Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

There has been much talk and considerable controversy since Mike Pender left The Searchers in 1985, eventually forming MIKE PENDER'S SEARCHERS.

As I understand it, following a court ruling Mike is oblidged to have MIKE PENDER'S SEARCHERS in capital letters in order to differentiate it from The Searchers, which is now owned by John McNally and Frank Allen.

A recent CD for sale on Ebay has the following description. The track listing confirms that is is MIKE PENDER's SEARCHERS.

THE SEARCHERS - GREATEST HITS NEW CD WRAPPED. 10 ALL NEW DIGITAL TRACKS

LOVE POTION NUMBER NINE

NEEDLES AND PINS

SUGAR AND SPICE

BROKEN HEARTS

BLUE MONDAYS

DON'T THROW YOUR LOVE AWAY

TAKE ME FOR WHAT I'M WORTH

SWEETS FOR MY SWEET

RED FERRARI

SOME DAY WE'RE GONNA LOVE AGAIN

While avids may know the difference, those who are only vaguely familiar with The Searchers may be purchasing this CD, thinking that it is the original group. Certainly the photo is from the early days and there is no mention of MIKE PENDER'S SEARCHERS. Is this release beyond the control of Mike Pender? I would be interested in your thoughts.

In short the answer is yes,MP has no control, there is an abundance of these type of CD's on the market, indeed if you look at "Searchers Songbook" on "Clough Links", the picture there which shows John McNally as a left hander is again another CD cover called Searchers Greatest Hits and is basically same track listing plus re-recordings of other hits.

John McNally was at one time pursuing such companies but like anything else there comes a time when you have to ask yourself is it worth it.

The normal getout on these CD's is the small print which states to maintain quality these tracks have been re-recorded using as many of the origianl group as possible or something similiar.

The interesting bit here is that I am certain that Blue Mondays, Broken Hearts(love this track by the way) and Red Ferrari plus Needles and Pins slow version were recorded for a proposed MP solo album which was provisionally entitled "Back On My Feet Again" Mike confirmed this title in a radio interview with a local radio station back in 86 and I believe album deal was subject to MP's solo single "It's Over" doing well.

Needless(no pun intended) this never materialised.

I have lost count of how many times this CD gets re-packaged. It usualy retails in the U.K. at between £2.99 and £4.99. I don't think Mike sees a single penny in royalties from it. I believe that this is the way it works: a company springs up; they press a lot of different CDs; they sell them to dealers; then before anyone can catch up with them for royalties, they vanish off the scene. And so it goes on.....

Hi all, just want to add my two pennies worth here. I have found a couple of cds over here (Australia) on release from reputable companies that title the cd 'The Searchers' but when you read the cover notes it is really Mike Penders Searchers. Quite a lot of companies that put out 60s compilations are also doing this. Not sure where it leaves the guys leagally but I personally reckon it's a rip off for those who like the music but are not died in the wool fans like us and know the difference.

Amazon.com may (it did in the past) offer the MPS CD as "The Searchers Greatest Hits". I bought it (knowing what it really was because of a tape copy a friend in England sent me) because I thought the Pender slow version of "Needles and Pins" was the best cover of the original- and a truly inspired approach to the song- and I wanted it on CD. But for the advance knowledge,I would have bought it thinking it was the Searchers, and had cuts I'd never heard before.

I think that Cd shows John McNally as a left hander, John

Yeh there are a couple of those reverse negative prints around. Not sure why or how they managed them but when you're like us and know most of the publicity shots it really yells at you.