18
Why Can’t It Be Me
IAN & THE ZODIACS
PHILIPS (1965)
After starting life playing trad jazz, Ian & The
Zodiacs saw which way the wind was blowing
and joined the beat revolution. They were
fixtures on the Liverpool circuit and played two
nights a week at Jive Hive at St Luke’s Hall, but
it was in Germany that they found acclaim.
A planned month-long tour became a three-year
run and three albums for the Star Club label.
Why Can’t It Be Me was an original composition
by members Charlie Flynn and Pete Wallace, and
they enjoyed commercial success with two
albums of Beatles covers as The Koppykats.15
Needles And Pins
THE SEARCHERS
PYE RECORDS (1964)
An early rival to the popularity of The Beatles
and Gerry And The Pacemakers, The Searchers
enjoyed a run of hits spanning four Top 10 albums
and three No.1 singles. Their sound was defined
by meticulously arranged harmonies and the
chiming tones of a 12-string Rickenbacker guitar.
Needles And Pins, written by Sonny Bono and
Jack Nitzsche and first recorded by Jackie
DeShannon, topped the British charts and gave
the group their first US Top 40 hit. The Searchers
finally retired in 2019, with only guitarist John
McNally remaining from the original incarnation.17
Twist At The Top
HOWIE CASEY AND THE SENIORS
FONTANA (1962)
Saxophonist Howie Casey formed the Seniors in
1959 and they started gigging as Derry & The
Seniors, with frontman Derry Wilkie. Twist At
The Top, referencing the popular dance craze,
features vocalist Freddie Fowell; the album of the
same name, released in February 1962, was the
first LP by a Liverpool beat group. Casey
subsequently recorded with Kingsize Taylor in
Germany, and became a successful session
musician, playing on Wings’ Band On The Run
and the Quadrophenia soundtrack. Meanwhile,
Fowell found fame and infamy as Freddie Starr.14
I Know Something
EARL PRESTON & THE T-T’S
FONTANA (1963)
Fronted by Earl Preston – the stage name of
George Spruce – and Cy Tucker, Earl Preston & The
T-T’s were writing their own songs before Lennon
and McCartney. The cheery I Know Something
was one of their originals and the band’s only
single release where they weren’t backing
another artist. The B-side is an excellent cover of
Bobby Parker’s Watch Your Step. Many of the
group’s strongest cuts appeared on Merseybeat
compilations long after the scene’s heyday. The
catchy Why Did It Have To Be You, from the Beat
Waves ’Cross The Mersey anthology, is a standout.16
Bad To Me
BILLY J. KRAMER WITH THE DAKOTAS
PARLOPHONE (1963)
Another product of Epstein’s stable, Billy J.
Kramer needed a backing group, teaming up
with Manchester’s The Dakotas. Their first single
was a cover of Do You Want To Know A Secret?,
and they hit the UK top spot with another
Lennon/McCartney creation, Bad To Me. With his
clean-cut good looks and saccharine delivery,
Kramer was soon performing the song on The Ed
Sullivan Show in front of screaming teenage girls.
After Merseybeat’s popularity flagged, Kramer
and The Dakotas parted company and both acts
moved to the cabaret and nostalgia circuit.13
Don’t Ha Ha
CASEY JONES AND THE GOVERNORS
BELLAPHON/PRESIDENT (1965)
Brian Casser – aka Casey Jones – founded his first
beat group, Cass & The Casanovas, in 1959. After
the rest of the band left to form The Big Three,
Casser fronted Casey Jones And The Engineers,
briefly featuring Eric Clapton, but he found
success in Germany with The Governors. Don’t Ha
Ha, the band’s version of Don’t You Just Know It
by Huey Smith And The Clowns, was a German
hit, with Casser doing his best impersonation of
Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ demented laugh. The
group cut two albums for Golden 12 records and
released singles into the early 70s.Merseybeat Top 20