It's the Searchers

It's the Searchers is the third studio album by English rock band The Searchers. Album features the band's famous hit singles "Needles and Pins" and "Don't Throw Your Love Away" as well as cover versions of some well known tracks originally recorded by Betty Everett ("It's In Her Kiss"), Carl Perkins ("Glad All Over"), Don Gibson ("Sea of Heartbreak"), The Drifters ("I Count The Tears") or Tommy Tucker ("Hi-Heel Sneakers"). It was also the last Searchers album to feature singer Tony Jackson. The album peaked at No. 4 in the UK album chart.

It's the Searchers
Studio album by the Searchers
Released	May 1964
Recorded	April 1964
Studio	Pye Studios, London
Genre	Rock/Pop
Language	English
Label	Pye
Producer	Tony Hatch
The Searchers chronology
Sugar and Spice (1963) It's the Searchers (1964) Sounds Like Searchers (1964)
Singles from It's the Searchers
"Needles and Pins" Released: January 1964 "Don't Throw Your Love Away" Released: April 1964
Alternate cover art

Recording

During the album sessions, the band also recorded two unreleased tracks. The first was "I (Who Have Nothing)", an English language cover of the Italian song performed by Ben E. King in the US. The second was "Shame Shame Shame" written by American blues musician Jimmy Reed. Both songs were finally released in 1992 on The Searchers' 3CD box 30th Anniversary Collection 1962–1992. Journalist Alan Walsh (Disc) claimed that he "goes to a Pye LP session and joins the boys" and sang backing vocals with them on the song "Sho' Know A Lot About Love".[1]

Release

It's the Searchers was released as a monaural (mono) LP album on the Pye label in the UK in April 1964, Pye NPL 18092. It entered the LP charts on May 30 went to No. 4 and stayed for 17 weeks.[2] Early pressings of the album had been made with the original album's title "It's Fab! It's Gear! It's the Searchers", but later it was shortened.[3]

Track listing

Side 1

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Lead vocals	Length
1.	"It's In Her Kiss"	Rudy Clark	Mike Pender	2:15
2.	"Glad All Over"	Aaron Schroeder, Sid Tepper, Roy C. Bennett	Chris Curtis	1:53
3.	"Sea of Heartbreak"	Paul Hampton, Hal David	Mike Pender	2:25
4.	"Livin' Lovin' Wreck"	Otis Blackwell	Mike Pender	1:45
5.	"Where Have You Been"	Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil	Chris Curtis	2:38
6.	"Shimmy Shimmy"	Albert Shubert, Bill Massey	Mike Pender	2:33
7.	"Needles and Pins"	Sonny Bono, Jack Nitzsche	Mike Pender	2:14

Side 2

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Lead vocals	Length
1.	"This Empty Place"	Burt Bacharach, Hal David	Chris Curtis	2:07
2.	"Gonna Send You Back To Georgia"	Johnnie Mae Matthews, Timmy Shaw	Chris Curtis	2:18
3.	"I Count The Tears"	Doc Pomus, Mort Shuman	Mike Pender	2:03
4.	"Hi-Heel Sneakers"	Robert Higginbotham	John McNally	2:32
5.	"Can't Help Forgiving You"	Jackie DeShannon, Sharon Sheeley	Mike Pender	2:05
6.	"Sho' Know A Lot About Love"	Gary S. Paxton, Buddy Mize	Tony Jackson, Mike Pender	2:23
7.	"Don't Throw Your Love Away"	Billy Jackson, Jimmy Wisner	Mike Pender	2:21

US version (This Is Us)

This Is Us
Studio album by The Searchers
Released	August 1964
Studio	Pye Studios, London
Genre	Rock/Pop
Language	English
Label	Kapp
Producer	Tony Hatch
The Searchers US chronology
Hear! Hear! (1964) This Is Us (1964) The Searchers Meet the Rattles (1964)
Singles from This Is Us
"Don't Throw Your Love Away" Released: May 1964 "Love Potion No. 9" Released: November 1964

The US version of It's The Searchers was retitled This Is Us (i. e. the headline on the back side of the UK LP cover) and given a different cover. It was released with a different track listing (included some older UK album tracks and B–sides, while deleting six songs: "Glad All Over", "Livin' Lovin' Wreck", "Shimmy Shimmy", "Needles And Pins", "Gonna Send You Back To Georgia" and "Sho' Know A Lot About Love"). It entered the LP charts on August 29th 1964 and peaked at No. 97 on Billboard Top 200.[4]

US Track listing

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Original UK release	Length
1.	"Don't Throw Your Love Away"	Billy Jackson, Jimmy Wisner	It's the Searchers	2:21
2.	"Unhappy Girls"	Fred Burch, Marijohn Wilkin	Sugar And Spice	2:38
3.	"Where Have You Been"	Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil	It's the Searchers	2:38
4.	"Hungry for Love"	Gordon Mills	Sugar And Spice	2:24
5.	"This Empty Place"	Burt Bacharach, Hal David	It's the Searchers	2:07
6.	"Hi-Heel Sneakers"	Robert Higginbotham	It's the Searchers	2:32

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Original UK release	Length
1.	"It's In Her Kiss"	Rudy Clark	It's the Searchers	2:15
2.	"I Count The Tears"	Doc Pomus, Mort Shuman	It's the Searchers	2:03
3.	"Can't Help Forgiving You"	Jackie DeShannon, Sharon Sheeley	It's the Searchers	2:05
4.	"Love Potion No. 9"	Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller	Meet the Searchers	2:05
5.	"Sea of Heartbreak"	Paul Hampton, Hal David	It's the Searchers	2:25
6.	"I Pretend I'm With You"	Chris Curtis	non-album single, B-side Don't Throw Your Love Away	2:00

Personnel

The Searchers

• Mike Pender – lead guitar, lead vocals, backing vocals
• John McNally – rhythm guitar, lead and backing vocals
• Tony Jackson – bass guitar, lead and backing vocals
• Chris Curtis – drums, lead and backing vocals

Additional musicians and production

• Tony Hatch – producer, piano
• Alan Walsh – backing vocals on "Sho' Know A Lot About Love"

References

1. Walsh, Alan (25 April 1964). "The Fifth Searcher!". Disc. p. 2.
2. "Searchers: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
3. Allen, Frank (2009). The Searchers And Me. St. Bride's Major. p. 141.
4. "Billboard 200 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 2 February 2021.