Shadows Mysteries That May Remain Unsolved

[abstamaria]

There remain for me (not steeped in Shadows lore but having tried to absorb much from this very instructive forum) some questions that remain unresolved.

1. Did Stratocaster #34346 come with flat-wound strings?

2. If so, was Apache recorded on flatwounds? Or well-used roundwounds?

3. Did Hank continue to record on # 34346 after the Shadows received the rosewood-board Strats?

4. What was the last piece recorded with #34346?

5. What was the first piece recorded on the rosewood-board Strat?

6. What was the last piece recorded on the rosewood-board Strats?

7. What was the first piece recorded on the Burns?

8. What is the clicking sound in Jet Black? (The consensus seems to be Hank tapping on the pickup of his Antoria. Someone with an Antoria will please experiment.)

9. Cliff used for a Chinese drum for Apache. What did it look like? Why is it so low-pitched? (Chinese drums are high pitched.)

6. Was that a whistle in the Frightened City? Who made the sound?

7. Who played the bongos (or other percussion instruments) in Little B? The claves or other sticks? (I think Jim Nugent recalls that the rest of the Shads played Latin American percussion while Brian Bennett played the piece at a 1962 show in Newcastle that he attended.)

8. Was the odd pickup pole[piece stagger on #34346 truly a discernible ingredient in That Sound?

I wish this forum were accessible to ChatGPT, then I may ask it what the current thinking is.

Andy

[iefje]

There remain for me (not steeped in Shadows lore but having tried to absorb much from this very instructive forum) some questions that remain unresolved.

3. Did Hank continue to record on # 34346 after the Shadows received the rosewood-board Strats?

7. What was the first piece recorded on the Burns?

7. Who played the bongos (or other percussion instruments) in Little B? The claves or other sticks? (I think Jim Nugent recalls that the rest of the Shads played Latin American percussion while Brian Bennett played the piece at a 1962 show in Newcastle that he attended.)

I wish this forum were accessible to ChatGPT, then I may ask it what the current thinking is.

Andy

Answer to question #3: I think he stopped using that guitar and returned it to Cliff.

Answer to question #7 (the first one): One of the first must have been the Cliff Richard & The Shadows track "Don't Talk To Him", although that was the Burns Double Six. Probably the first Shadows track to feature the Burns (6-string) was the first version of "Razzmataz", recorded on November the 27th, 1963.

Answer to question #7 (the second one): the other percussion instruments on "Little 'B'" were played by Hank, Bruce and Licorice. Just after the drumsolo started, they put down their guitars and quietly walked over to those instruments.

Regarding ChatGPT, that's still a stupid computer program with a lot of algorithms, which makes it look like it has intelligence, which it has not.

[willyboy]

I can only comment on question 7 "Little B " , The Shadows played an outdoor concert at an a "aquatic centre " (swimming pool !) back in '67 here in Perth Australia in a marquee supported by steel uprights , Brian incorporated the uprights into the solo for some unusual sounds , Hank , Bruce and John quietly exited stage right into the darkness and cigarettes were seen glowing until they returned ....no percussion from them , only the odd ciggy at this performance .

[iefje]

I can only comment on question 7 "Little B " , The Shadows played an outdoor concert at an a "aquatic centre " (swimming pool !) back in '67 here in Perth Australia in a marquee supported by steel uprights , Brian incorporated the uprights into the solo for some unusual sounds , Hank , Bruce and John quietly exited stage right into the darkness and cigarettes were seen glowing until they returned ....no percussion from them , only the odd ciggy at this performance .

It must have differed from live performance to live performance. The Shadows also played "Little 'B'" during their 1967 tour of Japan. There is a picture on the Japanese double EP "Best 8" from 1967, where Hank, Bruce and John are pictured with claves, maraca and tambourine respectively, with Brian playing drums in the background. This picture must have been taken during a performance of "Little 'B'".

[JimN]

I can only comment on question 7 "Little B " , The Shadows played an outdoor concert at an a "aquatic centre " (swimming pool !) back in '67 here in Perth Australia in a marquee supported by steel uprights , Brian incorporated the uprights into the solo for some unusual sounds , Hank , Bruce and John quietly exited stage right into the darkness and cigarettes were seen glowing until they returned ....no percussion from them , only the odd ciggy at this performance .

Neither Hank nor Bruce were ever smokers.

Any visible cigarettes would have all been the work of John Rostill solo.

Smoking Shadows:

Jet Harris
Tony Meehan (possibly not later in life)
[Brian Bennett]
Licorice Locking (ditto)
John Rostill
Cliff Hall (if I recall correctly).

[willyboy]

I have that double EP you refer to and you must be correct as there would be no other tune where Hank , Bruce and John would be using that percussion , maybe there was a "no smoking " backstage policy ? so sad to know that a live concert recording was made on that tour in Japan but it was never released (officially ) but I'm told there are ( unofficial) copies of it ?

[willyboy]

Jim . you missed out Brian Bennett , I seem to recall "Honorable Puff Puff" was about Brian's smoking maybe , anyway have a look at the cover shot of the French "Shadoogie" 3LP boxed set and either Brian or Hank has a ciggy , hard to tell but it really looks like it's Hank ?

[UlrichS]

... have a look at the cover shot of the French "Shadoogie" 3LP boxed set and either Brian or Hank has a ciggy , hard to tell but it really looks like it's Hank ?

I believe that the hand with the cigarette is John's right hand,

[JimN]

Jim . you missed out Brian Bennett...

True.

I did mean to include him!

[JimN]

... have a look at the cover shot of the French "Shadoogie" 3LP boxed set and either Brian or Hank has a ciggy , hard to tell but it really looks like it's Hank ?

Can you provide a link to the picture in question, please?

The "Shadoogie" LPx3 boxed set seen at http://www.discogs.com doesn't have a photograph on the front cover. Instead, it has a cartoon-art version of one of the 1962 Edgar Brind shots.

EDIT:

Ignore the above. I've now seen the photo.