The Shadows BBC Radio and TV sessions recording dates

[Arpeggio]

Aha!! Many thanks Ashley. Now I know how Hank & Bruce sometimes feel when they can't remember something from many years before!! Yes.....I'd forgotten (partly) about updating my own notes. You are quite correct about "Jet Black" / "Driftin'" (20 / 6 / 1959). I spent countless hours ploughing through contracts and PBLs (Programmes - As - Broadcast - Logs) at the BBC. These logs are incredibly detailed - but occasionally (not very often though) flawed. The Shads (Drifters) had a contract for 20 / 6 / 1959. Of course - at that time - the actual contract itself didn't specify if they were to perform any numbers in their own right. They were mainly contracted (especially during 1959) to back Cliff -which they did on several numbers on that programme. On the PBL - there are only numbers by Cliff listed. As I said - these PBLs (for any programme) were remarkably detailed and, by large, I trusted them to be 100% accurate (as in 99% of cases they were). I think that there were occasional problems when some programmes were broadcast live. Although it's partly conjecture - years of experience would probably suggest that these are reasonable assumptions. Although Cliff's actual slot was live (very risky at the time), most of S Club was pre - recorded. Although Cliff's slot was 'live' - the numbers to be performed would have been agreed beforehand and so they were typed into the PBL for that particular show. S Club was mostly put together during the preceding Tuesday / Wednesday. Whoever typed up the PBL probably didn't ever listen to the actual programme itself and so no retrospective changes were made to the PBL. I would surmise that (for whatever reason) it was discovered / predicted during the transmission itself that 5 more minutes or so of music was required. At that time - Cliff was a stickler for rehearsal / preparation and probably didn't want to 'risk' unrehearsed numbers on live radio. So...that's probably why the Drifters were pressed into service with "Jet Black" and "Driftin'". So...yes....I'd forgotten about the impromptu "Driftin'"!! What sealed it years later was the emergence of a tape of the performance which undoubtedly came from the very same programme & it was a live show. There must have been a similar scenario behind "Guitar Boogie". Had Bernie Andrews not taped that....it would have been lost forever.

"Dooby Dooby Wah" - I'm still not 100% convinced about that one. It's not listed on the tracks recorded sheet (PBL) for that particular show. Now - these (19 / 3 / 60) were all on pre - recorded tape. On those studio sessions PBLs - I have not found any omissions or errors. Plus - apart from "Cerveza" (1959) - from 1960 onwards the Shadows never performed any item on the BBC that they didn't subsequently record officially (Oh all right - "Lara's Theme" from 1968 - which Hank recorded).

"Dance On" / "Foot Tapper" / "Nivram" ( 8 / 63). The BBC Contracts department was run like a military operation. The Shadows have no contracts stored at the BBC between Saturday Club (13 / 7 / 63) and Saturday Club (28 / 3 / 64) - apart from "Blackpool Night" (28 / 7 / 63) which was broadcast live from Blackpool itself. It's my belief that those three tracks were utilised on some kind of BBC Transcription Disc service and I believe (though I can't prove it 100% of course - it's just an educated guess) that they are more likely than not 3 of the 4 "Star Show" tracks.

Jet & Tony only ever made one BBC Radio music appearance - on "Easybeat" (Feb 10th 1963) performing "Footstomp" and "Diamonds" (taped on Feb 6th). Jet didn't make any solo appearances on the Beeb & neither did Tony. Jet was on just two 'chat' shows - "Pop Inn" (5 / 2 / 63) - chatting to Pete Murray about "Diamonds" and "It's One O'Clock" ( 7 / 8 / 67) - talking to his old chum Wally Whyton about attempting to revive his career with "My Lady".

Bests.....Rob

[rollercoaster]

A quick correction concerning Ash's question and others comments about the lack of logging in ther PsB's (Bernie would prefer them to be expressed that way ).....

Dooby Dooby Wah does appear in the logs, and in Bernie's own 'Dead Sea Scrolls' notebooks, which contain other programme information, fees etc). 'Dooby' was featured in the 19.3.60 'programmes as broadcast' from Saturday Club (addendum 2). The typists did make errors, the writer is listed as Ballens instead of Valens. 1 minute 40 secs if anyone is interested. Followed by 3.30 Blues (actually 2:00).

As far as Guitar Boogie is concerned, this failed to get logged at all but it was on the tape made in the studio and definitely broadcast, but without and intro or outro, probably because it led up to the news summary and they were short of time; hence the fade out part way through. Maybe the studio clock failed....

