'An Oral History of the Rickenbacker 12-String' by Tony Bacon
https://guitar.com/guides/essential-guide/oral-history-rickenbacker-12-string/
Another Liverpudlian Rick 12 - Mike Pender
"Needles And Pins was the single that put The Searchers on the world stage and really made us a household name, and following that I think came Don’t Throw Your Love Away– and then Someday We’re Gonna Love Again, which didn’t do as well.
"Drummer Chris Curtis and I wondered what we were going to do. We were a little bit concerned, so we said we have to get a great song for the next one. And we found Jackie DeShannon’s When You Walk In The Room. But it was pretty light. I said to Chris, that riff there, it starts and it’s in between the first couple of lines. That’s really got to stand out; it’s got to be important. It’s not going to sound good on a six-string, no matter if we double-track it or whatever.
"So, we’re in the dressing room at Top Of The Pops, had the telly on, and all the songs from last week’s chart are playing. The Beatles come on, it’s A Hard Day’s Night, and there’s Harrison with this amazing guitar. I’d seen Rickenbackers before, but I said to Chris, listen to that – that’s the sound we want for When You Walk In The Room. The rest is history, really.
Another Liverpudlian Rick 12 - Mike Pender
"Needles And Pins was the single that put The Searchers on the world stage and really made us a household name, and following that I think came Don’t Throw Your Love Away– and then Someday We’re Gonna Love Again, which didn’t do as well.
"Drummer Chris Curtis and I wondered what we were going to do. We were a little bit concerned, so we said we have to get a great song for the next one. And we found Jackie DeShannon’s When You Walk In The Room. But it was pretty light. I said to Chris, that riff there, it starts and it’s in between the first couple of lines. That’s really got to stand out; it’s got to be important. It’s not going to sound good on a six-string, no matter if we double-track it or whatever.
"So, we’re in the dressing room at Top Of The Pops, had the telly on, and all the songs from last week’s chart are playing. The Beatles come on, it’s A Hard Day’s Night, and there’s Harrison with this amazing guitar. I’d seen Rickenbackers before, but I said to Chris, listen to that – that’s the sound we want for When You Walk In The Room. The rest is history, really.
"When we got back to Liverpool, I went into Crane’s music store, said look, can you order me a Rickenbacker 12-string? Said I need it by whatever it was – we knew when the recording date was forWhen You Walk In The Room– and we got it. That became one of the most recognisable riffs on a 12-string, really, especially in the 60s.”
With thanks to Tony Bacon for the article