Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

There's been a lot of talk about Gerry and the Pacemakers, in one way or the other, in different threads on Roy's Topics. Admitfully, I enjoyed G&P but never really got into them very deeply or know much of their history. Why did they fail to progess further, Roy, or Peter, or anyone who has their own take on this? And what kept them from going further? Also, what's the best compilation available to purchase on them?

They were great, I loved their stuff, I'd like to get a good compilation also but you don't seem to see many. I like it!

You can get their first two albums on one CD. That would be a great start.

Their manager was Brian Epstein (Beatles) who died in 1967.

As soon as the Beatles changed formula in 1967, many beat groups couldn't keep up.

Gerry Marsden couldn't write songs like Lennon or McCartney either.

I always though he suffocated from wearing his guitar too tight.

Karl interesting you say you can get their first two albums on one CD,because in UK incredible as it may seem only one album was released excluding Ferry Cross The Mersey soundtrack and the numerous compilation albums over the years. Albums were reelased in States that were not released in UK.

Same with Billy J Kramer only one official album released, when you consider how well their singles sold in 63/64 it is a mystery. don't know if you have ever visited Clough Links but on it I explain how Pye records who had The Searchers overexposed the band clearly tried to put as much as they could (4 singles and 3 albums released in a 12 month period)before they thought the "bubble" would burst, In some ways they were correct the Merseybeat boom was over by end of 65.

This is the one I have......

http://www.oldies.com/product/view.cfm/id_27842.html

Never released in UK Don't let the sun released in July 64 in US and Second Album released in Nov 64. Their first album and only album bar Ferry soundtrack was called How Do You Like It was released in UK in Oct 63 but never released in States, hence that is why my query

Funny but I prefer the US albums over the UK's with Gerry.

Having all those beat tunes on one CD is cool too!

Gerry Marsden, Freddie Marsden (drums), Les Chadwick (piano) were initially known as the Mars Bars. I understand that Gerry had some singles released as a solo artist in the late 1960s including some of the following:

Please Let Them Be/I'm Not Blue
CBS 2784 (1967)

Gilbert Green/What Makes Me Love You
CBS 2946 (1967)

Liverpool/Charlie Girl (released as Gerry Marsden & Derek Nimmo)
CBS 3575 (1968)

In The Year Of April/Every Day
NEMS 56-3831 (1968)

Every Little Minute/In Days Of Old
NEMS 56-4229 (1969)

I've Got My Ukelele/What A Day
Decca F 13172 (1971)

None of these charted in the US to my knowledge. Did any of the above make it in the UK Roy?

No they didn't but Please let them be was great,regretfully I only have it on tape and have not got round to converting it.He tried to become a sort of all round entertainer appearing in a musical Charlie Girl which is noted, he even ended up playing straight men to a puppet Sooty.

Having only seen little clips of Gerry Marsden, he seems to be a softspoken very nice guy.

I wonder what guys like that think of the hyper stardom of Beatles who were at one point in time sharing equal (or lesser) with them.

Which makes me think of Rory Storm. He committed suicide in the late 60's (with his mother Mona who had stayed friends with the Beatles over the years). At one point he WAS the big star in Liverpool but by the mid 60's it was "Rory who?".

(I'm not claiming that the Beatles stardom drove Rory to suicide,
but it certainly could have been a factor.

...and dig Ringo's crazy shades!

He was not the only one from the Merseybea legacy, Johnny Sandon, Brian O Hara (Fourmost) are two that immediately spring to mind also.

Believe me, Gerry is not really a soft spoken guy

Did Gerry have a sister who was a singer?Somehow I'm recalling one of the known British invasion bands had someone who had a sister who was kinda known as well.While I'm on that, Who was LULU?
She was married to Maurice Gibb, I think, for a while, wasn't she?She did that, "To Sir, With Love" tune...

Marie Lawrie is her real name. Don't think she was related to Gerry.

With regard to Gerry's peaceful or gentle manner, recall that he sawed the top of the headstock of a brand new Rickenbacker 12 string to squeeze it into a homemade shipping box for his trip to New York.