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Another milestone today I think: the recording of Hank's concert at the Royal Symphony Hall in Birmingham, 25 years ago and released in March, 1997 as the 24-track VHS video and the 21-track album "Hank Plays Live". Apart from a handful of live recordings made at other concerts when Hank appeared as a special guest, this is the only virtually full live document of Hank's stage show. It contained a mixture of Shadows hits and favourites, some rock 'n' roll classics and a good selection of tracks from Hank's solo albums up to that point: "Sacha" from "Hank Marvin", "Pipeline" from "Into The Light", "Live And Let Die", "Heartbeat" and "Oxygene (Part IV)" from "Heartbeat" and "Living Doll", "Travellin' Light", "The Young Ones", "Move It", "Devil Woman" and "Summer Holiday" from "Hank Plays Cliff".

Did anyone attend this concert?

I was there with my then pregnant wife. We also went to the one in Wolverhampton. I am on the DVD very briefly, edge of screen, my wife was off shot. We were on the front row just along from a load of Cliff fans who had obviously found out he was making a guest appearance.

bob t wrote:We were on the front row just along from a load of Cliff fans who had obviously found out he was making a guest appearance.

Ah yes, I know that some Cliff fans were there who I've seen at Cliff & The Shadows fan meetings.

I remember the VHS video and album were scheduled to appear in the Autumn or Winter of 1996, at about the same time as the "Hank Plays Holly" album and I was somewhat disappointed that we eventually had to wait until March the next year. However, it was worth the wait and the "Hank Plays Holly" album included the live version of "Heartbeat" from the 1995 concert as a taster!

I was there...with The Temebeats - four kids who were in the Guitar Club at the school where I used to teach, and who appeared at a Pipeline convention in 1996. It was a great night! The roar when Cliff appeared! I got home (to Worcester) in time to see film of Cliff and Hank doing Move It! on the late local news.

bob t wrote:I was there with my then pregnant wife. We also went to the one in Wolverhampton. I am on the DVD very briefly, edge of screen, my wife was off shot. We were on the front row just along from a load of Cliff fans who had obviously found out he was making a guest appearance.

I watched this last night and looking at your photo i think i saw you at the far left (i think) you were wearing a checked shirt? Not sure....

Fenderman wrote:

bob t wrote:I was there with my then pregnant wife. We also went to the one in Wolverhampton. I am on the DVD very briefly, edge of screen, my wife was off shot. We were on the front row just along from a load of Cliff fans who had obviously found out he was making a guest appearance.

I watched this last night and looking at your photo i think i saw you at the far left (i think) you were wearing a checked shirt? Not sure....

Yes, wold have been far left, can't remember what I was wearing but could have been a check shirt. I can't look at the DVD the moment as they are all boxed up while we decorate.

Moderne wrote:I was there...with The Temebeats - four kids who were in the Guitar Club at the school where I used to teach, and who appeared at a Pipeline convention in 1996. It was a great night! The roar when Cliff appeared! I got home (to Worcester) in time to see film of Cliff and Hank doing Move It! on the late local news.

I remember reading that it was at this concert that Cliff forgot some of the words to his very first single! Because it was filmed for video, he had to come on stage again and 'surprise' Hank and the audience again to sing the song. I think after his first entry on the stage and forgetting the words of "Move It", Cliff, Hank and the band first did a rock 'n' roll medley, probably the familiar one which Hank also did earlier in the show and is also on The Shadows' "Live At The Paris Olympia" album.

This concert was actually on 15th December 1995.
I was twiddling the knob on stage left as usual.
The sadly missed Pete May was on drums for this tour.
Cliff came on at the end to sing Move It and forgot the words.
He looked over at me and I couldn't remember them either!
If it's of any interest here is my cue sheet for the show.

I always enjoyed the humour and general happy feel of Hank's later concerts,

At Crawley Leisure centre ( now demolished and replaced by blocks of flats), and other venues, Hank would play the intro to Move It, then stop playing and ask the audience "We were expecting Cliff" or Where's Cliff? ( cue the odd reply of "Fell off his wallet"!). Then someone would press a switch, and a joke scarecrow figure would shoot up from the back to the sound of a whoopi type noise. Hank would comment that Cliff had lost a bit of weight. This resulted in general laughter and applause, but at Crawley, Cliff in person, ran on and sang Move It, with the extra verse. The audience, including yours truly, were stunned for a moment, then clapped with abandon!

When Cliff ran off, Hank said "My son Ben is amazed at how fast he moves".

Shame this was (I think) never caught on film.

Kindest regards,
Christopher