Customer Reviews

Shadows Are Go

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

From the opening chords of "Apache," one of the true immortals of early-1960s instrumental rock 'n' roll, to the close of the Theme from Thunderbirds (the mid-1960s British marionette-based spy serial, produced by Gerry Anderson, which inspired both this CD's cute cover picture of Shadows figurines perched atop a red roadster, as well as its title, a spinoff from the series' feature-length THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO!), SHADOWS ARE GO! is THE definitive introduction to a group whose star, amid the hoopla surrounding the British Invasion and Beatlemania, never rose in the States to anywhere near the level it had in their native England. This is a shame. For the versatile, catchy twang-laden sound of lead guitarist Hank Marvin, first honed when he and fellow Shadows served as backup band for teen idol Cliff Richard (the latter since knighted), soon influenced such undisputed world titans of rock guitar as Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, and Jimmy Page, all of whom acknowledge Marvin's role in expanding their concept of what could be done with that instrument. And fans of 60s spy sagas, spaghetti Westerns, surf music, and even ska will notice, on cuts like "Man of Mystery," "Mustang," "36-24-36," and "Kon-Tiki," the pioneer source for much of the background music whose presence informed their early TV and movie memories stretching back for two generations. This twenty-three-cut selection goes a long way toward redressing the unjust neglect of a band whose work, in our brave new world of online boutiquing and Web-based discussion of our cultural influences worlwide, may yet receive its due recognition. And in a time which has seen the resurrection of numerous "retro" styles of varying degees of quality, there may be room for optimism in the end. And when you listen to this terrific collection from The Shadows, and find not a single dated cut, you, too, will see why.

This is one of the BEST instro albums I've bought in the last 4 years; NO small praise! Often referred to as England's version of The Ventures, these guys are not strictly speaking a "surf" band, though their tunes are VERY popular among the modern surf bands (see AN EVENING IN NIVRAM: THE MUSIC OF THE SHADOWS for an interesting comparison). Incredibly, I bought this without realizing it was a "greatest hits" collection. WOW! There's NOT a bad song on it! My faves are "Apache", "Man Of Mystery", "Kon-Tiki", "The Savage", "Guitar Tango", "Perfidia", "Atlantis", "The Rise And Fall Of Flingel Bunt" (rarely have I heard a slow song that was just so COOL! ) and of course, "Thunderbirds Theme". In case anyone's wondering, the cover photo comes from the feature film THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO!, in which the band made a guest-appearance-- as marionettes!

This is gorgeous stuff. Rocking. Confident. Majestic. Americans, unfortunately, never got to hear the Shads in the early and mid '60s when they ruled the UK, inspiring a flood of rock 'n' roll combos in much the same way the fabled Ventures did in the U.S. On a very personal note, my wife and I made sure we played the Shadows' incomparable "Wonderful Land" as the first song at our wedding in 1993. Composer Jerry Lordan's genius combined with the absolute magic of Hank, Bruce, Tony and Jet created a gem for the ages. No wonder its original title was "Genesis." I could go on re: the rest of the instrumentals on this collection, but you get the message. "Apache" alone changed the pre-Beatles British pop world.

I often wonder why British groups don't get played
in the USA. I've listened to the radio in the 60s
and never heard any of these songs, which were
released between 1960 and 1966. It's a shame, a
pity, and a comment on our media manipulators
(are you listening Clear Channel?).
Anyway, this is a great album of guitar instrumental
rock hits in Great Britain in the early 60s. Some
people compare this group with the Ventures, sort of
like a British Ventures. I would have to say that
this group was vastly superior to the Ventures. The
lead guitarist, Hank Marvin, was truly an innovator
with the Fender Stratocaster and studio effects.
Every time that I play this CD, I can hear more
musical detail. They really did a nice job in the
studio in those days and the remastering work on this
CD is superb.
One reviewer states that the Beatles didn't want to
sound like The Shadows. But when you listen to this
CD, you can hear how they actually did influence the
guitar work of Harrison and Lennon. It's early British
rock sound--The Beatles before the heavy George Martin
influence.
If you want to hear the music that did influence the
Mersey Beat groups, get this CD. You will not forget it.

