Re: "Greatest Guitar Hits". It's so long ago now that I've forgotten the precise date - but I'm sure that someone else on the site (possibly even Warren himself) will put me right. But.......c.25 years ago now (1986 / 1987??) Warren undertook a project for Coombe Music. Now.....this is long before the Vibratos. But.....in a way a similar concept. I believe that 20 tracks were recorded - covering classic Instrumental hits ranging from "Raunchy" to "Samba Pa Ti". IMHO this was a wonderful project. Warren was the producer and he and Mark Griffiths did all of the arrangements. The tracks were recorded and mixed both at Battery Studios (London) and Honeyhill Studios. The engineers were Anjali Dutt, Jerry Peel and Dick Plant. Nick Payne played sax on a few tracks. Cliff Hall played keyboards on "Green Onions" and "Time Is Tight" -Warren played keyboards on the other tracks as necessary. Otherwise, the line up was: Mark Griffiths on lead and rhythm guitars, Warren on bass guitar (plus occasional keyboards) and....Brian Bennett on drums. Brian's involvement was on a genuine business level - he insisted on being paid the standard session fees - to him it was Warren's project.
The tracks were: Apache / Foottapper / Time Is Tight / Memphis / Raunchy / Walk Don't Run / Shazam! / Wipe Out / Chariot / Pipeline / Red River Rock / Telstar / Green Onions / Let There Be Drums / The Cruel Sea / Beatnick Fly / Peter Gunn / Albatross / Riders In The Sky / Samba Pa Ti
It was all pretty low profile - a great shame as the tracks are brilliant. Now, let's just say that an 'enterprising' gentleman in Holland decided to release two 14 track CDs - with the 20 Coombe Music tracks 'bolstered' by 8 other cuts from different sources. However....to 'boost' sales - he noted on the covers "Featuring A.O. Brian Bennett From The Shadows". When word reached the Shadows organisation - they were not best pleased, neither were Polydor, neither was Brian Goode. But.....neither was Brian Bennett. When he undertook the project with Warren he'd basically wanted to remain anonymous so as not to take anything away from Warren's own efforts. The CDs were withdrawn and copies are now very difficult to find.
I've just been playing them again.Those 20 tracks are superb and surely deserve a wider audience. I recall talking to Warren several years ago when he mentioned that 'one day' he'd like to remaster and remix the tracks and 'Finish them off properly'. Maybe that time is now? How about it Warren? I reckon the project is definitely worthy of re - appraisal and a possible re - release. Dare we hope??
Bests.....Rob
