NEW CD FROM HANK

[drakula63]

Neither The Shadows nor Hank have ever, to the best of my memory offhand, issued an album which was all self-composed (Est 1958 comes close).

I don't expect an album of all originals. I don't even want it. What would be nice is an album full of music that works as instrumentals. Hope springs eternal...

Rockin' With Curly Leads comes pretty close too...!!!

[Monty]

'Rockin With Curly Leads' is my own all time fav Shadows album - almost 'all original' with just two covers of a Who medley & Beach Boys classic - both interpreted in a strong manner, with The Who song(s) given recognisable Shadows treatment (on 'Pinball Wizzard') then going more complex on 'See Me Feel Me' & the original yet faithful take on Brian Wilson's 'Good Vibrations' (as on 'God only Knows' later) putting a Shads guitar for each Beach Boy voice & using those modern effects so well (presumably the John Farrar influence on the lads) plus some great all original instrumentals with really adventurous playing by all, yet 'Years Away' & 'Gracie' (both Farrar tracks) are still so typically 'Classic Shads' instrumentals both with STRONG melodies
(surely each were worth a single.... ?)

A few years later they MIGHT have put out as singles their fine covers of Gary Moore's 'Parisienne Walkways', Martin Jenner's 'Riders of The Range', Dave Edmunds hit 'Queen of Hearts' , and their fine cover of The Moodies classic 'Nights in White Satin' as each were strong melodies that went well on the guitar thus made very CREDIBLE covers that SUITED The Shads style so well and were played in a recognisably classic Shads style......

'Eastenders' was pretty much the nadir of the 80's Polydor covers period formula of :

Grab any well known recent chart hit song or well known theme, then strip off any vocal & put in it's place Hank's guitar (often sounding like a bored Hank on 'auto pilot' !) reeling off the same lines...plus tons of 'trendy keyboards', 'modern thumb played bass' - to sound 'modern' and 'contemporary' - with Brian forever laying down a 'Disco' beat and those infernal 'Disco drums' effects (which was like, say, George Best forever just playing 'keepie uppie' with a football....)....plus Bruce just grinning away and apparently 'polishing his (silent) guitar' ....

....and call it 'Simply Shadow'...of The Shadows !

or 'Hits right out of the Bin' etc...

much as I miss The Shads....if they were still doing those dreadful Polydor albums of covers I'd have long given up on them...just think, by now we'd be probably be getting Shadows covers of One Direction, Lady Gaga, and Miley Cyrus songs !!!

[JimN]

I couldn't agree more, Geoffrey. And RWCL is definitely my favourite Shadows album.

[Twang46]

I couldn't agree more, Geoffrey. And RWCL is definitely my favourite Shadows album.

At the time that was released I really thought the Shads were moving on but after John F left it all went a bit flat again until the revival tours.

Dick.

[drakula63]

Brian Bennett has often said that RWCL was his favourite Shads album and he regards it as their best.

A missed opportunity with the new album from Hank - surely he SHOULD have included one of the most famous 'summer' songs of all time; especially as it was written by his old band mates! Oh well...

[Stratpicker]

I love a Riddle!
If you mean "Summer Holiday" Hank did a rather dreary version on "Hank Plays Cliff".
Or is it another Summer title?
Gizza cloo
Cheers
Ian

[MartcasterJunior]

If Hank included Summer Holiday on this album he may well find that his former bandmates earned more from it than he did.

[donna plasky]

Just my little two cents...I will always buy a copy of any LP that Hank releases, no matter what the cover photo looks like, no matter what music genre, and no matter what the song titles are. I like some of his LPs more than others, but I've found that I cannot predict whether I'll like it or not until I actually hear it. I say that from personal experience -- some LPs I thought I'd love weren't really to my liking once I actually heard them. And others that seemed great when they were announced, they fell a little short of my expectations when I actually pressed "Play." But in any case, LPs don't cost a lot of money, so I will always buy it and if I don't like it, I just won't play it, I'll play something that I do like. If enough of us don't buy Hank's new LP, he might not get another record deal and/or he might not want to bother recording anything more in the future. I don't want either scenario to occur.

When one of Hank's albums had "Eleanor Rigby" listed, I thought I probably wouldn't like it. Lots and lots of people have covered that song, and I thought I'll only ever really like the original. It turns out that I love Hank's interpretation of it. I don't expect everybody else to feel that way, and I'm not trying to change anybody's mind. My only point is that sometimes - at least for me - you have to wait to hear something before you know if you like it. And the cost of one LP will not bankrupt me. At the same time, buying concert tickets and the price of possible travel and lodging that might go with it...that's a different story. Ergo, I won't be traveling to NY to see Sir Cliff in the Morrissey concert (not trying to derail this thread). But an LP, that I'll buy, without hesitation.

So, while "California Girls" doesn't exactly pique my interest, since I haven't heard it yet, I won't decide ahead of time. If I'd have dismissed "Eleanor Rigby" for the same reason, I would have done myself a disservice.

Thanks for listening.

Cheers,
Donna

[ecca]

Rocking with Curly Leads I found disappointing.

[iefje]

Rocking with Curly Leads I found disappointing.

What did you find disappointing about it?