Shadows Mysteries That May Remain Unsolved

[Moderne]

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.

Although this sounds like a Double Six, Hank actually overdubbed a six-string guitar (not sure if it was a Strat or a Marvin prototype) to get the 12-string sound - because of intonation problems with the Double Six. Stuart Duffy told me this. You can hear two separate notes (ie strings not sounding together...as they would if it was a 12-string) at the beginning of the first guitar phrase after the guitar solo.

[iefje]

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.

Although this sounds like a Double Six, Hank actually overdubbed a six-string guitar (not sure if it was a Strat or a Marvin prototype) to get the 12-string sound - because of intonation problems with the Double Six. Stuart Duffy told me this. You can hear two separate notes (ie strings not sounding together...as they would if it was a 12-string) at the beginning of the first guitar phrase after the guitar solo.

Clive, thank you for clarifying this, I didn't know that. Did "On The Beach" feature the Burns Double Six?

[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 .

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).

That's correct. I have never seen Brian Locking smoke in recent years when I saw him at the fan meetings, but have seen old pictures of The Wildcats / The Krew Kats where he did. I don't know if Brian Bennett still smokes though. In the days of Marvin, Welch & Farrar and his time with The Shadows, John Farrar also smoked, but again I don't know if he still does.

[JimN]

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.

In answer to Andy's Q7 (the second Q7), the first time I ever saw The Shadows live was in 1962 in My Home Town of Liverpool and not Newcastle (the best part of 150 miles away as crows fly)!

As to lefje's answer to the same question from Andy, the drill for Little B was that the three frontline players (Hank, Licorice and Peter Carter) put down their instruments and left the stage completely. After a couple of minutes - at the appropriate moment - they walked back out and stood close together stage right and played the Latin percussion instruments (conga, cabasa and claves, I think), leaving again after that interlude, then finally back on stage for the end of the drum solo. At no point did they stand on stage listening to Brian's solo.

[JimN]

I bet that this Chinese drum is pretty low-pitched!

https://tinyurl.com/5n7wdfme

[Teflon]

.............. the three frontline players (Hank, Licorice and Peter Carter) put down their instruments and left the stage completely. A........

So just when you think you know a lot about your favourite band, you read this .. First time I've heard Peter carter mentioned - presumably a temporary stand in for Bruce. Do you know the story behind it? was Bruce unwell?

Cheers,

Cliff

[Iain Purdon]

Yes Jim often tells this story of seeing the Shadows just after Licorice had joined and Peter Carter depped for Bruce who was unwell.

[abstamaria]

I bet that this Chinese drum is pretty low-pitched!

https://tinyurl.com/5n7wdfme

I can’t open that link, Jim.

Andy

[JimN]

I bet that this Chinese drum is pretty low-pitched!

https://tinyurl.com/5n7wdfme

I can’t open that link, Jim.

Andy

Try this unshrunken link:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/KAFELE-Chinese-Diameter-Performance-Instruments/dp/B0BQRG8V96/ref=sr_1_1?c=ts&keywords=Chinese+Drums&qid=1682882415&s=musical-instruments&sr=1-1&ts_id=5496181031

[JimN]

Yes Jim often tells this story of seeing the Shadows just after Licorice had joined and Peter Carter depped for Bruce who was unwell.

Later that week (in Peterborough, I think), the bearded Chas McDevitt stood in on rhythm guitar (presumably because Peter had commitments with Emile Ford and The Checkmates). Incidentally, Chas and Shirley Douglas were on the same bill as The Shadows for that week's variety in Liverpool. So were Frank Ifield and Jackie Trent, as well as comedy duo Daley and Wayne. And a troupe of Chinese acrobats. It really was like an extended version of Sunday Night At The London Palladium.