Relations between Jerry Lordan and Shadows' individuals

[Iain Purdon]

'Santa Ana' is an overlooked gem on 'Sound of...'

Overlooked?

[Moderne]

the sheer number of 'Simply Shadows', 'Moonlight Shadows', and 'Hits Up Your Street' (LPs & CDs) I often see in charity shops selling for 50p or 99p seem to support my view....(you could argue they sold more, but people don't seem to want to hang on to them...)

...however I don't often see copies of 'Curly Leads', 'Specs Appeal', 'Live in Paris', or 'Tasty' let alone the earlier albums

.

That's because they ("Simply Shadows" etc.) were TV advertised and sold about ten times as many copies - which is why The Shadows remained a high-profile band who toured most years throughout the 80s in top venues and probably earned a fortune compared to the 70s. Very disappointing at the time to hardcore fans like me (!) but looking back they took the (very lucrative) path of least resistance - as has been discussed here many times before.

Regarding Jerry Lordan - he had a slight resurgence as a writer in the late 60s...writing with Hank and with Cook and Greenaway (Morning Star and, of course, Sacha for Hank and Conversations for Cilla Black). He even took the photo on the cover of Hank's 1969 solo LP! I believe he visited Hank in Australia once (I'm remembering an old Pipeline article...) with a view to them working together but sadly Hank was preoccupied with another project at the time so Jerry returned to Britain - a bit of a sad story (if true).

[Fenderman]

Jerry Lordan released a single in 1970 called 'The old man and the sea' which is a real rarity now, copies sell for quite high amounts as it sold very poorly on release sadly.

[Monty]

Yes 'Santa Ana' was overlooked beyond the fanbase - how many Shads compilations have you seen it on ? (just one I think) which is a shame...

[Moderne]

I agree, Monty, but I don't think they had a huge amount of leeway in the 80s regarding song choice on their LPs...it was largely dictated by the record company. I think Hank has had a bit more free choice on his post-Shadows solo albums. And I don't think they could have sustained sell-out tours throughout the 80s purely on the strength of their 60s hits. The world had changed by the time of their Final Tour' - they weren't taken for granted so much as they had been...it was a huge event that they were embarking on their first tour for 14 years - and it was their last.
I do think it's a shame that they didn't employ a more contemporary sound continuing in the vein of Tasty...ie not relying so much on bland synths. The Hellecasters demonstrated how modern guitar instrumentals should sound admirably when they were making albums, I think.
I totally agree that it's a shame Bruce's rhythm became less and less noticeable...I guess Bruce saw the role of rhythm guitar as decreasingly relevant at the time. They always wanted the 'Shadows' sound to be contemporary so that it wouldn't alienate the newer generation of record buyers. Bruce has always understated his own importance/contribution to The Shadows sound...referring to his ability to play three chords!

[MikeAB]

I'm always browsing cheap and second hand CD's and never see the Shads.

[Fenderman]

The reason they didn't tour Guardian Angel was due to the poor sales, it only made number 98 which was their lowest seller since 1977's Tasty. I like Guardian Angel and still believe the title track would have been a hit single, although Brian Bennett seems to be using a drum machine.
I believe they did do a few smaller club dates at the time though.

[JimN]

The reason they didn't tour Guardian Angel was due to the poor sales, it only made number 98 which was their lowest seller since 1977's Tasty. I like Guardian Angel and still believe the title track would have been a hit single, although Brian Bennett seems to be using a drum machine.
I believe they did do a few smaller club dates at the time though.

They were touring theatres in the UK whilst "Guardian Angel" was on sale. This was in the summer of 1984 - I saw them three times on that tour, just in Kent: Dartford Orchard Theatre, Chatham Central Hall and Margate Winter Gardens.

Although the LP was on sale in the foyer, they never mentioned it on stage and certainly never played a single track from it.

[GoldenStreet]

Jerry Lordan released a single in 1970 called 'The old man and the sea' which is a real rarity now, copies sell for quite high amounts as it sold very poorly on release sadly.

Yes, sadly Jerry's career as a singer was destined never to amount to a great deal, apart from the 1960 Parlophone singles, of which Who Could Be Bluer reached 16 in the chart. Interestingly, The Old Man And The Sea, is arranged and conducted by George Martin...



Bill

[Fenderman]

I quite like 'Who could be bluer', recorded it off the radio when Brian Matthew played it on Sounds of the sixties.