Remo Four, The
Band members Related acts
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line up 1 (1958-59) as The Remo Quartet - Donald Andrew -- bass, guitarm, backing vocals - Colin Manley (RIP 1999) -- vocals, lead guitar - Henry Prytherc -- drums, percussion - Philip Rogers -- bass - Keith Stokes (RIP 2010)-- guitar
line up 2 (1959-1962) as the Remo Four - Donald Andrew -- bass, guitar, backing vocals - Colin Manley (RIP 1999) -- vocals, lead guitar - Henry Prytherc -- drums, percussion - Keith Stokes (RIP 2010) -- guitar
line up 3 (1962-63) as Johnny Sandon and the Remo Four - Donald Andrew -- bass, guitar, backing vocals - Colin Manley (RIP 1999) -- vocals, lead guitar - Henry Prytherc -- drums, percussion NEW - Johnny Sandon -- vocals - Keith Stokes (RIP 2010) -- guitar
line up 4 (1963) - Donald Andrew -- bass, guitar, backing vocals - Colin Manley (RIP 1999) -- vocals, lead guitar NEW - Ron Dyke -- drums, percussion (replaced Henry Prytherc) - Johnny Sandon -- vocals - Keith Stokes (RIP 2010) -- guitar
line up 5 (1963-65) - Donald Andrew -- bass, guitar, backing vocals - Colin Manley (RIP 1999) -- vocals, lead guitar - Ron Dyke -- drums, percussion NEW - Tommy Quickly -- vocals (replaced Johnny Sandon) - Keith Stokes (RIP 2010) -- guitar
line up 6 (1965-68) NEW- Tony Ashton (RIP 2001) -- vocals, keyboards (replaced Donald Andrew) - Ron Dyke -- drums, percussion - Colin Manley (RIP 1999) -- vocals, lead guitar NEW - Phil Rogers -- bass, backing vocals (replaced Keith Stokes)
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- Ashton, Gardner & Dyke (Tony Ashton and Ron Dyke) - The Tony Ashton Trio (Tony Ashton) - Badger - Bauer, Gam & Dyke (Ron Dyke) - The Challengers (Johnny Quickly) - Family (Tony Ashton) - Chris Farlowe's Thunderbirds (Tony Ashton) - The Jaywalkers (Phil Rogers) - The Mastersounds (Tony Ashton) - The New Dakotas - Paice, Ashton & Lord (Tony Ashton) - Tommy Quickly - Johnny Sandon (solo efforts) - The Searchers (Johnny Sandon) - The Swinging Blue Jeans (Colin Manley)
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Genre: pop Rating: 4 stars **** Title: Attention! Company: Fontana Special Catalog: 6434
156 Country/State: Liverpool, UK Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: Available: 1 Catalog ID: 268 Price: $75.00
Best time to play: Friday night after a long work week, too tired to go out, and after you've had two beers ...
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They're largely unknown outside of hardcore collecting sources, but The Remo Four started out as true contemporaries of The Beatles. All hyperbole aside, it's true. All four original members were born and raised in Liverpool, England. Bassist Don Andrew and lead guitarist Colin Manley went to the same school as Paul McCartney and were even McCartney classmates.
