The Sorrows

THE SORROWS
 
 
The Sorrows  are a rock band formed in 1963 in Coventry, Warwickshire, England by Pip Whitcher, and were part of the British beat boom of the 1960s.  They were a fixture in the English mod scene and are sometimes referred to as freakbeat.  (More from Wikipedia)
 
 

 

 

With their experience in Norway fresh on their minds, Mal and the Primitives decided to become one of several expatriate British rock bands that began to appear elsewhere in Europe by the mid-1960’s.  The Downliners Sect and Alexis Korner followed a similar route.  Perhaps the best known is the Sorrows; unable to follow up their 1965 hit “Take a Heart” in their home country (also included on Nuggets II), the group relocated to Italy in 1966 and recorded a highly esteemed Italian album in 1968Old Songs New Songs.  I have the first official reissue of Old Songs New Songs in 2009 on Wooden Hill Records; a second CD includes an early demo of the album plus a concert performance from 1980.  A full cover by the Sorrows of the early Bee Gees hit “New York Mining Disaster 1941” is included on this early demo; only a single line from “New York Mining Disaster 1941” made it onto their album. 

 

(May 2015)

 

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Last edited: April 7, 2021