Ferry Cross the Mersey
GERRY & THE PACEMAKERS
As unfathomable as it seems from the distance of over 30 years, for a few months, Gerry & the Pacemakers were the Beatles' nearest competitors in Britain. Managed (like the Beatles) by Brian Epstein, Gerry Marsden and his band burst out of the gate with three consecutive number one U.K. hits in 1963, "How Do You Do It," "I Like It," and "You'll Never Walk Alone." If the Beatles defined Merseybeat at its best in early 1963, Gerry & the Pacemakers defined the form at its most innocuous, performing bouncy, catchy, and utterly lightweight tunes driven by rhythm guitar and Marsden's chipper vocals. Compared to the Beatles and other British Invasion heavies, they sound quaint indeed. That's not to say the group were trivial; their hits were certainly likable and energetic and are fondly remembered today, even if the musicians lacked the acumen (or earthy image) to develop their style from its relentlessly upbeat and poppy base.
Marsden formed the group in the late '50s featuring himself on guitar and lead vocals, his brother Fred on drums, Les Chadwick on bass, and Arthur Mack on piano (to be replaced in 1961 by Les McGuire). They worked the same Liverpool/Hamburg circuit as the Beatles, and ran neck and neck with their rivals in local popularity. They were signed by Epstein in mid-1962 (the first band to do so besides the Beatles), and began recording for the EMI/Columbia label in early 1963, under the direction of producer George Martin. Their first single was a Mitch Murray tune that Martin had wanted the Beatles to record for their debut, "How Do You Do It?" The Beatles did record a version (found on the Anthology 1 release), but objected to its release, finding it too sappy, and in any case more interested in recording their own, gutsier original compositions. It suited Marsden's grinning, peppy style well, though, and went to number one before it was displaced from the top spot by the Beatles' third 45, "From Me to You."
The Pacemakers would never vary much from the clattering guitar-dominated pop of their first singles, turning again to Mitch Murray for the follow-up, "I Like It," and remaking an old pop standard for their next effort, "You'll Never Walk Alone." It's not universally known that Gerry Marsden actually wrote much of the band's material, and he penned most of their subsequent hits, including "It's All Right" (their gutsiest and best performance) and "I'm the One." He also wrote "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Cryin' " (sharing credits with the rest of the group) and "Ferry Cross the Mersey," ballads that Martin embellished with light string arrangements, which may (or may not) have helped prepare the producer for deploying strings on Beatle tracks starting in 1965.
Like the Beatles, Gerry & the Pacemakers got to star in their own film, Ferry Cross the Mersey, although this wasn't nearly as successful as A Hard Day's Night. By 1965, in fact, the group's popularity in Britain was seriously declining, although they held on a bit longer in the States, where (in common with several other groups) some of their back catalog belatedly made the hit parade many months after it was first issued in the U.K. Like virtually all of the other Liverpool groups, the Pacemakers proved unable to evolve on the same plane as the Beatles or the best other British bands. Never the hippest of acts image-wise, with their conservative suits and short hair, they were rapidly becoming outdated, sticking to the same basic feel-good formula that had seemed fresh in 1963, but was utterly passé by 1966. That's the year they had their last American Top 40 hit, "Girl on a Swing"; they disbanded in October. Gerry Marsden became a popular cabaret and children's TV entertainer, sometimes performing with the Pacemakers on the oldies circuit. He also contributed vocals to British chart-topping revivals (not with the Pacemakers) of "You'll Never Walk Alone" and "Ferry Cross the Mersey" in the 1980s.
Discography:
How Do You Like It?, 1963
Second Album, 1964
Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying, 1964
I'll Be There, 1965
Ferry Cross the Mersey, 1997
At Abbey Road 1963, 1966
Gerry & the Pacemakers
Original Hits
Source: Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide ; Musicbrainz
This information is provided as a brief overview and not as a definitive guide, there are other sources on the net for that. If however you have a story or information that is not generally known we would love to hear from you. Content@rokpool.com
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THE CHRISTIANS
The Christians, are a British soul influenced sophisti -pop band from Liverpool, who had several UK and international chart hits, in the late 80s and early 90s.
The Christians are known for their politically-conscious, often moral lyrics, and have been labelled as 'socially aware soul'. Musically,comparisons have been drawn to bands such as The Temptations and The Pursuasions.
Formed in 1983 in Liverpool, The Christians started out as 3- piece acappella act, originally comprising of three brothers: Garry (lead vocals), Russell (keyboards, sax, vocals) and Roger Christian (vocals, instrumentalist). In 1986 they were joined by Henry Priestman (whose middle name coincidentally happened to be Christian!), former Yachts and It's Immaterial frontman. Shortly after, Roger Christian left the band to pursue a solo career. The rest of the band continued without him, and in 1987 scored a minor hit with ‘Forgotten town’.
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In 1987 Christians released a self titled album ‘The Christians’, entering the UK charts at no. 2 and eventually going on to sell over 2 million copies. 1988 saw the release of the Isley Brothers cover: 'Harvest for the World'. The single reached #8 in the UK charts, with all proceeds going to charity. They had further success with a charity single: Ferry Cross the Mersey – a collaborative effort including Paul McCartney, Holly Johnson, Gerry Marsden and Stock Aitken Waterman staying at #1 for 3 weeks.
Christians released their second album ‘Colour’ in 1990, yielding the international hit ‘Words’ and the second single off the album ‘I Found Out’. In 1992 'Happy in Hell' was released, producing the top 40 hit single 'What's in a Word'. The band continued to tour in the early 1990s, however, their popularity began to decline. They released a greatest hits album in 1993 ‘The Best of the Christians’, reaching #22 in the charts.
Russell Christian left the band in 1995 to pursue a solo career. In 1998 Roger Christian passed away from a brain tumour. The band reformed in 1999 as a four-piece unplugged act, with guitarist and songwriter Paul Campbell accompanying them on tour. Christians released a further album in 2003 'Prodigal Sons', supported by a UK tour. The line up changed once again in 2005, when Russel Christian no longer wished to tour with the band. The new band comprised of Garry Christian (vocals), Joey Ankrah (acoustic guitar, backing vocals), Stewart Boyle (electric guitar), Bobby Kewley (bass guitar) and Jay Iving (drums). The band is still active today, having recently released a new record in 2009 'Soul from Liverpool' and continue to tour.
Albums:
The Christians, 1987.
Colour, 1990.
Happy In Hell, 1992.
Prodigal Sons, 2003.
Source: Jenny Grib
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THE FOURMOST
English Merseybeat band, The Fourmost, formed in 1960 and comprised Brian O'Hara and Billy Hatton (orginally The Blue Jays) with Mike Millward joining in 1961 and Dave Lovelady in 1962. Under the management of Brian Epstein they signed for EMIs Allophone label. They released "Hello Little Girl'' and "I'm in Love" - both composed by John Lennon and the tracks met with moderate success.
Their big break came in 1964 with the release of "A Little Loving" which went to 6 in the UK chart. They then released a string of successive songs which failed to reach the top 20. These included "How Can I Tell her", "Baby I Need Your Loving", “Everything in the Garden" and "Girls, Girls, Girls", an Elvis Presley cover. The band also appeared in the film ‘Ferry Cross the Mersey’
Sadly, in 1966 Mike Millward died of leukemia and fellow band member Brian O'Hara took his own life in 1999.
Albums:
First And Fourmost, Parlophone, 1965.
This information is provided as a brief overview and not as a definitive guide, there are other sources on the net for that. If however you have a story or information that is not generally known we would love to hear from you. Content@rokpool.com
