Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

One of the "related" videos that showed up when watching the Cryin' Shames was "Lies" by the Knickerbockers. Not only was the guitar player playing a Ric 360 but the singer was, intentionally or unintentionally, a dead ringer for the early Beatles John Lennon style of singing. I had forgotten what a neat little song that was.

Yeah, it's not bad at all!

when this was first released I believe some dj's speculated as to if it was actually The Beatles, could be wrong.

I could well believe it - the vocal sound is spot on.
I certainly remember people wondering if one of the BeeGees' very early records (New York Mining Disaster, maybe?) was the Beatles - this one sounds even more like them.

nick_allen wrote:I could well believe it - the vocal sound is spot on.

Considering the recording techniques of the day, I think they did a very good job.
They would've fooled me as well!
Many beatle-cover groups can only wish they sound like this when doing real beatle songs!

Here's just a few quick facts for you. The singer "Buddy" Randell died in 1998. His real name was William Crandall. Besides being a singer and a sax player he could also play drums.

winston wrote:Besides being a singer and a sax player he could also play drums.

Man, I'm happy if I manage to get old chords right - never ask me to drum, though, as I'm worse than Lennon at keeping the beat steady...

Good performers usually play multiple instruments - which shows why there's such a lack of good performers these days and such a surplus of posers! At least in the old day they knew their trade!

Discussed exactly one year ago here.

libratune wrote:Discussed exactly one year ago here.

I see Scottie has good taste starting a thread like that

Roy, you are right about the DJ's stateside speculating about this being The Beatles! Nobody could deny it was spot on Lennon, as people here have pointed out! The guys were from Jersey and sounded like Brits -- ahem -- I would say they made a point of sounding like The Beatles. A Jersey accent (no offense Jersey people) is nothing like a romantic Brit accent! I loved the song, and always will. I wish The Beatles HAD recorded it!!

Cheri B.

chriscurtisfan wrote:A Jersey accent (no offense Jersey people) is nothing like a romantic Brit accent!

Who needs french accents when there's english accents (on girls, that is).

On the early beatle records the Fab were of course emulating american artists, so didn't want to sound too english in their songs!

I always liked that song, and also thought that the band did a great 'Beatles impersonation" of it. There also is a nice bit that sounds like something from The Who at the end of the lead break (around 1:32).

Wildberry wrote:

chriscurtisfan wrote:A Jersey accent (no offense Jersey people) is nothing like a romantic Brit accent!

Who needs french accents when there's english accents (on girls, that is).

On the early beatle records the Fab were of course emulating american artists, so didn't want to sound too english in their songs!

I've read this on YouTube and found it so funny that the Beatles didn't want to sound too English!! Did they think the fans would CARE if they were English?! I mean, they each had lovely, unique British accents -- it was part of the attraction! And in the US, we knew when they came off the plane in NY -- if not before -- where they were coming from!! Uhhhh --- England?!! As soon as they opened their mouths to speak, it was kind of obvious, if anybody didn't know already. I don't think the Brits know how beautiful they sound to the rest of the world.

As a Beatles fan, I was lucky enough to see them in concert in Toronto their last US tour, one of the highpoints of my whole life! The Brits gave the world so much wonderful music during the 60's!! All of it treasured to this day by many, many of us! It's alive and well! I just came back from dinner and heard a song on the overhead speaker ''I Go To Pieces" by Peter & Gordon! And I knew every word, still!!

chriscurtisfan wrote:As soon as they opened their mouths to speak, it was kind of obvious, if anybody didn't know already. I don't think the Brits know how beautiful they sound to the rest of the world.

Of course the Fabs were deliberately making their accent worse - on bootlegs they sure don't talk that way in the studio

I think there's no other band out of existence I love as much as the Beatles (except for Supergrass maybe, but Paul W thinks they're kitsch )

I never heard a Peter & Gordon song anywhere over here in Holland - not even radio! But then, covers translated into local language were still a way to get hits for local artists back then. As for british music - as far as I'm concerned it's still going on (or maybe I'm biased towards british groups?).

Here in the US, British music is not going on, sad to say. Except for the bands out of the 60's and 70's and those are considered oldies! The US lost out on a lot of British music, and clearly, we still are. Sad to learn that Peter & Gordon were not heard worldwide! Check them out on Youtube! I'm a Searchers Fan Forever, myself.