The Searchers third Pye Lp is the theme for this chapter.

Trying to make as much money out of the group as posssible they had to record a third lp. It was intended to call it IT'S FAB! IT'S GEAR! IT'S THE SEARCHERS, but ended up as IT'S THE SEARCHERS. The release date in the UK was April 1964. It entered the lp charts on May 30th went to no. 4 and stayed for 17 weeks. This was better than SUGAR & SPICE lp had done. Only in Germany the album was released with the same tracks, but simply called THE SEARCHERS. Here it was on the VOGUE label, catalogue no. was LDV 17008.

Although the back cover tells us WHO SINGS WHAT there have to be done some corrections: Mike sings lead on IT'S IN HER KISS; SEA OF HEARTBREAK; SHIMMY SHIMMY, NEEDLES AND PINS, CAN'T HELP FORGIVING YOU and DON'T THROW YOUR LOVE AWAY (often supported by Chris). The rest of WHO SINGS WHAT (I hope you can read it) is correct. SURE KNOW A LOT ABOUT LOVE (a remake of their Star Club recording) is the last Tony Jackson vocal for the group). HI HEEL SNEAKERS is John's first Pye solo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

below: German pressing of the lp, side 1

far above right: Canadian cover of IT'S THE SEARCHERS, listing the tracks of MEET THE SEARCHERS. Above: Back cover of that Canadian LP, listing the right tracks but the WHO SINGS WHAT part tells about NEEDLES & DON'T THROW which are both not on the lp. This shows how much Pye Canada cared!!!

 

 

 

 

 

The US had THIS IS US as a regular LP (KAPP 1409 mono and 3409 stereo) - see below - and as a 6 track mini LP* (Kapp KBS 985, stereo)- see left. Tracks from PYE LP: DON’T THROW…, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN, THIS EMPTY PLACE(*), HI HEEL SNEAKERS, IT'S IN HER KISS(*), I COUNT THE TEARS, CAN'T HELP FORGIVING YOU, SEA OF HEARTBREAK(*). The other tracks came from singles or other lps.

GREECE brought out SOUNDS LIKE SEARCHERS (no.: NPL 15001, cover like the UK one) in 1965 with tracks from IT'S THE S..: HI HEEL SNEAKERS, GONNA SEND YOU BACK TO GEORGIA. JAPAN released the album LOVE POTION NO. 9 in May 1965 (no.: PS 1188 Y) cover same as IT'S ... Used tracks: HI HEEL SNEAKERS, IT'S IN HER KISS, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN, SEA OF HEARTBREAK, THIS EMPTY PLACE, CAN'T HELP FORGIVING YOU. SOUTH AFRICA released a UK indentical LP but on the Parlophone label. PYE itself started in September 1964 with this following Searchers lp:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tracks from It’s The Searchers: Don’t Throw Your Love Away, Needles and Pins and It’s In Her Kiss. Record number is ZA-Pye PL 2001.

 

The album has been rereleased many times as lp and cd. The only one I show you here is the first one from 1968. In this form it came out in the UK in stereo and mono and in Canada in stereo. Four tracks are left out, always the first two tracks from each lp - side.

above: a are shot of Chris on guitar, photo        above: official photo

taken from Star Club News                               from 1964

 

The Eps

This ep came out in June 1964 and included three songs from IT'S THE ... plus a new song the group recorded as the title track for the British film "The System". The Searchers themselves were only to be heard over the credits but not to be seen. The title track was sung by Mike with strong back-up vocals by Chris and John. The ep entered the ep chart December 10th, 1964, went to no. 4 and stayed 18 weeks Australia had the same ep on ASTOR NEP 24201, also released in 64. The front cover was taken from the lp, the back cover was same as the English ep. Spain released two songs from IT'S THE ... on the ep "WHAT HAVE THEY DONE..." on Pye PYEP 2067 in 1964. They also used the lp cover for the ep. Part of the back cover can be seen below. In Sweden the ep was imported and sold quite well. The System reached no. 15 for one week in March 1965.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

a rare concert programme from 1964

The Singles

Although NEEDLES & PINS and DON'T THROW YOUR LOVE AWAY were successful singles, they were not taken from the lp (like today). They were hits before and then included. Maybe to raise sale figures but I think the main reason was that the lp would have been much too short with the 12 new tracks. And it looks good to advertise 14 tracks on the cover, you get much for your money, even if you buy some songs twice. Sweden took one song from that lp and released it in 1965 (Pye 7N-15751). The b side was the successful LOVE PTION No. 9 but in Holland the single got nowhere. In the USA HI HEEL SNEAKERS came out in November 64 as the b-side of LOVE POTION NO. 9 - Kapp KJB-27 and in South Africa in 1965 Pye-35

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

above: a great NME report

about the making of the

lp IT’S THE SEARCHERS

 

 

Tony Jackson’s Point Of View