The Sorrows

The Sorrows are considered perhaps to be the archetypal freakbeat band. They were formed in 1963 in Coventry, Warwickshire, England by Pip Whitcher.

Career

The Sorrows released their first album, "Take a Heart", in 1965 on the Piccadilly Records label which was a subsidiary of Pye Records. The Sorrows were at the time the hardest, most aggressive and contemporary R&B band of that time, although later this brand of music was eventually termed "Freakbeat". One of the most overlooked bands of the British Invasion, the Sorrows offered a tough brand of R&B-infused rock that recalled The Pretty Things (though not as R&B-oriented) and The Kinks (though not as pop-oriented). [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:fpfrxq95ldse~T1 Allmusic.com biography] ]

Their hallmarks are boomy, raucous vocals, lightning fast guitar solos and frantic thudding drums. The musicianship is excellent, yet the band failed to achieve too much success, probably due to the fact that their brand of proto-punk rock and roll was simply too ahead of its time. After receiving some minor chart positions on the UK Singles Chart, Phil Packham and Don Fardon left the band. Fardon then went on to have a UK chart hit with "Indian Reservation". Wez Price took Phil Packam's place on bass guitar, whilst Roger Lomas became lead guitarist and Pip Whitcher focused on vocals. The band relocated to Italy and received minor success. Following the band's break-up Whitcher and Lomas went on to record at Air Studios under Mike Sullivan.

Lomas in the early 1980s became a record producer for his own company, ROLO productions, and produced 1980s ska bands such as Bad Manners.

Personnel

Initial line-up

*Philip (Pip) Whitcher - (born 1943, Coventry) - lead guitar and vocals.
*Don Fardon - (born Donald Maughn, 19 August 1940, Coventry) - vocals
*Philip (Phil) Packham - (born 13 June 1945, Bidford-on-Avon, near Stratford, Warwickshire) - bass guitar
*Wez Price - (born Wesley Price, 19 July 1945, Coventry) - rhythm guitar
*Bruce Finley - (born 20 September 1944, Huntley, Aberdeenshire, Scotland) - drums

After 1966

*Philip (Pip) Whitcher - rhythm guitar and vocals
*Wez Price - bass
*Roger (Rog) Lomas - lead Guitar (born Roger David Lomas, 8 October 1948, at Keresley Hospital, Coventry).
*Bruce Finley - drums

Discography

ingles

*"I Don't Wanna Be Free" / "Come With Me" (Piccadilly 7N 35219) 1965
*"Baby" / "Teenage Letter" (Piccadilly 7N 35230) 1965
*"Take A Heart" / "We Should Get Along Fine" (Piccadilly 7N 35260) 1965 - UK Singles Chart - No. 21
*"You've Got What I Want" / "No No No No" (Piccadilly 7N 35277) 1966
*"Let The Live Live" / "Don't Sing No Sad Songs For Me" (Piccadilly 7N 35309) 1966
*"Let Me In" / "How Love Used To Be" (Piccadilly 7N 35336) 1966
*"Pink, Purple, Yellow and Red" / "My Gal" (Piccadilly 7N 35385) 1967

Albums

*"Take A Heart" - (Pye NPL 38023), (1965) ("Baby" / "No No No No" / "Take A Heart" / "She's Got The Action" / "How Love Used To Be" / "Teenage Letter" / "I Don't Wanna Be Free" / "Don't Sing No Sad Songs For Me" / "Cara-lin" / "We Should Get Along Fine" / "Come With Me" / "Let Me In")
*"Old Songs, New Songs" - (Miura MIU 10011) (1967)
*"Pink, Purple, Yellow and Red" - (LP, Bam-Caruso KIRI 089) (1987)
*"The Sorrows" - (CD, Sequel Records NEXCD 165) (1991)

References

External links

* [http://www.myspace.com/thesorrowsuk The Sorrows Myspace page]
* [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:fpfrxq95ldse~T1 The Sorrows biography at the Allmusic website]