Album Reviews |
Gerry And The Pacemakers
Disc 2 / / Ferry Cross The Mersey / It's Gonna Be Alright / I'll Wait For You / Fall In Love / Baby You're So Good To Me / This Thing Called Love / My Love Forever / It's Just Because / Rip It Up / Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On / When Oh When / What'd I Say / I'll Be There / My Babe / Skinny Minnie / It'll Be Me / Reelin' And Rockin' / You Win Again / I Count The Tears / You You You / Now I'm Alone / Dizzy Miss Lizzy (Live) / My Babe (Live) / Away From You (Live) / What'd I Say (Live) / Give Me All Your Love (With Strings) / Come Back To Me (With Strings) / Dreams / Disc 3 / Hallelujah I Love Her So / Tomorrow / I'll Make It Up All Up To You / Walk Hand In Hand / Today I'm In Love / La La La / Without You / Girl On A Swing / The Way You Look Tonight / Fool To Myself / Big Bright Green Pleasure Machine / On A Wonderful Day Like Today / Tonight / Strangers In The Night / Who Can I Turn To / See You In September / Pretty Flamingo / The End Of The Rainbow / Guantanamera / Looking For My Life / Anyone At All / Introduction / Dizzy Miss Lizzy (Recorded Live At Oakland Auditorium) / I Like It (Recorded Live At Oakland Auditorium) / My Babe (Recorded Live At Oakland Auditorium) / Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying (Recorded Live At Oakland Auditorium) / Slow Down (Recorded Live At Oakland Auditorium) / I'm The One (Recorded Live At Oakland Auditorium) / Away From You (Recorded Live At Oakland Auditorium) / A Shot Of Rhythm And Blues (Recorded Live At Oakland Auditorium) / How Do You Do It (Recorded Live At Oakland Auditorium) / What'd I Say (Recorded Live At Oakland Auditorium) / Disc 4 / Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying (2008 Digital Remaster) / Ferry Cross The Mersey (2002 Digital Remaster) / It's Gonna Be Alright (2002 Digital Remaster) / This Thing Called Love (2002 Digital Remaster) / Reelin' And A Rockin' / Whole Lot Of Shakin' Goin' On (2008 Digital Remaster) / Rip It Up (2008 Digital Remaster) / You Win Again (2008 Digital Remaster) / I'll Be There (Second Version) (2008 Digital Remaster) / You You You (2008 Digital Remaster) / Give Me All Your Love (New Mix) / Dreams (2008 Digital Remaster) / Hallelujah I Love Her So (2008 Digital Remaster) / I'll Make It Up All Up To You / Walk Hand In Hand (2008 Digital Remaster) / Today I'm In Love / La La La (2008 Digital Remaster) / Without You (2008 Digital Remaster) / Girl On A Swing (2008 Digital Remaster) / The Way You Look Tonight (2008 Digital Remaster) / A Fool To Myself (2008 Digital Remaster) / Big Bright Green Pleasure Machine (2008 Digital Remaster) / On A Wonderful Day Like Today (2008 Digital Remaster) / Tonight (2008 Digital Remaster) / Strangers In The Night (2008 Digital Remaster) / Who Can I Turn To (2008 Digital Remaster) / See You In September (2008 Digital Remaster) / Pretty Flamingo (2008 Digital Remaster) / The End Of The Rainbow (2008 Digital Remaster) / Guantanamera (2008 Digital Remaster) / Looking For My Life (2008 Digital Remaster) Gerry & The Pacemakers came out from Liverpool about the same time as The Beatles and were the first act signed to Brian Epstein after The Beatles. Signing them to EMI/Columbia, they also shared with The Beatles the services of George Martin. The full list of hits they enjoyed in the UK during their original run follows :
Gerry And The Pacemakers
Albums
The Best Of The EMI Years ( 4cd Box Set ) 9 ( 2008 )
Disc 1 / How Do You Do It? / Away From You / It's Happened To Me / I Like It / Pretend / Jambalaya / Summertime / The Wrong Yoyo / I'll Be There (First Version) / Slow Down / Here's Hoping / Where Have You Been All My Life? / Maybellene / You'll Never Walk Alone / Don't Ever Stray / Hello Little Girl / Don't You Ever / It's All Right / You Can't Fool Me / A Shot Of Rhythm And Blues / You're The Reason / Chills / I'm The One / You've Got What I Like / Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying / Show Me That You Care / She's The Only Girl For Me / Why Oh Why / Think About Love / I'll Be There (Second Version Without Strings) / Give Me All Your Love (No Strings) / Come Back To Me (No Strings) /
