Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Just got hold of a copy of “Iron door” CD… that’s a real knock-out for me. No matter how i try to say at least SOMETHING bad about it, just cannot. It’s so fresh and pure, and oh so bright and loud and marvelous. Even Mike Pender is real cute this time. Loud and frantic and missing notes here and there. The only complaint is too little input from Tony Jackson, although “Let’s stomp” compensates well for that – a barebone rocker, so crazy and charming. Chris does a great job on “Jambalaya” – i've heard some other versions of the song, but none of them can compare to this one; he easily beats down even John Fogerty, a natural born country player. And how he manages to sing like that and to entertain while drumming like crazy is beyond my imagination. If it isn’t enough for some, we’ve got a “bonus” from “a red-haired angel with a wicked voice”, as one reviewer described master McNally. Two bonuses, to be precise. One of them could have had Johnny Ramone green with envy for its unforgettable guitar “solo” which is a kind of a statement – “I cannot really play guitar but see HOW I cannot do it!” Just brilliant. The second, a true gem in any kind of concert, had me having severe doubts the guys never smoked p.o.t. I’ve never seen a person who could sing and laugh at the same time before. Usually laughter takes over. The boy seems to be so hard to dislike or even not to notice… all the four boys, to be true. If rock (pop) music isn’t about this kind of lively, loud, and frantic, and oh so charming performance, i have no idea what it is about…
Totally shook up,
Sheena.

Sheena: Thanks for your interesting comments regarding the Searchers'Iron Door recording.

I too love the very early days in which the raw unadulterated sound is front and center.

It really makes one sit up and take notice and you get a very good idea of why these clubs were so very popular in general and why the early Seachers were sought after in particular.

To Sheena: There is as much input by Tony as he usually had, Chris was an equal leadsinger, just listen to the Starclub recordings. It was Pye that put him into the only leadsinger position.

Michael

Michael: uhm... i meant too little for me... if i'm not mistaken, Chris leads on about twice as many numbers on the record. Starclub recordings, what's that? Is there anything new, totally different from Iron Door and Swedish Radio? (in other words, is there any sense in "searchin'" for this one?

Of course there is much sense. First you get 19 songs recorded for the Phillips label in 63 - all of the songs played live (though not at the Starclub and not in front of an audience - applause added later), so the sound is similiar to the Iron Doors Sessions - pure Searchers with all four singing in various combinations and not only Jackson on their first two Pye lps. Second it includes material that is only published here.
Michael

Just forgot: check out my Starclub page at:

http://home.rhein-zeitung.de/~mdenger/

Michael