Early Attempts
In 1992, John Duff Lowe set out to release an album under the name of the Quarrymen, a band he had been in with John Lennon in the early 50s, before he left in 1958, and the band morphed into the Silver Beetles in 1960. Lowe was inspired to create the album after he played keyboards with The Four Pennies, who recently released an album together, and suggested to the man who created their album that he should try and get the Quarrymen back together. Lowe partnered with fellow former Quarrymen Rod Davis, the band’s banjo player in 1957, and Len Garry, a tea chest bassist for the band in 1956 to 1958, to record an album under the Quarrymen name.
The trio went to create a first attempt in 1992 at Amadeus Studios in Liverpool, with Len Garry on primary vocals, but the recordings from the first attempt remain unreleased.
A second attempt was made in 1992, once again at Amadeus Studios, but the studio went bankrupt and refused to give the band the recordings., leaving the second attempt unreleased as well.
Final attempt
Lowe would try again with Davis in 1994, with Garry absent due to losing interest recording the album. To flesh out the recordings, they got singer/guitarist John Ozoroff, singer/percussionist Charles Hart, and bassist Richie Gould to complete the recordings, with Ozoroff and Lowe writing a few original compositions for the album. The album was recorded at Coach House Studios in Bristol. Open for Engagements was subsequently released under the Quarrymen name, even though no other former Quarrymen members participated.
