Two Questions Please

edcal · Post by **edcal** » Sat Jun 14, 2003 3:34 pm

Peter,
How much does the new Searcher's 40th Anniversary CD cost in American $$ and how many "takes" where needed to record Chris Curtis' scream in "Ain't That Just Like Me?" I think it is a very good one.

einar · Post by **einar** » Tue Jun 17, 2003 9:23 pm

Edcal!
I don't know about the CD and not about the scream either. But for the latter: My impression is that Chris had a natural gift for shouting and screaming; it came easy to him! So I'd guess he didn't need much practicing to get a good one. His skills in this direction can be studied especially well on the recently issued CD with the Serarchers live from the Star Club, Hamburg, 1963. Chris shows his driving force as both a singer and a drummer, but also gives proof of his very warm and smooth voice, when needed. A very fascinating and talented young man! For good and bad, he had some of the "rock'n'roll personality" that the others lacked (Tony Jackson was probably semi-professional in that respect). Regretably enough, such an edge seems neccessary if an artist shall expect any kind of lasting popularity and respect. In the long run, decent behaviour and musicianship (John/Mike/Frank) is simply not enough on this scene!

Einar

mdenger · Post by **mdenger** » Wed Jun 18, 2003 12:16 am

Chris was sick while the Starclub recordings were made. He suffered from flu. But nevertheless he really rocked.

admin · Post by **admin** » Wed Jun 18, 2003 4:26 am

Einar: Your comments have raised an issue that I find particularly important when discussing the history of The Searchers. Just what is the role of personality in the success of a rock star? Chris Curtis was central to getting The Searchers noticed. It was his unique qualities and "just-noticeable differences" that increased the profile of the group, at least in my way of thinking.

The leather jacket, long hair, high harmony,insistence on perfection and somewhat inflexible approach to musical production the raised the publics' awareness of The Searchers.
This sort of uniqueness left with the departure of Curtis and The Searchers became more mainstream.

While some may say that the recordings ultimately lead to the success of artists, I think that the personalities of the artists have a sort of magnetism that often times boosts their following. After Jackson and Curtis left, the edgy quality of their music and performances diminished to a degree and the music was less raw and intense. A mellow quality took over, that I enjoyed, but I missed the pure more "in your face" quality that they had in the beginning.

The Beatles, Stones, Animals, The Who and many others all had individual and group personalities that were "magnetic." In comparison, The Searchers, in spite of their talents, as individuals and as a whole were more benign in my view and perhaps less attractive to those taken with the Scouser sound.

jjr · Post by **jjr** » Wed Jun 18, 2003 1:39 pm

Peter,

We've touched on this in the past, but from a U.S point of view, even when Chris and Tony were with the band, there was no emphasis on personality. Hell, without reading the liner notes, you didn't even know WHO was in the band, let alone who was who. The PR here was non-existent.

As for the quality of the music, in the U.S, there was no edgy, in your face rock, at least on the singles, except for "Ain't That Just Like Me", which started as the 'B' side of "Needles and Pins", and was released after some air play, being replaced by "Saturday Night Out". Their entire 45's output here was "mellow".

admin · Post by **admin** » Wed Jun 18, 2003 2:30 pm

John: I like to revisit these comparisons and I learn from each and every exchange with other Searchers' avids.

You have made my point really when you say "Hell, without reading the liner notes, you didn't even know WHO was in the band, let alone who was who." I agree, from the North American perspective, but the the British perspective Jackson was known for his antics. The fact that most North americans did not know about the group stems from their overall benign presentation relative to groups such as the Beatles. As Lennon once said, "sometimes you have to put it on a bit." He did, but the Searchers really didn't pull out all the stops at least in the recordings they made. I concur mellow is a good characterization.

