Customer Reviews

Merseybeat

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Well, here it is. Simply the best album by a contemporary artist in rock & roll for at least the past 20 years. Upon first listening to this album I thought that I had died and gone to Merseybeat heaven--and yes, it's that good. Get ready, because you will be humming these melodies for weeks on end. Frank Lee Sprague has achieved something which very few have attained. He has created music that transends the musical boundaries of the 60's Merseybeat sound. If this album had been released in 1964 or 1965, it would have been hailed as America's answer to The Beatles even though we don't have a river called The Mersey. The amazing trait that stands out is all of the songs encompass the Merseybeat vein but are to their own selves starkly unique which is a godsend to those who love The Beatles, The Searchers, The Swinging Blue Jeans, The Dave Clark Five, Peter & Gordon, well, need I go on. One can instantly tell that these songs have been created with great care. Frank has certainly called on his talent for what "feels" right in relation to each performance. From the opening song of "You're Different" and it's repeated guitar line that sucks you in leading to the guitar solo that blends perfectly within the mold of the tune, you know that you're experiencing something really special. Right after, "My Luck Is Bound To Change" starts in with a melody to kill for and reveals just what a dynamic songwriter Frank really is. By now you are smiling and the realization sets in that there are still 13 songs to go. Believe me, you will be smiling until the last song fades. And then, you will play it again and again and again and again and........well, you get the picture.

They remind me of so many of the groups I grew up loving.
I have reviewed all their other recordings,and will continue to
buy every single recording they will put out.

You can hear a little surf guitar,Everly Brothers,Beatles,Buddy Holley(the correct spelling)they have such a unique sound.
That's what's cool..they have their own sound yet you feel like you have heard them before long ago.

The 50's and 60's music was the best of all time.
Anybody who can do that music justice is waaaay up at the top of my list.

I love em ! MercyBeat is my favorite album thus far !

I've always loved the sounds of the early 60's Merseyside. This album truly inspires the beauty of that particular era with a big dollop of Texas.

After purchasing this CD in 2004 I have played it periodically and always find something on it that fits my mood. The reason I would compare this to the Beatles is that the Beatles songs are so diverse they can always cheer you up or fit into whatever musical mood you may be into listening to. Sincerity beams from this Merseybeat CD. The test of time tells whether or not music is sincere and I can say that I'll have this to play for many years to come. I never wrote a review for this because it seemed that everyone was giving it 5 stars and while I was checking out the other releases from this artist I noticed it dropped a half star so I thought that some sourpuss had decided to thrash it. I was surprised that even the "bad" review rated it as "good". But I think that since the music has come to mean so much to me these last 3 years that it does not do a good service to people to put on a review about something someone doesn't know about.

Where exactly does someone get that this CD is trying to be like the Beatles? If anything the Beatles were trying to be like this CD.
Read the liner notes. The Beatles were influenced by Buddy Holly. The artist on this CD is the new breed of "WEST TEXAS" Rock'n'roll.
That's what sets this CD apart from the tired music that is pushed down the publics throats nowadays. It's the motivation behind the music. This is not a CD for people who want artists to cater to them. Get a grip.
The other reviews of this CD are a little more believable than that.
Not everyone likes everything but don't cast aspersions on songs that were written that are going to last forever. These are classics! I would recommend this to anyone as long as they are not looking for Beatles imitations. There is "Texas" written all over the printed materials that come with the CD, and there is "Texas" written all over the music itself.

Don't get me wrong this is a good CD with music in the Merseybeat style but to compare it to the Beatles is carrying it way too far. This music is on par with the music of the third tier Merseybeat bands such as the Escorts and the Undertakers. The Merseybeat bands were in three tiers, the first tier was the Beatles and no one else, the second tier was bands like the Searchers, Gerry and the Pacemakers, the Swingin' Blue Jeans, and the Nashville Teens. The third tier consisted of bands such as those I mentioned earlier. Again that does not mean that this is bad but it is what it is. I have and enjoy recordings by the Escorts and the Undertakers but I realize that they never were or could never hope to be the Beatles, as hard as they tried, and this CD is in that category.

If you dig melodic 60s beat groups like the Beatles, Escorts, Swinging Blue Jeans, Hollies, Hermits, etc. AND even more recent contributors to the genre like the Kaisers and the Neatbeats, then you NEED to pick up this CD. Frank knows the subject matter very well--still he infuses classic beat ballad treatments with a touch of "modern" sound -- but it doesn't suck! My only wish is that he'd let it rip a bit more--like a screaming, shredding vocal ala John Lennon on Twist and Shout. But having said that, what are our alternatives? Oasis?

Frank claims to play a Fender Jaguar through a Silver Tone amp but I swear I'm hearing a vintage Rickenbacker through a creamy compressor and Vox amp. I guess it's all in the "feel."

Anyway, stop reading this and buy this CD.

Great Record!!!- Frank Sprague has obviously studied the genre and production techniques that make 60's merseybeat feel good. While some of his songs rely a bit too much on the "magic formula"- there are some real winners here that feel original whilst retaining the style of arrangement, recording technique and instrumentation that made Merseybeat different. Low Pianos doubled with guitars- harmonics drenched in verb- cheap acoustic guitars- great big boomy bass and luscious vocals make this record a must for anyone that wants to hear a new spin on a timeless style.