Alternative tracks.

[humdrum]

Why did The Shadows (& Cliff) record 2 versions of a track that was used in a film? IE...Footapper..Les Girls etc. why not release the best take & use it in both the film & on disc?....For instance like the Beatles did in their films?

[iefje]

Why did The Shadows (& Cliff) record 2 versions of a track that was used in a film? IE...Footapper..Les Girls etc. why not release the best take & use it in both the film & on disc?....For instance like the Beatles did in their films?

I understand that it has something to do with certain rules by a British organisation (some other forum member will know the name, I'm sure!), connected to filmmaking. It stated that versions of tracks used in a film must be different from the record versions. I believe this applied to all of Cliff's films from "Serious Charge" to "Wonderful Life" and also The Shadows' sole film "Rhythm & Greens". From "Finders Keepers" onwards, these rules were eliminated, so that the film versions and record versions were identical, although "Finders Keepers" did feature an extended version of "Oh Senorita", which was released on CD in 1996.

[JimN]

I don't know that there were any contractual rules which forced the use of specially-recorded tracks in movies. It's probably more to do with the fact that the music had to be edited to fit in with the length of time allotted to them within the film and probably also that the film companies wanted exclusive licensed use of the music without having to pay a residual fee every time the film was shown at a theatre or on television.

Think about it using "The Young Ones" as an example. Very few of the songs are played all the way through in the film. Only Friday Night, Nothing's Impossible, the Theatrical Medley and The Young Ones are featured in "full". Even Got A Funny Feeling is shorn of its (IMHO, brilliant) guitar solo, and The Savage and Peace Pipe are each reduced to a fragment.

This changed with "A Hard Day's Night": every song was featured in full and the Parlophone George Martin-produced original tracks were used. There was no practical reason why they couldn't be.

Both "Rhythm And Greens" and "Finders Keepers" feature the full versions (even though some of the R&G tracks are extended by editing).

[Hank2k]

I always wondered this with the young ones, the film version sounds very different tonally cliffs voice and hanks playing

[humdrum]

It's a shame because the takes recorded for disc are invariably better & have obviously had more time spent on them.

[GoldenStreet]

The Savage and Peace Pipe are each reduced to a fragment.

This certainly applies to Peace Pipe. If I recall correctly, early on in the youth club, following a song by Cliff, the scene ends with all of about 20 seconds of the tune, which is unfortunate given the quality of the full composition.

Bill

[humdrum]

I don't know that there were any contractual rules which forced the use of specially-recorded tracks in movies. It's probably more to do with the fact that the music had to be edited to fit in with the length of time allotted to them within the film and probably also that the film companies wanted exclusive licensed use of the music without having to pay a residual fee every time the film was shown at a theatre or on television.

Think about it using "The Young Ones" as an example. Very few of the songs are played all the way through in the film. Only Friday Night, Nothing's Impossible, the Theatrical Medley and The Young Ones are featured in "full". Even Got A Funny Feeling is shorn of its (IMHO, brilliant) guitar solo, and The Savage and Peace Pipe are each reduced to a fragment.

This changed with "A Hard Day's Night": every song was featured in full and the Parlophone George Martin-produced original tracks were used. There was no practical reason why they couldn't be.

Both "Rhythm And Greens" and "Finders Keepers" feature the full versions (even though some of the R&G tracks are extended by editing).

[LANKY]

The Beatles did release more than one version of certain tracks, including A Hard Day's night (very subtle differences I think between the single and album versions). The journalist Mark Lewisohn has written exhaustive (and exhausting) tomes on all the alternative tracks that are out there. Love me do featured Ringo on drums on the single and Andy White on the album version. It's nice sometimes to hear different versions of your favourite tracks.