The band grew out of an earlier skiffle group formed by McNally, with his friends Brian Dolan (guitar) and Tony West (bass). When the other two members lost interst McNally was joined by his guitarist neighbour Mike Prendergast. They soon recruited Tony Jackson with his home-made bass guitar and amplifier and styled themselves Tony and the Searchers with Joe Kelly on drums. Kelly soon left to be replaced by Norman McGarry and it is this line-up—McNally, Pender (as he soon became known), Jackson and McGarry—that is usually cited as the original foursome.
McGarry did not stay long, however, and in 1960 his place was taken by Chris Crummey (who later changed his name to Curtis). Later that year Big Ron had a successful audition with Mecca and became a ballroom singer. He was replaced by Billy Beck, who changed his name to Johnny Sandon. The band had regular bookings at Liverpool's Iron Door Club as Johnny Sandon and the Searchers.
Sandon left the band in late 1961 to join The Remo Four in February 1962. The group settled into a quartet sharing the vocal lead and billed simply as The Searchers. They continued to play at the Iron Door, The Cavern, and other Liverpool clubs. Like many similar acts they would do as many as three shows at different venues in one night. They negotiated a contract with the Star-Club in the St. Pauli district Hamburg for 128 days, with three one-hour performances a night, starting in July 1962.
The band returned to a residence, at the Iron Door Club and it was there that they tape recorded the sessions that led to a recording contract with Pye Records with Tony Hatch as producer.
Hatch played piano on some recordings and wrote "Sugar and Spice"—the band’s second number one record—under the pseudonym Fred Nightingale; a secret he kept from the band at the time.
After scoring their monumental hit "Needles and Pins", bassist Tony Jackson went solo and was replaced by Hamburg pal Frank Allen of Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers.
Chris Curtis left the band in 1966 and was replaced by the Needles and Pins-influenced John Blunt, who in turn was replaced by Billy Adamson in 1970.
As musical styles evolved, the Searchers could not keep up and as a result, the hits ran out and while they continued to record for Liberty Records and RCA Records, ended up on the British "Chicken in a Basket" circuit although they did score a minor US hit in 1971 with "Desdemona".
The group continued to tour through the 1970s and were rewarded in 1979 when Sire Records signed the band to a multi-record deal. Two albums were released by them, The Searchers and Play for Today (retitled Love's Melodies outside the UK). Both records garnered great critical acclaim but did not break into the charts. They did however revitalize the group's career. According to John McNally, the band were ready to head into the studio to record a third album for Sire when they were informed that due to label reorganization, their contract had been dropped.
In 1981, the band signed to PRT Records (formerly Pye, their original label) and began recording an album but only one single, "I Don't Want To Be The One" backed with "Hollywood", saw the light of day at that time. The rest of the tracks would be released as part of 2004's 40th Anniversary collection.
Soon after the PRT release, Mike Pender left the group amidst great acrimony and now tours as Hollywood. McNally and Allan recruited former First Class vocalist Spencer James to fill Pender's shoes.
In 1988, Coconut Records signed The Searchers and the album Hungry Hearts was the result. A very contemporary sounding release, it featured modern sounding remakes of "Needles and Pins" and "Sweets For My Sweets". While the album was not a major hit, it did keep the group in the public eye.
The band continues to tour with Eddie Rothe replacing Adamson on drums and is considered to be one of the most popular 1960s bands on the UK concert circuit.
for more info see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Searchers_%28band%29
What Have They Done to the Rain
The Searchers Lyrics
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The grass lifts its head to the heavenly sound
Just a little rain, just a little rain
What have they done to the rain
Just a little boy standing in the rain
The gentle rain that falls for years
And the grass is gone, the boy disappears
And what have they done to the rain
Just a little breeze out of the sky
The leaves nod their head as the breeze blows by
Just a little breeze with some smoke in its eye
What have they done to the rain
Just a little boy standing in the rain
The gentle rain that falls for years
And the grass is gone, the boy disappears
And rain keeps falling like helpless tears
And what have they done to the rain
What have they done to the rain
The Searchers' song "What Have They Done to the Rain" is a poignant protest song that questions the effects of nuclear weapons testing on the environment and human life. The lyrics describe rain falling gently on the grass, but then the grass disappears, and a little boy standing in the rain disappears as well. The rain keeps falling like "helpless tears," implying that the damage done is irreversible. The song's use of the natural world to illustrate the effects of nuclear testing creates a sense of sadness and despair, questioning why anyone would want to cause such harm to the earth and its inhabitants.
The song was written by Malvina Reynolds, an American singer-songwriter and political activist known for her protest songs. It was first recorded in 1962 by Reynolds herself and then popularized by The Searchers in 1965. The fact that it was written and recorded during the height of the Cold War and nuclear arms race speaks to the urgency and relevance of the song's message.
Line by Line Meaning
Just a little rain falling all around
The surroundings are experiencing a light rainfall.
The grass lifts its head to the heavenly sound
The grass has been uplifted by the sound of the rain.
Just a little rain, just a little rain
The rainfall remains light and is not overly concerning.
What have they done to the rain
Questioning any damage or harm done to the rain.
Just a little boy standing in the rain
Observation of a young child staying in the rain.
The gentle rain that falls for years
A peaceful rain that has continued for a prolonged period.
And the grass is gone, the boy disappears
The grass is no longer present, and the child has vanished.
And rain keeps falling like helpless tears
The rain is falling uncontrollably like tears.
And what have they done to the rain
Reiterating the previous question of any harm done to the rain.
Just a little breeze out of the sky
A light wind has picked up from the sky.
The leaves nod their head as the breeze blows by
The leaves are motioning in the direction of the wind's movement.
Just a little breeze with some smoke in its eye
The wind has some obstructions, likely smoke that is affecting its movement.
What have they done to the rain
Reiterating the question regarding any harm done to the rain.
What have they done to the rain
Final repetition of the primary question regarding any damage to the rain.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: MALVINA REYNOLDS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind