The Undertakers had similar problems when they signed with Pye and Tony Hatch was appointed their A&R manager. They wanted 'Mashed Potatoes' to be the 'A' side of their debut disc, but Pye refused and put it on the 'B' side, when it was obviously a stronger number than 'Everybody Loves A Lover.' They next wanted to record 'Money', but Pye refused and made them record 'What About Us?' As mentioned, Southern group Bern Elliot & the Fenmen then recorded 'Money' and earned themselves a Top 20 hit.

Finally, Tony Hatch allowed the Undertakers to pick their own 'A' side, but only after Pye had forced them to truncate their name to the 'Takers. They recorded 'If You Don't Come Back' which began to sell in quantities enough to edge them towards the charts - but it was issued around the Holiday period for the record plant, and production of the record ceased, making it impossible for them to have a chart hit.

I was amazed at some of the decisions taken by A&R men
Liverpool was the largest market for Tamla Motown records in the early 1960s and Mersey groups adapted Motown numbers to their own style in what we called 'the Mersey Motown Sound.'

I attended the recording session in London when Faron's Flamingos recorded a blistering version of 'Do You Love Me,' which they'd arranged and adapted from the Contours, a Motown vocal act. When the tapes were played back, everyone was convinced that Faron's Flamingos would have a major chart hit and be on their way to establishing themselves nationally. Imagine the group's dismay when the record company put it on the 'B' side to a number called 'See If She Cares' and Faron's 'Do You Love Me' never got an airing.

Then Brian Poole & the Tremeloes and the Dave Clark Five recorded it, with the Tremeloes topping the charts and Dave Clark entering the Top Ten for the first time. Anyone listening to the versions can tell that they are basically copies of the Faron's Flamingos record and are quite unlike the original Contours version.

The Flamingos were so devastated that they disbanded. Everyone agrees that the Big Three were one of Liverpool's greatest groups - but even their debut disc was sabotaged.

As detailed on 'The Big Three Story' elsewhere on the site, Decca refused to allow them to record 'Some Other Guy' at a proper recording session and issued a substandard version from a test recording.

There are numerous other examples of such treatment Liverpool groups received at the hands of London recording companies but what no-one can take away from Liverpool is the amazing chart record of 1963 when Liverpool acts held the No.1 spot in the British charts for 36 weeks.

Further notes: Oddly enough, there is a perception with some people in Liverpool today that if you actually leave Merseyside you are some sort of deserter. In an interview in recent years Allan Williams referred to me as a 'plastic Scouser' because I live in London. I suppose that makes the Beatles, Cilla Black and many others 'plastic Scousers.' They went into the world and spread the word.

I live in London, have been PR for artists such as David Bowie and Led Zeppelin, but have continued to promote Mersey talent in articles and books throughout the years. Joe Fagin also lives in London and has had chart hits; Gibson Kemp lives outside London but had been a record executive in Germany, Australian and Britain; Howie Casey lives in Southampton. Adrian Barber lives in Hawaii and has recorded artists such as Aerosmith and the Allman Brothers Band; Chris Huston in Nashville builds recording studios all over the world for clients such as Aaron Spelling; Brian Griffiths, one of Liverpool's premier guitarists, lives in Canada, as does Terry Sylvester; Les Chadwick of Gerry & the Pacemakers and Vic Wright of Vic & the Spidermen live in Australia. Members of Liverpool groups are living in Portugal, Germany, Australia, America, Canada - in the four corners of the world, so to speak - 'plastic Scousers' all! We should be proud of them.

Return to main section