Gerry and the Pacemakers Greatest Hits 1965

Today, Gerry and the Pacemakers are mostly a footnote in the early British beat scene, and the British Invasion bands that followed the Beatles to America. Between 1963-1965, they released five LPs in America, and this hits package was the last of those five. They had three #1 hits in the UK, but only managed to climb to #4 in the US with Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying and #6 with Ferry Cross The Mersey. Those two hit ballads might mean that the rocking side of the band is less well known in the U.S. After 1966, they never again dented the charts in the U.S. or the U.K., although there have been a few compilations and a live BBC issue. The only hit missing (and you probably won't miss it) from this LP is You'll Never Walk Alone, Rogers and Hammerstein's number from Carousel, which became a football fan singalong in the U.K.

This is one of those records to stumble across in a used record store. Having not heard many of the songs, you'd be likely to keep browsing, but if you are a fan of other British Invasion groups (Dave Clark Five, Herman's Hermits, Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders, The Hollies), you should pick this one up. How Do You Do It sounds like a Herman's Hermits hit, Willie Dixon's My Babe sounds like early Stones, It's Gonna Be Alright and I Like It could be the Beatles, and the aforementioned ballads are classics. I bought it for Ferry Cross The Mersey and was delighted at the quality of the entire record. Oh, and they were recorded by none other than Sir George Martin, so it sounds good, too.