Sounds Like Searchers (studio album) by The Searchers

The Searchers' fourth album "Sounds Like the Searchers" amply contains the qualities that made the group one of the greatest of Merseybeat - beautiful vocal harmonies, crunchy guitars, tasteful arrangements and good songs. Still, on the other side, there is also a bit tiredness that mark some of the songs.

1965 was quite different from 1963, and many of the big names from first years of the Merseybeat, were already on their way to oblivion. For The Searchers, it would also be a challenge to follow the new trends, and to not end up being unhip.

Actually a handful of the album's songs on the border to being out of date for a 1965 album. For instance, who needs yet a cover version of "Something You Got", "Everybody Clap Your Hands" or "Let the Good Times Roll"? Chris Curtis is the only Searcher who contributes original material, and among these songs, one is a highlight of the album; of course the great "If I Could Find Someone". "You Wanna make her Happy" is solid without being remarkable. "Everything You Do" almost feels as filler.

There is, fortunately, also fine cover versions of Jackie DeShannon's "Till You Say You Be Mine" and the Barry / Greenwich song "Goodnight Baby" - both songs bear the classic Searchers sound. "I Do not Want to Go On Without You" is a nice ballad, with one for the Searchers unfamiliar strings arrangement.

In fact there is greater homogeneity among the bonus tracks, taken from singles released during 1964-65.

Three top twenty hits speak, of course, their own language, but these three are also among the group's most significant. "When You Walk in the Room" is probably only surpassed by "Needles and Pins" as the group's most beloved. "Goodbye My Love" is a great midtempo ballad and "What Have Done har til Rain" show the group from a very folkish and political side. The B-sides "I'll Be Missing You", "This Feeling Inside" and "Till I Met You", written by the group's own members, also keep a very high standard. Very sad that The Searchers were not more allowed to write songs for their albums.