Classmates Andrew and Manley formed their first band while still in school. As The Remo Quartet, the two were backed by drummer Henry Prytherc and guitarist Keith Stokes. With a repertoire heavy on surf instrumentals and American pop, they played parties, dances, and local clubs, changing their name to The Remo Four in 1959. Over the next three years the became staples on the Liverpool club scene, playing with the rest of the Merseybeat bands, including The Beatles, Gerry and the Pacemakers, and Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. While most Liverpool bands headed to Hamburg to gain work experience, The Remo Four headed for France where they toured American military bases. They also added former Searchers vocalist Johnny Sandon to their lineup (adopting the name Johnny Sandon and the Remo Four), replaced original drummer Prytherc with Ron Dyke, shifting their musical focus away from instrumentals to a more rock and blues oriented sound. They also made their recording debut with a pair of singles on the Pye label:
credited to Johnny Sandon and the Remo Four - 1963's 'Lies' b/w 'On the Horizon' (Pye catalog number 7N 15542) - 1963's 'Magic Potion' b/w 'Yes' (Pye catalog number 7N 15559)
Later in the year the band parted ways with Sandon, but found a mentor in the form of Brian Epstein. Epstein thought they would be the perfect backing band for another member of his recording stable, teaming the band with former Challengers singer Johnny Quickly. They subsequently signed a recording contract with the Pye-affiliated Piccadilly label which released a string of eight singles over the next two years (the last two 45s back on Pye):
credited to Tommy Quickly and the Remo Four - 1963's 'Tip of My Tongue' b/w 'Heaven Only Knows' (Piccadilly catalog number 7N 35137) - 1963's 'Kiss Me Now' b/w 'No Other Love' (Piccadilly catalog number 7N 35151) - 1964's 'Prove It' b/w 'Haven't You Noticed' (Piccadilly catalog number 7N 35167) - 1964's 'I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate' b/w 'Peter Gunn' (Piccadilly catalog number 7N 35175) - 1964's 'You Might as Well Forget Him' b/w 'It's as Simple as That' (Piccadilly catalog number 7N 35183) - 1964's 'Sally Go Round the Roses' b/w 'I Know a Girl' (Piccadilly catalog number 7N 35186) - 1964's 'Wild Side of Life' b/w 'Forget the Other Guy' (Pye catalog number 7N 15708) - 1964's 'Humpty Dumpty' b/w 'I'll Go Crazy' (Pye catalog number 7N 15748)
Burned out, Quickly quit in 1965 with the band briefly replacing him with Gregory Phillips. The partnership lasted long enough for another obscure single:
credited to Gregory Phillips and the Remo Four: - 1964's 'Everybody Knows' b/w 'Close To Me' (Pye catalog number 7M 15593
By 1966 the line-up featured Dyke and Manley along with singer/keyboardist Tony Ashton and former Jaywalkers bassist Phil Roger. Essentially in servitude to manager Epstein and their management company and faced with a massive tax bill, the band went to work on the German club circuit, becoming regulars at Hamburg's famous Star Club, where they recorded several singles and an album for the club's house-label:
credited to The Remo Four - 1966's 'Peter Gun' (instrumental) b/w 'Mickey's Monkey' (Star Club catalog number 148 552 STF) - 1967's 'Live Like A Lady' b/w 'Sing Hallelujah' (Star Club catalog number 148 577 STF)
1967's "Smile" Star Club catalog number 148 577
After two years in Germany the band returned to the UK where they basically served as a band-for-hire. Billed at The New Dakotas, their first job was serving as backup band for Billy J. Kramer. Differences in musical tastes quickly arose and within a couple of months they'd parted ways with Kramer. 1967 found them working for George Harrison, providing support while Harrison recording the first Beatles solo effort - an instrumental soundtrack for the film 'Wonderwall". With a never-ending array of personnel changes the band struggled on through the end of 1968. Ashton and Dyke continued their partnership as part of Ashton, Gardner & Dyke.
Released five years after the band had formally called it quits, 1973's "Attention!" essentially repackaged 1967's "Smile" (at a much more affordable price). In addition to the new cover art (which really wasn't new), for some odd reason the compilation elected to drop Stevie Wonder's 'Nothing's Too Good for My Baby', replacing it with the earlier 'Peter Gun' single and a cover of Mike Settle's 'Sing Hallelujah' (of Kenny Rodgers and the First Edition fame). You have to wonder why they just didn't repackage the original LP in its entirety ... In spite of the oddball changes, the album demonstrated what a talented outfit these guys were. Ashton had one of those great English blues voices - imagine a tougher Stevie Winwood, or a slightly more polished Eric Burden. Manley may not have been the most original guitarist out there, but there was no denying his chops (and judging by the television clips that remain, his affection for the spotlight). And as a rhythm section Ron Dyke and Phil Rogers were simply phenomenal. When these hit a groove (check out 'Brother Where Are You'), they were as good as any of their competitors. The impact was even more impressive when you take into account the album was reportedly recorded in two sessions crammed between their regular club performances. The album also demonstrated why these guys were relegated to the also-ran category. Without trying to over-think it, the combination of a reliance on outside material and their penchant for jazz and R&B influences simply served to limit their commercial audience. By 1967, surrounded by summer-of-love psychedelia, their R&B/jazz-rock moves must have already sounded dated to an audience that was looking for their next aural thrill.
