Search - Searchers :: Take Me for What I'm Worth

Take Me For What I'm Worth-The Searchers' Legacy Shines On

davidbellm@hotmail.com | Kimberley, B.C. Canada | 12/05/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The tracks from this album are presented in original mono,matching stereo versions and bonus tracks.The album was originally recorded in 1965 and remastered for CD release.
With a total of 31 tracks the CD is great value not only for the "collector" but also the younger fan who wants to check out a band whose contribution to 1960's English music between 1963 and 1966 was second only to the Beatles .This album ,the fifth,marked the band's final LP of their sixties' sojourn and by this time their playing and song selection had reached a new level of perfection.I particularly enjoyed the folk influenced Four Strong Winds .The song is unadorned with instrumentation allowing the Searchers exquisite harmony vocals to shine through.The Seachers are nothing but eclectic .The opening track is a 1950's style rock and roll boogie complete with Jerry Lee Lewis style piano.Track two,Im Doggone, is Mo-Town influenced.The ballad, Does She Really Care For Me features the emotion laden Mike Pender vocals and It's Time is penned by band member John McNally.Don't You Know Why features Everly Brothers style harmonies and Too Many Miles brings in an interesting flute lead for most of the song.60's Psychedelia gets the nod on I'm Your Loving Man.The jangling chiming guitars that gave the Byrds their jump-start is all over the track Each Time.This song in the vein of the hit single When You Walk In The Room and just as catchy could have been a single in its own right.Happily you have the oppurtunity to enjoy this fine song right here on the re-mastered CD.The title track from the album Take Me For What I'm Worth is the final one from the original song listing.This is another fine song in the electric folk idiom also released as a single and a top twenty hit for the group.The bonus tracks are notable for the hit singles lesser as well as well known.He's Got No Love,When I Get Home and Goodbye My Love sung in German. The B-side So Far Away is another gem to be discovered on this CD .Thanks to the wonders of the CD player programming switch and the great value contained in this CD listeners will be able to make up a song selection from these thirty one tracks to suit any mood in original mono,sparkling stereo versions and bonus tracks .Enjoy these performances from the Searchers in their finest hours!"

One of their best albums

Hans Pfaall | Connecticut, USA | 05/31/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The Searchers had first rate singles and B sides that ranked with the best of the British Invasion, but their albums were often erratic. Take Me For What I'm Worth was no exception. No one could doubt that the Searchers played and sang well on all recordings, but they had an unfortunate tendency on albums to record very well known hits of other artists, or R&B that did not lend itself well to the group's talents. The Searchers were usually at their best with folk-rock and Merseybeat oriented material, and were experts at digging up strong and obscure tunes. Generally speaking, the first song on an album can be expected to be one of the best tracks that any album has to offer. Here, the Searchers offer only a competent rendition of Fats Domino's hit, which was clearly not with the times. We must keep in mind that this was 1965, a time when contemporaries of the Searchers were improving at a rapid rate, and the Searchers could have as well. It is too bad the Searchers were not part of the changing times, because there are hints on Take Me For What I'm Worth that they could have made a more ambitious album length statement. Marvin Gaye's "I'll Be Doggone," the second track, is again well played and sung, but does nothing to the original. The original seemed influenced by the Searchers earlier hit "Needles and Pins" in the guitar riffs, which the band likely noticed. Aside from another competent but ill-advised offering of the 1964 hit "Be My Baby," the rest of the album is fine, and sounds like a cohesive whole. The band was getting into interesting guitar textures, and atmospheric production. Their vocals were also their most impressive yet with strong three-part harmony. My personal favorites are the P.F. Sloan folk-rock title track, Ian Tyson's "Four Strong Winds," Jackie DeShannon's "Each Time," and the group original "Too Many Miles." The first four bonus tracks make up two singles and their respective B sides that weren't on the original album. They are as good as the best nine album tracks, with the hit "He's Got No Love" being another major highlight (It was the only group original to ever appear as an A side). This release has great sound, well researched liner notes, and gives the buyer a lot for their money. Most of the best tracks do not appear on collections, so the album is certainly worth ordering. All in all, Take Me For What I'm Worth is one of the best 60's albums from a band that was innovative in pioneering folk-rock, but regrettably did not adapt well to the changing times. (Note: 3 stars for the original album, 4 for the import with bonus tracks, and mono and stereo versions.)"

A Fine Album!

Morten Vindberg | Denmark | 01/22/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This was the Searchers' fifth and final album to be released by Pye Records. It was originally released in late 1965 and there would be almost 15 years years before another real Searchers album of new material was released. This is a great shame, because of all the Liverpool groups of the early sixties the Searchers were only second to the Beatles.



From 1963-66 they released a string of outstanding singles; but their albums were all somewhat uneven. "Take Me For What I'm Worth" is no exception to this, but it may very well be their best early album containing great songs like "Each Time", "I'll Be Doggone", "Too Many Miles" and the title-track.



The Searchers' strength was their fine vocal arrangements and their light but tight sound, which was an inspiration to many other groups like the Byrds and the Hollies.



Heavier material never suited their sound very well and and songs like Fats Domino's "I'm Ready" may appear a little thin.



They wrote a good deal of their material themselves, and this album contains examples of fine Searchers originals. Among the bonus-tracks their only self-penned A-side "He's Got No Love" can be found - a great track.



The album was delayed almost half a year before its original release, which at that time was like a lifetime. So instead of being compared to the Beatles' "Help" album it was to compete with "Rubber Soul". Sounds and fashion changed so very fast and the Searchers were soon considered old-fashioned. Nevertheless, this is a fine example of 1965 music, and still a great listen today."