Jet & the Final Tour

[iefje]

My father and I really enjoyed the shows we have attended during the past seven years. In 2004 it was the first time ever we saw The Shadows as a group in reality, at the Theatre Royal in Norwich. A year later, we went to see them in Amsterdam at the Heineken Music Hall. Then, in November 2009, it was the first time we saw Cliff Richard & The Shadows together.
I remember there was a lot of debate about who the bass guitarist for the tours should be. I have to agree though, that Mark Griffiths has done a great job, as well as Cliff Hall (as usual) and later Warren Bennett on keyboards.

[Arpeggio]

Right on! Because Warren can't really say it himself...he too has had an illustrious career - not always in the 'limelight' as it were. For starters he is an excllent guitarist and a fantastic rhythm guitar player. He's more than capable of singng both lead and harmony vocals. He is also a very skilled keyboard player. He's well - versed with studio technology too. IMHO one of his vastly underrated (& many might still not know about it) & finest projects was the 2 volume "Greatest Guitar Hits". Now, if ever something needed remastering, revising, finishing off to his own satisfaction....how about it Warren? And how about those Vibratos CDs? Fantastic. Of course I haven't even mentioned Warren's composing for various TV series and incidental music. Plus, there's all of the arranging and playing that he did with Hank Marvin both live and in the studio 1992 - 2002 and beyond. Top player. Top musician. Keith Hayman, of course, is Cliff's MD. A brilliant keyboard player / arranger - he's also a talented multi - instrumentalist / vocalist. I was at a concert given by the LSO recently. They used music stands too. I know that Cliff Hall wasn't on the last two tours - but, believe me, Cliff (H) also prefers to have the music written out wherever necessary - because he's a brilliant sight - reader and that's what he'd prefer to do too. Those final tours were FABULOUS. Yes, nostalgically, we'd love to have seen Jet. It wasn't to be and that's that. Warren, Mark and Keith (er, not to mention Hank, Bruce, Brian and Cliff!) were all superb. No question.

Rob

[StuartD]

I saw John Barry in concert a couple of times.
The whole orchestra and the main man himself had music stands.
Dreadful behaviour...
The three of us that used music stands should be ashamed.

You really ought to be ashamed of yourself Warren!! Deary me!!! They'll be complaining next you had a set list written out!!!

Stuart6

[abstamaria]

Thank you, all. I missed the earlier thread. The Final Tour musicians were excellent, but it would have been nice to have seen Jet do at least a cameo, perhaps Apache, and the 3 original Shadows on stage again. But, yes, Jet would stll have had to go on the tour and that might have been too strenuous for him. Andy

[rogb]

waffles wrote:
I saw John Barry in concert a couple of times.
The whole orchestra and the main man himself had music stands.
Dreadful behaviour...
The three of us that used music stands should be ashamed.



You really ought to be ashamed of yourself Warren!! Deary me!!! They'll be complaining next you had a set list written out!!!

What about McCartney with that setlist taped on his bass way back in 63/64

[John Boyd]

Arpeggio,
Well spoken (or should I say written) - as usual. You summed it up brilliantly.
Now, can you please fill me in with details of Warren's 'Greatest Guitar Hits' ?
It sounds like something I should be adding to my collection.
Cheers,
JB

[Bill Bowley]

'Plus, as Bruce noted: "Jet Harris left the Shadows in 1962." No - one can argue with that. Licorice wasn't involved - he left in 1963. John Rostll - deceased. Alan Jones played with the Shads between 1973 and 1987. He wasn't involved. Really, Mark Griffiths (also a fantastic player) was the man. After all he played and recorded with the Shadows following on from Alan Jones. He worked with Hank Marvin throughout the 1990s and beyond. Mark had also played and recorded with Cliff for many years. Natural progression really.

Bests....Rob[/quote]'

There's that Australian factor again - Alan Tarney did play Bass with the Shads once or twice on stage and in recordings(and did a bit of writing and production for the Shads singer as well). And there was another guitarist that contributed a bit, John Farrar?

Still, its all history now.

[hansaustria]

John Farrar and Alan Tarney had IMO nothing but absolutely nothing to do with the early Shadows. Than may be that the slogan for the tour "Reunited / 50 years" was not the right one!

Hans

[andykombi]

Dave Lawson What happend to him and the guy with dark glasses on some of the vids that show him with alan and george

[Bill Bowley]

John Farrar and Alan Tarney had IMO nothing but absolutely nothing to do with the early Shadows. Than may be that the slogan for the tour "Reunited / 50 years" was not the right one!

Hans

Hans,

They do predate Mark Griffiths though. And Alan Tarney did write and produce quite a few of Cliff's hits.