Glenn Williams
MUSIC WRITER IN JAPAN
BOX SET
GERRY AND THE PACEMAKERS
I LIKE IT!
ANTHOLOGY 1963 - 1966
Cherry Red
Go to Liverpool today and you’ll meet lots of taxi drivers, shopkeepers, people on the street, people in bars and clubs and each has their own story to tell about John, Paul, George or Ringo. Go to Anfield to watch a home game of Liverpool Football Club though and there is only one musician and his group who are represented. Prior to kick-off, in support of their idols on the pitch, 60,000 fans will sing Gerry & The Pacemakers version of You’ll Never Walk Alone; hearing it raises the hairs on your arms, being in amongst it is like nothing else on earth. When Gerry Marsden died in 2021, he couldn’t have a large funeral due to covid restrictions but eleven football stadiums around the world combined through the internet to sing You’ll Never Walk Alone as a tribute; hundreds of thousands more joined in online. On hearing about his death, Paul McCartney said that “Gerry was a mate from our early days in Liverpool. He and his group were our biggest rivals on the local scene.”
Gerry & The Pacemakers early discography is somewhat complicated. In the UK, his first two single were not released on his debut album but they were split between the first two US albums, both of which had omissions to their UK counterparts. Other tracks were released in the USA and Canada but not the UK. Suffice to say, it is now all here in one place including the complete Oakland Auditorium concert from 1964 which spawned the ‘Gerry In California’ EP released the following year. This era, three short years, is filled with fun, laughter, cheekiness and joy, it’s an era of innocence, a time when Liverpool was the greatest city in the world and Gerry & The Pacemakers ran with The Beatles, not below them. Their delivery of a self-penned song is on a par with the Fab Four’s first two albums. Their covers of show tunes, Rock ‘n’ Roll classics and standards are delightfully arranged and the concert included in this, is arguably better than any of the official Beatles live releases.
Gerry has a smile on his face in every photo you can find and that’s because by all accounts, he was one the happiest musicians of that era. This comes through in his music as does his love of Liverpool, the city he lived in all his life. The same can be said of The Pacemakers, a band that continues to this day with Gerry’s blessing even though all of the original Pacemakers, Gerry’s brother, Freddie (d), Les McQuire (piano) and Les Chadwick (b) are sadly, no longer with us. For a snapshot of 1960’s Merseybeat, along with the camaraderie that went with it in all the musicians, you can do no better than to listen to this set from one of Liverpool’s most revered sons and his band.
Track List
Disc One
How Do You Do It?
Away From You
I Like It
It’s Happened To Me
A Shot Of Rhythm And Blues
Jambalaya
Where Have You Been All My Life?
Here’s Hoping
Pretend
Maybelline
You’ll Never Walk Alone
The Wrong Yo Yo
You’re The Reason
Chills
You Can’t Fool Me
Don’t You Ever
Summertime
Slow Down
It’s All Right
I’ll Be There (First Version)
Don’t Ever Stray
Hello Little Girl
I’m The One
You’ve Got What I Like
Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Crying
Show Me That You Care
I’ll Be There (Second Version – No Strings)
Give Me All Your Love (No Strings)
Come Back To Me (No Strings)
Dizzy Miss Lizzy (Live)
My Babe (Live)
Away From You (Live)
What’d I Say (Live)
Disc Two
Ferry Cross The Mersey
It’s Gonna Be All Right
Why Oh Why
Fall In Love
Think About Love
This Thing Called Love
Baby You’re So Good To Me
I’ll Wait For You
She’s The Only Girl For Me
You You You
It’s Just Because
My Love Forever
I’ll Be There (Second (Single) Version With Strings)
What’d I Say (Studio Version)
Reelin’ And Rockin’
Whole Lotta Shakin’ Going On
Rip It Up
You Win Again
Now I’m Alone
My Babe (Studio Version)
I Count The Tears
It’ll Be Me
Skinny Minnie
When Oh When
Hallelujah I Love Her So
Tomorrow
I’ll Make It All Up To You
Give Me All Your Love (With Strings)
Come Back To Me (With Strings)
Walk Hand In Hand
Dreams
Disc Three
Today I’m In Love
La La La
Without You
Girl On A Swing
Fool To Myself
The Way You Look Tonight
The 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 *
I Like It *
My Babe *
Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Crying *
Slow Down *
I’m The One *
Away From You *
A Shot Of Rhythm And Blues *
How Do You Do It *
What’d I Say *
Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Crying †
Ferry Cross The Mersey †
It’s Gonna Be All Right †
I’ll Be There (Second Version With Strings) †
Walk Hand In Hand †
Looking For My Life †
* Live from the Oakland Auditorium, 24 October 1964 (Stereo)
† Stereo
BOX SET
THE SCAFFOLD
A BOX OF SCAFFOLD
Cherry Red
1960s Liverpool, for those who were not living there, is now permanently associated with The Beatles and in particular, their world dominance period of 1963 – 1967. Gerry & The Pacemakers, The Swinging Blue Jeans, The Searchers and a couple of dozen others followed with varying degrees of success under the banner of Merseybeat. There were however, Scouse Pop stars previous to the Fab Four. Frankie Vaughn had 2 No.1’s and 29 Top 40 hits and Billy Fury who had 26 songs in the Top 40 but from 1967 onwards in that decade, only one other band from Merseyside made it to the hallowed No.1 spot and that was The Scaffold. Their big one was with Lily The Pink in 1968.
