The Shads but different

[iefje]

As someone born (established?) in 1958, I never really knew The Shadows until Summer Holiday at which point the line-up was Hank, Bruce, Brian & Licorice. To me, Jet and Tony were another act altogether producing records such as Diamonds.

At that age, personnel changes are not really noticed that much; you just enjoy the music, so when John Rostill appeared in Wonderful Life it was just a different face. Only later was any musical style differentiated between the various artistes.

MWF was a great band which just didn't receive the attention it deserved. Their lyrics, melodies, harmonies, guitar-work were second to none but unfortunately it seemed that this was a move too far for Shadows "fans" who wouldn't allow them to progress in their musical styles.

The Shads have had their ups and downs like everyone else, ranging from the sublime, (such as Curly Leads, Tasty), to the ridiculous (any number of mid-to-late 80s "what can be covered next" albums).

To only be interested in the Hank, Bruce, Jet & Tony era is doing the whole band a disservice; they are so much more than that.

I agree! When applying the term "That Sound!" to The Shadows, in my opinion, it is not only the sound on "Apache", "Man Of Mystery" or "F.B.I." (the Marvin-Welch-Harris-Meehan period), but every sound The Shadows have made.

[Amanda]

Hi,

Perhaps all future "That Sound" threads should be called Those Sounds.

I agree, there are many different Shadows sounds!

Amanda

[drakula63]

I listened to Second Opinion last night and, as expected, I enjoyed it tremendously and it just cemented my belief that this period is unjustly overlooked by many. Had this album have been recorded by John Lennon or Paul McCartney, for example, then it would be regarded today as a classic. Songs such as Black Eyes, Simplify Your Head, Thank Heavens I've Got You and Let's Say Goodbye are just astonishing. I've always loved Lady of the Morning, ever since I heard the live version on Paris Olympia, but the song is in good company on this album, with not a duff track amongst them. Tiny Robin would (or could) have been a Christmas number one, had it been released as a single; similarly, I feel that Lonesome Mole would have set the charts on fire if more people had got to hear it. And what about the rather unusual and a bit unsettling Strike a Light, a bonus track on the CD and possibly originally a B side. I could go on for ever. I really do believe that it's an overlooked gem, hence the fact that I have bought it four times on LP (two stereo, two quad) and twice on CD. I wish that this album (and group) could receive some kind of proper recognition - maybe if one of their songs was used in a film or something - as I really do get tired of hearing about how brilliant other groups of the time were and never hearing MW&F mentioned at all.

[RalphG]

"Lady Of The Morning" is a favourite of mine from the MWF era -- great vocals and Hank's lead is a standout.

[Shad1]

I agree totally with drakula - the two MWF albums were absolute classics full stop. They captured the era perfectly, they were brilliantly recorded (Second Opinion won an award as the best produced album as I recall), the songs themselves were beautifully crafted and executed with total commitment - and were just great songs!
Right now I'm reading a biography of The Eagles and their first two albums bombed (including Desperado) - they eventually became classics (platinum) after their later success - how I wish that had happened with MW&F as I think that the best of MWF compared very favourably with The Eagles.

Malc.

[alewis41]

The Marvin and Farrar album is actually my favorite of the 3, with Nobody Cares being my favorite track.

[Moderne]

I agree with all the above comments. I agree with Andrew that Nobody Cares is a magnificent song - a rare occasion when Hank refers to his faith in his writing. I'd love to have seen MW+F live in the early 70s. The Marvin + Farrar live set on the Cliff in Japan/Cliff Goes East live double LP is also superb, close to if not on a par with 'Live at the Paris Olympia for superb-ness!! The oriental-style Flingel Bunt and Keep the Customer Satisfied are stand-out tracks from this set for me. All the 'non-believers' I've ever played MW+F to over the years have agreed how good it is!
It wasn't until about 20 years after his death that Nick Drake's LPs began to receive widespread acclaim which shows that it's not unusual for great music to go relatively unnoticed for a long time, although Marvin, Welch, Farrar did receive a lot of promotion when they were a current act.
(NB...I'm not saying I want any of them to die!!)

Clive

[Tab]

I seem to remember an interview (it may have beeb Cliff or even Bruce or Hank - long term memory isn't that good) where it was stated that the engineers at EMI at the time regarded 'Second Opinion' as the best album that they'd ever worked on. did anyone else see this interview? Jim, you've probably got a clip somewhere!

[ecca]

The harmonies and sheer quality of stuff done during the MWF period rivalled Crosby Stills and Nash and yet it remains virtually unspoken.
Love it to bits, played regularly, Tiny Robin.... superb.
Ecca

[suboA21]

MARMADUKE!!!!!!!!!!!! Wonderful Anti-War protest song along side Silvery rain a very early Eco-warrior protest. Who'd of thought the Shads would be rebellious!!!!!

By the way Stuart (post #9) Love your Harmonica work. Pity they didn't use you to re-record your intro to Time Drags by on the Re-union album! (it was you wasn't it?)

Steve