Ian and the Zodiacs were an English
Merseybeat
Beat music, British beat, or Merseybeat is a British popular music genre that developed, particularly in and around Liverpool, in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The genre melded influences from American rock and roll, rhythm and blues, skiffle ...
/
R&B band
Band or BAND may refer to:
Places
*Bánd, a village in Hungary
*Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran
*Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania
* Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, I ...
formed in 1958, originally known as The Zodiacs, in
Liverpool, England
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
. Led by Ian Edwards (1943–2007), the band existed in relative obscurity until relocating to
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
in 1964 where they achieved national success. During the band's three-year stint in Germany, they released three
albums
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records coll ...
under their name, exclusive to the country until their re-release. They also released two cover albums featuring material by
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
with the name, The Koppykats.
History
The band formed as a
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
group in 1958, and performed under the name, The Zodiacs. The group came together following an audition at a local venue called Savoy Hall. In the spring of 1960, Ian Edwards departed from his band, The Deltones, and joined The Zodiacs. From that point on, the band became known as Ian and the Zodiacs, and shifted their style from jazz to rock and roll. Following several personnel changes, the lineup for the group included Edwards as
lead vocalist
The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...
, Pete Wallace on
lead guitar
Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featur ...
, Geoff Bethell on
piano
The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...
, Charlie Flynn (stage name: Wellington Wade) on
bass guitar
The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...
, and Cliff Roberts on
drums
A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...
. The band played top venues in the area, and became the resident group for St. Lukes Hall (The Jive-Hive). During their touring, they found their manager, Ralph Webster. On 4 January 1962, ''
Mersey Beat
''Mersey Beat'' was a music publication in Liverpool, England in the early 1960s. It was founded by Bill Harry, who was one of John Lennon's classmates at Liverpool Art College. The paper carried news about all the local Liverpool bands, and s ...
'' released a poll citing the band was the eleventh most popular Merseyside group. The band released their first single on the Oriole label in 1963 to limited success. Edwards recalled, regarding their inability to achieve success in England, "We spent too much time at the Grapes". The Grapes being the
Mathew Street
Mathew Street is a street in Liverpool, England, notable as the location of the new Cavern Club, the Beatles having played in the original club on numerous occasions in their early career.
Mathew Street is visited by thousands of tourists a ...
pub where bands would take breaks from performing. In May 1964, the band got rid of Bethell and auditioned Geoff Bamford to replace Roberts on drums.
Later in 1964, the band travelled to
Hamburg, Germany
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Hamburgian(s)
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for what was supposed to be a month of touring. The band would remain in the country for the next three years after gaining widespread popularity amidst their touring and television appearances. During the summer of 1965 they were a resident group at
Butlins Skegness
Butlins Skegness (officially Butlins Resort Skegness), formerly Butlin's Skegness or Funcoast World; is a holiday camp located in Ingoldmells near Skegness in Lincolnshire, England. Billy Butlin conceived of its creation based on his experience ...
, a UK Lincolnshire holiday camp. Edwards' distinctive vocals helped develop the group's reputation, and set them apart from other acts. Their act was centered around US, and UK hits along with some of their own original material. They became promoted by Manfred Weissleder, owner of the
Star-Club
The Star-Club was a music club in Hamburg, Germany, that opened on Friday 13 April 1962, and was initially operated by Manfred Weissleder and Horst Fascher. In the 1960s, many of the giants of rock music played at the club. The club closed on 3 ...
, who featured them in his various clubs, and were joined by drummer Joe Walsh. Following a car accident in May 1965, Wallace and Walsh departed, and were replaced by Freddie Smith and Arthur Ashton. The band released three albums, all of which charted in Germany, during their stay in the country. The albums, ''Star Club 7'', ''Just Listen to Ian and the Zodiacs'', and ''Locomotive!'', were all released on the Star Club label. The material from the albums ranged from rock and roll, pop rock, and later
soul
In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being".
Etymology
The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...
influences.
Outside the band name, they released two cover albums consisting of The Beatles' compositions under the name, The KoppyKats. Their biggest selling hit in the UK, 1965's
double album
A double album (or double record) is an audio album that spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically either records or compact disc. A double album is usually, though not always, released as such because the recording i ...
''The Beatles Beat'', was recorded on a limited budget, but was still relatively successful. Another Beatles cover album, ''Gears Again'', followed with less success. In support of the albums, they released "
Nowhere Man" and "
Help!
''Help!'' is the fifth studio album by the English Rock music, rock band the Beatles and the soundtrack to their Help! (film), film of the same name. It was released on 6 August 1965. Seven of the fourteen songs, including the singles "Help! ( ...
" as singles. The albums sold well thanks to the lower prices in comparison to The Beatles' releases. The band released several singles, all on different labels, to the UK and the United States, and, despite failing to chart in the UK, still managed to achieve a regional hit in the US. Their single, "
The Crying Game
''The Crying Game'' is a 1992 thriller film written and directed by Neil Jordan, produced by Stephen Woolley, and starring Stephen Rea, Miranda Richardson, Jaye Davidson, Adrian Dunbar, Ralph Brown, and Forest Whitaker. The film explores the ...
", became a number one hit in Texas, selling 250,000 copies. The band would have toured the US, but could not as they did not have green cards.
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The band continued to tour throughout Germany until July 1967. Edwards' wife had fallen ill so he disbanded the group to return to England. He reformed the band the following year with German musicians, to lesser success. Two other incarnations of the band formed, one in 2000, touring Germany until 2003, and another in 2004. From 2004 until his death in 2007 he made a comeback in Germany, performing at festivals in Hamburg, Weimar, Berlin and Cologne, as well as in Liverpool's Cavern Club. He was backed by the German musicians Manfred Jung (bass), Jürgen Pfingst (lead guitar), Dr.Joachim Wagner (rhythm guitar) and Raimund Jung (drums). The backing group from Cologne, Germany, still performs as Ian's Zodiacs and as The Roaring Forties, and is also well known in Liverpool.
In the 1990s, the band's albums were re-released by the Repertoire label. Five of the group's tracks, "Beechwood", "It Ain't Necessarily So", "Secret Love", "Let's Turkey Trot", and "You Can Think Again", have also appeared on the 1989 ]compilation album
A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...
, ''This Is MerseyBeat''.[ A greatest hits album called ''Wade in the Water'' was distributed by ]RPM
Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines.
Standards
ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimensionl ...
which was composed of re-mastered songs by the band.
References
{{Authority control
English rock music groups
Beat groups
British rhythm and blues musical groups
British rock and roll music groups
Musical groups established in 1958
Musical groups disestablished in 1967
Musical groups from Liverpool
Oriole Records (UK) artists
1958 establishments in England