In addition to those, the debut Gerry And The Pacemakers album hit number two in 1963. They split in 1966, finding themselves increasingly outdated in both style and fashion, although Gerry Marsden re-formed the band in name only for the touring circuit in 1974. This handsomely packaged compilation is just the sort of package I adore, by the way. Packaging is one area record labels can add value in this age of internet downloading. I love the pictures, the booklet. This is an artefact you can pour over for hours, whether the music is playing or not. That's how it should be. Oh, perhaps it's not common knowledge, but after those first three hits, Gerry Marsden penned much of the groups material, albeit alongside a selection of cover versions. Their sound shared much with Merseybeat as a whole, therefore a kind of punkish energy, although Gerry And The Pacemakers seemed less moody than The Beatles, a little brighter and happier. They also lacked a John Lennon type figure, of course, to add that extra lyrical depth.
Gerry Marsden has been responsible for a couple of tunes that liverpudlians will either wince at or consider to be some kind of alternative national anthemns. 'Ferry Cross The Mersey' was a top ten hit, a Marsden composition and it's kind of refreshing when lots of songs are written about American places and towns and such-like, yet relatively few about British places and things, and such-like. It's a bit sappy, though. The other song is of course 'You'll Never Walk Alone', the Liverpool FC and Celtic FC tune. Being partial to Liverpool FC and the city itself, 'You'll Never Walk Alone' gets to me, especially Gerry's rendition, it's pretty stirring and superbly dramatic, as well as being wonderfully sang. Now, if only Liverpool FC can get themselves a couple of quality full-backs, another good winger and another midfielder that can actually win the ball, hold onto it, and pass it. Pass and move, it's the liverpool groove. Well, it was....
'I'm The One' is a snappy little tune, typical of the era with much nervous energy, yet it has so much charm. It has a kind of simplicity that pop music these days has forgotten. I can listen to this kind of pre-maturity Sixties pop-music all day long. Gerry And The Pacemakers also fit in some surprisingly sophisticated numbers that share a lot in common with The Zombies - soft ballads with impeccably arranged strings. 'Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying' for example, it's very good, really. Those early run of number ones? 'How Do You Do It', well, it's annoying. Much better is 'I Like It', which better captures the merseybeat energy and is really a rather clever little tune, real pop construction. There's also a smattering of live tracks on the box, including a complete live concert. The guys are accomplished in a live setting, they honed their skills on the same circuits as The Beatles, hamburg included. A direct comparison we can make is their version of 'Dizzy Miss Lizzie', all that's really missing is Lennon's searing vocal quality - Gerry and the Pacemakers vocally seem a little more clean. Anyway, as I said, this box-set is just the kind of thing i'm partial to and it does the maligned reputation of Gerry And The Pacemakers much credit. I hope it's not only people who are now fifty or sixty years old that pick this thing up.
Add A Comment? Readers Comments
Keith Walker Vancouver
Saw Gerry live at the "Red Robinson"theatre in Coquitlam Vancouver last night 13th Aug.
He still has the presence on stage--he wowed the audience
this page last updated 13/10/08
Channel Youtube |
Contact Us |
Find New Music |
Features |
Music & Web Apps |
Ratings At A Glance
Singles Bar |
Top 100 Albums |
Top 100 Songs |
