“You Beat Me To The Punch” / “This Little Girl Of Mine” (Pye 7N. 15745) December 1964
Tony Jackson & the Vibrations | You Beat Me To The Punch | (Pye) 1964 | This latest from ex-Searcher Tony Jackson is yet another Mary Wells‘ revival. The number is a very strong one, but doesn’t suit Tony as much as “Bye Bye Baby” did. Nevertheless, the insistent rhythm of the song will no doubt push it into the charts.
Recorded at Baker Street’s Olympic Studios, the session was A&R’d by Larry Page and engineered by Keith Grant. The master tape was obtained in 12 takes which included the vocal being double-tracked, and a tambourine added for extra effects.
Says Larry Page—”The session took a long time to complete, because it was the first time I had ever worked with the boys, and I wanted to get to know them very well before we did any takes at all. We experimented like mad in the studio trying to get a new bass sound for Tony. This sound then had to be blended with the rest of the group and after about a hundred variations we came up with the sound you hear on the record.”
“Another reason the session took so long was because we were using a 12 string guitar which look an hour-and-a-half to get in tune. By the time the last bass string had been tuned, the first string was out of tune again.
Tony Jackson & the Vibrations | You Beat Me To The Punch | (Pye) 1964
“The idea for “You Beat Me To The Punch” came from Tony himself. He has always been a Mary Wells fan, and this particular song was one of his favourites.”
Says Tony —”I know this is the second Mary Wells song we’ve recorded in a row, but we all think that her songs are the best there are.”
The ‘B’ side is the old Everly Bros. number “This Little Girl Of Mine” treated in a very up-to-date manner. This side could be a hit again in it’s own right. (Beat Instrumental, January 1964)
Tony should click big with this revival of the Mary Wells’ oldie. There is a distinct Searcher sound to the boys this time – higher, less frantic, vocalising than on Tony’s solo debut which registered mildly in the charts.
Song is, of course, excellent. This is a highly competent job, with Tony’s voice making the most of first-rate lyrics. Flip has a fast guitar intro, then launches into a pacey beater with a stock of excitement. Good value for money coupling. Top Fifty Tip. (Record Mirror, 12/12/64)
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