Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I have just had news that BGO Records are issuing a 22-track CD of the RCA recordings here in the UK. Release date is the end of November. Sleeve notes are by Spencer Leigh.

Thanks Tim. Spencer Leigh surfaces again. Perhaps a biography of The Searchers is in the wings.

I have the American version of "Second Take". The highlights for me were "Desdemona", a great power pop single that actually made the Hot 100 charts here in the US (#93 in 1971) and a song that was unreleased called "I Really Don't Have The Time". Also interesting is a surprisingly heavy version of the Bee Gees' "Spicks and Specks" from 1973.


Jeff Zang

_DOES ANYONE KNOW THE STORY OF HOW THEY GOT A

RECORDING CONTRACT WITH RCA AT THAT TIME ?

RJHC: I hope Tim will give us the story but in the meantime I am going to speculate that it was based on their performance on the Liberty recordings (1967-1969).

The liner notes to the CD say that the UK office of RCA had just opened and they liked the Searchers' demo of "Desdemona" enough to sign them. John McNally goes on to say that RCA ended up mainly interested in the band re-recording all their old hits and that RCA didn't promote them at all, even when "Desdemona" made the lower regions of the US charts.

Jeff

Jeff has it about right. The Searchers were asked to record "Dedramon" for a song contest. RCA liked the song and gave The Searchers a recording contract. The re-recording of the old hits backfired on RCA as PYE got a court injunction restraining The Searchers from ever recording their old hits for anyone else (John believes now that this could not be enforced as it would amount to 'a restraint of trade'). PYE also released a budget "Golden Hour of The Searchers" hits-compilation album in direct competition to "Second Take".