The Sorrows are considered perhaps to be
the archetypal freakbeat band.
They were formed in 1963 in Coventry, Warwickshire,
England
by Pip Whitcher.
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Contents
- 1 Career
- 2 Personnel
- 2.1 Initial
line-up
- 2.2 After
1966
- 3 Discography
- 4 External
links
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Career
The Sorrows released their first album, Take a Heart, in
1965 on the Piccadilly Records label
which was a subsidiary of Pye Records. The Sorrows were at the
time the hardest, most aggressive and contemporary R&B
band of that time, although later this brand of music was eventually
termed "Freakbeat". One of the most overlooked bands of the British
Invasion, the Sorrows offered a tough brand of R&B-infused rock that
recalled The Pretty Things (though not as
R&B-oriented) and The Kinks (though not as pop-oriented).
[1]
Their hallmarks are boomy, raucous vocals, lightning fast guitar solos and
frantic thudding drums.
The musicianship is excellent, yet the band failed to achieve too much
success, probably due to the fact that their brand of proto-punk rock
and roll was simply too ahead of its time. After receiving some minor chart
positions on the UK Singles Chart, Phil Packham and Don
Fardon left the band. Fardon then went on to have a UK
chart hit
with "Indian Reservation". Wez Price took Phil Packam's place on bass
guitar, whilst Roger Lomas became lead guitarist and Pip Whitcher focused
on vocals. The band relocated to Italy and received minor success. Following
the band's break-up Whitcher and Lomas went on to record at Air
Studios under Mike Sullivan.
Lomas in the early 1980s became a record
producer for his own company, ROLO productions, and produced 1980s ska bands such as Bad
Manners.
Personnel
Initial line-up
- Philip (Pip) Whitcher - (born 1943, Coventry) - lead
guitar and vocals.
- Don Fardon - (born Donald Maughn, 19 August 1940, Coventry) -
vocals
- Philip (Phil) Packham - (born 13 June 1945, Bidford-on-Avon,
near Stratford,
Warwickshire) - bass guitar
- Wez Price - (born Wesley Price, 19 July 1945, in Coventry) - rhythm
guitar
- Bruce Finley - (born 20 September 1944, Huntley, Aberdeenshire,
Scotland)
- drums
After 1966
- Philip (Pip) Whitcher - rhythm guitar and vocals
- Wez Price - bass
- Roger (Rog) Lomas - lead Guitar
- Bruce Finley - drums
Discography
Singles
- "I Don't Wanna Be Free" / "Come With Me" (Piccadilly 7N
35219) 1965
- "Baby" / "Teenage Letter" (Piccadilly 7N 35230) 1965
- "Take A Heart" / "We Should Get Along Fine" (Piccadilly 7N
35260) 1965 - UK Singles Chart - No. 21
- "You've Got What I Want" / "No No No No" (Piccadilly 7N
35277) 1966
- "Let The Live Live" / "Don't Sing No Sad Songs For Me"
(Piccadilly 7N 35309) 1966
- "Let Me In" / "How Love Used To Be" (Piccadilly 7N 35336)
1966
- "Pink, Purple, Yellow and Red" / "My Gal" (Piccadilly 7N
35385) 1967
Albums
The Sorrows' debut album - Take a Heart (1965)
- Take A Heart [2] - (Pye NPL 38023), (1965)
("Baby" / "No No No No" / "Take A Heart" / "She's Got The Action" /
"How Love Used To Be" / "Teenage Letter" / "I Don't Wanna Be Free" /
"Don't Sing No Sad Songs For Me" / "Cara-lin" / "We Should Get Along
Fine" / "Come With Me" / "Let Me In")
- Old Songs, New Songs - (Miura MIU 10011)
(1967)
- Pink, Purple, Yellow and Red - (LP,
Bam-Caruso KIRI 089) (1987)
- The Sorrows - (CD, Sequel
Records NEXCD 165) (1991)
External links