I use the term ‘band’ loosely – musical comedy trio is a better description. Consisting of Roger McGough, John Gorman and Mike McGear, there doesn’t seem to be any instrument credits on the records other than their voices but that doesn’t matter as their session players, included, at times, Jack Bruce, Elton John, Tim Rice, Gerry Conway and Wings, the latter no doubt due McGear being Paul McCartney’s brother. They also had the ‘Who’s Who?’ of record producers of that era: John Burgess, George Martin, Norrie Paramor and Tony Palmer. A mixture of Pop music, poetry and comedy sketches, unique is a very apt word
Likewise, Liverpool when it comes to wit and sarcasm, is unique. It’s parlance and dialect are one of the sharpest in the UK and The Scaffold are arguably, the best there ever was at letting non-scousers into the Mersey world. Sharp and often thought-provoking, all of their words, whether sung or in spoken word, are fun. The aforementioned Lily The Pink, makes no sense at all but how much would we love to own a bottle of Medicinal Compound? Thank You Very Much? That one almost makes sense if you can figure out what the Aintree Iron is whilst 3 Blind Jellyfish is just silly. Nevertheless, they are all brilliant in their own way.
McGough is now an author, poet and playwright; he was awarded both an OBE and a CBE by Queen Elizabeth II. McGear reverted to his real name and is a photographer. His book, Mike McCartney's North Highlands, has a foreword written by Charles, The Prince of Wales, now of course, the King of England. Gorman continued in music as a comic entertainer, appearing often on children’s UK television shows. The trio occasionally get together for a reunion show, the last one being in 2023. Like music, humour evolves over time. Both can sound dated and it is testament to The Scaffold’s collective writing that their humour still stands up today.
Track List (* A-side, † B-side, ‡ Previously Unreleased)
Disc 1
2 Day’s Monday *
3 Blind Jellyfish †
Goodbat Nightman *
Long Strong Black Pudding †
Thank U Very Much *
Ide B the First †
Do You Remember? *
Carry On Krow †
Live at The QEH
Ten Whisky Bottles - Virginity - Son of Lent
Love Story - Old Folks - 2 Day’s Monday - Father John
This Must Be Love - Poetry - Dear Diary - Thank U Very Much
BBC session December 1967
2 Day’s Monday - Thank U Very Much
BBC session March 1968
Yellow Book - Carry On Krow - Do You Remember?
Disc 2
L The P
1-2-3
Oh, To Be a Child
Stop Blowing Those Charity Bubbles
I Can’t Make You Mine
Today
Jelly Covered Cloud
Lily the Pink
Fancy Goods
The Little Plastic Mac
Bucks
10.15 Thursday Morning
Father John
Tim
Birds
Poems: a. The Russian Bear
b. Discretion
c. My Busseductress
d. Naughty Girl
Boxes
BBC Radio 1 Top Gear 1968
Lily the Pink
BBC session 1969
Jelly Covered Cloud - Gagster
Stop Blowing Those Charity Bubbles
The Buttons of Your Mind † - Goose † - Charity Bubbles *
Disc 3
Gin Gan Goolie *
Liver Birds †
All the Way Up *
Please Sorry †
Bus Dreams *
If I Could Start All Over Again †
Do the Albert *
Commercial Break †
Knees Down Mother Brown
You Can’t Hide Away from Me ‡
Thanks a Million Maximillian ‡
Hilary Clarissa Sniffleton ‡
Promiscuity
In My Liverpool Home
Bored as Butterscotch
Happy Song
Little Song and Dance Man
One Man Went To Mow ‡
Uptown Downtown
Kyria
(Take Off Your Little) Wooley Vest
Take it While You Can
Burke and Hare ‡
Disc 4
Fresh Liver
Knickers
Devon’s Dead
Plenty of Time
Fagorf
Fax n’ Figgers
Nuclear Band
W.P.C. Hodges
Knickers
Aren’t We All?
Twist
Psychiatrist
Deep North
Fish
Fish Friars
S.S
I Remember
B Side Yourself with Plod (A Message for Plod Specials) †
Disc 5
Sold Out
Liverpool Lou
Potato Clock
Mingulay Boating Song
Ramsbottom
Beilins Boneyard
Liverpool Girls
The Cokey Cokey
Pack of Cards
Mummy Won’t Be Home This Christmas
Leaving of Liverpool
Julery Shop Leslie
Lord of the Dance
Ten Years After on Strawberry Jam †
The Wind is Blowing †
Wouldn’t it Be Funny if You Didn’t Have a Nose *
Mr. Noselighter †
How D’You Do *
Paper Underpants †
3 Shirts on a Line (From: Liverpool – The Number One’s Album)
DVD
Live at the Talk of the Town” BBC TV - 24th January 1969
Introduction - Thank U Very Much - Birds - Yellow Book
Poems - Discretion - Early Morning Poems
10.15 Thursday Morning - Do You Remember? - Chocolate Eclairs
Tim - Pack of Cards - Dear Diary - Lily the Pink
Thank U Very Much (promotional film)
Lily the Pink (BBC TV “Music, Music, Music” March 1969)