I appreciate that there may not have been the same knowledge of individual personalities given the whirlwind tours that The Searchers had in the US. There were other songs sung by Jackson that were on the raw side to my way of thinking, See See Rider being one of them.

tim · Post by **tim** » Thu Jun 19, 2003 7:19 am

See See Rider did not get into The Searchers set until 1967'ish, long after Tony (and Chris) had left the band.

admin · Post by **admin** » Thu Jun 19, 2003 8:09 am

Thanks Tim. I must have it confused with a different song. I thought See See Rider was sung by Tony Jackson.

pam · Post by **pam** » Thu Jun 19, 2003 3:13 pm

Sorry Tim, See See Rider was in the set performed in Brisbane Australia on the 1964 tour with the Rolling Stones. Frank sang it and Jenny Jenny back to back and what a performance. Brought the house down. Just wish he'd try it again!!!!

tim · Post by **tim** » Fri Jun 20, 2003 6:43 am

Pam. I think you'll find that the tour you are referring to was in the early months of '66. This was the tour that marked Chris's last appearances with The Searchers. It was also the tour where Mick Jagger and Keith Richards gave "Take It Or Leave It" to The Searchers. I'm sure Frank could still do this particular medley. (I might just ask him!)

admin · Post by **admin** » Fri Jun 20, 2003 7:39 am

It would be great to have a new recording of this medley. Tim, can you tell me the date of the See See Rider recording that appeared on The Searchers "Live at the BBC." That it was in 1966 or 1967 fits as it appeared on the 1967 Swedish Recordings during their radio performance.

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Fri Jun 20, 2003 7:40 am

For a little perspective from the Yanks side of the ocean: I was about 11 or 12 when "Needle and Pins" was a huge hit here in the states (was the first song of theirs I had heard), then "Don't Throw Your Love Away" which I liked even better, but I think that here they were always known for their great harmonies and great melodies. We (at least I) never knew anything about any of their personalities or lack therof. We knew The Beatles of course and The Stones, and many of the British bands' personalities, even Herman's Hermits, but The Searchers never had the press over here that I guess they got in England. I never knew the "Ain't That Just Like Me" side of them, I knew the song of course and used to play it in various cover bands when I was young, but to me and probably others that song was an aberration in their songbook. They were trying to rock (and did a damn good job of it). My (young) impression of them was that they were a great British band that I wish had more exposure here, because I loved them, and still do. They had their share of hits here though. the last big one I remember is their cover of "Love Potion #9". then "Stars in Her Eyes" around 1979? which was a hit on selected FM stations here. WBCN (Boston Concert Network) in Boston played that album a lot. This station was the 2nd or 3rd so called "undergound station" here in the states. It was a symphonic station until the hippies took it over in 1968. A young Peter Wolf (Woofa Goofa)(singer of The J. Guiles[sp?] Band) was a nighttime DJ there.

admin · Post by **admin** » Fri Jun 20, 2003 7:47 am

Great to hear this perspective Bob. I think that North Americans saw them as a group and did not focus on the individual personalities as they did with the Stones or The Beatles, for example.

I especially like the Love Potion Number 9 example as the lead singer was Tony Jackson who had moved on by the time it was a big hit in the US.

Tony's voice was very unique, perhaps more distinctive than Mike Pender's voice. Mike has a tremendous voice with great range, but to my ears did it not stand out like Tony's did in such songs as "Sweet For My Sweet" and "Love Potion Number Nine."

royclough · Post by **royclough** » Fri Jun 20, 2003 7:51 am

Actually called Heart In Her Eyes Bob, for the record, but glad to hear that the album got promoted over there. Their second single from the Sire Period Its Too Late very nearly gave them, however small, the hit that had eluded them for 13 years. That is not conjecture on my part but from a radio DJ I knew at the time who was "in the know" so to speak.

jjr · Post by **jjr** » Fri Jun 20, 2003 6:28 pm

The one advantage KAPP (the U.S distributor)had (aside from stereo versions of the songs) was the ability to mix and match cuts from the PYE LPs onto their albums over here. Since I have both sets, two observations: KAPP did a much better job of putting together better combinations on their LPs than PYE, and PYE seems to have pushed as much out as quickly as possible to make the quickest buck. The internal consistency of quality of LP tracks just isn't as good as KAPP's.Hence, "Love Potion Number Nine" appears on KAPP's second Searcher LP, "This is US", surrounded by much greater material, and released over a month after Tony left the band. KAPP also made better use of LP tracks as singles, e.g, "Love Potion Number Nine", which, I believe was never released as a single in the UK.