The Pye Anthology 1963-1967

With 60 tracks crammed on to two CDs, virtually every significant track the Searchers recorded during the height of their fame is included on this astutely compiled set, which also boasts informative fold-out sleevenotes by Bob Stanley of St Etienne. Although the Searchers lacked a writing team like the Beatles' Lennon-McCartney, they made up for it in two ways. Firstly, they boasted a sound which was totally unique among the British 1960s beat boom bands, built around a chiming 12-string guitar and Everly Brothers-styled close vocal harmonies. Secondly, they almost invariably chose exactly the right songs to suit their musical strengths. For the dancers, they could punch out R&B classics such as "Farmer John" or "Love Potion No9"; for the more romantically inclined they served up bittersweet heartache ballads like "Needles And Pins" or "Goodbye My Love"; when protest came along they adapted to it with a lovely "What Have They Done To The Rain". And that's before mentioning priceless pop artefacts like "When You Walk In The Room" or "Sweets For My Sweet". Much of what gushed out of Liverpool in the wake of the Beatles now sounds banal and dated but, like a fine wine, the Searchers seriously undervalued legacy has actually improved with age.