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Tony Jackson, the original lead singer and bass player with The Searchers when they rose to fame in 1964 reviewed the group when they performed this summer at the Solid Silver 60s Show at the Royal Concert Hall in Nottingham. His review appeared in the now defunct "The Beat Goes On" in Issue 114, June 2000. As this magazine is now out of print, an excerpt from Tony's review appears here.

"The appearance of The Searchers, of course, brought it all back for me. Frank Allen still thanks me for the job and he and the boys have perfected a truly excellent set in which there are many stand-out moments. Their version of "Young Girl" has long been a stage favourite and continues to impress, and my old mate John McNally's poignant singing on the lovely "Till There Was You" was a pleasure to hear. It's good that John is given his own spot these days as I can remember a time when his only solo vocal moment came with a gruff "Now looky here" during our rendition of "Farmer John." A very fine group indeed. I wanted the boys to slow down a tad on the up-tempo numbers but maybe I'm being picky."

Jackson's review is positive in spite of the reminder to The Searchers that he considers they need to slow down the tempo. I suspect that instead of "Till There Was You" that Tony is referring to John McNally's compostion of "Till I Met You" which is a ballad originally recorded with a classical guitar along the lines of "Till There Was You" covered by The Beatles. Tony got the chance to reminisce with this review and he couldn't help recalling the old memories of venues such as the Cavern, the Iron Door and the Mardis Gras.

_COULD YOU PRINT THE REST OF THE ARTICLE ON HERE .

I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IT .

SOLID SILVER 60S SHOWRoyal concert Hall - Nottingham~ by Tony Jackson ~
"It's amazing - frightening even - to think that it's nearly 40 years since the Searchers - with yours truly in the line-up - Gerry and the Pacemakers, the Swinging Blue Jeans plus scores of other Liverpool beat groups were cutting their teeth in clubs like the Cavern, the Iron Door amd the Mardi Gras. If you had told us then that we would be treading the boards and playing the old hits in the year 2000, very few of us would have vouched for your sanity. Of course, we all wanted to taste the life of a pop star, enjoy our fifteen minutes of fame, and then - well, be grateful for the moment and go back to the day job. None of us could have predicted that [what] we were embarking on, would turn out for many, to be a lifelong career.

So this was the chance for me to catch up with some old mates whilst wearing my critics hat. But if you're expecting a fellow performer to dish out criticism for the sake of it then, forget it, this was a brilliant show and I am the first to applaud everyone concerned.

THE SWINGING BLUE JEANS are always good value - and great fun - and so they proved again here. The hits and the rock 'n' roll came thick and fast but the real highlight came right at the end of their set with a storming Twist and Shout which had the audience in raptures.

The appearance of THE SEARCHERS, of course, brought it all back for me. Frank Allen still thanks me for the job and he and the boys have perfected a truly excellent set in which there are many standout moments. Their version of Young Girl has long been a stage favourite and continues to impress, and my old mate John McNally's singing on the lovely Till There Was You was a pleasure to hear. It's good that John is given his own spot these days as I can remember a time when his only solo vocal moment came with a gruff 'Now looky here...' during our rendition of Farmer John. A very fine group indeed. Just occasionally I wanted the boys to slow down a tad on the up-tempo numbers but maybe I'm being picky.

A few words in praise of the talented PETER SARSTEDT - a solo acoustic performer asked to do his thing in the middle of three guitar bands (and Scouse ones at that), it can't be easy. It was good to see him warmly appreciated by the audience and I don't know whether he still gets a kick out of singing Where Do You Go My Lovely every night but the song sounds as fresh as the day it was recorded.

GERRY MARSDEN always had a great voice - and still has. The audience loved him and his rapport with them and the members of the Pacemakers was witty and sometimes hilarious. He gave us all the 60s classics with which he is associated and impressed with a fine version of Robbie Williams' Angels. Take it from me, this lad will go far!

Just when you start to think that the 60s revival cannot go on for much longer, a show like this comes along and a quick change of mind is called for. The Sixties are very much alive and kicking!"

TONY JACKSON - (Tony was the original lead-singer with the Searchers and featured on hits such as Sweets For My Sweet, Sugar and Spice and Love Potion Number 9)

Article from The Beat Goes On, Issue 114, June 2000 At the time of this post the magazine was out of print

_THANKS PETER .

RJHC

Ditto!

I printed that out for at-work-lunchtime-reading!
That's when I really need a Ric fix.

_I HIT THE PRINT BUTTON ON THIS ONE . I WAS GLAD

TO SEE TONY WASN'T HOLDING A GRUDGE WITH HIS

FORMER BAND (HIS MAIN ROW WAS WITH CHRIS).

_GOOD TO SEE YOU IN HERE STEVE , AND PETER KEEP

UP THE GOOD WORK .

RJHC

There has been an update to The Tony Jackson Story on the "Needles and Pins" Searchers Information Page. As always, your comments and additional historical information regarding Tony is always welcomed. Tony, if you are reading this please set us straight if we are on the wrong track.

