Maroc 7.

[Fenderman]

I agree, did they really think at the time Dear Old Mrs Bell was going to be a hit? I know they probably did a vocal as the last 2 instrumental singles hadn't sold well but they could have released something a lot better or were they past caring by this point?

[Monty]

'Dear Old Mrs. Bell' has an interesting strings arrangement but the lyrics were just dreadfully 'twee' -much like The Dave Clark Five's absolutely awful 'Tabatha Twitchet' (which has terribly silly lyrics - and a tremendous 'cutting' bass guitar !)

These were 'observational' songs probably inspired by Paul McCartney's 'Eleanor Rigby' and Ray Davies ' Dedicated Follower of Fashion' hits - The Searchers final PYE single; 'Second Hand Dealer' (1967) was a typically Ray Davies style song studying a person etc...

Both DC5 & Shads singles seemed to go over to the other side of the (then massive) Generation gap by picturing elderly ladies - which kids wern't going to 'give a monkeys' about were they...?

so putting 'Mrs Bell' (Ding Dong Ding Dong...) as 'A' side immediately 'lost' most if not all of the younger audience...and probably made The Shads look as silly as playing 'Wishie Washie Bishie Boshie' or whoever in Aladdin etc in most kids eyes...hence liking them was seen by some as 'naff' by then !

on the other hand Hank's 'Trying To Forget...' was a great production job that surely should have been the 'A' side ?

but then the driving 'Late Night Set' eclipsed by far the enjoyable but hardly Earth shattering or memorable 'I Met A Girl' (1966)

and mere 'B' side; 'Running out of World' by the group was FAR superior to Hank's solo (nice for parents) but pretty 'naff' for most of the rest of us 'London's Not Too Far' (which had zilch chance of charting in truth) that took the 'A' side - and guess what..it flopped !

I was surprised Hank's rather tuneless vocal 'Break Another Dawn' topped the glorious 'Morning Star' as a solo single in 1970 (surely that ought to have been the other way around ?)

so WHO exactly was advising The Shads re their image & their choice of singles 'A' sides around that 1966-69 period ?
talk about loading the gun, taking careful aim...then shooting yourself in the foot !

you really do wonder IF by that time they had got past caring....?

In 1968 Cliff/Shads; 'Don't Forget To Catch Me' (while pleasant) got HAMMERED in the singles reviews of Music papers at that time too !

The Shads often got singles wrong later on too I feel - wouldn't 'God Only knows' (single version), 'Parisienne Walkways', 'Riders of The Range', 'Nights in White Satin', 'Queen of Hearts', 'Dancing in The Dark' (12inch single version) even 'Memory' ....have scored better as 'A' sides than say numbers such as; ' 'Telstar', 'Treat Me Nice', 'Missing', etc which all sank as singles... ?

[JimN]

'Dear Old Mrs. Bell' has an interesting strings arrangement but the lyrics were just dreadfully 'twee' -much like The Dave Clark Five's absolutely awful 'Tabatha Twitchet' (which has terribly silly lyrics - and a tremendous 'cutting' bass guitar !). These were 'observational' songs probably inspired by Paul McCartney's 'Eleanor Rigby' and Ray Davies ' Dedicated Follower of Fashion' hits - The Searchers final PYE single; 'Second Hand Dealer' (1967) was a typically Ray Davies style song studying a person etc... Both DC5 & Shads singles seemed to go over to the other side of the (then massive) Generation gap by picturing elderly ladies - which kids wern't going to 'give a monkeys' about were they...?

Well... things really weren't as black as that. Other quirky observational songs of the time were hits. Observation was in.

What about Except From A Teenage Opera (Grocer Jack)? Or New York Mining Disaster 1941? Itchycoo Park? Mathew And Son? Or even <FX:drum roll.......> Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields Forever?

The Shads often got singles wrong later on too I feel - wouldn't 'God Only knows' (single version), 'Parisienne Walkways', 'Riders of The Range', 'Nights in White Satin', 'Queen of Hearts', 'Dancing in The Dark' (12inch single version) even 'Memory' ....have scored better as 'A' sides than say numbers such as; ' 'Telstar', 'Treat Me Nice', 'Missing', etc which all sank as singles... ?

Dancing In The Dark (12" single version) was a single...

[Fenderman]

Even some of the LP tracks at the time were questionable, for example 'Last train to Clarksville' would have been much better as a vocal and 'The Letter' would have been a better choice for a single, their version of 'Cathy's Clown' would also have been better as a vocal. Holy Cow should have been left unreleased.
I'm surprised 'Tomorrow's Cancelled' was a flop, it was really adventurous single but perhaps far too removed from their usual sound.

[Monty]

'Penny Lane' and 'Strawberry Fields' were surreal observational songs, while Cat Stevens' 'Matthew and Son' was cutting social comment - and I never said observational songs were OUT - but songs with very twee lyrics re little old ladies wern't really ever likely to appeal to the younger singles buying market - as they clearly didn't !

while 'Dancing in The Dark' extended version was on an unpromoted 12 inch single many probably didn't even know existed....as by that time The Shads singles had drifted back out of wider public attention - had they chosen their singles a bit better WITH better promotion they might have enjoyed longer chart success