Them was a R&B tinged rock band from Northern Ireland, best known for the song “Gloria” and helping to launch Van Morrison’s music career. Them’s original line-up featured Van Morrison on vocals and harmonica, Alan Henderson on bass, Jackie McAuley on organ, Billy Harrison on guitar and Patrick McAuley on drums.
The band released their first single record ‘Don’t Start Crying Now’ in 1964. The single turned out to be a big ole flop. The band’s managers and producers then hired session players Robert Page, Bobby Graham and Peter Bardens to back Morrison on what was to be an excellent cover of Big Joe Williams’ ‘Baby Please Don’t Go’. The new single, which featured the now classic track “Gloria” as a B-side, was a huge success in the United Kingdom, soaring to #10 on the charts in the winter of 1964
The band then released its best known hit in the United Kingdom, ‘Here Comes the Night’, which made it to #2 on the charts in the spring of 1965. Later that year the classic with an enigmatic air, ‘Mystic Eyes’ reached #33 in the US.
Them released two albums- Them and Them Again, both of which failed to sell, and in the middle of 1966, Van Morrison left the group to pursue what would be an successful (to say the least) solo career. The remaining members of the band split later that year.
Two videos below.
1965 at the showcase for the NME poll winners contest-
Here Come The Night & Turn On Your Love Light
Footage from 1966- Baby Please Don’t Go
Taylor is the Boogie! 
Wow, I was 12 in ’64. It was a good year to be 12. And I just have to comment on the Richard Harris thing — I thought Macarthur Park was the worst thing I had ever heard in my life. That is, until Muskrat Love came out. It takes all kinds, doesn’t it? Love and sweet green icing to you.
Assuming my Google searching skills are up to par, I believe the host, “Jimmy” is/was Jimmy Savile.
http://www.radiorewind.co.uk/jimmy_saville_page.htm
Oh, yaeh, right…House of the Rising Sun…duh.
And I just watched the young Van Morrison…his “…Love Light” finish
reminded me of Jim Morrison….separated at birth? 🙂
Thanks, Ash.
OOOOOOooo, when I head Eric Clapton sing “House or the Ringing Sun,” I thought he was SO BAD!! Really bad, not bad good, and I felt like such a rebel listening to to it. It was cool! haha.
Very cool. I may not post a lot, but I wanted to let you know that I *always* appreciate these music posts so please keep them coming!
Wow, Ash, great videos in which I wouldn’t have seen if not for you, thanks! It amazes me how much in the early years Van sounds like Mick Jagger, or maybe Mick sounded like Van. Chicken or the egg, thing. Same inflictions, same great timing and Van, a little less pranc-y in the dancing. I remember seeing Van on TV for the first time and thinking, what the heck, he doesn’t move anything like I imagined and he’s so short!
So many of the great artists have quirky moves, eh?
Richard harris! Phoebe yer killin’ me here. I LOVED him. I think he was one of the most brilliant and underrated actors ever. Yes he was a drunk but man that man could act. i loved MacArthur Park also.
Crap, am I old or what?
Phoebe, I loved The Animals. I think Eric Burdon was some kind of genius. I loved his voice and his delivery. They got their flavor from blues and here is a short excerpt if anyone wants to read. Sorry, I get so worked up over things I have forgotten about.
>>The Animals were part of the budding, homegrown U.K. blues scene of the early Sixties and one of the most noteworthy bands of the British Invasion. Formed in Newcastle-on-Tyne, a port city and coal-mining hub in northeast England, the Animals reflected their upbringing with brawling, blues-based rock and roll. The group derived its inspiration – and much of its early repertoire – from American blues and R&B sources, adapting them to their native British working-class sensibility. Eric Burdon was among the best white R&B singers of the Sixties. His gruff, soulful vocals brought out the anguish in such anthems as “It’s My Life” and “We Gotta Get Out of This Place.” >>
http://www.rockhall.com/hof/inductee.asp?id=58
Phobe: although the announcer resembles Richard Harris (the actor, right? Dumbledore, Man called Horse, Camelot?), he refers to himself as “Jimmy”, also, the accent doesn’t come off “Shakespearean” or theatrically trained to me– Richard Harris was already an award winning Actor (with a capital A) — winning Cannes Best Actor in 1963 for “The Sporting Life”
Phobe: although the announcer resembles Richard Harris, he refers to himself as “Jimmy”, also, the accent doesn’t come off “Shakespearean” or theatrically trained to me– Richard Harris was already an award winning Actor (with a capital A) — winning Cannes Best Actor in 1963 for “The Sporting Life”
BTW…isn’t the announcer at the NME thing Richard Harris?
I wish I could, just once, say that I don’t remember…that this was before my time. Sigh…as young as I was I wasn’t a total Beatles snob and do indeed remember “Baby Please.” I had zero real appreciation of this new wave of music or any understanding of the change that was coming around because of it. We were all just trying to learn how to dance and were enthralled with the accents. Not quite sure why, given that The Animals did so well here, THEM didn’t fly. Too edgy?
Oh yes, and despite my age, I just HAD to have my hair cut like Julie Christie. Drove my mother nuts.
So glad Van learned to go it alone…
You reminded me of being a very little kid, sitting in the hallway of my parents’ house, curled up against the very tightly closed bedroom door belonging to my older brother, a snarly teenager, listening as hard as I could through the door while he played his 45s, and played along on his guitar. Now that I think of it, G-L-O-R-I-A might be one of the first words I ever learned to spell. Thanks for the flashbacks. It’s been a sad day, but this is a good memory.
Even tho I was alive and quite concious at that time, I still am bowled over by the pouf hair and the men’s suits-with-ties in the audience. Funny how the band members show the spectrum- some are dressed in suits and ties, the drummer is in his shirtsleeves, and Van is in what looks like a sweatshirt or sweater. Ooooh, so radical of him!
Ash ~ Thanks for so much for videos! Although I adore Joe Cocker, I’ve never seen any early video footage like this before …. thank you! What a treat this evening. I must go play that first one again.
And I so need to dust off some old albums and get the turntable going!
OMG! I remember that group! Thats right, THEM! And I loveddddd Gloria! Im all atwitter here. What I DIDN’T know was that Van was the lead vocal! OK I’ll stop with the exclamation marks now.
I was 12 years old in ’64 and I remember that song and that group well. Oh man I love this kind of trivia.
OMG! (sorry for the!!! marks) but just watched the 1966 Baby Please Dont Go video. FIRST, you ought to get a Pulitzer for just FINDING that obscure tape! I LOVED that song! I was 13 in 1966 and pretty much loved anything British.
Ash, so very gooooood. Great post, as always!
What a trip! Ok, you usually have the knack for pointing out the funny/cute/pathetic things in these videos, but my contribution is the keyboardist in the Baby Please Don’t Go vid with the Wayfarers on doing the Night At the Roxbury head bob. Oh, an the announcer at the showcase. I think you should hire him to announce everything you do…. “It gives me a big kick to announce Ash will be going to the grocery store…. there she goes, A – S – H, Ash. “