#53: I’ll Never Find Another You. The Seekers. 1964
Australians, and many others all around the world, are mourning the passing of Judith Durham the lead singer of the Australian Folk / Pop group, The Seekers. The band formed in Melbourne in 1962 with Judith Durham as lead singer and Athol Guy, Bruce Woodley and Keith Potger on instruments and harmony. They were the first Australian music group to have major international success. Their clean cut, rather formal presentation stood apart in the 60s music scene, nevertheless in 1965 with their hit, I’ll Never Find Another You, The Seekers outsold The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Kinks and any other band of the time. With their song, The Carnival is Over, The Seekers actually knocked The Rolling Stones’, Hey you, Get off of My Cloud, and that is a good song, from a #1 position. During 1965-66 The Seekers‘ sold more than 50 million records world wide and had six top ten hits.’
They had many, many wonderful hits and Judith Durham’s beautiful, crystal clear soprano voice carried them all to rocketing success. I have chosen I’ll Never Find Another You to write about for several reasons. Firstly, it was their first big success, in 1965 it was the highest selling single in Britian, rising to #1 on Australian charts and with this song The Seekers were the first Australian band to achieve an international #1. Secondly, this record was cut in Abbey Road studios, home of The Beatles and when I think of the success The Beatles were having in ’64-’65, to be in their actual recording studio and on that same level, for a little Aussie Folk group that sort of blows my mind and thirdly, this song was in our wedding music playlist and that makes it pretty special!
When The Seekers came home to Australia in 1967 over 200,00 people packed into Melbourne’s Sidney Myer Music Bowl. This was 1/10 of the Melbourne population at the time and the following year this event made the Guinness Book of Records for the highest number of concert attendees in the southern hemisphere. The Seekers were the 1967 recipients of the Australian of the Year Award.
There is another reason I love The Seekers; they sing We are Australian. This is the song I wrote about on 26th January this year. It is a wonderful song which unifies Australians rather than divides. In my opinion it should be our National Anthem because if there is something this beautiful country could benefit from currently it is valuing those qualities which unify us and placing less emphisis on those which divide.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZf41UudAbI
The Seekers’ first hit single, recorded at Abbey Road studios in London in the autumn of ’64, reaching #1 in Feb ’65. Originally in mono, here is a new stereo mix using DES (Digitally Extracted Stereo), my thanks to Paul Wilkie for his great work on this.
RIP Judith Durham, the carnival is over and there most certainly will never be another you!
Way leads onto Way 