Search - The Remo Four :: Smile! Peter Gunn...And More

Many Star-Club bands were audience favorites without becoming as big as the Beatles, who also started there. But there was one group that towered above their competitors for their outstanding musical quality, and it was another band from Liverpool, The Remo Four. In the early and mid-sixties the Remo Four became backing musicians for solo singers and were among the best bands to ever touch the hallowed stage of the legendary Hamburg club. By 1967, they were among the best bands from England.Charismatic singer/organ player Tony Ashton (1944-2001) and guitarist Colin Manley (1942-1999) were brilliant instrumentalists, and their solos were solidly backed by the band's rhythm section: ace drummer Roy Dyke and bass-player Phil Rogers. The Remo Four were the first among equals with an excellent fusion of rhythm, blues, brass-free soul and even gospel snippets with Tony proving how such a mixture could be sung perfectly and soulfully alike.Songs such as Sing Hallelujah, Brother Where Are You or the fantastic Jive Samba (to name but a few) are excellent examples of the quartet's outstanding groove. Their greatest success came in 1966 with the Peter Gunn instrumental, which made them stars in Germany after a legendary live performance on the famous 'Beat-Club' TV show.These days an original vinyl copy of The Remo Four's only album Smile! is insanely rare and expensive, but even the CD edition out of print for many years has become a sought-after rarity. Now this outstanding slice of mid-Sixties music is available again with eight extra songs (A&B sides of two singles plus four tracks unreleased at the time). With this fabulous release, BEAR FAMILY finally fills in a missing link in the musical story of the 'Swinging Sixties'.