Biography
Just Four Men ranked as a modestly capable Merseybeat outfit that issued a pair of competent yet undistinguished singles on Parlophone during 1964-65. Their chief claim to attention lies in their later transformation into the oddly titled Wimple Winch, among the rare Liverpool groups that progressed from Merseybeat into distinctive mod and psychedelic territory. Formed initially as the Silhouettes, the lineup later appeared as Dee Fenton & the Silhouettes, then the Four Just Men, before settling on the still more peculiar Just Four Men at EMI’s urging after another act threatened legal action over the Four Just Men name.
The group’s two singles comprised “Things Will Never Be the Same”/“That’s My Baby” in 1964 and “There’s Not One Thing”/“Don’t Come Any Closer,” each an original composition credited to singer-guitarist Dimitrius Christopholus and guitarist John Kelman. While the recordings showed some merit—particularly the brisk, energetic thrust of the guitar chords on “Things Will Never Be the Same”—they lacked genuine originality or standout quality, and despite supporting tours alongside Del Shannon, the Rolling Stones, and the Searchers, EMI terminated the contract. In 1966 the musicians adopted the Wimple Winch identity and pursued more ambitious, self-directed material, most notably the multi-part “Atmospheres” and the narrative piece “Rumble on Mersey Square South.”
Both sides of the Parlophone singles, together with eight previously unheard recordings from the period, appear on the compilation The Wimple Winch Story 1963-1968, which also contains sixteen additional Wimple Winch selections drawn from singles and unreleased sources.
The group’s two singles comprised “Things Will Never Be the Same”/“That’s My Baby” in 1964 and “There’s Not One Thing”/“Don’t Come Any Closer,” each an original composition credited to singer-guitarist Dimitrius Christopholus and guitarist John Kelman. While the recordings showed some merit—particularly the brisk, energetic thrust of the guitar chords on “Things Will Never Be the Same”—they lacked genuine originality or standout quality, and despite supporting tours alongside Del Shannon, the Rolling Stones, and the Searchers, EMI terminated the contract. In 1966 the musicians adopted the Wimple Winch identity and pursued more ambitious, self-directed material, most notably the multi-part “Atmospheres” and the narrative piece “Rumble on Mersey Square South.”
Both sides of the Parlophone singles, together with eight previously unheard recordings from the period, appear on the compilation The Wimple Winch Story 1963-1968, which also contains sixteen additional Wimple Winch selections drawn from singles and unreleased sources.