Early video of the Shads and Apache

[drakula63]

I believe it was directed by Jack Good. Cliff refers to it in his book "Me and My Shadows". It's on a par with Jet's "Man From Nowhere" (with him standing on a glass stage, from "Just for Fun") for coolness!

Ta. It's a fantastic piece of work.

[Pinner Fan]

On a far more important note (!) is the 'jumper' that Tony is wearing the one he wore on the first album cover ?

[Iain Purdon]

how film producers passed over Jet I'll never know

I think he was considered for a speaking part in The Young Ones but reliability issues were taken into account...

[EJK]

On viewing this video again (much clearer version) it always surprises me that no others were made for follow up singles etc. If they had it would have left a tremendous record of the original line up in all their glory as the film gives a true image of them at that time before the "corporate" image of matching suits and guitars.

I wonder what the reason(s) were for not pursuing this.

[GoldenStreet]

Bruce got his Jazzmaster probably in early 1960, and used it until march/april 1961 when Hank and him got the rosewood neck strats from JMI.
He can be seen playing the Jazzmaster on some videos.
Didier

This picture of Cliff and the Drifters on stage at the Birmingham Town Hall, with Bruce playing the Jazzmaster, was taken on 1st July 1959, and as far as I'm aware their only appearance at the venue that year. It is the earliest date referenced photo (it appears in Bruce's 1989 autobiography dated as 1959) I've come across so far featuring the guitar.

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Bill

[Moderne]

I doubt whether Bruce and Jet would have been playing Jazzmaster and Precision bass respectively in July 1959. That photo was on the back of the "21 Today" LP by Cliff+Shads which came out in 1961.

[Billyboygretsch]

In the first video and the one with the tele they use different amps I think the jazzmaster one they are vox what amps are being used in the tele video . Can't identify them on my small screen

[JimN]

Bruce was still using the Vega guitar, and Jet one of the Framus/Besson basses, as late as the filming of "Expresso Bongo" towards the end of 1959.

Incidentally, I wonder what Cliff made of the description of him in the New York Times review of "EB" from March 1960?

http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=940CE7DA1230EF3ABC4B52DFB266838B679EDE

[GoldenStreet]

I doubt whether Bruce and Jet would have been playing Jazzmaster and Precision bass respectively in July 1959. That photo was on the back of the "21 Today" LP by Cliff+Shads which came out in 1961.

I agree there has to be an element of doubt about the year, despite the photo caption in Bruce's A Life in the Shadows book, but was Cliff still wearing the 'pink' jacket in 1961? The picture could well have been used retrospectively on the 21Today album sleeve.

Bill

[GoldenStreet]

Certainly, the evidence of the all Fender instrumentation in mid-1959 is looking pretty thin. This picture (rather poor quality) is from a contemporary TV news item relating to one of a series of teenagers 'jive-nights', staged by the local council at the Battersea Town Hall on 30th July, 1959. The gentleman in white on the left is the 'beat poet' Royston Ellis, being accompanied by the (still then) Drifters.

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Bill