Marvin, Welch & Farrar

[Moderne]

Yeah...that was a timely YouTube uploading. The same guy has also posted Brian Bennett's Face to Face interview with Rick Wakeman (as well as Bruce Welch's) and John Farrar's 1971 GTK interview which was on YouTube a while ago but then disappeared. Several hours happy viewing for 70s Shadows nuts!!

[Monty]

whilst a M,W, & F 'reunion' concert would be superb I don't think it's really a serious idea
(but Please DO by all means prove me wrong guys !!)

Hank lives in Australia, Bruce in UK, John in the USA - that in itself is no big issue these days of course, but I think, despite two albums of superb material plus a few other notable songs like 'Marmaduke', 'Strike A Light' also the 'Marvin/Farrar' 1973 album vocal tracks, Bruce's solo 'Please Mr.Please' and even some Shads vocal tracks the trio sang over 1975-76 ....which we would LOVE to hear them sing again, the fact is they seem to regard that period as a 'heroic failure' - 'we walked off stage to the sound of our own footsteps...' was Hank or Bruce's remark !

so I think they would very likely believe the wider public would still be yelling; 'play Apache Hank...do F.B.I.' etc, which possibly would NOT be the case now but which haunted M,W, & F who, at the time over 1971-72, sadly could never quite escape the ever looming vast 'Shadow'...of The Shadows ! (how ironic is that ?)

The 'Mike Rickfors' Hollies, Lindisfarne 'Mark 2' , and the 'new' 10cc each had similar problems despite recording some fine, indeed classic albums, the more famous incarnation of all of these groups loomed over the alternate incarnations and while we might have appreciated them - and we most certainly DID - the sad fact is the wider public just didn't...shame !

but 'never say never' and if Hank, Bruce, and John Farrar (who I understand they are still friends with) ever felt like putting the record straight and finally dragging M W & F 'Out of The Shadows' (!) and into the spotlight for a reunion concert - hopefully with Brian Bennett on drums - and any of their backup team still around (or maybe supported by younger talented figures such as Ben Marvin, Warren Bennett, etc) it would make for a great concert

.... plus hopefully a 'Live' concert DVD/CD too !

[iefje]

whilst a M,W, & F 'reunion' concert would be superb I don't think it's really a serious idea
(but Please DO by all means prove me wrong guys !!)

Hank lives in Australia, Bruce in UK, John in the USA - that in itself is no big issue these days of course, but I think, despite two albums of superb material plus a few other notable songs like 'Marmaduke', 'Strike A Light' also the 'Marvin/Farrar' 1973 album vocal tracks, Bruce's solo 'Please Mr.Please' and even some Shads vocal tracks the trio sang over 1975-76 ....which we would LOVE to hear them sing again, the fact is they seem to regard that period as a 'heroic failure' - 'we walked off stage to the sound of our own footsteps...' was Hank or Bruce's remark !

so I think they would very likely believe the wider public would still be yelling; 'play Apache Hank...do F.B.I.' etc, which possibly would NOT be the case now but which haunted M,W, & F who, at the time over 1971-72, sadly could never quite escape the ever looming vast 'Shadow'...of The Shadows ! (how ironic is that ?)

The 'Mike Rickfors' Hollies, Lindisfarne 'Mark 2' , and the 'new' 10cc each had similar problems despite recording some fine, indeed classic albums, the more famous incarnation of all of these groups loomed over the alternate incarnations and while we might have appreciated them - and we most certainly DID - the sad fact is the wider public just didn't...shame !

but 'never say never' and if Hank, Bruce, and John Farrar (who I understand they are still friends with) ever felt like putting the record straight and finally dragging M W & F 'Out of The Shadows' (!) and into the spotlight for a reunion concert - hopefully with Brian Bennett on drums - and any of their backup team still around (or maybe supported by younger talented figures such as Ben Marvin, Warren Bennett, etc) it would make for a great concert

.... plus hopefully a 'Live' concert DVD/CD too !

After the Marvin, (Welch) & Farrar period, The Shadows have included tracks by the spin-off group, notably during the 1975 and 1977 concerts and of course during the final tour of 2004 and 2005. Hank and Brian very briefly included "My Home Town" in their set during their 1994 tour. I too hope for a reunion of Marvin, Welch & Farrar, but to be honest, I don't think it'll ever happen. That is history now.

[drakula63]

No, it's very unlikely to ever happen.

