Merseybeats

royclough · Post by **royclough** » Mon Mar 27, 2006 8:43 am

No not really Brian you would know more about that side of it then I ever would, they recorded on the Fontana label which was a subsidiary of Philips and as far as I know their recording studio was in Marble Arch London.

I'm sure Bob's wife would like a lot more of their stuff they tended to go for the ballad type stuff, which I liked, on the singles though could rock out too, I'll post another couple of tracks later if anyone is interested.

winston · Post by **winston** » Mon Mar 27, 2006 9:02 am

I for one am keenly interested in more postings Roy. For me this is akin to re-discovering songs from my youth.

winston · Post by **winston** » Mon Mar 27, 2006 9:09 am

You'll get a kick out of this story. Its pretty typical of new bands being signed to record labels in the 60s.

The Wolfetones were signed by Fontana records in early 1964 and were probably one of the first Irish groups to get a recording contract. “It was an exciting time,” said Brian. “We took the boat called The Princess Maude to Holyhead; I’ll never forget the journey. The boat was packed mainly with emigrants. We had the craic; we played a few songs, drank a few pints and got sick with all the rest of the passengers. We were all glad to see the other side.

We continued by train to London and there in Phillips studios in Marble Arch on the following morning we recorded our first album. It was recorded in a day. We thought it was just the rehearsal. “Next song” said Mr Baverstock, the A and R man, “Fine now, next one” and so on. “That’s great!” he said “all done. You’ve just cut your first record”.

They launched it soon after with a half page ad in the NME, a review of the album and full-page article about the group.

The Tones were on their way. As well as the Tones, Fontana’s label boasted hit groups like, The Pretty Things, Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders and a group called Dave, Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mitch, and Tich. All of these groups are well forgotten and have found a place on the musical scrap heap but the Tones are still going strong.

royclough · Post by **royclough** » Mon Mar 27, 2006 10:09 am

http://tinyurl.com/ke4bj

Follow up single Brian to I Think Of You only made number 13 but one of their best.

Their last hit alluded to by Karl I Stand Accused better, in my opinion of course, than Elvis Costello version.

http://tinyurl.com/gh3kc

royclough · Post by **royclough** » Mon Mar 27, 2006 10:15 am

Never heard of The Wolfetones Brian and whoever wrote the piece slightly biased I suspect as Dave Dee etc and Wayne Fontana still playing and currently on a large tour of UK.

Based on this small sample of their work hardly surprising no one in England has heard of them.

http://s40.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0LOX8A130TMIX1EC71NZDLJCSC

winston · Post by **winston** » Mon Mar 27, 2006 10:22 am

I have never heard of them either Roy. I got a kick out their account of the recording session at the Phillips studio in Marble Arch and their thoughts on their place in musical history.

Here's a link to their website in case you wish to have a look.

http://www.wolfetonesofficialsite.com/legends.htm

winston · Post by **winston** » Mon Mar 27, 2006 10:27 am

Interesting. Traditional styled Irish music with more modern lyrics.

I don't mind their sound to be honest. It's pretty well done for that genre.

BTW thanks for posting the other two Merseybeat songs. They are real gems. I really enjoyed them.

winston · Post by **winston** » Mon Mar 27, 2006 10:41 am

Roy if you are interested I'll post some comments by Dusty Springfield on the Phillips Marble Arch studio. I was absolutely bang on and correct on all accounts when I surmised the state of the recording process in that studio BTW.

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Mon Mar 27, 2006 7:34 pm

Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders had a couple of big hits here and are still played on oldies radio stations. I remember Fontana records well and can still see the blue label of their 45's in my mind. I think the Troggs also recorded on that label, they had to be one of the coolest bands of the 60's.

sowhat · Post by **sowhat** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 2:33 am

Hmmm... strange or not, but i quite enjoyed the Wolfetones' sound clip. Perhaps because the sounds of accordion move my heart, i dunno...
Their name didn't sound familiar to me, to be true...

sowhat · Post by **sowhat** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 2:40 am

PS: forgot to say... Wayne Fontana is great! Oh well... i did say that before, several times, but why not say it again?

Yes, and if i'm not mistaken, the Troggs were much more popular (and influential) than Wolfetones and Mindbenders...

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 3:34 pm

Wild Thing is a garage rock anthem over here, even Hendrix did a great version. I like a lot of their stuff, I can't control myself is another great one. They were very minimalist and were named after Troglodytes I'm pretty sure, fits their music very well.

sowhat · Post by **sowhat** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 12:01 am

IIRC, they were originally named "Trogglodytes" and then shortened their name...

rob_mac · Post by **rob_mac** » Fri Mar 31, 2006 12:41 am

I saw the Merseybeats on tour last year on the Solid Silver Sixties tour and they were fantastic!!! Well worth seeing if you get the chance. They are still fronted by Tony Crane and Billy Kinsley - the original lead singers and guitarists and Tonys son plays guitar and keyboards. I recently got The Best of the Merseybeats on Amazon for the fab price of £3.33. It includes their version of mr moonlight which was the b side of I think of you that was recorded nearly a year before the Beatles version. Very good it is too.

From Rob