1. A Shot Of Rhythm And Blues (Thompson)
2. Jambalaya (Williams)
3. Where Have You Been?
4. Here's Hoping (Stephens - Reed)
5. Pretend (Douglas - Parman - Lavgre)
6. Maybellene (Berry,Fratlo,Freed)
7. You'll Never Walk Alone (Rogers Hammerstein)
8. The Wrong Yo Yo (Trad. Arr. Marsden)
9. You're The Reason (Edwards - Henley - Imes - Fell)
10. Chills (Keller - Goffin)
11. You Can't Fool Me (Mitch Murray)
12. Don't You Ever
13. Summertime (Gershwin)
14. Slow Down (Williams)
15. A Shot Of Rhythm And Blues (Thompson)
16. Jambalaya (Williams)
17. Where Have You Been?
18. Here's Hoping (Stephens - Reed)
19. Pretend (Douglas Parman - Lavgre)
20. Maybellene (Berry,Fratlo,Freed)
21. You'll Never Walk Alone (Rogers - Hammerstein)
22. The Wrong Yo Yo (Trad. Arr. Marsden)
23. You're The Reason (Edwards - Henley - Imes - Fell)
24. Chills (Keller - Goffin)
25. You Can't Fool Me (Mitch Murray)
26. Don't You Ever
27. Summertime (Gershwin)
28. Slow Down (Williams)

Ferry Cross The Mersey

1. It's Gonna Be Alright [2:24]
2. Why Oh Why [1:47]
3. Fall In Love [1:45]
4. Think About Love [1:44]
5. I Love You Too [1:44]
6. All Quiet On The Mersey Front [2:06]
7. This Thing Called Love [2:09]
8. Baby You're So Good To Me [2:33]
9. I'll Wait For You [2:09]
10. She's The Only Girl For Me [2:29]
11. Is It Love [2:54]
12. Ferry Cross The Mersey [2:19]
13. It's Gonna Be Alright [2:09]
14. Why Oh Why [1:47]
15. Fall In Love [1:45]
16. Think About Love [1:46]
17. I Love You Too [2:02]
18. All Quiet On The Mersey Front [2:06]
19. This Thing Called Love [2:10]
20. Baby You're So Good To Me [2:33]
21. I'll Wait For You [2:09]
22. She's The Only Girl For Me [2:28]
23. Is It Love [2:52]
24. Ferry Cross The Mersey [2:23]

The sound quality on this CD is quite good, coming from what are either the original master tapes or something bloody close to them. The contrast between the mono and stereo displays the limitation of the four-track recording technology of the day: stereo mixes have a decidedly un-natural feel to them, in a few cases (most notably "It's Gonna Be Alright", which despite the mastering clarity sounds abysmal in stereo) the entire rhythm section being relegated to a single track and panned off to the side. It's better than the twin-track of How Do You Like It, but only marginally. My preference is for the mono mixes, but the beauty of this presentation is that one has the choice of which mixes to enjoy--something which cannot be said about the Beatles catalogue where George Martin and EMI made the choice for you.

Obsessive audiophiles should note that the mono/stereo CDs have been treated with Sonic Solutions NoNoise technology--a curse or blessing, depending on the tuning of one's ear. I've never had any problem with the resultant sound (and if you don't know what I'm talking about, you're likely to be fine with it too!), but those who do care should at least be warned.

Both of the mono/stereo issues have been deleted by EMI, to be replaced with the 2on1 CD.

How Do You Like It/Ferry Cross the Mersey

EMI 60s 2on1

1. A Shot Of Rhythm And Blues (Thompson)
2. Jambalaya (Williams)
3. Where Have You Been?
4. Here's Hoping (Stephens - Reed)
5. Pretend (Douglas - Parman - Lavgre)
6. Maybellene (Berry,Fratlo,Freed)
7. You'll Never Walk Alone (Rogers Hammerstein)
8. The Wrong Yo Yo (Trad. Arr. Marsden)
9. You're The Reason (Edwards - Henley - Imes Fell)
10. Chills (Keller - Goffin)
11. You Can't Fool Me (Mitch Murray)
12. Don't You Ever
13. Summertime (Gershwin)
14. Slow Down (Williams)
15. It's Gonna Be Alright
16. Why Oh Why
17. Fall In Love
18. Think About Love
19. I Love You Too
20. All Quiet On The Mersey Front
21. This Thing Called Love
22. Baby You're So Good To Me
23. I'll Wait For You
24. She's The Only Girl For Me
25. Is It Love
26. Ferry Cross The Mersey

For all but the most enthusiastic, this CD along with the At Abbey Road EMI reissue will likely be adequate for your CD collection.

