The shadows first album from 1961 - 60 years later

 

The Shadows - their debut album from 1961

A rare Stereo version, signed by 3 on the back

The first Shadows album from 1961 was eagerly awaited, following the release of their groundbreaking instrumental single 'Apache' in June 1960.

Cliff Richard's backing group The Shadows shot to fame in their own right with their instrumental hit single "Apache" written by Jerry Lordan in June 1960, displacing a single they had written which Cliff had taken to no.1 in the charts. 

Following on from 'Apache,' they released a succession of hit singles -  'Man of mystery,' 'Kon Tiki' and 'The Frightened City' - chart singles that followed in fairly rapid succession and established their success as the leading group of the day.

It was in 1961, sometime after their initial success in their own right that they released their self-titled first LP. Rather than just go down the easy route of re-releasing their previous hit tracks as part of the new album as a compilation, they took a rather daring and different step.

None of the tracks on the new album were from their chart hits. This was a masterstroke in that it gave the buying public 14 brand new tracks to enjoy and also showed the Shadows had a musical direction and ability.

With 4 tracks on this new album penned by themselves, the Shadows started a path that they would continue to follow during their career - that of mixing the output between established tunes along with a few of their own compositions.

 

From Shadoogie, side one's opener, the classic Blue Star (covered later by the Ventures), Nivram, the jazzy Hank Marvin, Bruce Welch and Jet Harris theme with a great bass solo, See you in my drums featuring Tony Meehan's drumming talent beyond his years, All my sorrows a nice vocal ensemble piece - compare it to the Drifters (as they were) 'Feeling fine' single from 1959, the studio sound is a world away with 'Sorrows' showing how much they had matured musically and benefited from a great studio set up. Stand up and say that rounds off side 1, with Hank Marvin on piano giving his best Floyd Cramer style performance - Hank had started on piano and banjo before gravitating to guitar.

Side 2 kicks off with 'Gonzales', a rip roaring track that took 58 takes to get on tape - even though this version has a couple of minor errors it still has great energy, Find me a golden street evokes a street scene from some old late 50's B movie, Theme from a filleted Plaice shows the Shadows having fun with the title wording which they would use throughout their career and on this track, the doubled guitar sounds good (a technique that was also explored on Nivram), 'That's my desire' is a quality ensemble vocal, 'My resistance is low' is a great old track given the echo laden guitar treatment by Hank with the notes becoming almost ethereal in the highest part, 'Sleepwalk' has become a Shadows and Hank Marvin live performance favourite for decades and the album rounds off with 'Big Boy' - likely based on the American Steam locomotive's beat - there was a locomotive called the Big Boy in America.

This album is pure quality, even 60 years later the tracks sound fresh, the playing and the studio sound is superb and this lineup of Marvin, Welch, Harris and Meehan lasted a mere year and a half lasted for one album, before Tony Meehan departed to be replaced by Brian Bennet for 'Out of the Shadows' their second album.

(This next line of Marvin, Welch, Harris and Brian Bennet lasted a short time before Brian 'Licorice' Locking joined for about a year until 1964, when John Rostill became the Shadows Bass player until their split in 1968). The early Shadows lineups (pre John Rostill) were drawn from the old 2I's Club in Old Compton Street players - all those had played in various bands in that famous venue. Out of the Shadows featured some Jet Harris and some Brian Locking tracks.

The treat of the first album's colour cover photo is to see Hank Marvin's original mythical Fender Stratocaster guitar in the famous Fiesta Red colour bought by Cliff Richard, looking a lovely pinky shade here. As with many of their future album covers, they were almost an unnofficial advertising opportunity for Fender instruments! The album was mostly sold in the Mono version as few people had proper true Stereo record players then, so the album pictured a 1961 Stereo version is very rare, more valuable being signed by 3 band members. I have one of these Mono LP's signed by all 4 members which is very rare as they were not long together in this lineup before Tony Meehan left not long after the LP's release.

Indeed, many Fender instruments were sold on the influence and sound the Shadows had. Demand for Fiesta Red Fender guitars was driven across the world by the Shadows without a doubt and demand could not keep pace lithesome being refinished in Britain to keep up with the demand. As George Harrison later said 'No Shadows, no Beatles.' 

I came to this album in 1983, I had just purchased a Tokai TST50 Stratocaster as close to Hank's Fender as I could get and ironically copied from the same 1958 era guitar as Hank played on this album!

With a Sound City Valve amplifier and tape echo machine I was well on the way to the Hank Marvin sound. Now I use Vox Valvetronix AD60 or 120 and Tonelab Studio and Stage SE boxes to get that great sound.

