Gerry & the Pacemakers--Always a Bridesmaid, Never a Bride

Gerry & The Pacemakers suffered from the same affliction that so many British groups of the early and mid-60's had to endure--there was a band called The Beatles on the scene, and most of the attention of the music-consuming public was focused directly on John, Paul, George and Ringo. It was a little bit worse for Gerry & The Pacemakers--unfortunately, like The Beatles, they hailed from Liverpool. As a result, they became sort of a bridesmaid, because they couldn't even achieve #1 popularity in their own city, much less in the world.

All that is not to say that Gerry & The Pacemakers were not a good band--Gerry Marsden managed to put together a group of solid musicians, and their brand of British pop had an infectious, sing-along quality that sort of stuck with you. Many of their influences were also musicians that influenced The Beatles--skiffle guys like Lonnie Donegan and crooners like Johnny Burnette and Rory Storm were emulated by Gerry & The Pacemakers. Unfortunately, they didn't buy into the rockabilly and rhythm and blues styles that were such a force during the period, and as a result, their music lacks the complexity of The Beatles and other British groups of that time. It comes across as pop-saccharine, and I'm not saying that's all that bad--it's just more like the simplistic music of Herman's Hermit's or Freddie & The Dreamers, and it lacks the depth and lyrical message of a band like, say, The Kinks.

The Best Of Gerry & The Pacemakers is tagged on the CD cover as a "definitive collection", and it probably is just that. As you might guess, this group was pretty short-lived, and the music covered in this collection spans the period from 1963 through 1966. Because it lacks the musical and lyrical depth of other British groups of the period, some of these tunes sound a little dated, but I can testify personally that they sure sounded good along about the summer of 1966.

How Do You Do It and I Like It are good examples of the pop-fluff that Gerry & The Pacemakers specialized in--both of these songs still get a lot of airplay on classic rock stations like mine here in Jackson, Tennessee. Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying is an elegant tune featuring some beautiful strings, and Ferry Cross The Mersey is sort of an ode to the River Mersey, which I think runs through the city of Liverpool. I'll Be There and Hello Little Girl conjure up visions of Peter Noone fronting Herman's Hermits. A special treat on this collection is an excellent cover of You'll Never Walk Alone from the musical Carousel.

This CD has a total of twenty five tracks, and even though it's not as inspired as some of the other British music of that period, it's a good example of another style of music that was coming out of England at that time. The insert that accompanies the CD has some biographical information about the band, and the discography tells you about release dates and top chart positions.

Music historians will enjoy this collection, as well as those of you who are interested in the decade that brought us the British invasion. I'm a little lukewarm on the CD, because it sounds somewhat dated, but it does take me back to my younger days a little bit.

Thanks for reading.