The trouble with Merseybeat was that all the rawness was lost in the production. The bands were smartened up and given pop songs to play. The raw live acts were really R&B and Rock ‘n’ Roll, not pop.
Gerry and the pacemakers gave an inkling of that R&B on their first album. It’s a shame they didn’t stick with it.
The reason why Merseybeat died out so quickly was because it was too pop and twee. It was blown away by a less poppy raw R&B sound.
Slow Down – Gerry & The Pacemakers 1963 – YouTube
Gerry and the Pacemakers A shot of rhythm and blues – YouTube
Gerry And The Pacemakers – Maybellene (Chuck Berry Cover) – YouTube