Merseybeat

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For the television series, see Merseybeat (TV series)

For the poetry book with Henri, McGough and Patten, see The Mersey Sound

Merseybeat (also known as the Liverpool Sound and Mersey Sound, and called the English Beat in Continental Europe) is the name the media gave to the music created by Merseyside groups between 1963 and 1965. The most popular line-up comprised lead, rhythm and bass guitars plus drums, as popularized by The Beatles and The Searchers. Merseybeat is typified by the synchronization of the bass guitar (usually playing only the root and fifth notes of the chords) and the bass drum, although often the bass guitar will play walking and boogie basslines. Unlike rock and roll hitherto, Merseybeat is more likely to incorporate minor chords, especially in the middle 8. Groups - even those with a separate lead singer - will often sing both verses and choruses in close harmony. The vocal harmony style often resembles Doo Wop with nonsense syllables in the backing vocals. Unlike Doo Wop, falsetto and bass harmonies are extremely rare. The Liverpool accent has a role to play in the overall sound. Although there are instrumental breaks, the focus is on the presentation of the song rather than instrumental prowess.

Although rock and roll songs and Doo Wop were presented in this style, other styles of song - particularly songs from shows, like "You'll Never Walk Alone" and "Till There Was You", were also adapted. Adaptations were "pinched" by other groups, causing one group in particular - The Beatles - to write their own Mersey Beat songs.

The style originated in Liverpool, England, with help from Hamburg, Germany (where many groups honed their skills) and is a fusion of rock and roll, Doo Wop, skiffle and R&B. It remained popular only locally until the breakthrough success of The Beatles, Gerry & the Pacemakers and Cilla Black, among others. The name is derived from the River Mersey, flowing through Liverpool.

A newspaper called Mersey Beat was founded and edited by Bill Harry, and it was the first publication in journalistic history to have The Beatles on the cover.^{[citation needed]} The paper closely documented the growing Liverpool scene in the early 1960s. One of the most popular Mersey bands was also called The Merseybeats.

Of particular significance was the band Gerry & the Pacemakers, led by Gerry Marsden, who had success with "How Do You Do It?" and "I Like It", but is perhaps better known for popularising "You'll Never Walk Alone", subsequently the anthem for Liverpool Football Club, Celtic Football Club then began singing it at Celtic Park. Another song that Marsden's band released, which became synonymous with the ‘Mersey Sound’, was "Ferry Cross the Mersey", covered in the mid-1980s by fellow Liverpudlians Frankie Goes to Hollywood.

Although Mersey beat was all the rage in 1964, and still much in evidence in the British charts of 1965, by 1966 it was totally passé, and had given way to the psychedelic rock of the mid 1960s.

[edit] Other bands

Merseybeat bands came from Liverpool. The most revered Liverpool bands included The Undertakers, The Big Three, Billy J Kramer with the Dakotas, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, The Swinging Blue Jeans and The Fourmost.

Beat groups from other cities to chart were Freddie and the Dreamers (who had hits with "If You Gotta Make A Fool Of Somebody", "I'm Telling You Now", "You Were Made For Me" and "I Understand"), Herman's Hermits and The Hollies all of whom came from Manchester, and Brian Poole and the Tremeloes, who came from Dagenham.

[edit] See also

The Mersey Sound, a 1967 anthology of poetry by three Liverpudlian poets.
Frank Lee Sprague, who released a 2004 album called Merseybeat featuring songs in the Mersey style.