If the above wasn't confusing enough, in 2002 EMI Japan decided to make life interesting by releasing yet another reissue programme of the UK G&P albums. It combines the LP tracks with the singles (and a few recently released out-takes) released about the same time. It also included the album tracks where there's a major variation between mono and stereo mixes (though the non-orchestral version of "I'll Be There" is left off, the "Gerry in California" tracks are nowhere to be found, etc.). Had EMI undertaken this sort of release from the start (along with a third disc to contain the two dozen or so songs not on these CDs--mainly UK EP-only tracks, as well as the songs released only in Canada and the USA), the long-winded explanations about how to find specific tracks would have been unnecessary.

I believe that these have been mastered from the mono mixes, as seems to be current EMI practice (with the natural exception of the stereo variations), but at about $45 US a pop I'm not going to shell out to buy music I already have!

How Do You Like It

1. A Shot Of Rhythm And Blues (Thompson)
2. Jambalaya (Williams)
3. Where Have You Been?
4. Here's Hoping (Stephens - Reed)
5. Pretend (Douglas - Parman - Lavgre)
6. Maybellene (Berry,Fratlo,Freed)
7. You'll Never Walk Alone (Rogers Hammerstein)
8. The Wrong Yo Yo (Trad. Arr. Marsden)
9. You're The Reason (Edwards - Henley - Imes Fell)
10. Chills (Keller - Goffin)
11. You Can't Fool Me (Mitch Murray)
12. Don't You Ever
13. Summertime (Gershwin)
14. Slow Down (Williams)
15. How do you do it?
16. Away from you
17. I like it
18. It's happened to me
19. It's all right
20. I'm the one
21. You've got what I like
22. Don't let the sun catch you crying
23. Show me that you care
24. Hello Little Girl
25. When Oh When
26. A Shot of Rhythm and Blues (stereo)
27. You're The Reason (stereo)
28. Chills (stereo)

Ferry Cross The Mersey

1. It's Gonna Be Alright
2. Why Oh Why
3. Fall In Love
4. Think About Love
5. I Love You Too
6. All Quiet On The Mersey Front
7. This Thing Called Love
8. Baby You're So Good To Me
9. I'll Wait For You
10. She's The Only Girl For Me
11. Is It Love
12. Ferry Cross The Mersey
13. It's just because
14. You you you
15. I'll be there
16. Walk hand in hand
17. Dreams
18. La la la
19. Without you
20. Girl on a swing
21. Fool to myself
22. Come Back To Me
23. Hallelujah I Love Her So
24. It's Gonna Be Alright (stereo)
25. This Thing Called Love (stereo)
26. Ferry Cross The Mersey (stereo)

Reissues of US Albums

Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying/Second Album

1. Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying
2. I'm The One
3. Away From You
4. Jambalaya
5. Maybelline
6. You'll Never Walk Alone
7. How Do You Do It
8. You're The Reason
9. Don't You Ever
10. Summertime
11. Slow Down
12. Show Me That You Care
13. I Like It
14. A Shot Of Rhythm And Blues
15. Where Have You Been
16. Here's Hoping
17. Pretend
18. The Wrong Yo Yo
19. Chills
20. You Can't Fool Me
21. It's Happened To Me
22. It's All Right
23. Girl on a Swing

A re-issue of the first two US albums, less the original duplication of "Slow Down" and "Jamabalaya". "Girl on a Swing" has been added as a bonus track. No idea as to sound quality, as I've been buying the EMI reissues. Given that almost all of these songs are on At Abbey Road and How Do You Like It (the only exceptions being "It's Happened To Me" and "It's All Right", which are on The Singles Plus), this one's not really essential.

