The Rockin' Vickers

about

Originally billed as ‘The Reverend Black and the Rocking Vicars’, the Rocking Vickers’ career lasted less than four years, during which time the group released just four singles, the topsides of which were all cover versions. The quartet was formed in Blackpool in 1963 and their repertoire was initially similar to Merseybeat contemporaries. The group’s popularity led to a one-off single on Decca, who issued the Vicker’s version of Neil Sedaka’s ‘I Go Ape’ in 1964. Both it and the flipside, ‘Someone Like Me’, were excellent but sales proved negligible and the label dropped them. At this point, they often appeared in Manchester at the legendary ‘Oasis Club’ and had a reputation of a wild and unexpected live band, which they strenghtened by using clerical outfits as stage gear. Ian Fraser Willis (the son of a vicar!), better-known today as Lemmy Kilmister, was impressed by the band’s rebelious attitude, something aking to his own personality. So he jumped at the chance to become their new guitarist. After this arrival, the Vickers undertook a tour of Lapland and recorded eight songs, second single included, purely for the Finnish market. This inspired the new idea of wearing Finnish national costumes on publicity photos. ‘Zing! Went The String’s Of My heart’ c/w ‘Stella’ was also issued in the Irish Republic but not in the UK. It was an odd choice for a song, possibly a further attempt by the band to achieve chart success. The Rockin’ Vickers also had the dubious distinction

top songs

albums

The Complete: It's Alright!

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101 Pirate Radio Hits

The Complete It's Alright!

Damage Case

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Lemmy Damage Case (disc 1)

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Lifelines: The Complete Rocking Vickers Collection

Lemmy Damage Case [Disc 1]

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Looking Back - Mod, Freakbeat & Swinging London Nuggets

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101 Pirate Radio Hits [Disc 2]

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101 Pirate Radio Hits (2)

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The Complete: It's Alright

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Mojo Presents: My Generation

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