I was able to follow the style and technique of Hank Marvin and this has given me a lot of pleasure over the last 40 years! Even today when I hear the tracks on this album, they still sound fresh. I have backing tracks from this album and enjoy playing along to them.

This band was immensely talented back then and remain so. This album is a musical milestone of the early 1960's from a band that helped define the music of the decade that followed.

The debt we owe Cliff Richard - his generosity kick started 1960's popular music - here's why

1959, the Pink Jacket, the Fiesta Red Stratocaster - 

Cliff Richard at the early height of his fame

If you've ever been fortunate to meet Cliff Richard in person, he's one of the nicest people you'll ever meet, regardless of who you are - whether you are a celebrity, royalty or just a plain, ordinary citizen.

So why do we owe Cliff such a great and perhaps unrealised thanks? Its quite simple really, because without his generosity, the course of popular music and our way of life might have been very different.

Cliff on his ATV show in 1960, with the Shadows

Before Beatlemania, there was Cliffmania. Many commentators and writers who put pen to paper about 1960's popular music, miss out one very important fact, that there was musical life before the Beatles. There was a phenomena that virtually dominated the musical charts from 1959-63. Cliff Richard and his backing band The Shadows. Both together and separately.

Cliff on the set of Expresso Bongo with the Shadows

Cliff was just one of a number of 'faces' of the late 1950's that came through the conduit of the legendary 2I's club in Old Compton Street, Soho, London to find fame and fortune in the music industry. At that time, it was the place to be seen, heard and  also hired. 

Tommy Steele, Marty Wilde, Wee Willie Harris, The Vipers - all names that in 1958 became household names due to an unprecedented growth in music came through this legendary coffee bar. 

The teenager was now a major player financially as well as socially in society. The old guard of tweed jacketed people in authority was now giving way to modernity. Suddenly progress was being made and the past was history.

This is the guitar and the player that made musical history  - 

Hank B. Marvin and the famous Stratocaster Cliff bought him

Backing Cliff in 1958 were schoolfriends from his hometown of Cheshunt, in Hertfordshire. Soon it became obvious that a quartet of players who orbited around the 2I's club should become Cliff's backing group. The Drifters as was, changed line-up and in 1959 became the Shadows, displacing Cliff's former schoolfriends.

Lead guitarist Hank B Marvin of the Shadows (as the Drifters name was changed to in early 1959), needed a guitar to show off his obvious talent. Cliff organised the import of the first Fender Stratocaster into the UK. A Fiesta red painted guitar, with Birdseye maple neck and gold plated hardware. Perhaps one of the most important guitars in the history of music.

It was a sensation then, in Hank's hands it became a guitar that launched the careers of thousands of guitarists who either became famous, or in most cases just enjoyed playing and still do.

Hank Marvin in 1961 with his second Red Stratocaster - 

George Harrison stated years later - 'No Shadows, no Beatles.'

Hank Marvin took the Fender Stratocaster, the Vox AC15 amplifier and the Meazzi echo machine and blended those into a cocktail of sound that remains unique. 

Hank's signature sound, whether backing Cliff or on the Shadows recordings was amazing, it was the sound to emulate, his technique the thing to follow. Even in 1964, Beatlemania had not diminished the presence in the charts of Cliff and the Shadows.

As early as 1960, Cliff had plenty to write about

Cliff was in 1960 about to help change the music scene in Britain forever. He pushed for his Recording Manager Norrie Paramor, to record the Shadows in their own right. They had a tune in mind called 'Apache' that Jerry Lordan had offered them.

When they recorded it in 1960, Cliff was on the session as a musician. The track was sensational, suddenly and indeed overnight, many bands seemed to discard their singer and reform as an instrumental band, intent on getting Hank's sound.

The Shadows continued to perform continually with Cliff until 1968

a series of reunions have also occurred over the years since.

The gift of that guitar to Hank led Hank to develop a technique that gave him a career and also helped Cliff enjoy such longevity in the music business. From that seed of generosity, you can count off a whole line of people who are famous today who were inspired by what Hank was doing - Players including Brian May, Mark Knopfler, George Harrison, Pete Townshend, Eric Clapton and many more.

Brian Epstein took the Beatles to watch the Shadows in 1963 so that they could see their stagecraft, such was their impact on music. The combined talent of the various Shadows line-ups over the years enabled both Cliff and the Shadows to enjoy lasting fame and appreciation, but their musical legacy also pushed others forward too.

In 1983 I was at last able to afford a decent guitar that fitted the bill and started to play along to Cliff and the Shadows old material, they were at the time still releasing records and doing the occasional reunion, it was a revelation and has provided me with music I still play today.

It all started with that red guitar Cliff bought for Hank Marvin.

So we have a lot to thank Cliff for. Besides that, he's a very nice chap too.