Girl on a Swing

1. Girl On A Swing (2 05)
2. The Way You Look Tonight (2 08)
3. Guantanamera (2 50)
4. Pretty Flamingo (2 15)
5. At The End Of The Rainbow (2 13)
6. Looking For My Life (2 43)
7. Big Bright Green Pleasure Machine (2 47)
8. See You In September (2 26)
9. Who Can I Turn You (1 51)
10. Without You (2 55)
11. Strangers In The Night (1 55)
12. La La La (2 38)
13. On a Wonderful Day Like Today (2 09)
14. Tonight (1 51)
15. It ll Be Me (2 18) *
16. Hello Little Girl (1 53) *
17. Give All Your Love To Me (2 37)
18. Fool To Myself (1 56)
19. Come Back To Me (2 39)*
20. When Oh When (2 20)*
21. Hallelujah I Love So (2 46)
22. Ferry Cross The Mersey (2 23) *
23. It's Gonna Be Alright (1 55) *
24. Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying (2 33) *
25. GERRY MARSDEN Please Let Them Be (3 30) *
26. GERRY MARSDEN I'm Not Blue (2 21) *
27. GERRY MARSDEN In The Year Of April (3 12) *
28. GERRY MARSDEN Every Day (1 59) *
29. GERRY MARSDEN Gilbert Green (3 10) *
30. GERRY MARSDEN What Makes Me Love You (2 29) *
31. GERRY MARSDEN & DEREK NIMMO Liverpool (3 17) *
32. GERRY MARSDEN & DEREK NIMMO Charlie Girl (1 37) *

All tracks stereo except (*) mono.

A welcomes release, containing the tracks which didn't make it onto the Repertoire CD re-issues/The Singles Plus reissue programme, along with some deadly rare Gerry Marsden solo material. Tracks 22 to 24 are from Ed Sullvian Show appearances in 1964 and 1965. Tracks 1 to 14 and 25 to 32 sound as though they are mastered from vinyl (13 and 14 from somewhat noisy vinyl), and the stereo tracks have undergone some strange processing to reduce noise, resulting in slightly mufled vocals on quiet passages. The CD is still quite listenable, and a welcome release given the rarity of much of this material.

This release seems to fall into what can delicately be called the "gray market" (and a very deep shade of gray at that). It does not appear to have been licensed by EMI or the Ed Sullivan rights holders.

The Definitive Collection: Best of Gerry and the Pacemakers

1. How Do You Do It?
2. Away From You *
3. I Like It
4. It's Happened To Me
5. Pretend
6. Hello Little Girl (previously unreleased)
7. You'll Never Walk Alone
8. It's All Right *
9. You're The Reason
10. I'm The One
11. You've Got What I Like (previously unreleased in U.S.) *
12. Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying
13. Show Me That You Care
14. It's Gonna Be All Right
15. It's Just Because (previously unreleased in U.S.) *
16. Ferry Cross The Mersey
17. You You You
18. I'll Wait For You
19. I'll Be There
20. Give All Your Love To Me
21. Walk Hand In Hand
22. Dreams
23. La La La
24. Girl On A Swing
25. Fool To Myself - (previously unreleased in U.S.)

All songs stereo except (*) mono.

A good collection, but a bit heavy on pop songs and ballads, overlooking the fact that Gerry and the Pacemakers really could rock as well! Tracks 1, 3-6 and 8 were remixed from pure twintrack by panning the two channels closer to the centre. "Give All Your Love...", "Girl on a Swing" and "Fool To Myself" were also fresh mixes, as the original mixes had genuinely unbalanced feels to their stereo spectra.

The Best of The EMI Years

1. How do you do it?
2. Maybellene
3. I like it
4. Chills
5. Pretend
6. Jambalaya
7. You're the reason
8. Hello little girl
9. You'll never walk alone
10. A shot of rhythm and blues
11. Slow down
12. It's all right *
13. I'm the one
14. Don't let the sun catch you crying
15. You've got what I like *
16. It's just because *
17. You you you
18. It' s gonna be alright
19. Ferry cross the Mersey
20. I'll wait for you
21. Hallelujah I love her so
22. Reelin' & rockin'
23. Why oh why
24. Baby you're so good to me
25. Walk hand in hand
26. Dreams
27. Give all your love to me
28. I'll be there
29. La la la
30. Fool to myself
31. Girl on a swing

