Mike Pender Solo

mygeneration · Post by **mygeneration** » Sun Oct 19, 2003 12:30 pm

I have heard a rumour that in the early seventies I think it was, Mike Pender was offered a solo deal. I must admit the heavy orchestration on Solitaire makes it sound a little like a solo record.

Has anyone else any information on this?

royclough · Post by **royclough** » Sun Oct 19, 2003 1:15 pm

According to Mike Gary RCA wanted to record some solo stuff with him but again according to Mike, the rest would nnot agree, differing versions based on who is telling the tale as they say. I agree and have also stated that I am unsure if any of the band other than Mike are actually on that track.

admin · Post by **admin** » Wed Oct 29, 2003 4:13 am

Gary and Roy: I have read and heard about the "Solo Offer" on a number of occasions.

I consider, perhaps venturing a tad too far out on the limb, that this offer was a personal opportunity for Mike to compensate for the lack of chart success after the mid-1960s. It certainly follows that this was a the catalyst in his 1985 departure.

tim · Post by **tim** » Wed Oct 29, 2003 9:08 am

Peter, If this was the catalyst, why did Mike wait thirteen years before acting on it.

mygeneration · Post by **mygeneration** » Wed Oct 29, 2003 9:29 am

My own guess for what it's worth (no pun intended!) is that the demise of PRT was the last straw and Mike's attention was drawn to what money could be made as a live solo artist during the resurgence of sixties acts in the 80s.

I wonder how Hungry Hearts would have turned out if Mike has still been on board.

jjr · Post by **jjr** » Wed Oct 29, 2003 2:51 pm

I think the catalyst for his leaving was the failure of the Sire CDs to hit big. In the article in "Solid Gold" in August last year or the year before, the juxtaposition of Mike's remarks about that failure, and his remarks about not having to split four ways, lead to the inference that he had concluded that he (and the band) were going to be stuck on the Oldies circuit, and he felt he could do better on his own.Concededly he hung on another 4-5 years after Sire.

admin · Post by **admin** » Fri Oct 31, 2003 5:14 am

Tim: A very fair question. Some catalytic reactions are rapid and others slow.

Explosion is very fast and while there were explosive moments with The Searchers, Mike did not seem to be at the core of these. Rust, on the otherhand is a slow reaction and I consider that it more closely characterises Pender's situation.

Mike had been frustrated with their lack of chart success for years and who could blame him given the rapid rise to fame in the early to mid 1960s. He was offered another chance on his own but the other members of the group were, quite understandably, not wild about the idea.

Being a team player for so many years, I am not surprised that he would put the idea on the back burner for this period of time. It must have been a very difficult decision to make.

royclough · Post by **royclough** » Fri Oct 31, 2003 8:57 am

I feel that after the failure of both the Sire albums and "I Don't Want To Be The One" to make any commercial impact despite the revitalised media interest between 79-82, Mike Pender finally came to terms with the fact that they were never gonna be a major recording force again. I also feel though conjecture to some degree,that between 82-85 there was some friction within the group, which will remain personnal to the individuals concerned.

I suspect MP felt that as the rest of the career would be basically playing the clubs and as he probably felt that as lead singer he was the voice of The Searchers I suspect he felt that if he left there was a possibility the others would have difficulty replacing him and even if they did would perhaps have dfficulty maintaining credibility, which would have meant that long term he would benefit.

sowhat · Post by **sowhat** » Sat Nov 01, 2003 10:34 pm

hello,
just wanted to add some point. Whatever was the reason for Mr.Pender to quit, it seems (at least from the place i live) like he's the only one who managed to gain some success after having left. To say, if you lived in Russia, the ONLY Searchers' stuff you could hear here and there on the radio (and it was even on TV once) would be MPS' version of Love Potion #9. Nice version, anyway.

royclough · Post by **royclough** » Mon Nov 03, 2003 8:24 am

No that is wrong Sheena, The Searchers in my view were the most successful after the spilt.

I base that on the fact they obtained a recording contract albeit just the one album, they were the band who certainly got booked in the main for the big package tours. I am not anti Mike at all far from it.

admin · Post by **admin** » Mon Nov 03, 2003 10:31 am

Roy Clough wrote

I suspect he felt that if he left there was a possibility the others would have difficulty replacing him and even if they did would perhaps have dfficulty maintaining credibility, which would have meant that long term he would benefit.

As always Roy, I find your comments interesting and thought provoking.

I am wondering how Mike could think that he would be any more successful in another band. He did not create a new style or music or add new instruments. It seem to me that he created the closest thing he could to what he just left, that is a Searchers' look-a-like band.

I could see his point perhaps if he embarked on a completely new venture, but this does not seem to be his motivation. Surely there is a more salient factor than he has bee prepared to acknowledge in the interviews thus far. Putting aside the drummer, which they seem to have done before, that leaves John or Frank or both.

Mike has mentioned wanting to take a new direction, however, I don't see it with his "new" music or act.

tim · Post by **tim** » Mon Nov 03, 2003 11:30 am

I'm sure that Mike was looking to build a solo career when he released his single on SIERRA label (FED23) "It's Over" (not the Roy Orbison song)/ "Brothers And Sisters" - no members of MPS were featured on it.

I feel that the MPS venture was a 'back up' for the cabaret / nostalgia circuit.

Mike has said in interviews that he felt he felt it tended to be 'two against one' in band discussions - John and Frank tending to agree on things with Mike as the dissenting voice. Drummer Billy Adamson was an employee of The Searchers Partnership (Mike, John and Frank).

sowhat · Post by **sowhat** » Tue Nov 04, 2003 7:24 am

Roy,
I know that's wrong but Mike Pender is the only name i've heard here as associated with the Searchers, that's why i mentioned this point. So in some way he did benefit, at least in the country that has never seen the Searchers live or never heard their post-early 70s stuff. Everything is head over heels here! On the other hand, his ex-bandmates did benefit, too (IMHO). The need to fight makes you stronger.

admin · Post by **admin** » Tue Nov 04, 2003 7:30 am

Sheena: Good points. The success of a particular artist may be expected to vary from one country to the next, depending on a number of factors.

Sheena, why was MIKE PENDER'S SEARCHERS, "Love Potion Number 9" so favourably received in Russia. Also, was any of The Searchers' music a hit in Russia the first time around in the early to mid 1960s?

It is also of interest to recall that "Love Potion Number 9" was a hit for The Searchers in the United States (Tony Jackson singing lead) while it was not successful in the UK.

admin · Post by **admin** » Tue Nov 04, 2003 7:41 am

Tim commented

Mike has said in interviews that he felt he felt it tended to be 'two against one' in band discussions - John and Frank tending to agree on things with Mike as the dissenting voice. Drummer Billy Adamson was an employee of The Searchers Partnership (Mike, John and Frank).

I would take it then, as personalities and history are frequently repeated, that Eddie and Spencer are employees of the Frank and John band. I am sure this makes for interesting dynamics.

Back to the main point, I can see how the friction felt by Mike could wear him down and want him to go forward with a different business arrangement. History does repeat itself, however, and it would appear that MP SEARCHERS band members may currently know eactly how Mike felt in the early 1980s. I am not sure if Pender is destined to carry on with MPS or if there will be any of them left by the time he finishes Reelin' and a Rockin'. I think Tim's "two against one" theory may be the most reasonable explanation for Mike's departure in 1985.