Ending up a week of 60s with a concert featuring (among many others) The Merseybeats, who were among the Poll Winners being celebrated by New Musical Express in 1964. The concert, which also featured The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Gerry and The Pacemakers and so many others, was a virtual who’s who of bands riding a huge wave of popularity in 1964.
The Merseybeats were very big in the UK and Germany, and had done several tours of the U.S. – but like so many bands at the time, the competition was fierce, and a lot of bands, which looked promising at the start, faded within a year or two. That was the case with The Merseybeats, who had several hits, but their appeal didn’t last. By 1966 the band called it quits, but eventually the surviving members reformed in 1993 and are still performing on the 60’s nostalgia circuit today.
But in 1964, all was wild with possibilities and The Merseybeats were sailing up the charts.
Here is their portion of the NME Poll Winners Concert (6 minutes, but they manage to cram three songs in), from April 26, 1964.
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