Search - Merseybeats :: I Think of You: The Complete Recordings

Merseybeats are a great group...this is a great cd

02/21/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The Merseybeats had only one top 10 in England and their records didnt ever chart in the US. They have great harmonies similar to Lennon/Mccartney/Harrison and on songs like I Think Of You and Dont Turn Around,the Merseybeats and the voices of Tony Crane and Billy Kinsley shine. Some of the Album tracks arent so hot but that should not affect your reason to buy this great cd."

Original and authentic Mersey sound

Peter Reeve | Thousand Oaks, CA USA | 09/04/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The Merseybeats' biggest hit was I Think Of You, but it is not them you think of when you recall Britain's Swinging Sixties. Yet they were there at the birth, support group to the Beatles in Liverpool's Cavern. They achieved early success in Germany, like many acts of the time, and this CD is produced in Germany and has 2 tracks sung in German. But their success in Britain was short-lived and in America it was non-existent. The group kept going, with occasional changes in the lineup, and is still going today, last I heard. But they never repeated their first top 10 hit and they remain the quintessential 60s group you probably never heard of.



They were much better live than recorded, and were perfectly suited to the hot, intimate atmosphere of the early discotheques. Their recordings are often hurried and under-rehearsed. Also, they lacked an innovative songwriter, and failed to progress beyond their earliest, American, influences.



They are worth a listen because they are so characteristic of that embryonic Mersey Sound. This is where it all began, with this blend of harmony and rock, this sense of youthful optimism and liberation. The three tracks that have staying power are It's Love That Really Counts, I Think Of You and Wishin' and Hopin'. The rest is routine.



This is the one CD you'll need if you want The Merseybeats in your collection. It has all of their recordings. The insert notes are average (almost half consists of ads for other albums) but contain some good pictures of the group.



Very much an album for the sixties music fan who wants to hear how it all began.

"