The band originally formed in 1961 as a skiffle band called the Skifflemen and played many church dances and school fetes in the Liverpool industrial estates or docks where they received small changes from lonely sailors. The line up in those early days was Giles McNicholls on washboard, 'Stumpy' McDougall on Tea chest bass, Oliver 'Ollie' Glandstone on guitar and vocals and Barton O'Toole on ukele.
By late 1961 'Stumpy' McDougall, disillusioned with music and life in general, ran off and joined a touring transvestite cabaret and was soon replaced by Barrington 'Barry' Rude who the band found under a table in the Bird and Bee one night after a long drinking session. Glandstone and Rude soon hit it off and found a common love in psychiatry and songwriting.
Picked up by promoter Laurie Slime in early 1962 the band changed their style to merseybeat following the success of the Beatles but were soon to change to a surf sound due to their management suggesting that beat groups would not go anywhere. They soon changed their name to the Merceytides although the original intent was to be called the Merseytides, a sign-writer having stuffed it up on the side of the band van and the incorrect name stuck.
In August 1962 the band recorded the classic 'I wish I was Karl Jung', the inspiration coming from Glandstone's part time interest in psychiatry as he came from a long and distinguished family of psychiatrists. However, after coming under pressure from the record company the songs title was changed to 'I wish I was still young', owing to the controversial views of the Swiss psychiatrist on the relationship between patient and his/her pets as a means of identifying underlying issues.
The B side was called 'Skiffle me baby', a slow and rather painful attempt at American Doo-wop. The record company did not try to change its name. Sadly the record sunk without a trace due to the enormous number of Liverpudlian merseybeat bands who then dominated the charts.
By 1963 the group realised that they had made a mistake and that they should have stuck with the merseysound, however, by this time it was too late with numerous bands already having made it big. They continued for a while touring the coast line of western UK and Scotland but could drum up little interest in their home grown Liverpudlian surf music.
In late 1963 Giles McNicholls quit the band and emigrated to Australia to pursue his love of surfing and large motorbikes. He was replaced by Roger Session, a drummer of no fixed hairstyle from Slough who owned a surfboard. The Merceytides managed to continue for a short while after the departure of founding member McNicholls but the weight of touring soon became too much with Barton O'Toole quitting to become a hairdresser, leaving only Session, Rude and Gladstone to continue. for another six months before they split forever.
