Shadows vocals ... and other aspects of their appeal

[Moderne]

I would guess Pulaski was included on Simply'... because it was a TV theme which Brian had been commissioned to write and thus would be promoted on the weekly TV show...and the originals on Steppin' were great but I would imagine were included as a result of considerable lobbying of the record company. The final Polydor LP - Reflection - didn't include any original material (apart from a couple of the tunes on Shadowmix). Hank had an opportunity to be a bit more creative on his solo LPs but ultimately this was more in terms of arrangements than in original material. At least he's been allowed one original track on each of his last few solo LPs...

[JimN]

Despite having no original material, The Shadows' final album, "Reflection", was head and shoulders above "Moonlight Shadows", "Simply Shadows" and "Steppin' To The Shadows".

The reason for that is the more imaginative arrangements, especially on the older ex-chart material such as: Sealed With A Kiss, Uptown Girl, Strawberry Fields Forever, Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart and You'll Never Walk Alone.

The retro guitar sounds on Sealed With A Kiss were a great example of the superiority of the album. Who was expecting the tremolo effect?

[MikeAB]

I don't buy this stuff that Hank/Shads could not record what they wanted to - hundreds of minor artists get their material out on CD somehow and if they'd tried harder they would have done so. I think Hank's move to Australia caused them to do more covers as he would have been saying 'make the backing like the record and I'll know how to work out the lead guitar', and of course we always assume they could have produced new material but maybe just had run out of ideas, or energy, or both.

[drakula63]

The 'problem' was probably this.

The Shadows were primarily known as a guitar instrumntal group and had a very strong image and following in this respect. However...

Guitar instrumentals (from the Shadows) had not been in vogue since the mid 1960s, apart from their brief singles chart renaissance in the late 1970s. So, in a way, the Shads were stuck with a sound and image that wasn't going to appeal to the mass market - certainly as far as singles went - unless they compromised. They had tried with generally little success to go down the 'vocal' route, so I suppose it seemed logical to attach their unique sound to well-known songs/tunes that the general public would recognise.

As a fan, what I wanted was albums like Rockin' With Curly Leads and Specs Appeal, but the general public seemed to want String of Hits, Moonlight Shadows, Simply Shadows, Hits Right Up Your Street, etc... etc... Guardian Angel was another attempt at producing an album with 'unfamiliar song titles' - and look what happened.

I think it was going to be guitar versions of famous songs or nothing, unless they and the record company were happy to sell 10,000 copies per album. Which would have been insane in the 1980s.

As a point of interest, I still haven't heard 'Reflection' (apart from the odd track) and so now that I have the box set I shall be playing it for the first time! I was aware of it in 1990, but looking at it in the record shop, I just couldn't be bothered. I believe it got to number 6, which more or less proves my initial point.

Paradoxically, the aforementioned String of Hits (and Shades of Rock) is one of my favourite Shadows albums. And I think as soon as String... got to Number 1, the next ten years were pretty much set in stone. They did, as has been stated elsewhere, put some vocals on their later albums and these were mostly good, but a whole album of Shadows vocals was probably too much to hope for.

[Moderne]

I don't buy this stuff that Hank/Shads could not record what they wanted to - hundreds of minor artists get their material out on CD somehow and if they'd tried harder they would have done so. I think Hank's move to Australia caused them to do more covers as he would have been saying 'make the backing like the record and I'll know how to work out the lead guitar', and of course we always assume they could have produced new material but maybe just had run out of ideas, or energy, or both.

The problem for The Shadows is that they were...The Shadows! I remember Warren B once on this website saying "Think yourselves lucky you're Shadows fans and not Freddie and the Dreamers fans." When you've scaled the heights of the entertainment industry, had no.1 albums etc. as The Shadows had, you become addicted to a certain level of fame: sell-out tours, top 10 albums, TV appearances...etc. Of course they could have released albums of original material if they'd wanted to (on small 'cottage industry' labels) but the sales would have been tiny and would have put them on a downward spiral whereby it would have been far more difficult to still do the packed tours, TV shows etc. etc. I remember Bruce being very negative when it was suggested that he could release solo vocal albums. Why would he want to spend time recording an album which only a few hundred people would buy when he'd been part of one of the biggest groups in the history of pop...that was his viewpoint, and I totally understand that. They'd already started again once with MWF...'trooping offstage to the sound of our own footsteps at Batley Variety Club' and it wasn't a very nice experience for them.

