It feels a bit strange to focus on the Searchers. They are a bit more Pop than I would usually go for, but I have a bit of a soft spot for them.
I was fourteen when they came out, riding the wave of Merseybeat. When I first heard them I thought they were a girl band because they sang in such a high register. Like most of the bands at that time they covered 50s black R&B. But I felt they did it well and created their own style that was very effective. That first album was great.
Most of the Merseybeat bands lasted a year before being ousted by the heavier, more bluesy Beat bands like the Stones and Yardbirds, but the Searchers went on.
Instead of going heavier they went more folksy and produced a couple of the earliest protest songs and early environmental and antiwar songs – What Have They Done To The Rain and Where Have All The Flowers Gone. That gave them another dimension.
Their jangly guitar, folky sound and harmonies provided a bit of a template for the Byrds.
So today I will dig out my old Searchers albums and give them a listen!!