The Three Bells

Mention girl groups and Liverpool and the first name that comes to mind from anyone who actually knows anything about the city's music is usually the Liverbirds, a tough-as-nails distaff rock & roll outfit who could go head-to-head with any band playing in Hamburg. But the port city had one other girl group ensemble of a more traditional musical bent who made a small mark for themselves, a ravishing blond trio called the Three Bells. Technically, the Three Bells existed as a trio long before cutting records for Pye in 1961, since they were sisters. Carol and Sue Bell were identical twins and their sister, Jean Bell, looked so much like them that they were often taken for identical triplets -- check out their appearance in the movie The Ghost Goes Gear on Anchor Bay's spring 2000 DVD release if you don't believe it. They began recording in 1961 without a lot of results, the dawn of the 1960s being a little too soon for their sound. They re-emerged in late 1964 on the EMI/Columbia label with Dusty Springfield's arranger Ivor Raymonde, rocking the U.K. with a soulful girl group classic called "Softly in the Night." They moved to English Decca and Pye, and changed their name to the Satin Bells. The trio's sound drew on both European influences (France Gall) and American inspirations (Brenda & the Tabulations), and was marked by soaring harmonies and the complex interweaving of their three voices in ways that might've made the best doo wop outfits of the late '50s take notice. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide