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Rodrigo is one of my two favourite Shads recordings. I am trying to get a few
facts about it. I Know it was a 1970 recording, but I wondered if anyone
would be kind enough to tell me where it was recorded, and if it was actually Hank, Bruce,
and Brian on the recording and if anyone else was involved. Info would be much appreciated.

Not 1970, but a 1978 or 1979 recording, first issued in August 1979 on the EMI "String Of Hits" LP.

Unless anyone knows better, I would say that it was recorded at Abbey Road. It is listed on the LP sleeve as featuring Alan Hawkshaw on piano and Dave Lawson on synthesisers. Alan Jones is credited on bass.

It was recorded in June and/or July 1979 and features Hank, Bruce and Brian, together with Alan Jones on bass guitar and Steve Gray's orchestral arrangements. Alan Hawkshaw only plays piano on the tracks "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and "You're The One That I Want". Dave Lawson is credited for playing synthesizers, but to my ears the strings on "Rodrigo's Guitar Concerto De Aranjuez" are only strings by a real orchestra, without any synthesizers. The location for the recording sessions is either Abbey Road Studios in London and/or The Music Centre, Wembley.

Thank you Jim. I looked up the release date on a discography
site on the net. I must have misread it. I have the string of hits cd
which doesn't give much away. My reason for asking in the first place
was because on one or two posts it seems Bruce didn't play
on some recordings. Thanks again Jim, you are certainly a
mine of information, which you are always kind enough to share.

iefje wrote:It was recorded in June and/or July 1979 and features Hank, Bruce and Brian, together with Alan Jones on bass guitar and Steve Gray's orchestral arrangements. Alan Hawkshaw only plays piano on the tracks "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and "You're The One That I Want". Dave Lawson is credited for playing synthesizers, but to my ears the strings on "Rodrigo's Guitar Concerto De Aranjuez" are only strings by a real orchestra, without any synthesizers. The location for the recording sessions is either Abbey Road Studios in London and/or The Music Centre, Wembley.

Thanks, much appreciated. I too thought it was a real orchestra.

By the late 1970s. a String synthesizer was available .
Cliff hall had used one the Arp solina. and a arp ommi .
And pro DGX at the Thank you very much concert . I have heard the track that you are on about. And i do think its dave playing
The arp solina .

No mention of a string orchestra

It's included on the With Strings Attached CD, which suggests it was recorded by a string orchestra (Steve Gray arrangement). I would imagine this (the String of Hits LP) was the last time that real strings were used on Shadows recordings.

It was the first track from String of Hits to be released as a single (with Song for Duke on the flip) in autumn 1979 but wasn't a hit (not counting Don't Cry for Me, Argentina and Theme from The Deerhunter which had already been hits). The next single off the album - Riders in the Sky (remixed) - was a Top 10 hit in early 1980. Altogether six songs from SoH came out on singles - in contrast to the 60s when it was very rare for album tracks to be issued on singles.

Ihave spoken to Warren. and there as a string orchestra

The back sleeve of the original LP 'String of Hits' makes it quite clear that there is an orchestra on 'Rodrigo's Guitar Concerto' and 'Bridge over Troubled Water'. It points out that these have been arranged by Steve Gray. It also points out that Alan Hawkshaw plays piano on 'Bridge...' and 'You're The One That I Want'. Dave Lawson is on synths on everything else.