The Guardian Angel story is still a bit baffling to me; it seems like a self-fulfilling prophecy - the Shadows didn't promote it when they toured live at the time, the record company hardly promoted it - and surprise, surprise it was a flop.

I never bought Reflection when it came out for the same reasons as Chris - but take on board Jim's comments about it; maybe I need to get hold of a copy and have a listen.

I'm sure this has been discussed before and I'm sure I've been sucked into posting messages about it...but it's still an interesting subject for discussion - and having lived through the 70s-80s Shadows career resurgence (even though I wasn't born when they had their initial burst of fame in the early 60s)... I can still remember my heart sinking when I looked at the track listing on the String of Hits LP; I'd spent two years creating this role of 'Shadows' ambassador to the young'...trying to convince my fellow pupils at school that they were a meaningful alternative to Led Zeppelin, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Boomtown Rats, Elvis Costello etc. even when my friends were going 'twang-twang-twang-twang-twang-twang-twaang-twaang' (to the tune of Argentina) and falling around laughing! And now a whole album of covers!

One final question - back onto the topic...although I'm sure I remember this being discussed before too. How come Love Deluxe wasn't a hit? Commercial song, great vocal from Bruce, nifty arrangement and production, lots of radio plays... As big a mystery to me now as in 1978!

[Fenderman]

I'd often wondered why Bruce didn't record a vocal album in the 90's as he is a very good vocalist, he could have got some writers in, arranged a small band and do something similar to what Hank did on Words and Music but as above, it probably wouldn't sell in big numbers. I think he did do a small tour in about 1993 but i don't know how successful it was.
As for Love Deluxe, great track but probably not a hit as it wasn't 'the Shadows sound' and is about the only disco single they released. There was quite a few good singles released that never charted for some reason.

[Uncle Fiesta]

... I think it was going to be guitar versions of famous songs or nothing ...

If that's the choice - I'll choose nothing!

Any other established band is allowed by their record company to write, record and release their own compositions, indeed they are expected to.

Covers bands never escape from the pubs and clubs circuits. Why the Shadows would want to go back to that, or why fans would want them to, is something I will never understand.

[Bojan]

In my opinion, they were quite good vocalists and they should have worked more on developing their own vocal style, just as they had created their own unique instrumental sound and style, instead of trying to emulate other fashionable vocal groups or cover already popular songs. They were more than capable of writing their own songs, or, for example, recording songs written by unknown yet very talented foreign songwriters. A case in point is "I Can't Forget" and "Running Out of World" from the Split Festival, written by local songwriters and beautifully arranged by Norrie Paramour. Both songs were very much in the style of The Shadows and I think they remain among their best vocal numbers.

[MikeAB]

I have a long held theory that whilst not necessarily their personal favourites EVERYONEactually likes Shads music and Hank's sound in particular - whatever they are playing as long as it's obviously them or him. The only reason a lot say they don't is simple fear of their peer groups!

Plenty of evidence - largest street crowds ever for Andy playing Shads in northern cities, everyone I know gushing about my (very ordinary) playing of Shads if they hear it 'oh I love the Shads' etc etc. People subconciously humming or whistling along when a Shads tune is on - wherever they are, shops etc etc.

Wishful thinking maybe - and maybe only us old folks - but maybe not though.

[artyman]

The wife of the Youth Pastor at my church asked me last night if it was me playing Shads stuff when she heard me playing a few days ago. I said yes, and she related how her father was a Shadows fan and she loved the musics, so it does cross generations. When playing sixties stuff at a Carnival last summer the PA guy (probably in late twenties) said you can't beat good old rock & roll, so there is an appetite for older music amongst younger folk.