Who Are These Shadows??

[Paul Creasey]

Hello Iain,
Our messages must have "crossed in the post" - but I'M all for it too!
More power to the Bert North's of this world - "ploughing your own furrow" is no bad thing in music, and I'm pleased to learn that the Watford club is receptive to this sort of thing.
Regards
Paul

[d jones]

Hi all somebody mentioned the album DARK SIDE OF THE SHADOWS this album has nothing to do with the SHADS or the the album that this post is about. Dark side of the shadows is by an American country rock/blues band who are also called the shadows,they released about six albums during the 1990's. they sound very much like the Fabulous Thunderbirds who's lead guitarist was originally Jimmie Vaughan the older brother of the late blues/rock legend Stevie Ray Vaughan
Hope this helps

Dave

[stratmantd]

This abomination is also being sold on Amazon under the title The Shadows. The sleeve shown does not mention Dance On. It says that it was originally released on 17th August 2009. A strange time to release an album of your tracks played in a totally different style when you're really wanting to promote the Reunited album.

Methinks someone has tried to jump on the Last Chance To See.... bandwagon hoping to make a few bob.

Oh, and I'm not a "that sound" geek; there is no "that sound".

If someone played in the style of these guys at a clubI was a member of I would immediately go out for a fag break until they'd finished. That's after giving up on the fags 6 months ago. If they continued to play versions such as these, I would leave the club because it's not the music that I'd be there to hear/play.

Mike Oldfield did a great job with Wonderful Land, Brian May & Status Quo played a great FBI and The Shadows improved on Temptation. The Twang album had musicians playing their versions of classic Shadows songs without losing the essence of the songs themselves.

I would like to know why these people have released this album as The Shadows and who gets the royalties for it.

[Stratpicker]

When is someone going to have the moxy to play alternative versions like these at a Shadows Guitar Club, I wonder?.....and what would the response be??
Regards
Paul

Who cares about the response, Paul!! I'd just LOVE to have a stab at that "FBI" with a band of the liked mined Players! Brill!!
cheers
ian

[dusty fretz]

Hi Tom,
I'm intrigued by all this furore about anybody daring to mess with original arrangements. I'd like to hear the results and judge for myself if or not they succeed. You say this album is available on Amazon, is that UK or USA and just where/how do I find it on their website? Your assistance would be much appreciated.

[Tone]

Hello Iain,
Our messages must have "crossed in the post" - but I'M all for it too!
More power to the Bert North's of this world - "ploughing your own furrow" is no bad thing in music, and I'm pleased to learn that the Watford club is receptive to this sort of thing.
Regards
Paul

Hi

As a regular attender at Watford club meetings (and others where Bert North plays) I can fully endorse Iain's remarks and when I've got a new guitar I always ask Bert to play it so I can hear from the audience what it sounds like and how it should be played. I'd also add that when Bert chooses to play a Shads tune "straight" he does it brilliantly. MOM and The Savage are good examples. The only down side for me is that, more often than not, the playing order dictates that I immediately follow Bert and wish I hadn't bothered!

Sorry to digress from the original thread topic.

Cheers.

Tony

PS This is my 100th post. Do I get a gold star or similar?

[stratmantd]

Hi Dusty,

it can certainly be found on Amazon UK.

If you search under mp3 dowloads for "shadows dance on" you will get a list which contains a 4 minute version of Dance On. If you click on the album name (The Shadows) you will be taken to a page giving the full album.

I suspect it will be the same for Amazon US.

Regards,

Tom

[stratmantd]

Searching for Vanilla OMP (the label this is released on) I have found what appears to be a full list of their releases on emusic.com.

So far I have found an album of Shads covers by a band called Midnight Diamonds which is straight covers.

Out of over 600 albums on that label, the one that we are talking about does not appear. I find that mighty suspicious as to its origins.

[dusty fretz]

Hi Tom,
Many thanks for your detailed instructions, with which I was able to find the offending album on Amazon UK. I certainly agree that the title is very misleading, but I must admit I actually found the novel treatments of old favourites very refreshing and enjoyable. The radical de-construction and re-arrangements involved recall an album entitled 'Teleride' by American guitarist Jerry Swallow, who similarly succeeded in putting an entirely new slant on done-to-death instrumentals such as Pipeline, Walk Don't Run etc. It's nice to hear something different for a change, rather than yet more slave-ish re-creations, which can seem rather redundant after the real thing. I'm not saying these revamped versions are better or worse, simply that I like the fact someone's taken the trouble to explore different angles in terms of instrumentation, structure etc., as it takes a lot of musical imagination to come up with drastic departures that still work.

Contrary to information shown on Amazon and elsewhere, the other album you mention is actually called ' Midnight Diamonds' and the performers are Beyond The Shadows. This was originally released in 2000 on the Geranium label.

[cockroach]

Paul

You may be aware that some years ago, Colin Pryce-Jones of the Rapiers recorded a superb and imaginative solo guitar instrumental album which essentially did the opposite of recording existing classic guitar instrumental hits with different arrangements, sounds and styles..

He re-arranged and recorded a number of hymns and religious songs using the styles and sounds of some of the classic guitar instrumental tracks and the bands and artists who recorded them. Looking at the list of track titles, it might not seem likely to be the sort of thing Shads fans etc might usually consider...but please give it a listen if you can find it on CD or on YouTube...

The album was/is called 'Guitar Heaven' and I'd recommend the album unreservedly.