Football World Cup - Spot the Ball ?

[tonykiek]

Did you know that the Shads did a version of Spot The Ball ? I think this may have been an original television theme for the Spot The Ball competition (on the BBC ?) a few years ago. Perhaps someone can enlighten me if this is not the case.

I've never heard anyone post this tune on this or any other site.

I've put the BT and demo up onto the OzzieTrax website at http://www.turningpointcd.com/page6.htm
in the section Shadows originals & covers where you can hear it.

I've also put up the BT and demo for Spider Juice, another little known Shads effort.

[JimN]

Did you know that the Shads did a version of Spot The Ball ? I think this may have been an original television theme for the Spot The Ball competition (on the BBC ?) a few years ago. Perhaps someone can enlighten me if this is not the case.

Hi, Tony,

Not the case.

Spot The Ball was released in 1982 on the B-side of the single Treat Me Nice (Polydor POSP 439), and was a group original written by Marvin/Welch/Bennett. Given Brian Bennett's other activities, it is possible that the tune was offered as a sports theme by a library (eg, KPM, House Music or similar), but there is nothing in the public domain to suggest that Spot The Ball was anything other than a catchy title for a melody and arrangement which sounded a bit like a sports theme. The recording was later reissued on CD, first on the Pickwick disc "Dancing In The Dark" and later on the Polytel 3xCD set "Complete", available only via mail order.

"Spot The Ball" is the title of a newspaper competition run by some regional (and maybe some national) newspapers in the UK. I'm sure you know that the premise is that a picture taken during a football (soccer) match is published, with the football itself airbrushed out. Competition entrants have to try to guess where the ball is on the unedited photo and mark the spot with an X.

Not remembering any TV programme with the title "Spot The Ball" - whether from the BBC or anyone else - I checked out the internet bible of TV and film: http://www.imdb.com. There is no programme by that title listed. Was it shown in Australia?

I've never heard anyone post this tune on this or any other site.

I think that many fans, despite the recording having published three times, have never heard it. 1980s B-sides (for both The Shadows and Hank Marvin) seem to be relatively unfamiliar to the general fanbase. It's easy to make the mistake of thinking that every casual fan collects everything and knows as much about the subject as the average poster here - well, it ain't so!

I've put the BT and demo up onto the OzzieTrax website at http://www.turningpointcd.com/page6.htm
in the section Shadows originals & covers where you can hear it.
I've also put up the BT and demo for Spider Juice, another little known Shads effort.

Nice one, Tony.

See you in September?

Best wishes,

JN (SMSE)

[iefje]

It was also available on the great 1998 See For Miles compilation CD "Shadstrax", consisting entirely of The Shadows' 1980's originals.

[Steve Jackson]

Hi Jim & Tony

I think from memory the TV programme was called "On the ball" whilst as Jim says the newspaper competition was Spot The ball
Regards
Steve

[tonykiek]

Thanks for your replies Jim, Ivo & Steve.

Daniel Martin has volunteered to do the lead guitar track for my Spot The Ball BT so I'll post it in the sound files page when finished.

[stratmantd]

Then of course, there's the debate about which composition is a group original and which isn't. To take an example, Hank wrote "The Day I Met Marie" for Cliff in 1967 and later on in the year the group recorded it themselves. Other examples are "You're The One That I Want", written by John Farrar and "We Don't Talk Anymore" and "Some People", both written by Alan Tarney, all of them later recorded by The Shadows. Can those be classified as originals?

Of course they can't. That is a ridiculous suggestion as I am sure you know.

The Day I Met Marie could be considered to be The Shadows version rather than cover version as the song was written by Hank and both versions had Hank playing and were recorded at roughly the same time. (I use the word roughly in its widest sense)

The other 3 songs were cover versions pure and simple, and songs not really suitable as instrumentals into the bargain.

A proper example to use would be Throw Down A Line. The ORIGINAL recording is by Cliff & Hank. MW&F performed their VERSION on their eponymous album. As Hank wrote this song, the MW&F recording can be seen as the author's version. Anyone else recording it would be producing a cover version.

As John Farrar was not a member of The Shadows at the time he wrote YTOTIW their recording could NEVER be described as an original; it is a cover pure and simple. If John had recorded the song himself then that would be his version but the original was by Livvie and Travolta.

Alan Tarney was never a member of The Shadows although he played bass for them for a number of years; he was just an employee. This makes using him as an example even more tenuous than John Farrar.