Hank's lead guitar sound down through the years..

[Pierre TEODORI]

Hi all,
I personally love the sound of the mid sixties as much as the one of the early albums, but maybe because my first Shadows album was "Dance With The Shadows" in 1964, this album, and therefore the sound ( even all the tracks were not played with the Burns) are very important for me, and so the following albums of the Burns period that I love too. I'm not sure The Shadows would have last so long using always the same sound which would have been forced them to record all the time the same kind of tunes, and I'm always impressed listening to the range of sounds they used through the years, and never heard some of the sounds nowhere else. I also agree with the titles quotes by Bernie.But Oc I'm aware of the tremendous impact of their early albums which are a very important part of my musical influences and that I'll love also for all my life.
Best regards to all of you

Pierre

[Gary Allen]

[EJK]

I remember reading somewhere in an interview with Hank that he didn't like his lead sound in the mid 60s - that he kind of 'lost his way' - but some of those tunes like 'the Warlord' are among my favourites. I also used to hate 'Stingray' but it has grown on me through time - and there's a fair bit of tonal variation in Hank's sound from around that time if you think of things like 'Place in the Sun', 'Maroc 7' ''Ranka Chank' 'Tomorrow's Cancelled' and even some of the Cliff stuff like 'Blue Turns to Grey' or 'Time in Between'. Then he moved into the late 60s - 'Midnight Cowboy', 'Sacha', 'Sunday for 7 days' 'Goodnight Dick' 'and Throw Down a Line / Joy of Living with Cliff- quite a raucous sound - and then there's the experimental sounds on Rockin with Curly Leads.

Lots of different sounds - all very far removed from the early, so called 'That Sound'....

I know that Hank has gravitated back towards a classic kind of sound (though his sound has evolved through time) - but I do think that nevertheless he has experimented quite a lot with his sound and style down through the years - even through his solo period, which I think had some of the best playing in his career. If you listen to his playing down through the years there are evolving echo sounds, the DeArmond pedal / Burns sound, the Leslie speaker sound, the 'Volume pedal' sound (ie cavatina / argentina / missing), 12 string acoustic, 12 string electric, nylon strung guitars, acoustic (including the excellent guitar player album), the six string bass (stingray / thunderbirds), bouzoukis, and even a lute!

Personally - I think there is actually quite a bit of variety there - and he has shown himself a master at them all. I know that there are those out there that don't see past 1961 - but I think that there are some great sounds (not to mention playing) through both Hank's career with the Shads and also through his solo career.

Does anyone else out there have any favourite sounds beyond the so called 'that sound' that they really like? I know there are a lot of Burns enthusiasts out there certainly...

Bernie

Hi Bernie

I would suggest that there was a bit of Hank "losing his way" not in the mid 60s but on the second album "Out of - " in 1962. Would the loss of Tony Meehan and Jet Harris be the reason as it is quite a coincidence? This album did not have the vibrancy of the first one and in general had a softer tone.

Fortunately with the arrival of John Rostill things got edgier again on the "Dance with -" album and all the succeeding albums he played on. Purely my view of course but isn't the original single version (1964) of "The Rise and Fall of Flingel Bunt" the best version on record/cd/dvd etc.? The overall performance, arrangement and sound is spot on and John Rostill's bass fairly underpins it throughout. It has always been a mystery to me as to why they never carried on with that gutsy style for more of their later singles from 1965 onwards. In fact the style etc. on that single could possibly have been the way the band developed if Tony Meehan and Jet Harris had still been there.

Of course it's all supposition but isn't that wonderful?

Cheers!

[Pierre TEODORI]

Yes Eric, I fully agree with you regarding the original recording of "The Rise and fall of flingel Bunt ", it will stay for me the best version of all, even if some are great too. The bass part is unique, very modern and innovating. Also the add of the piano on the gimmick at the intro (and in the end) is an important component of the sound. The sound and playing of all the members are top class.

Regards
Pierre

[Bill Bowley]

"If Only' becomes a common pastime as you grow older - however I personally think that there are far more positives than negatives to count in the history of 'The Shadows' sound. Taking an overview of the past 50 years, I am happy knowing that I had the privilege of being entertained by and living through what might be called 'the rise and fall' of one of history's greatest instrumental groups, par none. They set the standard by which all others are judged.

[Bill Bowley]

Some comments by Hank relating to this thread are in the interview here:

http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/intervie ... ve_on.html

[Fenderman]

Hank said in a 1993 Record Collector interview that he wanted to carry on further down the route of 'Flingle Bunt' and do more bluesy stuff but he said '...but we went back to more wimpy stuff which in retrospect was a huge mistake'. So maybe Hank was not satisfied with the band's/his sound by 1964/65 although i think 'Shadow Music' and 'Sounds of the Shadows' are both fine mid 60's albums with many ranging styles.

[damart]

I thought Blue Shadows from the Dance with The Shadows album would have been a great follow up to Flingel Bunt in 1964. It was a period when blues music was starting to get more recognition in popular music...Dpm

[Pierre TEODORI]

It seems it was rather because of the stuff than the sound, that Hank was not satisfied during this period, but perhaps I'm wrong.

[Pedro]

I seem to remember on the Interview part of the 2004 Shadows Reunion Brian Bennett passing a comment specifically saying that HBM was playing better than ever. Now I know this is not that sound but it says something.