Marvin, Welch & Farrar: 50 years

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Re: Marvin, Welch & Farrar: 50 years

Postby JimN » Tue Mar 23, 2021 3:49 pm

MikeAB wrote:I saw them twice and have no recollection of them being advertised as 'The Shadows featuring--' at all. Nor do I recall anyone shouting for Apache or anything else by the Shads. I remember being quite excited when it was John who played the guitar solo in Black Eyes as it seemed to suggest some excellent dual lead recordings were in the offing later on.
A shame they did not make it, but peer group pressure amongst any new group of young listeners would not have allowed it anyway. Shads fans should have been interested and appreciative - I was, and I suspect all proper 'die-hards' were as well.
Mike


I expect that the "calls for Apache" happened a couple of times but have been magnified by the passage of time. Likewise the tale of walking off to the sound of their own footsteps. It might have happened a time or two, but even in a social club, the compére would have whipped up some applause at the end of a spot. It isn't likely to have happened many times.

I never saw Marvin, Welch & Farrar. Not even in the summer of 1972 when I was working in a band in London and could easily have accompanied our girl singer (besotted with John Farrar, and, as it happened, with me) on one of her many night-off trips to see them at the London Palladium (it was a summer season). I'll always regret that.

But I did see Marvin & Farrar (with Mo Foster, Pat Carroll and a drummer whose name always escapes me) in chicken-in-the-basket cabaret in Liverpool in 1974. They certainly didn't get shouted requests for Apache or FBI (though they played both of them) and definitely didn't walk off unapplauded.
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Re: Marvin, Welch & Farrar: 50 years

Postby JimN » Tue Mar 23, 2021 3:51 pm

GoldenStreet wrote:
MeBHank wrote:They might not have been happy with the recorded results of their harmony singing when they were young and just starting out, but thirty years of experience (not least the time spent with Farrar) meant The Geordie Boys became harmony singers who could contend with the world's absolute best.

Certainly, they were disappointed with their 2i's efforts to emulate the 'brother' harmonies of Don and Phil, and probably those with the Five Chesternuts, but to this day I still derive full enjoyment listening to the vocals on the eponymous first album.


What?

Even That's My Desire?

;)
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Re: Marvin, Welch & Farrar: 50 years

Postby GoldenStreet » Tue Mar 23, 2021 5:03 pm

JimN wrote:
GoldenStreet wrote:

Certainly, they were disappointed with their 2i's efforts to emulate the 'brother' harmonies of Don and Phil, and probably those with the Five Chesternuts, but to this day I still derive full enjoyment listening to the vocals on the eponymous first album.

What?

Even That's My Desire?

;)

Probably not the greatest song ever written, but then the perfect album has never existed! :)

Bill
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Re: Marvin, Welch & Farrar: 50 years

Postby manofmystery » Tue Mar 23, 2021 6:40 pm

The drummer was Andrew Steel on the 1972 tour.
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Re: Marvin, Welch & Farrar: 50 years

Postby Fenderman » Tue Mar 23, 2021 8:55 pm

Uncle Fiesta wrote:Well I don't think Love Deluxe sounds much like the Moody Blues but will agree that Simplify Your Mind has the Who written all over it!


Simplify your head features a slightly angry Marvin vocal, in my mind anyway.
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Re: Marvin, Welch & Farrar: 50 years

Postby Teflon » Tue Mar 23, 2021 11:22 pm

GoldenStreet wrote:......... Probably not the greatest song ever written, but then the perfect album has never existed! :)

Bill


Nothing wrong with the song, but it's not the best example of their vocal prowess ;) . It has a certain charm though, and both Hank & Bruce are (as we all know) both talented singers, despite that particular arrangement. :)
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Re: Marvin, Welch & Farrar: 50 years

Postby iefje » Wed Mar 24, 2021 11:08 am

For those of you who are looking for a copy of the quadraphonic issue of the "Second Opinion" album for a bargain price, see https://www.ebay.nl/itm/Marvin-Welch-Farrar-Second-Opinion-Quadraphonic-pressing/203313381644?hash=item2f566c010c:g:YLEAAOSwxCVgTjKn
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Re: Marvin, Welch & Farrar: 50 years

Postby StuartD » Wed Mar 24, 2021 11:58 am

Quote from Jim Nugent

"I never saw Marvin, Welch & Farrar. Not even in the summer of 1972 when I was working in a band in London and could easily have accompanied our girl singer (besotted with John Farrar, and, as it happened, with me) on one of her many night-off trips to see them at the London Palladium (it was a summer season). I'll always regret that.

But I did see Marvin & Farrar (with Mo Foster, Pat Carroll and a drummer whose name always escapes me) in chicken-in-the-basket cabaret in Liverpool in 1974. They certainly didn't get shouted requests for Apache or FBI (though they played both of them) and definitely didn't walk off unapplauded.[/quote]


Hi Jim

The drummer was Andrew Steele, formerly of The Herd
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Re: Marvin, Welch & Farrar: 50 years

Postby JimN » Wed Mar 24, 2021 3:28 pm

StuartD wrote:Quote from Jim Nugent

"I never saw Marvin, Welch & Farrar. Not even in the summer of 1972 when I was working in a band in London and could easily have accompanied our girl singer (besotted with John Farrar, and, as it happened, with me) on one of her many night-off trips to see them at the London Palladium (it was a summer season). I'll always regret that.

But I did see Marvin & Farrar (with Mo Foster, Pat Carroll and a drummer whose name always escapes me) in chicken-in-the-basket cabaret in Liverpool in 1974. They certainly didn't get shouted requests for Apache or FBI (though they played both of them) and definitely didn't walk off unapplauded.



Hi Jim

The drummer was Andrew Steele, formerly of The Herd[/quote]

Thanks, Stuart!
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Re: Marvin, Welch & Farrar: 50 years

Postby alewis41 » Wed Mar 24, 2021 7:42 pm

iefje wrote:During the last couple of months, beginning around the Christmas period, I started listening again to the original LP issues of all of The Shadows' albums and last weekend I listened to both the Marvin, Welch & Farrar albums and the Marvin & Farrar album.
The "Hank Marvin & John Farrar" album long ago became one of my favourite albums, with for me as highlights "So Hard To Live With", "Music Makes My Day", "Skin Deep", "Galadriel (Spirit Of Starlight)", "You Never Can Tell" and "Nobody Cares". I do think however, that "So Hard To Live With" and "Skin Deep" would have worked better as singles, than "Music Makes My Day" and "Small And Lonely Light".
"Galadriel (Spirit Of Starlight)" is quite a strange and haunting track, which is why I like it very much. I can't help imagining John Farrar singing from the sky during the verses and then Hank and John together singing to the sky during the choruses. All this together with Richard Hewson's heavenly orchestral backing, parts of it as well as parts of John and Hank's vocals with a phase effect.


I agree with this - I think the Marvin & Farrar album is underrated - including by Hank 8-)

The late Peter Doyle (New Seekers) released Skin Deep as a single and it is the title track of his 1977 album.

Pat Farrar (Carroll) told me that when Bruce abruptly quit MWF she was brought in to sing his parts - These are the shows referred to elsewhere in the thread. Mo Foster also writes about that tour in his excellent book.

Andrew
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