The Four Just Men

Just Four Men were a slightly above-average Merseybeat group that made a couple of fair, but not great, singles for Parlophone in 1964-65. They are mostly notable for having evolved into the curiously named Wimple Winch, one of the few Liverpool bands to make the transition from Merseybeat to interesting mod and psychedelic music. Originally called the Silhouettes, and then Dee Fenton & the Silhouettes, and then the Four Just Men, they changed their name to the odder Just Four Men. This was at the suggestion of EMI, who were being threatened with a court injunction from another band calling themselves Four Just Men. Just Four Men's two singles were "Things Will Never Be the Same"/"That's My Baby" (1964) and "There's Not One Thing"/"Don't Come Any Closer," all group originals penned by singer-guitarist Dimitrius Christopholus and guitarist John Kelman. They weren't bad, particularly "Things Will Never Be the Same," which had a hepped-up kinetic drive to the guitar chording. Nor were they innovative or brilliant, and although the group got to tour with stars like Del Shannon, the Rolling Stones, and the Searchers, they were dropped by EMI. In 1966, they changed their name to Wimple Winch and went into more exploratory, original directions, particularly on their multi-sectioned "Atmospheres" and the story-song "Rumble on Mersey Square South." Both sides of the two Parlophone singles, as well as eight previously unreleased tracks from the era, were issued on the CD compilation The Wimple Winch Story 1963-1968, which also includes 16 songs by Wimple Winch drawn from singles and unreleased recordings. ~ Richie Unterberger er