GERRY AND THE PACEMAKERS - “How Do You Do It?”
(13th April 1963)
The first Merseybeat number one and what’s changed? Not much - “How Do You Do It?” is a brisk slip of a song that could have been a hit for any of the beat boom stars since 1960 or so. The only real novelty is Gerry Marsden’s scouse accent, especially on the middle eight (”like an arrow…”) - I love hearing strong British voices singing pop songs, and the 60s is obviously a heyday for them. There’s some strong piano work towards the end of the record, but otherwise there’s not much to “How Do You Do It?”. It’s a witty enough take on frustration with all the impact (and all the repeat value, alas) of a DIY advert. 4
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FT's bramble on September 7th, 2006
Piece of trivia -the piano work was Les McGuire who later joined the Royal Navy and was last heard of in the Falklands war
wichita lineman on June 8th, 2008
The Beatles were offered this first and forced to record it under duress. They deliberately fouled it up (which must have taken some guts in the august space of Abbey Road), so it got handed to grinnin’ Gerry.