Sugar & Spice

anonymous · Post by **anonymous** » Mon Sep 23, 2002 12:51 am

Hi, my page about Sugar & Spice single and lp has been updated with a lot of "new" material. So don`t miss it and point your browser at:

http://home.rhein-zeitung.de/~mdenger/

Michael

anonymous · Post by **anonymous** » Mon Sep 23, 2002 6:51 am

Michael: Thanks for letting us know about this update. Do you know who decided that the Saints and Searchers number should be recorded and who is credited as the composer?

anonymous · Post by **anonymous** » Mon Sep 23, 2002 11:27 am

Peter,

"Saints and Searchers" has always been a favorite of mine. It was one of the early "non-famous" tunes that really got me into the Searchers' music. I especially liked the second guitar solo, and changing drum patterns for each stanza. On the re-releases, hearing the French version by Chris, is strange. That song was made for Tony's voice.

Michael, who played lead on the solos? Was it Mike? In the U.S, that song was never in an LP- probably because Liberty had Sugar..., and Kapp had the Searchers.

anonymous · Post by **anonymous** » Mon Sep 23, 2002 11:56 pm

I'm rather sure that Mike plays the solo. The French version has another difference. They took the stereo version and used just one channel for their mono production, so that everything Mike Pender plays can't be heard very good.
Michael

anonymous · Post by **anonymous** » Thu Sep 26, 2002 1:15 pm

Michael,

Who did the arrangement of "Saints and Searchers"? The band as a group? Chris? Mike/John? Or Tony Hatch?

anonymous · Post by **anonymous** » Sat Oct 12, 2002 1:52 am

I would say the band as a group. Later when Chris took over it was him who made the arrangements.
Michael

anonymous · Post by **anonymous** » Mon Mar 10, 2003 6:17 am

John: Saints and Searchers was certainly made for Jackson's voice. I too have always loved this song. It is one of a limited number of Searchers songs in which you get the sense that they really pulled out all the stops. "See See Rider" and "Hi Heel Sneakers" is other examples that I would put in this category. I really like the earlier songs that have a raw edge to them. The Searchers' harmonies are superb, but it is their earlier rockers that really captives the listener.

sowhat · Post by **sowhat** » Sat Nov 08, 2003 3:43 am

hi,
i'd agree "Saints..." is a huge track and moreover it features the greatest Jackson's vocals imho. It was also very nice to see "Hi-heel sneakers" mentioned as a good number. But in my view, the arrangement takes back seat here, that's the Vocals (sic) that makes grade here. To me the singer sounds like a lost son of Elvis Presley and Freddie Kroeger (sorry, sorry). Great. Bet you know who i'm talking about...

royclough · Post by **royclough** » Sat Nov 08, 2003 10:23 am

Interesting this is a track I skip when playing any CD. Still life would be dull if we all liked the same.

admin · Post by **admin** » Tue Nov 18, 2003 6:35 am

Mdenger wrote

The French version has another difference. They took the stereo version and used just one channel for their mono production, so that everything Mike Pender plays can't be heard very good.

Michael: You are quite right. The French version by Chris Curtis does not come close to the excitement of the original release by Tony Jackson.

tim · Post by **tim** » Tue Nov 18, 2003 9:37 am

I was party to the decision to leave "Saints And Searchers" off the "30th Anniversary Collection" (two b-sides needed to be left off as there was not enough room for all them). I didn't feel that 'Saints' had stood the test of time.

admin · Post by **admin** » Tue Nov 18, 2003 9:43 am

Tim: Someone has to make the tough calls. Just in passing, which songs did you leave off the 40th Anniversary Album that you wanted to include, space permitting?

tim · Post by **tim** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 8:29 am

I wanted all the LIBERTY tracks included so that we could then have every track ever recorded by The Searchers digitally re-mastered on CD. Other than that I was more than satisfied with it.

royclough · Post by **royclough** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 10:06 am

Near enough Tim but not every track issued on Vinyl has found it's way on to CD BUT GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME.

tim · Post by **tim** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 10:16 am

Roy, Besides the LIBERTY tracks, what else are we missing?