I Love The Searchers!

I was listening to the Audio Fidelity SACD "The Collection" tonight, hearing the SACD layer for the first time and this music really "hit" me for the first time. I had previously thought the music was too derivative of the early Beatles but this time I heard it for what it is: Truly tasteful singing and playing, great catchy songs and excellent sound.

First question: Does anyone here kinda wish that the Beatles 1963/1964 recordings kinda sounded like this? Steve did such a great job on this...it has a warm tone, a roundness...very clean. I love that sound! Only on a track here or there did they use echo or reverb and then things get a tad "smeary", but overall the sound they acheived is enviable...I wish TODAY'S records sounded like this, I do!

I love the way the Beatles sound, don't get me wrong...at this point, I can't divorce the sound from the music, though. I wonder what those early Beatles songs would have sounded like given the recording treatment that the Searchers were given. "I Feel Fine" is similar, except the vocals; Echo City! Anyone else wonder?

Second question: Now my appetite for Searchers music is whetted. Any thoughts here on the two MFSL two-fer gold CDs? Just curious...

Thanks all...

 

I don't want to threadcrap, but there's an acoustic cover of "Don't Throw Your Love" on my upcoming CD project.

 

Steve:

In addition to the Audio Fidelity SACD "The Collection," did you also master the 1988 Rhino CD "The Searchers Greatest Hits" (#RS 75773)? The liner notes don't list a mastering engineer, but they do say "Special Thanks to Steve Hoffman."

And if so, is that collection a mix of mono and stereo, or stereo only?

Were you able to get better masters, and create better sound, on the redbook layer of the Audio Fidelity disc?

 

I don't have your cd yet Steve. But I do have this one..all stereo and it sounds quite nice on some tracks. (mastered by 'Bruce Sheldrick') Interesting that you mention the mono tracks. Are the tracks on your mastering mono or stereo..do you prefer the stereo mixes?
The Searchers are certainly cool. Archetypal merseybeat

 

Just listening to 'Goodbye My Love'...man what awesome guitar on that sucker. Incredible track

 

Rob or Steve,

is there a Searchers CD with the (correct) mono mixes that you like? It would be a good companion CD to the Audio Fidelity release.

 

Thanks a lot!

 

Might I suggest... www.the-searchers.co.uk

 

Thank you for the heads-up, Steve!

I just placed an order at Amazon for both the Searchers & the Zombies! Next up, I will most likely order the Donovan...and my first ever Gold CD, "Minute By Minute".

Dexter

 

I have this SACD and it is like hearing this group for the first time. I can speak from experience because I was in my mid-teens when the English invasion groups hit the US. Great job Steve.

 

I've loved the Searchers from the beginning. I currently own the 2001 reissues of the first 5 albums on Castle. These include stereo and mono mixes as well as non-album tracks. Also the Castle 2CD BBC Sessions and the single CD Swedish Radio Sessions are must haves (IMHO). From there I go to the Bear Family Live at the Star Club CD. My original group CDs end with the Audio Fidelity SACD and a 2CD Castle 1963-2003 set (for a few stray tracks). Finally I have a Taragon Complete RCA/UK Recordings and a Raven Sire Sessions to almost complete the story. A Searchers box ala the Zombies would be nice! You can't have too much of a great thing, can you?

 

I'm not surprised Rob likes the sound of this disc. When I got it I played Love Potion for days after just to listen to the fidelity. It took me a while to hear the song, if you know what I mean.

I think I even started a thread asking Steve how he mastered it. Just an Ampex tube mixer, eh? Those engineers really had their stuff together to sound that good without EQ. Thank you Steve for letting these tracks get through the mastering process without mutilation.

 

Steve, fortunately I have this one and your's, too.

Wunnerful stuff.

THANKS!

mud-

 

Cool!

 

Simple is better

 

Y'know, many are of the thinking that each group that came out had its unique sound, and that was it...nothing else like it. But that just isn't true. For my English 1.2 final paper (back in '70) I wrote about the history of rock, and its derivatives and the early rock here, and the echos of it in the UK, and then back to here.The paper ended up being over 30 pages.....

The Searchers, the Beatles, etc., copied our rock, but with their feel. The Beatles If I Needed Someone and the Byrds I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better, are the same harmonies.

Each group added according to their personnel, and the flavor changed.

I remember when CS&N came out, and was told by some girl, what a unique sound, and I said, hey, take a listen to the Byrds, the Buffalo Springfield and the Hollies before you say that. Yes, CSN was great but it was an evolution equal to its roots and parts.

Soooo, the Who and the early Small Faces came from similar roots and sounded similar.
Not Fade Away ain't too far from a Yardbirds Raveup, at least the beginning of one...What the groups did with the sound, making it their own, that's when things got even more interesting.

A little raving myself...please excuse me!

 

Wow, I've never had one of my threads "stickified" before.

Thanks for the responses, everyone...

I would urge anyone even remotely interested in this type of music to get the Audio Fidelity SEARCHERS Hybrid-SACD while you can. Why wait 'til it's too late?

 

Steve, if you don't mind.. what exactly did/do you use the Ampex line mixer for? EQ? 'Spice'?

 

Outside of the Beatles & Stones, the Searchers are one of my favorite British Invasion bands, hands down!

The more I heard them, the more I liked them. They didn't have a long enough career were they would progress like the Beatles & Stones did. In a way I'm kind of glad about that. If you take their first album or the fifth album, it was the same great performance and great selection of songs in the same vain.

Yeah, the Searchers rule!!!