The Shadows' most memorable stage banter

[iefje]

Clapton doesn't do stage banter. In fact, he hardly acknowledges that the audience is there - except for a cursory 'THANKU' at the end of each song.
However - it is what it is - I have still greatly enjoyed going to see him.

I really did like the music during that show I went to though. One of the rarer occasions in recent years he played the original full electric version of "Layla".

[Iain Purdon]

"Ding-a-dong" is probably more melodic, but I hate it. I actually like "Let Me Be The One" better. Even while I'm from The Netherlands, I would like the 1975 Eurovision Song Contest to have been won by Great Britain. If all countries were only allowed to sing in their native language, then The Shadows would have won. I think 1975 was the first year in which other countries were allowed to sing in English as well. The Shadows' bad luck I guess...

The debate about what language entrants could choose prompted a bit of research on my part. With the usual health warning, this is what Wikipedia says

Languages
From the first Contest in 1956 until 1965, and again from 1973 until 1976 there was no restriction on language. From 1966 until 1972, and again from 1978 until 1998, songs were required to be performed in a national language. The national language rule was actually instituted shortly before the 1977 Contest, but some countries had already selected non-national language entries, and they were allowed to enter without any changes.
As of the 1999 Contest, the restriction was again lifted, and songs may be performed in any language. As a result, many of the songs are performed partially or completely in English. In 2003, Belgium made full use of the so-termed free language rule, and entered a song, "Sanomi", in an artificial language created especially for the song. This proved successful as the country finished second, only two points behind Turkey. The same tactic was used in 2006 by the Dutch entry Treble which is partially sung in an artificial language and once again by Belgium with their 2008 entry "O Julissi".

[Twilight Ranger]

The Shadows gave a concert in Amsterdam in 1980 and it was filmed. A 30-minute programme comprised of selected numbers was shown on Dutch TV and later on Finnish TV as well. Here's some of the dialogue.

Hank introduces Cliff Hall and George Ford in the usual without-whose-help-we-would-have-to-get-somebody-else fashion. Then he says, "Can we carry on with the music?" without introducing Bruce Welch and Brian Bennett at all. Bruce gesticulates and Hank "realises" his mistake and introduces Bruce. After some waving of hands he introduces Brian and says, "Then of course there's myself, Lee Marvin."

Later Bruce asks the audience, "Are you happy tonight?" There's an affirmative reply from the audience, and Bruce says, "We'll soon change that!" He tells people that The Shadows took part in a talent competition five years ago — and lost. He asks what happened to Teach-In and wonders if they are still alive. "They should have been dead that night!" He softens his words by saying, "I was only joking." A voice from the audience, "No, you weren't!"

A girl about 10 years old brings the musicians flowers and kisses some of them on the cheek. As she leaves the stage, Hank asks her, "Tell me, are you married?" Then Hank asks the audience, "Who would like to hear Wonderful Land?" and smilingly continues, "Will you put the record on, please!"

[Paul Childs]

During their 25 years tour at the Cornwall Coliseum in 1983, they went into the intro for Move It and Hank, Bruce & Alan Jones all turned to the right, kept playing and started looking and eventually they all turned to the left and still kept on playing and started looking at that side and eventually they stopped and said, ''No, he's not here tonight.''

[iefje]

The Shadows gave a concert in Amsterdam in 1980 and it was filmed. A 30-minute programme comprised of selected numbers was shown on Dutch TV and later on Finnish TV as well. Here's some of the dialogue.

Hank introduces Cliff Hall and George Ford in the usual without-whose-help-we-would-have-to-get-somebody-else fashion. Then he says, "Can we carry on with the music?" without introducing Bruce Welch and Brian Bennett at all. Bruce gesticulates and Hank "realises" his mistake and introduces Bruce. After some waving of hands he introduces Brian and says, "Then of course there's myself, Lee Marvin."

Later Bruce asks the audience, "Are you happy tonight?" There's an affirmative reply from the audience, and Bruce says, "We'll soon change that!" He tells people that The Shadows took part in a talent competition five years ago — and lost. He asks what happened to Teach-In and wonders if they are still alive. "They should have been dead that night!" He softens his words by saying, "I was only joking." A voice from the audience, "No, you weren't!"

A girl about 10 years old brings the musicians flowers and kisses some of them on the cheek. As she leaves the stage, Hank asks her, "Tell me, are you married?" Then Hank asks the audience, "Who would like to hear Wonderful Land?" and smilingly continues, "Will you put the record on, please!"

The concert you refer to was recorded at the Doelen Theatre in Rotterdam on April the 2nd, 1980. I have posted some other quotes from this concert in earlier entries of this discussion. I'm not sure, but I think the quote "No, you weren't" came from George Ford on stage.

[Moderne]

On one tour ('79 or '80), Hank introduced Let Me Be The One as "the song Bruce lost us the Eurovision Song Contest with"!

[Didier]

On the "Live at Liverpool" video (1989), Hank says after playing the five #1 Shadows' tunes : "may be you recognised them, but you can't put the right title on the right tune, don't worry, we are exactly the same !"...
Later Bruce says : "Hank bought a new jacket, this is a really expensive tour !"

[Paul Childs]

At the Cornwall Coliseum in 1981, Hank had a cassette player held to the mike and said, ''We have a message for you from Cliff'' and when he switched it on it played a rooster crowing.
Another year there in the 80s (can't remember which one) they said, ''We have a message from Cliff'' and one of the crew from behind the speakers threw two tennis balls across the stage.
On the 1982 tour there at the end of the show when they started playing FBI, Hank went behind the speakers and came out with one of those things on his head, I don't know what they were called, two long things that made him look like an insect, and he did a funny walk across the stage wearing it.

[neil2726]

They did the "Move It" intro at Manchester - pausing waiting for Cliff to appear but instead Freddie Star came on and did the number with them!

[Uncle Fiesta]

During the April 2nd, 1980 show in Rotterdam, Bruce introduced "Let Me Be The One" and referred to themselves coming second in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1975 and also the winner: "Whatever happened to Teach-In? They dead are they? They should have been dead that night, I think! I was only joking, I was only joking! I was only joking honestly. Who are they?".

Yes, well...

Whisper it, but Ding-a-Dong was and remains a better piece of music than Let Me Be The One.

The test is simple: re-imagine the song as an instrumental. Ding-a-Dong wins hands down. The Shadows should have recorded it on one of their 1980s Polydor albums.

Yes that's my test too, for the simple reason that most songs (IMO) don't make good instrumentals - D-a-D (again, IMO) does. I think LMBTO would as well, but wouldn't work without the harmonies, so you'd need 3 lead guitarists!