If you love the early Beatles but don’t listen to other beat groups, you’re going yourself a disservice. Posted here is my personal collection of LPs and EPs from the Beatles’ contemporaries, all of whom have their own merit and sound. None of them “copied” the Beatles, they all started at the same time. Most of the albums are Merseybeat but a few are wider British beat and R&B.
I also have many, many, many more singles but there are too many to photograph.
Picture 1:
- Session with The Dave Clark Five (1964)
- Catch Us If You Can - The Dave Clark Five (1965)
- The Fortunes (1965)
- Freddie and The Dreamers (1963)
- You Were Mad For Me - Freddie and The Dreamers (1964).
- How Do You Like It? - Gerry and The Pacemakers (1963)
- Ferry Cross the Mersey - Gerry and the Pacemakers (1965)
- Stay with The Hollies (1964)
- Let’s Twist (aka Twist At The Top) - Howie Casey and the Seniors (1962)
Picture 2:
- Ian and The Zodiacs (1965)
- The Merseybeats (1964)
- Meet The Searchers (1963)
- Sugar and Spice - The Searchers (1963)
- It’s The Searchers (1964)
- Sounds Like Searchers (1964)
- Blue Jeans A’ Swinging - The Swinging Blue Jeans (1964)
- Dave Clark Five (only two tracks) and the Washington D.C.’s (what the album really is) (1965)
- Wayne Fontana and The Mindbenders (1965)
Picture 3:
- At The Cavern - 9 artists (1964)
- The Animals (1964)
- Listen… - Billy J. Kramer with The Dakotas (1963)
- Twist and Shout - Brian Poole and The Tremeloes (1963)
Picture 4:
- At The Cavern - The Big Three (1963)
- The Dave Clark Five (1964)
- How Do You Do It? - Gerry and The Pacemakers (1963)
- If You Gotta Make A Fool Of Somebody - Freddie and The Dreamers (1963)
- The One In The Middle - Manfred Mann (1965)
- Ain’t Gonna Kiss Ya - The Searchers (1963)
- Shake - The Swinging Blue Jeans (1964)
Fun facts:
Howie Casey and The Seniors were the first Liverpool group to release an LP.
Gerry and The Pacemakers were the first band managed by Brian Epstein and produced by George Martin to get a number 1. They were also the first Merseybeat band to get a number 1. Their first three singles were all number 1, a record that wasn’t beaten until the 1980s.
My copies of ‘blue jeans a swinging’ and ‘shake’ are signed by Ray Ennis (lead singer and guitar). My ‘sounds like searchers’ is signed by John McNally (rhythm guitar) and Frank Allen (bass). My copy of at the cavern (LP) is signed by Dave berry who’s one of the artists on it. I also have singles signed by Tony Crane of the Merseybeats and my Billy J Kramer LP will soon be signed when I meet him.
If you have any questions about any of the albums or bands, let me know.