- I'll readily admit to being dumbfounded at what a good job they did on their cover of Henry Mancini's 'Peter Gun'. Kicked along by Ashton's growling organ and Marley's slashing Fender guitar, their rowdy rendition gave the song some true ominous vibes. It looks like they were playing in a closet, but YouTube has a surprisingly good black and white concert performance of the song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnTZFXBDBDU rating: **** stars - Their cover of Moses Allison's 'The Seventh Son' found them firmly displaying their jazz-rock moves. Very Brian Auger-ish with the emphasis on Ashton's keyboards. A bit too cold for me, but I can see the song's appeal to fans of the genre. rating: ** stars - With Ashton on vocals and organ, their cover of Chuck Berry's 'No Money Down' was given a suitable down and dirty bluesy vibe. I'd be willing to bet that George Thorogood took some inspiration out of this performance. To my ears, this time out the real highlight came in the form of drummer Dyke's work. rating: *** stars - Hundreds of bands have covered Junior Walker's 'Roadrunner' but few have done it as well as The Remo Four. Another track that showcased Marley's considerable fret board skills. rating: **** stars - I won't try to convince you that their cover of Cannonball Adderley's 'Jive Samba' was great, 'cause it wasn't. That said, the gave the song a decent jazz-rock orientation (imagine what Stevie Winwood would have done given free reign of The Spencer Davis Group), with drummer Dyke literally stealing the show. Dyke simply got an amazing "big" sound out of his drum kit. rating: **** stars - Thanks to Ashton's fantastic vocal, their cover of Dean Parrish's 'The Skate' was far better than you would have expected. Their arrangement retained a bluesy-edge, but was also quite commercial. One of my favorite performances on the album. rating: **** stars - Their cover of Rock Candy's 'Rock Candy' had a distinctive jazzy edge and would have been better without Dyke's drum solo. YouTube has a neat black and white performance of the song from a 1966 performance on the German Rock Club television program: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eg7RetnCwxQ rating: ** stars - As mentioned, one of two non-original songs, 'Sing Hallelujah' was the 'B' side off of a 1967, non-LP single. I've always liked the song in part for it's bluesy-gospel feel; for the up-in-the-mix bass line, and Ashton's husky vocal (which has always reminded me a bit of a young David Clayton-Thomas on this one). This one really starts to cook when it gets going. rating: **** stars - Maybe because it ditched some of their jazzier leanings in favor of a more open and commercial sound, 'Brother Where Are You' was another killer performance. This time around Ashton reminded me a bit of a young Eric Burden hitting on all cylinders. rating: **** stars - Propelled by Dyke's rock steady drumming and Ashton's slightly flat vocals and keyboards, 'Heart Beat' was a classic slice of '60s blue-eyed soul. Brian Auger, or The Spencer David Group would have killed for this song. rating: **** stars
It's a funny album in that on the surface it wouldn't seem to have a great deal going for it - all covers and not a great deal of originality on display. That said, there's something immensely appealing in these grooves. It just sounds like they were having a blast on these songs.
"Attention!" track listing: 1.) Peter Gun (instrumental) (Henry Mancini) - 2:27 2.) The Seventh Son (M. Allison) - 2:43 3.) No Money Down (Chuck Berry) - 4:23 4.) Roadrunner (Junior Walker) - 3:30 5.) Jive Samba (J. Adderley) - 6:55
(side 2) 1.) The Skate (Dean Parish) - 4:15 2.) Rock Candy (Jack McDuff) - 3:36 3.) Sing Hallelujah (M. Settle) - 3:37 4.) Brother Where Are You (C. Brown Jr.) - 4:35 5.) Heart Beat (G. John) - 4:13
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