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Various Artists - Recorded Live At The Cavern (Decca Needledrop)(Barrym)

Track listing:
  1. Doctor Feelgood The Marauders 2:21
  2. Keep On Rolling The Marauders 2:27
  3. She's Sure The Girl I Love The Fortunes 2:14
  4. You've Really Got A Hold On Me The Fortunes 3:02
  5. Everybody Loves A Lover Beryl Marsden 2:17
  6. Devoted To You The Dennisons 2:15
  7. You Better Move On The Dennisons 2:52
  8. Somebody To Love Heinz 2:02
  9. I Got A Woman Heinz 2:56
  10. Little Queenie Dave Berry & The Cruisers 2:31
  11. Diddley, Diddley, Daddy Dave Berry & The Cruisers 3:16
  12. Bring It On Home To Me The Big Three 1:54
  13. Skinny Minnie Lee Curtis 2:37
  14. Jezebel Lee Curtis 2:49
  15. I'm Talking About You Bern Elliot & The Fenmen 2:09
  16. Little Egypt Bern Elliot & The Fenmen 2:54
  17. What'd I Say The Big Three 3:31
  18. Don't Start Running Away The Big Three 1:48
  19. Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah The Big Three 2:28
  20. Reelin' And Rockin' The Big Three 2:07

Notes

In the annals of British Beat, the explosion of home-grown rock groups that began chartwise with the 'Liverpool Sound' in 1963 and by the end of the year had become a national phenomenon, Decca Records' initial role was notorious - they were the company (but to be fair not the only company) that turned down the Beatles.

After that historic faux pas, they were quick to make amends, signing up the Rolling Stones (hailed initially as ' London's answer to the Beatles'!) and a whole roster of groups from all over the country, including Merseyside.
Combined with its existing stable of 'pre-Merseybeat' acts, by 1964 the label represented a complete cross section of British pop, and when it was decided to make a live LP at Liverpool's Cavern Club, it was significant that it reflected a broad choice rather than purely Merseyside groups.
The result forms the bulk of this album, released in its entirety for the first time since 1964.
As a bonus, the now-legendary 'Live at the Cavern' EP by the Big 3, recorded a short while earlier, closes side 2, four tracks of sheer Merseybeat magic.
By mid 1964, the Cavern had become simply the most famous club in the world. It had opened six years before as an exclusively jazz venue, but by 1962 the burgeoning army of Liverpool beat groups had become its main attraction, the jazz bands relegated to 'interval' status at most sessions.
Compere and architect for much of the Cavern's booking policy at this time was Bob Wooler, whose infectious play-on-words and punning became his verbal trademark, and who can be heard here introducing the final 'Big 3' segment of the collection.

The 'At the Cavern' LP, however, featured as compere Keith Fordyce, already a national name on Radio Luxembourg and as frontman for the new flagship of the beat boom, 'Ready Steady Go' Likewise the selection of artists demonstrates that by '64 the Merseybeat style had become truly 'national'- British Beat - with more non-Merseybeat than local groups in the line-up.
The opening salvo from the Marauders is a case in point: 'Dr Feelgood', a standard among the Liverpool groups, here performed by a four-piece from Stoke on Trent.

Birmingham's Fortune's initial claim to fame was the adoption of their debut single 'Caroline' by the pirate radio station as its theme tune, but it wasn't until mid 65 that they found real chart success with 'You've Got Your Troubles'an innocuous beat ballad. Here early in '64 they were still in tougher territory repertoire-wise.

Beryl Marsden was the Merseyside singer touted to be the 'next' Cilla Black, but it was never to happen, Musically much more aware of the R&B roots of the music, Beryl was, and remained, something of a 'musicians singer'- no bad thing, but unfortunately not always the stuff hits are made of.

One of the youngest Liverpool groups the Dennisons had a strong local following which no doubt helped push their Decca debut 'Be My Girl'to the lower end of the top 50 a few months before this session.

The inclusion of Heinz here is an example of the forementioned pre-Merseybeat artists adapting to the genre with some success. Heinz Burt was the blonde bass player with the shadows-style Tornados before going solo in mid '63' a move soon rewarded by a top 5 hit, 'Just Like Eddie'.

One of the most enigmatic performers of the period, Dave Berry made a big impact via television with his upturned collars and hand-across-the-face routine
; from Sheffield,he and his group the Cruisers specialised in solid R&B standards (their first hit was Chuck Berry's 'Memphis') as exemplified here, before Dave Berry split to tackle more overtly commercial ballad-oriented material.

Sam Cooke's 'Bring It On Home To Me' was recorded as a studio version by the Big 3 later on in 1964, but neither this nor their previous studio work matched their legendary 'Live At The Cavern'EP, of which more later.

Lee Curtis was another solid Liverpool rocker who came over best live - this version of Bill Haley's 'Skinny Minnie' is ample evidence of that - the All Stars subsequently becoming the Pete Best Four with the ex-Beatle drummer, to no greater commercial success.

Two rhythm and blues standards from Bern Elliott and the Fenmen close the show. From Erith in Kent, they served a Merseybeat-style apprenticeship in the clubs of Hamburg before being one of Decca's first beat group success stories after the Beatles debacle,with a Top Ten version of 'Money'.

I've already described the 'Big 3 at the Cavern' EP as 'legendary' (twice), and make no apologies. From the opening bars of Ray Charles' 'What'd I Say' - itself a truly seminal number for British beat groups - here is raw Merseybeat at its most blistering.Johnny Hutchinson's powerhouse drumming, the masterly guitar work of Brian Griffiths (another 'musicians musician') and charismatic bass player John Gustafson were the 'Cream' (in both senses of the word) of the Liverpool music scene. Shortly after this session Gustafson left to fill the place vacated by Billy Kinsley in the Merseybeats, and it would be fair to say that the Big 3 were never quite the same again.

Here then, two unique soundtracks of an era, 'live' at the Cavern on both occasions, and both much sought-after items in collectors shops, record conventions and such over the years. The classic sound of early '60s Liverpool, which by 1964 had truly become the sound of young Britain.

MIKE EVANS
Author of "The Art Of The Beatles".