Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Crying – GERRY & THE PACEMAKERS***

Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Crying/I’m The One/Away From You/Jambalaya/Maybellene/You’ll Never Walk Alone/How Do You Do It/You’re The Reason/Don’t You Ever/Summertime/Slowdown/Show Me That You Care

Merseybeat group Gerry & The Pacemakers debut US LP Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying contains the UK chart toppers How Do You Do It and You'll Never Walk Alone. The title track was their highest placed US chart single reaching No. 4, two places higher than in the UK. (US:29) "The album tracks are often similar to the singles, bouncy pop tunes penned by Mitch Murray and the band's lead singer/guitarist, Gerry Marsden, with the rest covers of country, rock and R & B evergreens."

"Gerry & The Pacemakers earned their place as Liverpool's second biggest band of the mid-'60s. They were a tight little rock & roll band with an exuberant leader. Marsden's enthusiastic, adenoidal tenor comes across well on the ballads, suggesting his later musical direction and foreshadowing the breakup of The Pacemakers, who ultimately couldn't keep pace with the musical changes of later in the decade. This material catches the band at its height."

"Similar to The Beatles early releases, these LP's were a patchwork of various British singles, EPs and album cuts. Because of this, the selections on the American albums were never in the chronological order in which they were recorded."

"Gerry & The Pacemakers were an early manifestation of the British groups of the sixties. They enjoyed phenomenal early success, which did not last because they failed to progress and innovate. They stayed firmly rooted in the American popular tradition, with smooth melodies and unadventurous lyrics. They remain an essential, and now underrated, major sixties band. Give them a listen."

"Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying is an absolutely great and monster song of the era. How Do You Do It is a good song too, but it seems a mite juvenile now. There is a large second tier of songs that are very listenable. They really capture the Liverpool and early British Invasion sound. The rest of the material drops off from there. This collection really does show what a great singer Gerry was. The cover of Summertime is quite satisfying."