The Shadows

[tex]

What a unique sound the Shads have, just listened to the greatest hits and felt compelled to say what a great group they are (yes they are still around).
Hank has such a great tone and the tunes are just timeless, anyone else diggin the Shads??

[Richard1978]

They were in just the right place & time when instrumentals became very popular in the late 1950s & continued into the 1960s.

Also the did very well being Cliff Richard's backing group in his first flush of success.

Even years later they had a bit hit with their version of Cavatina (The Deer Hunter Theme).

Drummer Brian Bennett wrote a lot of catchy library tracks, some of which were used as TV themes, including Holy Mackerel, which was the BBC Rugby Special theme for years.

[beccabear67]

I thought it was because of The Shads that instrumentals became so big... they were amazing... Hank Marvin, Bruce Welch, Tony Meehan, Jet Harris and later Brian Bennett and John Rostill were also multi-talented. Hank had one of the first Fenders in England... they'd seen Buddy Holly playing one and Cliff paid to bring one in even though the duties were formidable.

Maybe you can tell I'm a fan of the group? I always found it amazing that an almost mirror image instro group out of Tacoma, Washington, The Ventures, had big hits (like Walk Don't Run) and albums around the same time. The early Beatles bassist Stuart Sutcliffe did a custom cover of his own at art school for a Ventures single, but they were definitely overshadowed in England (though big in Japan, they are probably the group that term was coined for), and one of the earliest original recordings The Beatles ever made was an instro mainly by George titled Cry For A Shadow... around the time Meehan or Harris left. Later Meehan & Harris put out hit instro records of their own with Diamonds.

I think I have everything The Shadows (and The Ventures) recorded into the late '60s-early '70s. The only other groups that might might give them a run for their money for the top title is Sweden's the Spotnicks who had an amazing lead guitarist, and The Astronauts who had very liquidy reverb sound (Fender oil spring tech). Some other instro artistes of the late '50s and early '60s of note range from Santo & Johnny (Sleepwalk) to The Champs (Tequila)... The Tornados (Telstar) to Johnny & The Hurricanes (Red River Rock and Crossfire). There was also the proto punk growl of Rumble by Native American Link Wray, what a record that was, and Dick Dale pioneering the California surf sound on his Fender with the first dual-showman amp (he used to jam with Ritchie Valens).

Besides George Harrison, Canadian guitartist and songwriter Randy Bachman (The Guess Who, Bachman-Turner Overdrive) was a huge Shadows fan before the Beatles came along. His first group that eventually turned into The Guess Who (These Eyes, American Woman, No Time) was named The Reflections in emulation of The Shads. Movies of Cliff and The Shads ran in cinemas in Canada in the '60s, but it was covering a Johnny Kidd & the Pirates number, Shakin' All Over, that got The Guess Who it's first wide-scale airplay. A lot of stars of the later '60s were hugely influenced by Hank Marvin, they used to say he had 'Specs appeal'. The Shadows first couple of solo records were actually credited to the Drifters, before they remembered or found out about the black vocal group in the U.S.

Another highlight is their appearance in the Thunderbirds Are Go feature length film... as puppets!

Apache, Kontiki, Wonderful Land, Atlantis, Jet Black, Dance On, The Frightened City, The Savage!

[George 1978]

They were just an instrumental group sans Cliff Richard of course, but they did have a go for Eurovision in 1975, but of course, Eurovision would not allow an instrumental song to be selected.

I would say that Apache was one of their best ones - the 1973 cover of it was used for that Border TV series BMX Beat.

[tex]

I thought it was because of The Shads that instrumentals became so big... they were amazing... Hank Marvin, Bruce Welch, Tony Meehan, Jet Harris and later Brian Bennett and John Rostill were also multi-talented. Hank had one of the first Fenders in England... they'd seen Buddy Holly playing one and Cliff paid to bring one in even though the duties were formidable.

Maybe you can tell I'm a fan of the group? I always found it amazing that an almost mirror image instro group out of Tacoma, Washington, The Ventures, had big hits (like Walk Don't Run) and albums around the same time. The early Beatles bassist Stuart Sutcliffe did a custom cover of his own at art school for a Ventures single, but they were definitely overshadowed in England (though big in Japan, they are probably the group that term was coined for), and one of the earliest original recordings The Beatles ever made was an instro mainly by George titled Cry For A Shadow... around the time Meehan or Harris left. Later Meehan & Harris put out hit instro records of their own with Diamonds.

I think I have everything The Shadows (and The Ventures) recorded into the late '60s-early '70s. The only other groups that might might give them a run for their money for the top title is Sweden's the Spotnicks who had an amazing lead guitarist, and The Astronauts who had very liquidy reverb sound (Fender oil spring tech). Some other instro artistes of the late '50s and early '60s of note range from Santo & Johnny (Sleepwalk) to The Champs (Tequila)... The Tornados (Telstar) to Johnny & The Hurricanes (Red River Rock and Crossfire). There was also the proto punk growl of Rumble by Native American Link Wray, what a record that was, and Dick Dale pioneering the California surf sound on his Fender with the first dual-showman amp (he used to jam with Ritchie Valens).

Besides George Harrison, Canadian guitartist and songwriter Randy Bachman (The Guess Who, Bachman-Turner Overdrive) was a huge Shadows fan before the Beatles came along. His first group that eventually turned into The Guess Who (These Eyes, American Woman, No Time) was named The Reflections in emulation of The Shads. Movies of Cliff and The Shads ran in cinemas in Canada in the '60s, but it was covering a Johnny Kidd & the Pirates number, Shakin' All Over, that got The Guess Who it's first wide-scale airplay. A lot of stars of the later '60s were hugely influenced by Hank Marvin, they used to say he had 'Specs appeal'. The Shadows first couple of solo records were actually credited to the Drifters, before they remembered or found out about the black vocal group in the U.S.

Another highlight is their appearance in the Thunderbirds Are Go feature length film... as puppets!

Apache, Kontiki, Wonderful Land, Atlantis, Jet Black, Dance On, The Frightened City, The Savage!

Wow Beccabear you really know your stuff, enjoyed reading your post

[beccabear67]

Wow Beccabear you really know your stuff, enjoyed reading your post

Ta. "Anything can happen in the next thirty posts" if something triggers me.

I'm the kind of '50s-'70s music fan that would get very excited by some unknown recordings from the late '60s Irish group Granny's Intentions surfacing.

[zabadak]

Ta. "Anything can happen in the next thirty posts" if something triggers me.

I'm the kind of '50s-'70s music fan that would get very excited by some unknown recordings from the late '60s Irish group Granny's Intentions surfacing.

Great knowledge, fascinating!

[zabadak]

They were just an instrumental group sans Cliff Richard of course, but they did have a go for Eurovision in 1975, but of course, Eurovision would not allow an instrumental song to be selected.

They had instrumental hits before then :wink:

[George 1978]

They had instrumental hits before then :wink:

Not many of them were Eurovision hits though.

[zabadak]

Not many of them were Eurovision hits though.

Ha, no, just the on! :happy: