Chinchilla

[rogera]

I don't remember anyone doing this Drifters number from the Serious Charge EP before.

It could well be described as a Jet Harris solo, although of course Hank is playing a damped version of the tune on his Antoria.
I used an old Watkins Circuit 4 guitar which I fitted with DiMarzio pickups many years ago.......I know, I know, it was a criminal act
but hindsight is a wonderful thing

Although it's a relatively simple tune, the piano and the fiddly drum part took a while to copy.

Hope that you enjoy my effort.

Chinchilla

[Derek Mowbray]

As far as I know The Drifters played no music on the sound track of Serious Charge only on the EP it was probably Norrie Paramour on piano .This could have been the first time a bass guitar was used as a solo instrument who Knows.

[Iain Purdon]

Nice to see someone tackling Chinchilla. Some of us played it years ago at the Watford club - much to our own satisfaction!!

For me, the duetting lead guitar is a bit buried in the mix but that may be my computer. Good effort at a Shads Rarity!

And, yes, I'm sure it was NP at the piano on the record.

[rogera]

Thanks for your reply Ian. I listened carefully to the original and Hank is fairly well back in the mix but after comparing it to my effort I do see what you mean.

I'll have another try at getting the mix correct although part of the problem is the unusual tone of that Antoria that Hank had.

[JimN]

Chinchilla is one of those songs which fits uneasily into the wider Shadows legend and history.

For instance, one of its main melodic hooks results from the two sequences of chords in the main motif and in the middle section, each of which are marked by the subdominant (Bb in the key of F) rising to a flattened ninth (Bdim).

This is out of tune with Bruce having explained that for the Shadows' recording of Blue Star (in 1961), Norrie Paramor had to show him the diminished chord used in that song. From the evidence of Chinchilla, it is clear that Bruce was being self-deprecatory and already had rather more than a working knowledge of the function of diminished chords. His "rhythm guitar solos" in Chinchilla show no signs of deviation or hesitation.

[Gatwick1946]

I am very impressed with your efforts.

This is an early Drifters recording that contains hardly any pointers to what would become the familiar sound we enjoy.

Although Hank did play piano on some recordings, on Chinchilla my money would be on Norrie.

Just listened to the original - some of the clicky, metallic sounds could be Hank hitting the pick-up covers of his Antoria, with his plectrum? I believe that he also did this on JET BLACK and DRIFTING, on both the studio and live recordings?

Kindest regards
Christopher