Them

Them is a Northern Irish group formed in April 1964 in Belfast . The band is best known for the " Rock Gloria" hit in the style of garage rock and as the band where Van Morrison 's professional music career began. In the USA, Them is ranked as a British invasion group.

Them
basic information
Genres	Rock , blue-eyed soul , garage rock , blues-rock , beat , protopunk , psychedelic rock , acid rock , raga rock
Years	1964-1971, 1979
A country	United Kingdom
City	Belfast
Where from
Language of songs	English
Labels	Decca , Parrot , Happy Tiger , Teldec , Deram , Tower , Rev-Ola , Fallout , Spalax , Universal International

The first group included: Van Morrison (real name George Ivan Morrison, vocals, harmonica), Billy Harrison (guitar); Eric Raiksen (keyboards); Alan Henderson (bass) and Ronnie Millings (drums).

At first, the band performed at the Maritime Hotel, where they played a dynamic, sharp rhythm and blues . Their demo tape, on which an extended version of Lovelight was recorded, drew the attention of the famous manager Phil Solomon, who decided to represent the interests of the group. Solomon persuaded Dick Roa from Decca Records to sign an agreement and then Them members moved to London .

In July 1964, Reiksen and Mills were replaced by brothers Patrick McAuley (drums) and Jackie McAuley (Jackie McAuley, piano).

Two months later, the debut single “Don’t Start Crying Now” appeared, but it didn’t receive commercial success. Another fate befell another single, “Baby Please Don't Go,” which was released in February 1965, and recorded session musicians such as Jimmy Page and Peter Bardens . This piece sounded very cool and for some time it became the main piece of the famous British music television program “Ready Steady Go”, and also took off in the British Thor 10.

The next composition “Gloria”, written by Van Morrison, was a praise in honor of youthful passion. The next single with the rhythm and blues veteran song of Bert Burns - “Here Comes The Night” - reached the second place on the British chart. Although the group predicted a long and successful career, internal disagreements between Them members negatively affected the further development of the group. As a result, the group left before recording the first album, Jackie Macaulick, who was replaced by Peter Bardens.

The next singles were not able to keep the group's popularity, and before the release of the second long play “ Them Again ”, new changes occurred in the group. Jim Armstrong - guitars joined Morrison and Henderson; Ray Elliom (Ray Elliom, saxophone), keyboards and John Wilson (drums). Wilson's place was later taken by Dave Harvey. However, after touring America in 1966 and the conflict with Solomon, this lineup of Them broke up.

Morrison devoted himself to a solo career, which turned out to be more successful, and the Macaulay brothers formed a rival group under the names of Them , Them Belfast Gypsies , The Freaks Of Nature and The Belfast Gypsies . Meanwhile, former Mad Lads lead singer Kenny McDowell joined Henderson, Armstrong, Elliot, and Harvey, who revived Them and moved with new producer Ray Ruffy to Los Angeles . The Now & Them album felt the influence of garage rhythm and blues, and the sound that was typical of the West Coast of America. However, the new composition did not completely depart from the style of the previous one.

In 1967, Elliot left Them, and the quartet released the psychedelic album Time Out, Time In For Them. Soon, McDowell and Armstrong returned to Belfast and formed the Sk'Boo group. Henderson, entitled Them, recorded two weak LPs with anonymous session musicians, and later, together with Raffi, released a disc with a rock opera on the religious theme “Truth Of Truths”.

When interest in old Them recordings grew in 1979, Henderson persuaded Billy Harrison, Eric Raiksen, Mel Austin - vocals and Billy Bell - drums to collaborate, recorded the album "Shut Your Mouth" with them. Harrison and Raiksen left the group after a series of concerts in Germany, and Them was later adopted by other members of the group.