Are they playing FBI?

[JimN]

[geoff1711]

Given that it came from 4 young lads, does an body know why it was called FBI and what it stands for? surely not The FBI in the USA.

To me it's allways been F*****g Brilliant Instrumental.

Your suggestions please.

[JimN]

I'm sure that the Shadows' instrumental WAS named after the American Federal Bureau of Investigation.

JN

[Arpeggio]

Indeed it was. Like many of us of a 'certain age' (& slightly older) - everything American in the immediate postwar years in the UK seemed to be fantastic. The Shadows (all young teenagers at the time) were literally overwhelmed by their very own USA tour (with Cliff) in 1960. Plus....they apparently wanted to look slightly 'mean, moody and menacing' - adopting a slightly 'tougher' image refs "FBI" & there were some of their advisers at the time who didn't like their publicity photo for "FBI". They would've preferred Hank to be wielding a Fender & not a machine gun! (LOL).

Bests....Rob

FBI.jpg (59.32 KiB) Viewed 5598 times

[geoff1711]

Yes you're probably right but it has never sounded like the FBI to me, Dragnet sounds like a tough cop theme, you can hear native Americans in Apache, South of the Border has that Mexico sound, The Savage sounds mean, but FBI whilst probably one of their best is just too bouncy to conjour an image of tough cops.

I remember that photo from way back and always thought they were trying to look like gangsters, having said that, the only one of them who could ever pull off the "hard" look was Jet, which is odd when you think that they must have all been pretty street wise to up sticks and head south as teenagers and make it work.

Geoff

[Stratpicker]

I heard that the guys brought out F.B.I as a direct result of the hit record "March of the Mods" which has a similar beat.
Any confirmation?
Cheers
Ian

[Didier]

Aren't these girls the Crickettes ?

BTW, FBI was credited to Peter Gormley (The Shadows' manager at this time), but in fact it was composed by Hank, Bruce and Jet...

Didier

[ribiers]

..Who earn the royaties..????

[chas]

I heard that the guys brought out F.B.I as a direct result of the hit record "March of the Mods" which has a similar beat.
Any confirmation?
Cheers
Ian

March Of The Mods (Joe Loss) came out about 4 years later than FBI.

Chas.

[JimN]

I heard that the guys brought out F.B.I as a direct result of the hit record "March of the Mods" which has a similar beat.
Any confirmation?
Ian

March Of The Mods wasn't a hit until 1964, but the story goes that it was offered to The Shadows in 1960 entitled March Of The Shadows.

Obviously, the term "Mods" would have meant nothing in 1960.