I was lucky to meet Tony Jackson in Liverpool in
1994. He was very nice to me, considering I was a complete stranger asking a few questions about the past. I can't remember exactly what was said
word for word, but I do remember that he conveyed
to me that he didn't really want to leave Liverpool and that might be one of the main reasons he left the group. We have to remember that no one could see into the future and know how big The Searchers would become. Anyway, he
seemed like a happy guy who was proud of his place
in rock and roll history.

Larry: Very nice story, you are lucky to have had this experience. I am pleased that Tony seemed to have adjusted to leaving The Searchers.

While Tony may have been happy in 1994, it would seem from other reports that he was not happy about the arrangement at the time. I do not feel that his concern about leaving Liverpool was a major factor in his leaving The Searchers. In Chris Curtis' interview with Spencer Leigh in 1997 he described the circumstances surrounding Jackson's departure from The Searchers. Chris commented "I didn't like Tony Jackson much, even from the start, and if I'd had the nous to audition for the Searchers, I would have someone else in the first place. I never had any rows with him though: if he stared arguing, I would just walk away. He wanted to sing Needles and Pins and he threatened to reveal something about me if I didn't let him. I said 'You can tell what you like, you're not singing on Needles and Pins.' Then I said 'Can you count to 50?' and he said 'Course I can count to 50.' I said, 'Start counting, and by the time you've reached 50, I'll have phoned Tito Burns to tell him you're out of the band.' He was shocked because all of a sudden he was losing his source of income. The first thing he did when he left the Searchers was get a nose job, and guess where his singing voice had come from. His first solo record though Bye Bye Baby, was a good one."

Other reports from individuals who were close to The Searchers in the early years have focused on Chris Curtis wanting Frank Allen to be a member of the group. I am not clear on the sequence of the events that lead to Jackson's departure. Did Frank Allen take over for Tony after Jackson's behaviour led the other Searchers to ask him to leave? Was Tony ousted by Chris over the Needles and Pins controversy? Did Chris Curtis want Frank in the group and Tony was in the way? I am hoping that Tony Jackson or other sources will be able to speak to these questions as time goes on.

I thought that Tony's departure was orchestrated by Tito Burns who could see that if he split the group by giving Tony Jackson a solo career, and keeping the Searchers as a group, he would have two sources of "commission".

That is a new one on me Alan. I should have thought that such an approach would be very risky. A bird in the hand is worth more than two in the bush, even in 1964, I would have thought. But then again there is always the "business factor" I guess.

Peter,

I read the same thing Alan alluded to-that Tito Burns split Tony Jackson off from the Searchers- the question is where. Liner notes?
I do remember that Burns was allegedly responsible for having Tony show up late, etc. So maybe he was getting it from two fronts, Burns and Chris Curtis. Amazing he's kept his equanimity

Thanks John. The more this subject is discussed, the more complicated it becomes. I wish Tony would comment on this situation that certainly changed the sound and, in my view, the direction that The Searchers' music would take.

_AT THE TIME TONY WAS BEING FORCED OUT , WHAT WAS

THE POSITION OF MIKE AND JOHN ? DID THEY HELP OR

DID THEY STAND BACK AND LET CHRIS DO MOST OF THE

WORK ? WAS CHRIS' ROW WITH TONY AN EARLY

MANIFESTATION OF WHAT HAPPENED IN AUSTRALIA IN

1966 ?

_QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED ?

RJHC: Your question about the role of Mike and John is a good one and the only public statement I have read that addresses the topic in detail is the one made by Chris Curtis. Chris seems to have taken the bulk of the responsibility for pushing Tony out as I see it. Historically it would seem that John McNally has not been front and center in situations such as this, not that he wouldn't be if it was required mind you. John's business role is certainly revealed in the interview he had with Ray Norris. It seems to me that Mike was focused on the lead vocals at the time and so it would be unlikely that he would fight to keep Tony for the lead.

As to "an early manifestation of what happened in Australia in 1966," I think the answer is yes and no. Addressing his early musical training, Chris tells Spencer Leigh in 1997

"The teachers said 'This boy is not trying', but that's they way I was: if I did not get what I wanted, I had a tantrum."

Curtis also describes to Leigh how he managed to influence other group members for the purpose of getting his own way. He related

"If I threw a tantrum and told someone in the group to f-off, the next day I would want to make it up to them. Ameliorate rather than procrastinate. I used to give the presents just to placate them. The moment I had them thinking on my wavelength, I knew we couldn't go wrong. I was right ten times out of ten with singles, so I must know something musn't I?"

That Chris was able to manipulate the group by this behaviour is clear in his view and so I suppose this style was also used in Australia. Having said this, the Australian situation was very different than the Tony Jackson episode and Chris was far further along with prescribed and other "medicines" by the time 1966 rolled along. Chris, in my view, was very compulsive in his work. He was a prefectionist who did not take kindly to criticism or failure. His persuasive methods, including acting out, may have made a difference to group members at home but being on the road for an extended period took its toll on all of the group members and in the end it didn't matter what he did. The Searchers were quite willing to let him face the consequences and this is revealed in Frank Allen's book. The failure to impress Australian crowds was something he could not accept, and the stress of his professional and personal life eventuaslly exceeded his ability to cope. I am sorry he did not recover from this difficulty as his talent was an important part of The Searchers' success.