Mind you, I'd be willing to bet that if Hank, Bruce, John, together with Brian Bennett, decided to tour, or even just do a couple of shows, they would sell out!!! I'd be willing to bet on it.

[Monty]

on the Final Tour DVD - screened on Sky One again recently, Hank and Bruce with the bass player (was it Paul Westwood or Mark Griffiths ?) paid a nice tribute to M W & F by singing both 'My Home Town' & 'Lady of The Morning' - which went down very well - Hank referred to Bruce and him being part of 'Marvin Welch & Farrar - Solicitors !'

M W & F are of course also represented by The Shads (Hank, Bruce, Brian & John Farrar) doing 'Marmaduke', 'Tiny Robin' (sung by John) & 'Lady of The Morning' (with added 'Shadowy' electric guitar break) on their 1975 'Live in Paris' album - 'Faithful' was another gem they did live then too (was that on the 'complete edition' CD that came out later ? I know I have it somewhere...)

If they ever were to do a 'reunion' of M W & F then a few other later vocal tracks such as Hank's 'Don't Talk' chart hit & 'China Town' (written by Marvin & Farrar) plus John's 'Recovery' (covered by Olivia) from his CBS 'John Farrar' solo album & The Shadows 'It'll Be Me Babe' & 'Run Billy Run' plus those six songs for Europe The Shads did could all be included besides the vocal M W & F and Marvin/Farrar songs (notably; 'Music Makes My Day', 'So Hard To Live With','Skin Deep', 'Love oh Love' , 'Help Me onto Your Wagon' - which Bruce sang on) & maybe even 'Galadriel (which Cliff later covered) in addition to Bruce's 'Please Mr. Please' solo single.

there IS plenty of M W & F vocal material plus some seventies Shads vocals cut with John Farrar & various solo numbers each recorded to make up a proper full concert show set list...if only

I tend to agree M W & F are history now...
but IF it ever did happen whats the betting some clown in the audience would shout:

'play Apache Hank...do F.B.I.'...!

[cockroach]

Very true Monty!

I've only got hold of and heard the MWF, and MF studio LPs and the Paris live LP stuff very recently (last 2 years or so) I hadn't really heard stuff from that period before, despite getting into the Shads as a kid in the UK when they were the Drifters with Cliff on Oh Boy.

I think the Paris live LP is amongst the best live stuff they did, and will have to stand with the Final Tour DVD/CD and the Live Kingston CD as the best of their live stuff for all time.

On the Paris live LP I was surprised how they 'updated' some of the 'holy classics' like Apache, without howls from the audience!

[Fenderman]

The two albums by M, W & F are superb but the 1973 M&F album seems a little strange, the whole album has an air of gloom around it. Hank later said it was the worst album he ever made, he said it was like the Beach Boys meet Frankenstein!

[Iain Purdon]

That may be simply that the idea was running out of steam. Bruce was no longer involved and John Farrar, like Alan Tarney, had plenty more in the pipeline that eventually wouldn't be Shads related.

[alewis41]

The two albums by M, W & F are superb but the 1973 M&F album seems a little strange, the whole album has an air of gloom around it. Hank later said it was the worst album he ever made, he said it was like the Beach Boys meet Frankenstein!

I remember the "Beach Boys meet Frankenstein" quote and the comment about them losing direction, but I have never heard the "worst album he ever made" quote. The only album I knew Hank really hated was the Shads "Live in Japan" album.

Do you have a source for the M&F worst album quote?

Thanks,

Andrew

P.S. For what it's worth it's my favourite Hank album!

[Moderne]

The two albums by M, W & F are superb but the 1973 M&F album seems a little strange, the whole album has an air of gloom around it. Hank later said it was the worst album he ever made, he said it was like the Beach Boys meet Frankenstein!

I remember the "Beach Boys meet Frankenstein" quote and the comment about them losing direction, but I have never heard the "worst album he ever made" quote. The only album I knew Hank really hated was the Shads "Live in Japan" album.

Do you have a source for the M&F worst album quote?

Thanks,

Andrew

P.S. For what it's worth it's my favourite Hank album!

I agree, Andrew. I'm sure Hank never said it was the worst album he ever made! Just drop the needle on side 1 track 1 - So Hard to Live With. What a great song! OK, Galadriel is a bit over the top - but it was 1973! Nobody Cares is another Hank gem - and the nearest he's ever come to writing about his religious beliefs, I guess. Such a shame it wasn't a successful album and Hank and John never followed it up...