Tuesday, September 20, 2011

More U.K. Obscurities On U.S. Labels: The Merseybeats

THE MERSEYBEATS-Don't Let It Happen To Us/It Would Take A Long Time U.S. Fontana F-1513 1965


















This was The Merseybeats 6th U.K. single (Fontana TF 568 May 1965) .  I'm not certain how many of their releases cropped up here in the States on Fontana besides this one. You've got to hand to American labels who kept plugging away at releasing records by Liverpool bands in 1965 long after the city was a dead zone for A&R men. The Merseybeats are one of my favorite Liverpool bands alongside Billy J and Co. and The Big Three, sadly though they seemed to have had crap stage outfits as photos (like the one below) will attest.

The A-side is a semi lukewarm version of The Shirelles number, doesn't really do anything for me at all.  Kinda weak actually.  The flip side, "It Would Take A Long Time" is my fave of the two.  It never made it onto Edsel records legendary Merseybeats compilation "Beats And Ballads" so it was new to my ears when I first picked this single up from the long gone Cheap Thrills record shop in New Brunswick, NJ back in the 80's. It was penned by band members Tony Crane and Aaron Williams and has a slight country feel (well Ringo always claimed Liverpool was the country music capital of Britain!).

Williams, Gustafson and Crane, 1964


























Both sides appeared on the excellent 2002 Bear Family CD "I Think Of You" which compiles all of their original 60's tracks (including a few German language versions of their tracks) in one place.

Hear "Don't Let It Happen To Us":

https://youtu.be/5vxsenNOZPg

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