More U.K. Obscurities On U.S. Labels: Tommy Quickly

 

TOMMY QUICKLY-The Wild Side Of Life/Forget The Other Guy U.S. Liberty 55753 1964

Liverpool's Tommy Quickly (and his uncredited backing band The Remo Four) were one of the more obscure band's that were swept in when the big men in London cast their nets on the "Mersey Sound" or "Merseybeat". Quickly managed quite a prolific career on vinyl in the U.K. with four singles on Piccadilly and two on Pye from July 1963 to December 1964 (even the Beatles didn't release as many singles during that period!). Tommy was originally born as Thomas Quigley. His career was overseen by Brian Epstein who rechristened him as Tommy Quickly in the Larry Parnes style of renaming your charges.  Having Epstein as a manager gave him access to an unreleased Beatles composition as his debut in July 1963 ("The Tip Of My Tongue", Piccadilly 7N 35137) which unfortunately failed to chart. 

Today's release was his last of two American singles. In the U.K. it was his fifth (and first on the Pye label) where it was launched as Pye 7N 15708 on October 2, 1964. It was issued here the following month. In England it gave him his only hit (#33). The Remo Four are uncredited on the label here despite backing him and being credited on the British release. 

"The Wild Side Of Life" dates back to an old US country music performer named Hank Thompson in 1952 and was revived by Ray Price in 1962, which is probably where Quickly heard it.  It's an interesting choice of a song to cover but it works surprisingly well as a beat ballad and The Remo Four provide a solid, edgy backing as the number is delivered in an uptempo style. The record did nothing here in the States despite Quickly plugging the number on the "Shindig!" TV show here where he performed it live. 

The flip side, "Forget The Other Guy" is a mundane beat ballad that's really nothing special. Next.... 

Both tracks were collected on a now out of print CD collection of all his work as well as other beat artists from '64-'65 that The Remo Four backed. 

Hear "The Wild Side Of Life":

https://youtu.be/JOy9QeEJdWg?si=WkISfg435JdFulCf

Hear "Forget The Other Guy":

https://youtu.be/TxkuuBLYBtc?si=y20dhnk_X8-RuRcs

The Searchers-"Someday We're Gonna Love Again"

THE SEARCHERS-Someday We're Gonna Love Again/No-One Else Could Love Me U.S. Kapp 609 1964

Liverpool's Searchers hold the distinction of being the second most successful Liverpool 60's band in the United States in both chart and sales wise, with seven Top Forty hits all in the relatively brief window of just a year (1964-1965). 

"Someday We're Gonna Love Again" was their ninth U.S. single released in July of 1964 where it reached #34. It was simultaneously issued in England as Pye 15670. It was previously recorded by Barbara Lewis. Back in my younger years I bought an amazing Searchers 10" EP on PRT and this was one of my favorite tracks on it. The single would also be their last with bassist Tony Jackson, who left after being ousted following a ham fisted power struggle that saw him threaten to "out" drummer Chris Curtis in an attempt to gain leverage in leading the band (a position that was for all intents and purpose, held by Mike Pinder). 

For the uninitiated "Someday We're Gonna Love Again" is the epitome of "The Searcher's sound": jangly/chiming guitars, double tracked harmony vocals and a chirpy, uptempo feel to it all. It's catchy, and the infectious "do dit doo do doo do dit" chorus sticks pleasantly in one's brain. 

The flip side, "No One Else Could Love Me", was penned by drummer Chris Curtis . Sadly it's fairly unimpressive, and though it showcases the band's incredible harmonies the song itself is a fairly pedestrian beat ballad. 

Both sides are available on a host of Searchers collections that thanks to the likes of Castle Communications are NEVER out of print. Both sides are also available on streaming. 

Hear "Someday We're Gonna Love Again":

https://youtu.be/gUehZ7elW-U?si=ZtmCF1x9B7peLkuK

Hear "No One Else Could Love Me":

https://youtu.be/Jxy3NmE6Itc?si=pbZqaRJObDpBVwhK

The Searchers "Take Me For What I'm Worth"

THE SEARCHERS-Take Me For What I'm Worth/Too Many Miles UK Pye 7N.15992 1965

We could fill and entire post talking about The Searchers and their "folk rock" sound, but I'm not going to do that. What we are going to discuss is their twelfth U.K. single, "Take Me For What I'm Worth". The band's drummer Chris Curtis was well known for his "ear" for potential hits to cover and he dug up this P.F. Sloan track for them to cover (he later suggested in an interview with journalist Spencer Leigh that it was "probably the first gay anthem"). Strangely enough Sloan's version appeared on a French E.P. one month before this version hit the streets in England in November of '65 (December in the US). 

