An examination of the social climate in Sweden at the height of Scouser Rock reveals a number of factors that led to the success of The Searchers and their musical collegues. Those factors presented here are not meant to be exhaustive but rather illustrative.


Geographical Postion and Language

Sweden is geographically placed near England and allowed for relatively easy travel of British groups it country. Many popular groups made the journey not the least of which was The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and of course The Searchers. Unlike Germany, many Swedish people were fluent in English which made arrangements easier than in other countires nearby such as Germany. Lest this seem too unduly churlish, it will be remembered that The Beatles required "Sie Liebt Dich" and "Komm, Gib Mir Diene Hand" to break into the German market. This strategy was not necessary when promoting music in Sweden as The Searchers were able to use their native tongue, relying little on translation.


Integrating With The Folk Music Tradition

Scouser Rock was rooted in Skiffle Music and as such married nicely with the traditional folk music of Sweden. Swedish teenagers had grown up with folk music and its messages. While The Searchers' music was louder and written mainly in major keys, unlike the quieter folk ballads typical of Sweden. Nonetheless, much of The Searchers' sound was folk-rock in nature and songs that did not fair well in the United Kingdom did particularly well in Sweden. Two mentionables include the minor-keyed "What Have They Done To The Rain" and the folk-like hootenany-flared number "Everybody Clap Your Hands." While Scouser Rock had a rough edge and an abrasive quality that differed from folk, at the same time it has traditional acoustic elements and language that resonated with Swedish listeners.


Sweden's Musical Rennaisance Of The 1960s

In the 1960s Swedish political and education authorities stressed the importance of promoting music to youth. The movement developed a curiosity for music in the youth and their parents which was further reinforced by the "Folkets Park" system and the "Radio Pirates." Youth of the day emulated traditional folk music and added new musical styles to which they were exposed. The result was an openness toward new types of music such as rock 'n' roll from America, and skiffle and rock music from the United Kingdom.

Sweden's openness to new ideas and music allowed for a balance between the old and new traditions. Unlike producers and promoter of music in America, Sweden, during this pre-ABBA era, did not have a rock 'n' roll music industry to protect. The country was able to embrace all forms of music as a new experience to be evaluated. For this reason, American songs were not pussed aside to the same extent as they were in American and The Beatles, The Searchers and others were seen as "Visitors" rather than "Invaders." The result was a healthy acceptance and adaptation to new musical experience rather than a perceived assault on their life and economy.


The Swedish "Folkets Parks" System

The Folkets Parks provided visiting groups with many venues across Sweden in which to promote their music. The Searchers took good advantage touring these venues in the early to mid-sixties. They typically played two performances per night and were always on the move.

The Searchers gained wide exposure as a result of this system which saw audiences of all ages listening to their music and the latest information regarding upcoming recordings. This sort of system was vastly different in the United Kingdom in which younger audiences would attend concerts - their parents happily staying at home!


Radio Pirates Promote Scouser Rock

Freedom of expression and the right of all radio listeners to hear unsensored music was an important philosophy of the Radio Pirates who operated off-shore to avoid government legislation. These stations one the hearts of many avids who did not want to be told what music was appropriate for the average Swedish listener. The crux of the matter was "Who owns the airwaves?" The Rolling Stones actually spent some time in a dory off the Swedish coast promoting the Radio Pirates.

The Searchers and others benefited from having their music played over airwaves available to the general public, 24 hours a day. This practice is taken for granted these days, however, many countires were not a liberty to listen to the latest recorded music. The Swedish public would not stand for this infringement on their freedom speech. As a brief aside, recent discussions with music enthusiasts from Russia has revealed, for example, that citizens could not hear all of The Beatles music before the 1980s.


Aura Of The Invasion Era

The fact that The Beatles toured Sweden in the fall of 1963 certainly did not hurt the reputation of The Searchers. This might be coined "The Aura Of The Era." In many ways these bands were alike and The Searchers were, during the mid-1960s, second only to the Beatles in popularity in Liverpool. In fact, the Beatles' John Lennon once acknowledged them as his favourite amoungst Liverpool groups. Of considerable note is the interest that The Beatles' manager, Brian Epstein showed in The Searchers. Epstein offered The Searchers the opportunity to record the Lennon-McCartney composition "Things We Said Today." John McNally recalled,

"That's true, we were offered 'Things We Said Today.' It was a great song, and we would have loved to do it. But Tito Burns, our manager at that time, would not release us, and we could not afford to buy ourselves out of our contract with him."

With regard to similarities between the two groups, The Searchers were from Liverpool, made great use of harmony, dressed smartly in suit-coats like the Beatles and used Vox Amplifiers which, during those days, went hand in glove with The Fab Four. While they had their own unique qualities that won them a very fine reputation in Sweden, they did arrive on the Swedish shore just after the crest of The Beatles' wave.

The influence of The Searchers was more far-reaching than the outskirts of Liverpool. Their unique sound and chord progressions impressed The Byrds, with both David Crosby and Roger McGuinn listing The Searchers as one of thier favourite groups. The following was taken from Dan Harmon interviews of Roger McGuinn conducted over the period September 27 to Oct 4, 1996.

"Dan Harmon: What other groups, if any, were using 12-string electric guitars at that time? Was that your idea? Who were your influences in 12-string acoustic and 12-string electric - or did you essentially work out your own style with the electric, based on previous acoustic explorations with guitar and banjo?

Roger McGuinn: The Seekers and The Searchers had put out records with a 12-string-like sound. I think they were actually using overdubbed 6-string guitars. Needles and Pins was a big influence on the 12-string sound. I used the pattern for "Feel A Whole Lot Better."

The Searchers and The Byrds seemed destined to cross one anothers' paths through the 1960s. Both of these groups were interested in folk music and later on folk rock, which some have credited to former. Both too made effective use of the electric 12-string and shared similar rhythmic styles as noted earlier on this page. Not surprisingly, based on the Swedish thirst for 'all things folk-rock', The Byrds would cause an unforgettable moment in Swedish history when they recorded at Sveriges Radio on February 28, 1967.

Gunnar Olofsson was in the studio to witness the indelible performances of both The Searchers and The Byrds, among other well-known groups in the early to mid-sixties. He took a number of photographs of the now famous Byrd's February 28, 1967 performance in Studio 4 of "Sveriges Radio" in Stockholm. The Byrds appeard just three months prior to The Searchers May 1967 recording session. Olofsson has considered himself to have been very lucky to have attended and one of his observations reveals the serious manner in which the seemingly "care-free and unbridled Byrds" approached their music at the time. He recalled,

"They played their own instruments and Crosby was very picky about the harmonies. They did several takes before he was satisfied."

That Folk Rock was better received in Sweden at this time gains suport from the Byrds'Top Ten listings. "Mr. Tambourine Man" would reach the number one position on July 31, 1965 and remained on the charts for six weeks. This is to be contrasted with "Turn Turn Turn" reaching number 8 on January 22, 1966 and "So You Wanna Be A Rock And Roll Star" weighing in at the number 6 on March 25, 1967. Both of these songs remained on the charts for but a single week. Even the high profile visit of The Byrds in February 1967 was insufficient to give them a top placing on the "Tio i Topp" for "Rock and Roll Star" when it hit the charts a mere four weeks later. It would seem that the idea of "just get an electric guitar and take some time and learn how to play" was not a successful strategy in Sweden at the time. There were interesting similarities between The Searchers and The Byrds. Using the charts as a measure of popularity, however, The Searchers would seem to have had the edge during the mid-sixties.