School of Rock
Random article All articles A–Z
2 languages

Them

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Them was a Northern Irish rock band from Belfast, formed in April 1964. Van Morrison was looking for musicians for a new R&B club at the Maritime Hotel, and made a new group out of the Gamblers, a band from East Belfast of Ronnie Milling, Billy Harrison and Alan Henderson. The schoolboy Eric Wrixon played piano. Morrison played saxophone and harmonica and sang. The name comes from the 1950s horror film Them! At the club the group played without a fixed programme, and Morrison improvised: it was there that his song Gloria took shape, and sometimes it lasted twenty minutes.

Music and breakthrough

Decca signed the group. The first recordings in London were made in July 1964, with session musicians alongside the band. Baby, Please Don't Go reached number ten in Britain in 1965, and on the B-side was Gloria, which became a standard of garage rock. Here Comes the Night, written and produced by Bert Berns, reached number two. Mystic Eyes reached the top forty in the United States. The first album was The Angry Young Them in 1965, followed by Them Again in 1966. In Los Angeles they played together with The Doors in 1966, and they jammed a long version of Gloria.

Influence

After a dispute over money the group broke up in 1966 and Morrison began a solo career. Henderson carried on with other line-ups, until 1972. The combination of blues and garage rock had a great influence on later bands, such as The Doors. In 1999 the recording of Gloria was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Gloria and notice the simple, repeating guitar riff and how Morrison spells out the letters of the name. Can you hear how few chords it takes to create so much tension?

Discography

Studio albums

Categories: Artists