"Take Me For What I'm Worth" ranks as one of The Searcher's strongest numbers in my estimation. It was their next to last visit to the British charts clocking in at #20 (the last would be their version of The Stone's "Take It Or Leave It" which would climb to #31). Kicking off with a mournful guitar lick and Mike Pender's equally downtrodden vocals it's powered by some amazing guitars and a powerful strumming that resembles the chording of The Jam's later hit "That's Entertainment". And of course there's P.F. Sloan's brilliant "don't get mixed up with me I'm bad news" lyrics delivered by Pender at times with an almost venomous lilt. 

The B-side "Too Many Miles"was penned by all four Searchers (Frank Allen, Chris Curtis, John McNally and Mike Pender respectively). It's a mellow number with this almost baroque feel that reminds me of something off The Move's first LP! Not their best track but certainly an interesting touch for 1965! The woodwind solo is clearly ahead of it's time.

Both sides are available on a host of Searchers collections that thanks to the likes of Castle Communications are NEVER out of print. I highly recommend their 1965 LP "Take Me For What I'm Worth" which contains both sides of this single. 

Hear "Take Me For What I'm Worth":

https://youtu.be/HyEJM5ZYB5Q

Hear "Too Many Miles":

https://youtu.be/o3CZHAehd6s

More U.K. Obscurities On U.S. Labels: Faron's Flamingos VS Rory Storm and the Hurricanes

Faron's Flamingos/Rory Storm and the Hurricanes-Let's Stomp-I Can Tell US Columbia 4-43018 1964

With the advert of Beatlemania in the United States, strangely unlike their British counterparts, American record labels were slow to plumb Liverpool for other acts preferring to stick to the hit makers. Interestingly Columbia records launched a compilation album in March of 1964 titled "The Exciting New Liverpool Sound". It comprised of 12 tracks culled from two long players previously issued in the U.K. on the Oriole label over the span of two records called "This Is Merseybeat". This single was comprised of two tunes found on the Us Columbia album, even more interesting was the fact that the single featured two different artists, Faron's Flamingos and Rory Storm and the Hurricanes  (previous home of one Ringo Starr before joining The Beatles).

Faron's Flamingos courtesy of  http://www.merseybeatnostalgia.co.uk

"Let's Stomp" was originally cut by Bobby Comstock in the US on the Lawn label and released in December 1962, it's U.K. counterpart saw a release in March of 1963 on the Stateside label (SS 163).  Kicking off with a drum beat later reused by the Sweet on their hit "Ballroom Blitz" Faron's remake is slightly more uptempo and almost frantic anticipating the trash beat sound of The Milkshakes and therefore to my ears more interesting. The production is terribly thin but there's something charming about it, especially when compared to all of the polished Merseybeat being produced by George Martin. It starts out with a spoken word intro by Bill Harry, editor of the famous Liverpool music newspaper "Merseybeat".

Bo Diddley's "I Can Tell" was the flip side of his July 1962 Checker 45 "You Can't Judge A Book By The Cover", it was later released in Britain in October on the Pye International label (7N 25165). Rory Storm's version first graced the "This Is Merseybeat Volume One" album and though it's not a patch on the original of course it still rocks. Like the A-side it has a certain charm in it's trashy delivery coming across like a boozy frat rock band, especially the choppy guitar strumming care of Johnny Byrne aka "Johnny Guitar" and the slapdash drumming by Ringo's replacement. If anyone can confirm who it is I'd love to know was it Gibson Kemp, future Artwood Keef Hartley or future Peddler Trevor Morais?(the later was also in Faron's Flamingos!). Rory croons along in an almost disinterested tone like he had somewhere else he'd rather be.

Rory Storm (right) with two unknown Liverpool performers (snigger).

Both sides appeared on an Edsel records CD that collected tracks from both "This Is Merseybeat" albums.

Hear "Let's Stomp":

https://youtu.be/1Tr--RyoSkM

Hear "I Can Tell":

https://youtu.be/DvFSGPXjfp4