The Searchers

The Searchers' last widely released album in more than a decade, Take Me For What I'm Worth, was not one of the stronger British rock 'n' roll albums of 1965, featuring far too many covers to really compete with what the Beatles and the Rolling Stones were generating; but what they do with some of the covers is still pretty impressive 40 years later -- Marvin Gaye's "I'll Be Doggone" done as a folk-rock/soul hybrid that works; the shimmering "You Can't Lie To A Liar," with its British blue-eyed soul-style vocals, and fuzz tone-laden embellishments; a radiant, ethereal version of Jackie DeShannon's "Each Time"; an achingly beautiful, light-as-air rendition of "Be My Baby," and a haunting "Four Strong Winds," plus the P.F. Sloan-authored title track, and a killer original, "Too Many Miles." Unlike the 2001 Castle disc from England, which added the mono mix of the album, the 2003 Japanese mini-LP formatted CD adds five tracks from the group's last, live Swedish radio session, which included several songs also found on the LP, and their later singles -- among them, their rendition of the Rolling Stones' "Take It Or Leave It," "Second Hand Dealer," and "Western Union." The mastering is state-of-the-art, 24-bit digital that brings out the chiming guitars and the vocal harmonies better than almost any prior release, rivalling the work on Castle's British CD. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide