The Frightened City

[Fenderman]

Just watching the 1961 film The Frightened City and i'm just wondering, was the opening title version of the song by The Shadows? The guitar does sound like Hank and Norrie was the musical director of the film (i think he appears somewhere in a small role as well). Perhaps the Shads re-recorded it for a single release?

[cockroach]

I have a feeling this has been discussed before?

IIRC, the Shadows recorded this after the film came out, (as they did with Man of Mystery the previously existing TV show theme)so it probably wasn't their version, or any of them playing on it- I don't think they were working as session players at that time...more likely the guitar on the film soundtrack was played by a session player who could read music which was essential for film process work (time cues etc)

[Iain Purdon]

It has indeed been discussed before! Here's the previous thread, which in turn refers to an even earlier thread!

http://shadowmusic.bdme.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=12744&p=90445&hilit=frightened+city#p90445

[Derek Mowbray]

This subject has been discussed before fair enough ,as I recall from reading the music papers at the time ,it was said that The Shadows were out of town at the time the sound track was recorded but a group of session musicians could reproduce sounds identical to The Shadows so it could have been anybody .As far as I know The Shadows did not play on film sound tracks of French Dressing or The War Lord .

[JimN]

I have a feeling this has been discussed before?

IIRC, the Shadows recorded this after the film came out, (as they did with Man of Mystery the previously existing TV show theme)so it probably wasn't their version, or any of them playing on it- I don't think they were working as session players at that time...more likely the guitar on the film soundtrack was played by a session player who could read music which was essential for film process work (time cues etc)

The film was released in the UK in August 1961.

See: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054898/releaseinfo?ref_=tt_dt_dt

The recording by The Shadows (though as you say, it was not used in the film) had been made on 18th February 1961 - six months earlier.

It was recorded under that title (rather than a working title), which seems to suggest that the film tie-up was a done deal by the turn of the year.

[JimN]

The Frightened City was recently shown on TV and I have it recorded. If anyone is interested, I'll do an audio dub of the guitar music (some of which accompanies a female vocalist at a "club") and put up a link.

[UlrichS]

The Frightened City was recently shown on TV and I have it recorded. If anyone is interested, I'll do an audio dub of the guitar music (some of which accompanies a female vocalist at a "club") and put up a link.

That would be great, Jim. Many thanks in advance.

[George Geddes]

The group who appeared in the film were The Cannons, whose sax player later joined Jet and Tony's band...

George

[Moderne]

Is that the same Cannons who recorded I Didn't Know the Gun Was Loaded on Decca and the magnificent Bush Fire on Columbia? Well, I never knew that. I used to play the See for Miles Instrumentals compilation which included that (latter) song over and over again when it came out around 1985!

[Billyboygretsch]

Norrie Paramour from the film score. There is some use of a tremolo at the end but doesn't sound like Hanks style. I suppose it was a session man of the day - Vic Flick, Big Jim, Little Jim ?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sMxG2ypy7lA