side of Kinky Kathy, Suzanna, a J McNally song was superb, but as far as I know only MP's vocals were on the track.

Umberella Man though was a good track in my view with the infectious clapping

tim · Post by **tim** » Fri Nov 09, 2001 10:02 am

It was Jonathan King who made that remark Roy. However Penny Valentine thought the disc was "worth a bit of attention" when she reviewed the record for the 'Disc and Music Echo' music paper back in '69.