In 63 the Searchers played 128 times on the Starclub stage

In 63 the Searchers played 128 times on the Starclub stage, long hard nights in Hamburg/Germany. There were plans to make a live recording with various artists at the Starclub and Chris Curtis really begged to get one song - at least. There was one week time for recording using very primitive stuff. So only mono recordings were possible most of them made in the afternoon, when the Starclub was closed. The applause was copied later easily to be heard on the Searchers LP. The original album was released in October 1963 on the Philips label no. P 48052 L

Here are the tracks:
01. SWEETS FOR MY SWEET (TONY)
02. AIN'T THAT JUST LIKE ME (CHRIS)
03. LISTEN TO ME (TONY & MIKE)
04. I CAN TELL (CHRIS)
05. SICK AND TIRED (CHRIS)
06. MASHED POTATOES (TONY)
07. I SURE KNOW A LOT ABOUT LOVE (TONY, MIKE & CHRIS)
08. ROSALIE (JOHN)
09. LED IN THE GAME (TONY & MIKE)
10. HEY JOE (MIKE)
11. ALWAYS IT'S YOU (CHRIS, MIKE & TONY)
12. HULLY GULLY (TONY)
13. WHAT'D SAY (CHRIS)

There are three more things to say about this album:

the Searchers didn't get paid for it, the record company and the owner of the Starclub, Manfred Weissleder, earned the money.

Track 9 of course isn't correct. The right title is "Learning the game", an old Buddy Holly song.

Track 13 is faded out, but if you're lucky to own the single (like me) you can hear the complete song with a real ending.

above: Earlier that year (September 63) Philips had released a compilation album (Twist im Starclub, UK Philips BL 7578, German Philips P 48036 L and Japan SFL 7262) featuring three Searchers songs:
14. SWEET NOTHIN'S (TONY)
15. SHAKIN' ALL OVER (TONY)
16. BEAUTIFUL DREAMER (MIKE)

In March 1964 three more Starclub songs were issued on Liverpool Beat, Fontana (Germany) 681557 cover not available
17. MAYBELLINE (CHRIS)
18. SWEET LITTLE SIXTEEN (MIKE)
19. DON'T YOU KNOW (MIKE)

The Singles

left: Sweets.../Listen To Me German Philips 345 606 (1963)

above: Japanese release of Sweets.. b/w Sweet Nothin's (Philips FL 1181) from 1965

above right: US Mercury single Sweets...b/w It's All Been A Dream (72172 from 1963) Coupling the Starclub version with the Pye original It’s All Been A Dream makes the impression as if it is the Searchers hit single from the UK.

above left: Sweet Nothin's / What I'd Say UK Philips BF 1274 (Sept. 63), reached chart position 48

below left: Sweet Nothin's / What I'd Say, single from Germany (345 592 PF from 1963). In opposite to the lp What I'd Say here has a complete ending.

Above: On the cover of Liverpool's Merseybeat after they returned from Hamburg

left and above: German only single Sick And Tired / Learning The Game, Philips 345 621 PF from1963

below left and below: I Sure Know / Don't You Know on new founded Starclub label 148 500 STF from 1964 (Germany) and the same A-Side with What'd I Say as B-Side from 1965 (FL 1167) from Japan.

above: second American single: Ain't That Just Like Me / I Can Tell (Merc. 72390, 1964)	The Searchers with Fats Domino who also appeared at the Starclub
The EPs

left and above: In the Netherlands Philips released one EP in November 1963, titled it "The Searchers Live At The Starclub" (NL-Philips 423469). The tracks:
- SWEETS FOR MY SWEET
- HULLY GULLY
- SWEET NOTHIN'S
- LISTEN TO ME
All songs mainly sung by Tony (after Pye had called him leadsinger)

Philips SFL-3107 released in 1965 THE SEARCHERS BEST HITS with the following four tracks

Sweets For My Sweet Sweet
Sweet Nothin's
Sure Know A Lot About Love
What'd I Say

left: receipt for advance payment from the Starclub

LPs from other countries

In America the STARCLUB album was released on the Mercury label (US Mercury MG 20914 (mono) and SR 60914 (stereo) and called "Hear! Hear! The Searchers". It only had 12 tracks, "Always it's you" was left out.

Later that year Mercury released another album, but having not enough Searchers material side two contained a German group: The Rattles also with Starclub recordings. Title: The Searchers Meet The Rattles (US MercuryMG 20994 (mono) and SR 60994 (stereo). They used 5 of the 6 tracks that weren't on the original lp leaving out "Beautiful dreamer". So two tracks were never released in the US. But it had a fake Starclub track on it: "It's all been a dream" (Tony), of course the flip side of their first Pye single. The cd Philips sold a few years back still had this illegal (?) song on it.

Note: The stereo editions are of course mono.

The album HEAR HEAR reached no. 63 in the US album charts in 1964 and stayed in the charts for seven weeks.

left: Canadian issue of the lp Mercury MG 20 914, identical with the American LP.

Japanese release Philips FL 1181 from 65 - tacks see German lp

The only Swiss release of a Searchers lp (as fas as I know) had 6 Starclub songs: Sweets, Ain't that, I can tell, Sick &, Mashed Potatoes. Label Exlibris GC 371. The other lp side used Rattles tracks.

click above for a snippet of Searchers music - announced by Chris Curtis -from 1963 you might not have heard before

far above: a letter written by Chris to Horst Fascher asking for a new engagement. above: the famous

picture without any writing.

If this is a single page why don’t you take

a look at my whole Searchers Records Website?