“It Won’t Be Easy” / “You Gotta Tell Me” (Diamond D 243) 1966

With a name like The Downbeats one would probably assume that they were a Beat group from somewhere like the Netherlands, but no, they hailed from Manila in the Philippines.

The Downbeats were a successful and important part of the teen group music scene in the Philippines, so much so that they secured a support slot opening for The Beatles at the Rizal Memorial Stadium on the 4th July 1966.

Sometime in mid ’66 they relocated to Hong Kong and earned money playing dives, pubs and clubs. They were encouraged to record some numbers for the Diamond label and two tracks became their first and only single.

“It Won’t Be Easy” has rightfully earned The Downbeats Knyghtes Of Jangle status on my blog. This mournful 12-string folk rock ballad is a resplendent teenage lament of sadness and melancholy.

Both sides of the single were compiled on ‘Diggin’ For Gold’ – Volume 6‘ in 1996 but apart from that brief exposure “It Won’t Be Easy” has remained a virtually unknown slice of jangle beat perfection.

The model used in my YouTube video is Linda Moon who appeared in Playboy, October 1966.