The Knickerbockers - Discography
In the wake of the British Invasion, plenty of American bands wished they could make like the Beatles, at least in terms of record sales. But from a musical standpoint, no one sounded quite so much like the Fab Four as the Knickerbockers on their biggest hit, 1965's "Lies," which brilliantly captured the sound of the Beatles' early period with its enthusiastic harmonies and tough but melodic guitar lines. While the band never quite repeated the feat, for years pranksters passed "Lies" off as a rare Beatles track to unsuspecting music buffs, and the group earned a cult following from fans of first-era garage rock. Hailing from Bergenfield, New Jersey, the Knickerbockers were formed in 1962 by Robert Cecchino and John Carlos Cecchino, two brothers who respectively used the stage named Beau Charles and John Charles. With Beau on guitar and vocals and John on bass and vocals, many different musicians passed through the group before it solidified in 1964 with Buddy Randell (born William Crandall) on vocals and saxophone (he previously played with the Royal Teens, who scored a major hit in 1958 with "Short Shorts") and Jimmy Walker (ex-the Castle Kings) on drums. The band landed a record deal with Challenge Records, and its first single, "All I Need Is You" b/w "Bite Bite Barracuda," was released in 1964. The single didn't generate much airplay, and the follow-up, "Jerktown" b/w "Room for One More," fared no better, but the group put out two albums in its first year on Challenge, an album of covers tied into The Lloyd Thaxton Show and Jerk & Twine Time, with the band hopping on the dance craze bandwagon.
1965 - Jerk & Twine
1977 - Best Of
2011 - Knickerbockerism
2014 - Rockin'! with the Knickerbockers
2015 - Challenge Recordings
1965 - Lies
1965 - Jerk & Twine
1977 - Best Of
2015 - Challenge Recordings - [4 CDs]
CD01
CD01
