Sugar and Spice (The Searchers album)
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Sugar and Spice | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 16 Oct 1963 | |||
Recorded | 1963 | |||
Studio | Pye Record Studios | |||
Genre | Rock/Pop | |||
Length | 29:45 (1963 LP) 45:30 (2001 CD Reissue) | |||
Label | Pye | |||
Producer | Tony Hatch | |||
The Searchers chronology | ||||
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Singles from Sugar And Spice | ||||
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Alternate UK cover art (1967) | ||||
Sugar and Spice is the second studio album by the British rock band The Searchers released in 1963. This album features the band's second big hit single "Sugar and Spice". With two successful Top 5 album in three months, and two more Top 3 hit singles at the moment, the group proved to be the strongest to emerge from Liverpool next to the Beatles and Gerry and the Pacemakers. They consolidating their position even more with another album track Ain't That Just Like Me which was later released in the US and hit #61 in the Billboard Hot 100.[1]
Overview and recording[]
"Sugar and Spice" was written by Tony Hatch, producer of the Searchers, and the song had enormous hit potential because of the similarity with previous No.1 hit Sweets for My Sweet. Both songs are similar in style, background vocals, progressions, and guitar solos. Hatch decided to pick it up for the next Searchers A-side. So the band made the song, although they was initially opposed to recording it, simply because they hated it.[2] Nevertheless it reached No. 2 on the UK's Record Retailer chart, just one step behind the Beatles and their I Want to Hold Your Hand.[3] With the massive popularity of the Searchers, Pye Records decided to release a follow-up album as soon as possible and catch the Christmas market. The group were pulled back to the studio in the middle of their UK tour and made new album in three days.[4] No surprise, it contained their stage repertoire. They covered a tunes by American artists like Buddy Holly ("Listen to Me", "Don't Cha Know"), girl group The Chiffons ("Oh My Lover"), The Coasters ("Ain't That Just Like Me") and also merseybeat anthem Some Other Guy which became a staple ingredient in almost every Liverpool group's set-list. John McNally: "The Beatles did Some Other Guy. We did Some Other Guy. The Big Three did Some Other Guy. Everybody did Some Other Guy. But, if you listen to all the versions of Some Other Guy, or Money, you’ll find that no two versions are the same."[5]
Release[]
Sugar and Spice was released as mono LP album on the Pye label in the UK in autumn 1963, Pye NPL 18089. It entered the LP charts on November 16th 1963 and went to No. 5 (the band's first LP Meet the Searchers still occupied No. 3 at the same week)[6] and stayed for 21 weeks.[7] Four of the album's tracks were later issued on four-song EP Hungry for Love, which went to No. 4 in the UK charts.[8] Sugar And Spice LP was not available in the US. Instead, five of the album's twelve tracks appeared on Kapp Records' release, Meet The Searchers / Needles and Pins, issued in North America only (two more on another US-only LP This Is Us).[9]
Track listing[]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
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1. | "Sugar and Spice" | Fred Nightingale. | Tony Jackson | 2:16 |
2. | "Don't Cha Know" | David Box, Ernie Hall | Mike Pender | 2:03 |
3. | "Some Other Guy" | Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller, Richard Barrett | Tony Jackson, Mike Pender, possibly Chris Curtis | 2:08 |
4. | "One of These Days" | Ronnie Hawkins, Jacqueline Magill | Mike Pender | 2:17 |
5. | "Listen to Me" | Charles Hardin, Norman Petty | Tony Jackson, Mike Pender, possibly Chris Curtis | 2:12 |
6. | "Unhappy Girls" | Fred Burch, Marijohn Wilkin | Mike Pender | 2:38 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
7. | "Ain't That Just Like Me" | Earl Carroll (vocalist), Billy Guy | Chris Curtis | 2:25 |
8. | "Oh My Lover" | Ronnie Mack | Tony Jackson | 2:25 |
9. | "Saints and Searchers" | Traditional; arranged by The Searchers | Tony Jackson | 3:17 |
10. | "Cherry Stones" | John Jerome | Tony Jackson, Mike Pender | 2:28 |
11. | "All My Sorrows" | Glenn Yarborough | Mike Pender, Chris Curtis | 3:26 |
12. | "Hungry for Love" | Gordon Mills | Tony Jackson, Mike Pender | 2:24 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
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13. | "C'est De Notre Age" ("Sugar and Spice" in French) | Fred Nightingale (Translator: Michel Paje) | Tony Jackson | 2:15 |
14. | "Süß ist sie" ("Sugar and Spice" in German) | Fred Nightingale (Translator unknown) | Tony Jackson | 2:15 |
15. | "Ils la Chantaient Il y a Longtemps" ("Saints and Searchers" in French) | Traditional; arranged by The Searchers (Translator: Alain Gaunay) | Chris Curtis | 3:17 |
16. | "Saturday Night Out" | Mark Anthony, Robert Richards | Tony Jackson, Mike Pender | 1:45 |
17. | "Bye Bye Johnny" | Chuck Berry | John McNally | 2:46 |
18. | "I Don't Want to Go on Without You" | Bert Berns, Jerry Wexler | Mike Pender | 3:27 |
Personnel[]
The Searchers
- Tony Jackson - bass, lead vocals, backing vocals
- Mike Pender - lead guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals
- John McNally - rhythm guitar, backing vocals
- Chris Curtis - drums, backing vocals, lead vocals
Additional musicians and production
- Tony Hatch – producer, piano
- Ray Prickett – recording engineer
References[]
- ^ "Billboard Database". Billboard. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
- ^ Peter Doggett, Sugar And Spice (CD liner notes), Sanctuary Records, 2001.
- ^ "Searchers: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
- ^ Peter Doggett, Sugar And Spice (CD liner notes), Sanctuary Records, 2001.
- ^ "Searchers: You've really got a hold on me". Record Collector. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
- ^ "Searchers: Official Albums Chart Top 20". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
- ^ "Searchers: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
- ^ "Searchers: UK Discography". Fan page. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
- ^ "Exploring Sugar And Spice". Discog.com. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
- 1963 albums
- The Searchers (band) albums
- Pye Records albums