And yes, I'm still working on the Cliff & Drifters CD, it should be out soon. Will announce it here with a tracklist as soon as it is finalised. Then a Drifters Vs Shadows LP & CD I suppose!

[JimN]

Some of the "performances" mentioned in lefje's list (and in some of the above suggestions) were in fact mimed, not played live.

I remember watching "Aladdin" on ITV on Christmas Day 1967. Me Oh My may well have been used as part of the performance, but I feel sure that it will have been mimed and not sung live. Another Shadows number on the same programme was borrowed directly from the "From Hank, Bruce, Brian and John" LP which had only just been released a couple of weeks earlier: Snap, Crackle And How's Your Dad?, with the group sitting round on chairs with Hank and Bruce on electric guitars, Brian B on drums and John Rostill "playing" the bass part on a small toy piano.

I bet that show still exists in the Archbuild Ltd archive (it was obviously pre-recorded and they eventually purchased the Associated-Rediffusion and Rediffusion-London back catalogue).

JN

[John Boyd]

John,
Your post brought some most welcome news!
Along with countless other Shadows fans, I eagerly await the release of some new (or should that be old)
Shads material. My 10" Cliff and The Drifters LP gets a regular playing and is a prized item in my music collection.
Keep the music coming.
Cheers,
JB

[Arpeggio]

Curioser and curioser. As a history student in a former life - I am naturally open to 'revisionist' theory - especially with regard to empirical evidence. As John Beecher is in possession of the late Bernie Andrews' priceless (to Shadows fans) collection of BBC tapes and his own notebooks then I can't really argue if he maintains that "Dooby Dooby Wah" and "3.30 Blues" were indeed broadcast on Saturday Club on March 19th 1960. Bernie's preferred nomenclature for the Programmes As Broadcast Logs notwithstanding - as John specifies that both of the above mentioned tracks are documented for that day......then I am happy to admit that the tracks therefore must have been on Saturday Club that day.

But....let me explain my stance thus far. The Programmes As Broadcast Logs do not physically exist any longer as printed documents, indeed that has been the case for nearly half a century. I spent countless hours researching this topic at the BBC Written Archives Centre at Caversham, Berkshire. The paper copies of the Shadows' BBC Contracts exist there in folders. But....to find the precise tracks which were recorded / broadcast, it's a fiddly, extremely time - consuming process to find the Programmes As Broadcast Logs - which are stored on huge reels of microfilm. The present day BBC staff refer to them as PABs. The last time I checked...the only people to access these files (because they have to be signed in and out) were....Peter Lewry, Nigel Goodall and....myself. No - one else has ever checked them. Peter & Nigel only checked the Shadows material with regard to backing Cliff.

In other words...the only person to have trawled through the Shadows PABs is myself. The reason that I have always been so adamant that "Dooby Dooby Wah" and "3.30 Blues" were not BBC recordings is as follows. All I can say is that.....on the PAB log for Saturday Club (as held on microfilm at the BBC Archives as mentioned) 19 / 3 / 60 "Dooby Dooby Wah" and "3.30 Blues" are most definitely NOT listed there.

As John says, typos occasionally crept in (Hank Karvin, Bruce Welsh, Tony Meecham etc). Plus...we now know...that (again occasionally) tracks could be missed out for some reason. To 'lose' one track would be careless, to 'lose' two...... If it was a classic serious blunder by the BBC then....I must revise my BBC listings. Is there anyone out there who actually recorded the programme off - air and can confirm 100% once and for all......did the Shads perform "Dooby Dooby Wah" (surely one of the Shadows worst ever performances of a vocal number by the way) and "3.30 Blues" on SC that day?? The other thing that made me doubt was (about 25 years ago!!!!) I was sent (by way of trading) a tape (by whom now I have long forgotten!!) with some Shadows BBC material - including SC (19 / 3 / 60). "Jet Black" and "Bongo Blues" sounded really good with clear sound - but "D D Wah" and "3.30 Blues" - supposedly from exactly the same source sounded absolutely dreadful (sound -wise) - very 'Luxy' in terms of sound. I am prepared to eat humble pie if someone can provide the definitive evidence. So I'm puzzled that John has a PAB which lists the tracks....but....on the official BBC 'document' (held in their own archives)...the tracks are not listed. Even after 50 years or more....there's still interest and debate!!!!

Bests.....Rob

[StuartD]

Just a couple of points:

In the Alladin show at Christmas the Shadows
played Snap, Crackle and How's Your Dad.
I know because I was waiting for Gennie!!
Also, on another Christmas show, the Shads
backed Jimmy Tarbuck on the old Betty
Everett song 'Its in her Kiss'
I am sure that Jim will know of these

Regards
Stuart