RIP Gordon

Gordon Waller of Peter and Gordon died last Friday at age 64. A Brit invasion pop duo that had several huge hits over three years in the 60's, Peter and Gordon combined Everly harmonies and Beatlesque melodies (no surprise since McCartney wrote a number of their hits) to produce innocent and rather lovely little songs. They actually scored the second number one hit of the Brit invasion with the McCartney penned "World Without Love", replacing the Beatles' number one, "Love Me Do." The duo mostly covered other people's songs, but often to better effect than the originals. in particular, Del Shannon's "I Go To Pieces." They toured frequently with other Brit bands most notably the Stones.

As light and twee as they may have been, we shouldn't write them off or dismiss their influence. Without them there might have been no Byrds. When Gene Clark first approached McGuinn in 1964 about working together in a group that would eventually become the Byrds, his suggestion was that they take Peter & Gordon as their starting point.

Peter and Gordon split up in 67 when tastes changed. Peter Asher went on to produce hits for Linda Rondstadt and to manage James Taylor. Waller went on to a semi-successful solo career. The two reunited in recent years for nostalgia's sake. Waller died in Connecticut of cardiac arrest.

Peter & Gordon - Greatest Hits
(not the best compilation, but it will have to do)

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