All songs stereo except (*) mono

The British version of The Defnintive Collection, this collection re-used the re-mixes for the American release but did not do any fresh remixes of the twintrack recordings not on its transatlantic counterpart. On song selection, this collection is stronger than Definitive, as such great rockers as "Slow Down", "A Shot of R&B" and "Why oh Why" and balance the ballads and pop songs that dominate the American collection. If the compilers could have dropped a couple of the inessential B-sides and worked in a couple of the live tracks from Gerry In California, this collection would have blown all others out of the water. As it is, this is probably my favourite compilation on song selection alone, narrowly edging out At Abbey Road.

Version One

1. How Do You Do It?
2. I Like It
3. Its Gonna Be Alright
4. I'll Be There
5. Girl On A Swing
6. Come Back To Me
7. When Oh When
8. Dont Let The Sun Catch You Crying
9. Youll Never Walk Alone
10. I'm The One
11. Walk Hand In Hand
12. La La La
13. It's All Right
14. Give All Your Love To Me
15. Hallelujah I Love Her So
16. Ferry Cross The Mersey
17. Pretend
18. Jambalaya
19. You're The Reason
20. Summertime

Version two

1. How Do You Do It? *
2. I Like It
3. It's Gonna Be Alright
4. I'll Be There
5. Girl On A Swing
6. Come Back To Me *
7. When Oh When *
8. Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying
9. You'll Never Walk Alone
10. I'm The One
11. Walk Hand In Hand
12. La La La
13. It's All Right *
14. Give All Your Love To Me
15. Hallelujah I Love Her So
16. Ferry Cross The Mersey
17. Pretend
18. Jambalaya (On The Bayou)
19. You're The Reason
20. Summertime
21. Away From You *
22. You've Got What I Like *
23. You You You
24. Baby You're So Good To Me
25. Without You
26. Dreams
27. Think About Love *

(Version two): All tracks stereo except (*) mono. Tracks 2, 5, 9, 17 and 19 use the remixes created in 1991 for The Definitive Collection; all others are original mixes.

A long history to this one. Originally released in 1984 as a Greatest Hits LP with 16 tracks, The Very Best of... was re-issued on CD in the early 1990s with four additional tracks. It was again re-issued with a different cover in 1997, with seven further tracks added. The collection has since been expaded by 13 tracks, increased to two CDs, and lost the "Very" in the title to be issued as The Best of Gerry and the Pacemakers in 2005.

Still a superb budget collection for UK CD buyers. Unlike most other EMI collections, this one does not stick to a chronological structure, an approach which is perhaps more listenable for the casual listener but which has the trade-off of not showing the musical evolution of the group.

At Abbey Road 1963-1966

1. How Do You Do It
2. Away From You
3. I Like It (with studio out-take)
4. You'll Never Walk Alone
5. Chills
6. A Shot Of Rhythm And Blues
7. Hello Little Girl (first appearance in mono)
8. Summertime
9. Slow Down
10. I'm The One
11. You've Got What I Like
12. Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying
13. Show Me That You Care
14. It's Gonna Be Alright
15. It's Just Because
16. Ferry Cross The Mersey
17. I'll Wait For You
18. Why Oh Why
19. I'll Be There
20. Reelin' and Rockin'
21. Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On
22. Rip It Up
23. You Win Again
24. It'll Be Me
25. Walk Hand In Hand (with remix studio chatter)
26. La La La
27. Girl On A Swing
28. Big Bright Green Pleasure Machine

Track selestion is generally good, though one or two of the "Rip It Up" EP tracks could have been cut to make room for some other good material from 1965-66. For a general compilation album, either this one or The Definitive Collection are probably the way to go.

Liner notes are amongst the best of any G&P CD, containing recording and release information for each song, and a decent history of the band. There's also a concise and cogent explanation for why mono, instead of stereo masters have been used.

