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Live Gerry Marsden (but not with the original Pacemakers)

Robert Huggins | Suburban Philadelphia, PA United States | 02/05/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Even though the band lineup from the original Pacemakers in the mid-1960s is shown on the CD cover, the music contained in the CD is by leader Gerry Marsden and a different group of Pacemakers. Three of the cuts are not even live, but rather are studio re-recordings, albeit very good ones, of "Ferry Cross the Mersey," "I'm the One," and "How Do You Do It?" "Ferry Cross the Mersey" sounds like a mono recording. The remaining 6 tracks are, indeed, live recordings made circa 1981, as during the introduction to "Imagine," Gerry offers his version of the song as a tribute to his good friend John Lennon, "who was killed last year." Lennon was murdered in 1980.In addition to "Imagine" and a few rock `n roll standards, Gerry and the band perform two Billy Joel tunes and a song composed by Gerry titled "Running Man." This is the surprise of the CD, a nicely written tune that showcases Gerry Marsden's song writing abilities. During the early performing and recording days of the Pacemakers, the band performed tunes written by others but as they progressed, Gerry took a more dominant role in composing music for the band. "Ferry Cross the Mercy" and "I'm the One" are two excellent examples of music that Gerry wrote during the original Pacemakers era, while "Running Man" has a more contemporary sound (circa 1981).This CD will probably be a bit of a disappointment to fans of the original Pacemakers, but if you're interested in hearing how Gerry Marsden sounded live, a decade and a half after the heyday of the original Pacemakers of the mid-1960s, give this budget CD a listen."