Burns Era and Lineup Question

[Iain Purdon]

Apart from TV appearances when John used a J-bass it is difficult to be sure without eye witness accounts. We know that the Burns bass was clapped out by 1969 so he could have needed to use a J-bass on other occasions. John's favourite instrument was his own J-bass and we again need witnesses to say whether he used it on any recording sessions. Also, was the white J-bass seen on TV his privately-owned bass and was it already white? Rob Bradford is John's biographer and Chris Jarvis is a Rostill specialist. Maybe they can help here?

[iefje]

Apart from TV appearances when John used a J-bass it is difficult to be sure without eye witness accounts. We know that the Burns bass was clapped out by 1969 so he could have needed to used a J-bass on other occasions. John's favourite instrument was his own J-bass and we again need witnesses to say whether he used it on any recording sessions. Also, was the white J-bass the same privately-owned bass and was it already white? Rob Bradford is John's biographer and Chris Jarvis is a Rostill specialist. Maybe they can help here?

Didn't he also use a Jazz Bass in the film "Wonderful Life"? Or was that a Precision Bass? I'm referring to the scenes where they play "On The Beach" and "Do You Remember".

[Iain Purdon]

That was the white P-bass formerly used by Licorice. Indeed, in On The Beach John is also miming to Lic's playing!

[cockroach]

From things I've read in biographies about other players and groups, it seems that, as with the Shadows, the ownership or possession of some gear was sometimes by the group and/or its management (by lease or endorsement arrangement with suppliers? )rather than the individual members.

It seems that Licorice took over Jet's bass, and John Rostill took over Lic's when he left...

Another example was the Gibson (or Epiphone?) bass in the Yardbirds - which was used by Paul Samwell-Smith, then Jimmy Page, then Chris Dreja...

I would guess that there were others.

[GoldenStreet]

Another example was the Gibson (or Epiphone?) bass in the Yardbirds - which was used by Paul Samwell-Smith, then Jimmy Page, then Chris Dreja...

I'm pretty sure it was the Gibson EB2 bass, the Epiphone equivalent being the Rivoli, which usually featured the altered shape pickguard.

Bill

[StuartD]

Can't really recall, but was this the only time John played a Jazz Bass?

Michael Hurll, the show's producer, died on 18th September, aged 75.

Bill

Hi

It's in an earlier posting.

Regards

Stu

[cdma1014]

Hi iefje,

I am sorry for delay in replying your question.
I have seen The Shadows on the porgramme of TV Tokyo on 18th June, 1967.
Bruce was introduced by the host Bruce was a leader of the Shadows and he spoke for Hank, Brian and John.
The host also introduced The Shadows the best electric guitar band in the world.
"Spring Is Nearly Here" was/is popular in Japan and still being played by the Japanese Shadows copy Bands.

Yaeko from Tokyo.

[donna plasky]

Hi. Just a quick thank you to Clive and Iain and others who offered explanations about live performances vs. miming for television appearances. You have really helped me to understand things that had not even occurred to me before. I previously held a pessimistic point of view about miming, falsely thinking that it was either because at certain venues, you must simply do as you're told. Or in some cases (not saying this applies to The Shadows) that it's just easier to mime than to play live.

I am very impressed that The Shadows went to all the trouble to record a special version of those songs (like playing Move It on Burns guitars) and then mimed to their own recording, rather than playing it live and having it sound poor on TV, or just simply miming to a Stratocaster version of Move It. I would suppose that such attention to detail and quality is one of the many things that makes The Shadows so special.

Kind regards,
Donna

[Iain Purdon]

Much as I'd like to agree with that, it wasn't the Shadows but the TV companies who operated that way. A lot of TV shows do that to this day. When you see a band on TV, it may be live singing to a backing track the band made, or total miming including the singing, or some of the music/vocals on track and the rest added live.

Live shows too! In the Shadows Final Tour, the DVD of which was taken from live performances in Cardiff, carefully watch Mountains of the Moon and ask yourself how much was live and how much was pre-recorded....

[JimN]

I am very impressed that The Shadows went to all the trouble to record a special version of those songs ... rather than playing it live ... or just simply miming to a Stratocaster version of Move It.
Donna

Not sure what might be meant by "a Stratocaster version of Move It".

The record of Move It does not feature any of The Shadows, and certainly doesn't feature a Fender guitar of any description.

JN