This album was re-issued by EMI-UK in 2003 under the title Essential (cat. no. 582 0982). This disc appears in the controversial new "Copy Control" format--a method of digital encoding which is meant to discourage digital-to-digital copying but allegedly also reduces audio quality and may reduce the effective life of the disc by making it more prone to failure. The disc may also not play on all CD players (computer CD players, car stereos and portable players are allegedly particularly prone to failure) and is, strictly speaking, not within the stipulated production parameters of a Compact Disc stipulated by Phillips (the patent/trademark holder).

The Best of Gerry and the Pacemakers

Disc one

1. How Do You Do It?
2. I Like It
3. Girl On A Swing
4. Ferry Cross The Mersey
5. Come Back To Me
6. When Oh When
7. Pretend
8. Walk Hand In Hand
9. Jambalaya
10. Maybellene
11. You're The Reason
12. Slow Down
13. Summertime
14. Chills
15. Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On
16. Reelin' And Rockin'
17. A Shot Of Rhythm And Blues
18. Why Oh Why (Edit)
19. She's The Only Girl For Me
20. I'm The One

1. You'll Never Walk Alone
2. Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying
3. It's All Right
4. Give All Your Love To Me
5. Hallelujah I Love Her So
6. Away From You
7. You've Got What I Like
8. It's Gonna Be Alright
9. You You You
10. Baby You're So Good To Me
11. Without You
12. Dreams
13. Think About Love
14. La La La
15. I'll Be There
16. The Wrong Yoyo
17. Don't You Ever
18. Where Have You Been All My Life?
19. Rip It Up
20. You Win Again

Gerry And The Pacemakers Greatest Hits

Canadian Tracks:

1. Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying
2. How Do You Do It?
3. I'm The One *
4. I Like It *
5. I'll Be There
6. Ferry 'Cross The Mersey
7. It's Gonna Be Alright
8. You'll Never Walk Alone
9. Away From You *
10. Chills

All tracks stereo except (*) mono.

American Tracks:

1. Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying
2. How Do You Do It?
3. I'm The One
4. I Like It
5. I'll Be There
6. Ferry 'Cross The Mersey
7. It's Gonna Be Alright
8. You'll Never Walk Alone
9. Give All Your Love To Me
10. Girl On A Swing

A rather cheap, short collection of Pacemaker material, with inferior sound quality to more recent EMI reissues, and a complete lack of liner notes. Poorly done, though not entirely without merits as a budget compilation for someone only wanting the band's best-known songs. This is, to my knowledge, the only in-print CD with the original stereo mix of "How Do You Do It?", though the 1991 remix is so similar (merely panning the two channels closer to centre), that it's hardly a rarity worth hunting down.

Gerry Cross The Mersey

USA

1. How Do You Do It?
2. Away From You (mono)
3. I Like It
4. Pretend
5. You've Never Walk Alone
6. You're the Reason
7. It's All Right (mono)
8. I'm the One
9. Don't Let the Sun Catch You Cryin'
10. It's Gonna Be Alright
11. Ferry Cross the Mersey
12. I'll Be There
13. Give All Your Love To Me
14. La La La
15. Girl On a Swing
16. Walk Hand In Hand With Me

A reasonably good collection of the highlights of Gerry and the Pacemakers, though now apparently out of print. The Definitive Collection is probably the better buy, having a dozen more songs on it..

Gerry and the Pacemakers: The Collection

1. Ferry Cross The Mersey
2. Away From You
3. Without You
4. You Win Again
5. Hallelujah I Love Her So
6. Jambalaya
7. I'm The One
8. A Shot Of Rhythm And Blues
9. The Way You Look Tonight
10. BabyYou're So Good To Me
11. You You You
12. Reelin' And Rockin'
13. How Do You Do It
14. What'd I Say
15. Chills
16. Show Me That You Care
17. Rip It Up
18. You've Got What I Like
19. Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying
20. I'll Wait For You
21. Where Have You Been All My Life
22. Maybelline
23. You're The Reason
24. Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On

Out of print now.

1. I Like It
2. Oh My Love
3. Unchained Melody
4. I'll Be There
5. I'm The One
6. She
7. It's All In The Game
8. Give Me Your Word
9. How Do You Do It?
10. Magic Moments
11. Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying
12. You'll Never Walk Alone
13. The Minute You're Gone
14. Ferry Cross The Mersey

One of many repackagings of the 1982 20th Anniversary Album studio sessions.

