Gerry & The Pacemakers - You’ll Never Walk Alone: The EMI Years 1963-1966

Prime movers of Merseybeat anthologised

Gerry Marsden was a chirpy little fella, his cherubic grin and cheeky Scouse wit having much in common with Liverpudlian comics such as Jimmy Tarbuck, who rose to national prominence around the same time as The Pacemakers. But before he became a fixture on the showbiz supper club circuit he led a group who were second only to The Beatles in the city’s affections.

In uncomplicated, happy-go-lucky beat combo terms, The Pacemakers were among the best. There was a spirited joyousness to the simplicity of I Like It or How Do You Do It?, a thunderous excitement to their stripped-down covers of American R&B, yet they were also capable of impressive and ambitious pop grandeur. A cover of You’ll Never Walk Alone from a cheesy Rodgers & Hammerstein musical may have looked dubious on paper, but it turned out to be one of the defining recordings of the decade.

This 124-track collection leaves nothing out, although there are a couple of dozen sub-standard offerings few would have missed. The real pull for collectors may be the first stereo mix of a live show from Oakland, California in 1964, a powerhouse performance establishing them as some of the most cherished Limey rockers on the other side of the pond.

EMI | 5192572 (4-CD)

Reviewed by Terry Staunton
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