12
How Do You Do It?
GERRY AND THE PACEMAKERS
COLUMBIA (1963)
How Do You Do It? was nearly The Beatles’ first
single, before they decided on Love Me Do. Their
loss was Gerry And The Pacemakers’ gain, giving
the group, fronted by Gerry Marsden, the first of
three UK chart toppers. There are many parallels
between the two bands – both were managed by
Brian Epstein, recorded by George Martin and did
their time in Hamburg. The Pacemakers’ success
didn’t outlast Merseybeat; the original line-up
split in 1967, but a cover of Marsden’s Ferry Cross
The Mersey charted in 1989, raising money for
families affected by the Hillsborough Disaster.9
Hippy Hippy Shake
THE SWINGING BLUE JEANS
HMV (1963)
After they were booed off stage at The Star Club
in Hamburg, The Swinging Blue Jeans wisely
decided it was well past time they made the
switch from skiffle to beat music. The band
formed in 1957 and all their hits were covers of
American R&B tunes, including You’re No Good,
a success for Betty Everett, and Good Golly Miss
Molly, recorded by Little Richard. The band made
No.2 in the UK with Chan Romero’s Hippy Hippy
Shake, performing the song on the very first
broadcast of Top Of The Pops. The band is still
extant, although no original members remain.11
I Know (You Don’t Love
Me Nomore)
BERYL MARSDEN
DECCA (1963)
The precociously talented Beryl Marsden started
her singing career at 15 with The Undertakers.
When the group headed to Hamburg, Marsden
had to stay behind due to her age, but she
continued to perform with Howie Casey and Lee
Curtis & The All-Stars. This debut single shows her
skill at interpreting American soul, but success
proved elusive. She later cut two sides for
Columbia, went on tour with She Trinity, was
a member of Shotgun Express with Rod Stewart,
and sang on John Lennon’s Instant Karma.8
Everything’s Al’ Right
THE MOJOS
DECCA (1964)
Everything’s Al’ Right could easily be mistaken for
a forgotten gem from the American R&B vaults,
but it was an original by The Mojos. The track
gave the band their biggest hit, reaching No.9 in
the UK, but thereafter they discarded their blues
roots and recorded a string of increasingly insipid
pop numbers, such as Seven Daffodils and Comin’
On To Cry. Vocalist Stu James and guitarist Nicky
Crouch split off at the end of 1964 to form Stu
James & The Mojos, featuring a young Aynsley
Dunbar on drums, who went on to play with
David Bowie, Frank Zappa and Whitesnake.10
I Can Tell
RORY STORM AND THE HURRICANES
COLUMBIA (1964)
It was Rory Storm And The Hurricanes who blew
jazz out of The Cavern to usher in the beat era.
Storm was a wild performer, known for his gold
lamé suits and proclivity for climbing all over
venues. Despite their fiery live shows, the band
never broke nationally, hampered by the fact that
they didn’t write their own music – their sets
were composed of American rhythm and blues
and rock’n’roll tunes. I Can Tell saw the group
take Chuck Willis’ mournful blues and rough it up,
with Ty O’Brien striking his guitar with more
enthusiasm than technique.7
It’s For You
CILLA BLACK
PARLOPHONE (1964)
Introduced to Brian Epstein by her friend John
Lennon, Cilla Black became the biggest-selling
female artist of the 60s in the UK – not bad for
the former coat-check girl at The Cavern. Her
early performances saw her backed by The Big
Three and Rory Storm And The Hurricanes. Black
was an interpreter of songs, rather than a writer,
but she chose her material brilliantly. She hit No.1
with her version of Anyone Who Had A Heart,
while It’s For You was written for the singer by
Paul McCartney, who played piano on the
recording, and it peaked at No.7.Merseybeat Top 20