Great LP.

This was the band the Beatles did NOT want to be, as they said so very often. It wasn't because the music stunk, they were just sick and tired of listening to the Shadows, who dominated European radio for years.

Their sound is distinctive, though hardly original. It was an idea shared by Dick Dale and a host of others.

In the hands of a great guitar player this setup, which highlights melody and removes the clutter of vocals and keyboards, can create miraculous things.

Check out "Midnight." A simple little thing, just a softly pumped rhythm guitar, brushed drums, and a mild bass, with a catchy melody picked over the top.

But you can't get it out of your head once you've heard it.

Is some of this junk? Yep. Some of the later stuff sounds like that garbage they play on Dragnet whenever Joe & Frank wander into a "teen hangout" looking for Timothy Leary.

The time and place to listen to this CD is in your car, on an open highway on the way to the beach. Very loud and very fast are a very fine combination.

(By the way, hunt down CDs by the best unknown band ever influenced by the Shadows, Love Tractor.)

First, an aside from the great music on this CD: I could have easily picked this up purely for the fantastic cover giving salutations to Gerry Anderson's Thunderbirds! The Super-Marionation pic of The Shadows hanging with Lady Penelope in her too-cool futuristic car is absolutely a work of art in itself!

As for the music, this is one of the best pop-instrumental compilations I have ever heard. While the flavor of this music is sheer California surf guitar, The Shadows hailed from Great Britain, where they were well received in the early 60s, but were later often overshadowed by sensations like The Beatles and Herman's Hermits. Similarly, music lovers here in the U.S. never took to them beyond cult popularity, which is our loss. Like The Ramones, I have great respect for The Shadows' passion and work ethic, plugging away for years, despite the constant struggle to make a big splash in the music industry; these guys kept the gig going from 1960 through 1990, which is admirable.

The tunes on this CD are some of the crispest, cleanest, most powerful surf guitar you will ever hear. Their tunes tend more toward the exotic and romantic side of this genre, staying away from the high-octane surf hits like "Miserlou" or "K-39." What keeps these slower pieces intense ---instead of mellowing--- is the crisp detail you hear in every instrument. It is not just the lead guitar stealing the show; even a casual fanboy who knows zilch about playing or reading music ---like myself--- can appreciate the bass and drums. This in itself keeps me replaying each track multiple times, always finding another beat or "twang" that I previously missed.

The Shadows' rendition here of "Apache" is possibly the first recording of the song, and in my opinion, definitely better than any other of the many covers issued throughout the 1960s.

There is absolutely nothing lame in this collection, from slick exotica like "Man of Mystery" to the sweet "Atlantis" to the almost-title-track "Thunderbirds Theme." Even if you are just a casual fan of surf instrumentals, this CD is a must-buy for your collection.

This CD really put me right back in high school in Kaiserslautern Germany. I can see the local bands trying to "Marvinize" their guitars and will never understand while Hank Marvin, Bruce Welch, and their gang never quit their day jobs. This CD is a must for anyone who played guitar in the 50s or 60s.

This band started the whole concept of what became BritishRock'n Roll. Talk about influence everybody.They did.You'll never wantto hear The Ventures again.Wonderful insrumentals. Whatever happened to instrumentals?

This quality recording presents the standard Shadows' tracks from the 60's. It contains a good mix of up-tempo and easy-listening instrumental tracks with the unmistakable playing of Hank Marvin, lead guitarist, and Bruce Welch, rhythm guitarist, throughout. Having a tighter sound than the somewhat-similar Ventures, the Shadows dominated the English pop music scene in the early 60's, and these are the songs that did it. Although the Shadows continued to record into the 90's, this is the Shadows' sound. A great cd!

These Brits were writing surf music years before the Ventures caught on. They really started it all...Neil Young is mentioned in the liner notes as one of a zillion guitarists who used them as an influence.

Kinda interesting that their sound only caught on when American bands started copying their songs. I suspect the American powers-that-be weren't happy that The Shadows were a quantum leap above the Yank doo-wop bands of the period. Listen to track 8 and honestly tell me this is a song written in 1961....I never give 5 stars out of principle, but this album deserves one. Phew!