'The Search For Myself' - review in April's Record Collector magazine

Regrettably, an unresolved enmity means that two incarnations of The Searchers are currently in operation: those who are legally entitled to take the definite article, and Mike Pender's Searchers. Pender's moral entitlement to part share the name appears inarguable, as a founder member and key Rickenbacker-wielding attribute of Merseybeat's second-in-command; following Frank Allen's 2009 memoir, The Searchers And Me, it's Pender's turn to weigh in with his perspective. 

The Search For Myself, only available from Pender's fan club, devotes a considerable word count to the internecine wrangling and disputatious Chinese whispers that eventually led to a High Court judgment. If this imparts a wearying undertone to the narrative, it's to Pender's credit that he presents both sides of the argument. Furthermore, it's hard to take issue with his clear-headed self-appraisal, and a bracing openness that extends to revealing the sum in his capital account on leaving the original band.

Later chapters read like an extended tour itinerary, as Pender's Searchers embark upon a succession of package tours with fellow 60s survivors. Some may view these as a purgatorial fallback, antithetical to that decade's forward-looking spirit, but Pender is clearly having the time of his life, and consistently conveying that feeling to audiences worldwide. Long may he jangle.

* * *

Genuine Article | ISBN 97809931213, 269 pages
Reviewed by Oregano Rathbone

http://recordcollectormag.com/reviews/origins-of-the-searchers-the-search-for-myself