Super Hits Live

1. Ferry Cross The Mersey [2:49]
2. How Do YouDo It [1:43]
3. Roll Over Beethoven [3:17]
4. Running Man [4:00]
5. I'm The One [1:46]
6. It's Still Rock & Roll To Me [2:40]
7. Just The Way You Are [4:25]
8. Unchained Melody [3:38]
9. Imagine [2:49]

A budget priced CD with very poor sound quality, production quality, packaging, and overall just poorly done. An example of the many releases of the 1981 live tapes.

Golden Hits

1. How Do You Do It?
2. You'll Never Walk Alone
3. I Like It
4. Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying
5. Imagine
6. Ferry Cross The Mersey
7. I'm The One
8. It's Still Rock 'N' Roll To Me
9. Unchained Melody
10. Just The Way You Are

This is an extremely poor compilation, lacking both liner notes and structure. Another release of those 1981 live tapes.

Gerry and the Pacemakers

1. Pretend
2. I'll Be There
3. Jambalaya
4. You'll Never Walk Alone
5. Maybellene
6. A Shot of Rhythm and Blues
7. Here's Hoping
8. Slow Down
9. Ferry Cross the Mersey
10. Chills
11. Summertime
12. You're the Reason
13. You Can't Fool Me
14. Don't You Ever
15. How Do You Do It?
16. I Like It
17. I'm the One
18. Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying
19. It's Gonna Be All Right
20. Walk Hand in Hand
21. La La La
22. Girl on a Swing

Non Stop Party Album

1. Party Medley:
Let's Dance
Let's Twist Again
Loco Motion
Simon Says
Singing The Blues
Y.M.C.A.
My Old Man's A Dustman
Agadoo
Knock Three Times
Da Doo Ron Ron

2. '70s Medley
I'm The Leader Of The Gang
Sweet Caroline
It's Heartache
Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye
I Hear You Knocking
Get It On
Rockin' All Over The World
Radio Ga Ga

3. Rock 'N' Roll Medley
Lucille
Peggy Sue
Rock Around The Clock
Jailhouse Rock
Let's Have A Party
It's Gonna Be Alright
Long Tall Sally
C'mon Everybody
Rock And Roll Music
Great Balls Of Fire

4. Lights Down Low Medley
It Might As Well Rain Until September
The Most Beautiful Girl
Raining In My Heart
Roses Are Red
All I Have To Do Is Dream
If You Leave Me Now
Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying
Ferry 'Cross The Mersey

5. '60s Medley
Hi Ho Silver Lining
Do Wah Diddy Diddy
Keep On Running
Glad All Over
I Like It
How Do You Do It?
Save The Last Dance For Me
You Really Got Me
Young Girl
Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da
Ticket To Ride
Do You Love Me?
I'm The One

6. You'll Never Walk Alone

Tribute Album

The Stool Pigeons
"GERRY CROSS THE MERSEY"

Tracks:

1. I'm The One (Marsden)
2. Hello Little Girl (Lennon-McCartney)
3. I Like It (Murray)
4. Away From You (Marsden-Chadwick)
5. How Do You Do It (Murray-Edmond)
6. It's Gonna Be All Right (Marsden)
7. Chills (Keller-Goffin)
8. Come Back To Me (Marsden)
9. I'll Wait For You (Marsden)
10. Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying (Marsden)
11. Where Have You Been All My Life (Mann-Weil)
12. When Oh When (Marsden)
13. Gerry Cross The Mersey (Inversion Theme no. 2) (Marsden-Pigeons)

This is a tribute album to Gerry and the Pacemakers by The Stool Pigeons as part of their "British Inversion" series from Sympathy Records. Their first album was "Rule, Hermania!" (sftri 446), a tribute to Herman's Hermits. Both have been released on CD, and are available in stores, or from Sympathy records.

Performers:
Lisa Jenio - Lead Vocals
Mark Fletcher - Bass, Psychedelic guitar (rt channel) trk 10
Mark Sogomian - Rhythm Guitar
Peter Gilabert - Lead Guitar
Heather Stanfield - Backup vocals, lead vocals trk 6 & 9
Stuli - Drums