Mersey Beat

• Artist: Various Artists
• Rating:
• Release Date: December 02, 2003
• Type: Collection (various artists)
• Genre: Rock

Review

Mersey Beat is one of the better collections of its kind to come directly from EMI, encompassing obvious high points in that company's mid-'60s history (though not the Beatles, who cannot be compiled without their permission), along with some too-little-regarded tracks from the vaults. Thus, alongside "How Do You Do It" and "You'll Never Walk Alone" by Gerry & the Pacemakers, "A Little Loving" and a soaring rendition of "The In Crowd" by the Fourmost, "Good Golly Miss Molly" and "Hippy Hippy Shake" by the Swinging Blue Jeans, and "Do You Want to Know a Secret" from Billy J. Kramer & the Dakotas, listeners get "I Know" and "Am I Dreaming" by Tiffany; "Tears on My Pillow" and "You Don't Have to Whisper" by her backing band, the Dimensions; the thumping harmony-highlighted rocker "I Really Do" by Earl Royce & the Olympics; and the frantic-paced "Rip It Up" by the Valkyries. This is all entertaining stuff, plus there are three genuine lost classics, the devastating "Break-A-Way" by Beryl Marsden; the pounding, smooth Kinks-like hard rocker "I Gotta Woman" from the Black Knights; and "Magic Potion" by the Koobas, done at a tempo half as fast as the version by the Searchers. Much of this material (though not all) is available elsewhere, though not mastered as cleanly or brightly as it is here. The annotation is minimal, but the sound quality and the combination of sounds are so compelling that even this reviewer, who has a shelf full of this kind of material, had to buy this as soon as he saw it. And the Koobas cut will be a real revelation for anyone only familiar with their later stuff. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
How Do You Do It?	Mitch Murray	Gerry & the Pacemakers
A Little Loving	Russell Alquist	The Fourmost
Good Golly Miss Molly	Robert "Bumps" Blackwell, John Marascalco	The Swinging Blue Jeans
Do You Want to Know a Secret?	John Lennon, Paul McCartney	Billy J. Kramer, The Dakotas
I Know	Barbara George	Tiffany
I Really Do		Earl Royce & the Olympics
Rip It Up	Robert "Bumps" Blackwell, John Marascalco	The Valkyries
I Gotta Woman		The Black Knights
Tears on My Pillow	Al Lewis, Sylvester Bradford	The Dimensions
Magic Potion	Burt Bacharach, Hal David	Peter Kubaska
The "In" Crowd	Billy Page	The Fourmost
What's Your Name		The Valkyries
Little Children (Lyrics)	Mort Shuman, John McFarland	Billy J. Kramer, The Dakotas
Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)	Ray Evans, Jay Livingston	Earl Royce & the Olympics
I Like It	Mitch Murray	Gerry & the Pacemakers
You Don't Have to Whisper		The Dimensions
Angel of Love		The Black Knights
America	Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim	Rory Storm & the Hurricanes, Rory Storm
I Love Her	Stu Leathwood	Peter Kubaska
Ferry 'Cross the Mersey	Gerry Marsden	Gerry & the Pacemakers
Am I Dreaming		Tiffany
Bad to Me	John Lennon, Paul McCartney	Billy J. Kramer & the Dakotas
The Hippy Hippy Shake (Lyrics)	Chan Romero	The Swinging Blue Jeans
Break-A-Way	Sharon Sheeley	Beryl Marsden
You'll Never Walk Alone	Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II	Gerry & the Pacemakers

Credits

Bill Harry (Liner Notes)