The ShadowMusic Web Community

Can't believe how quite it is on here....

I thought you were about to post a cover of a song by The Specials...

...or the Rolling Stones...

Only members of this site can write on it. What you may not know is that the membership is greatly outnumbered by visitors who read but don’t have write access. At the time I’m writing this, there are 38 other people also looking at the site. Only 4 of them are members. And this thread has been accessed 181 times since you posted it.

If you’d like to see more action here, you’re welcome to post stuff. As, of course, you have just done!

Iain Purdon wrote:Only members of this site can write on it. What you may not know is that the membership is greatly outnumbered by visitors who read but don’t have write access. At the time I’m writing this, there are 38 other people also looking at the site. Only 4 of them are members. And this thread has been accessed 181 times since you posted it.

If you’d like to see more action here, you’re welcome to post stuff. As, of course, you have just done!

38? That's more than I would have thought, and quite re-assuring in many ways. So in your view, going by the number of folk that access these forums, how would you gauge The Shadows popularity these days? A loaded question I know (and perhaps an unfair one to ask ), but until I discovered The Shadows Clubs I considered myself to be part of a tiny minority - mainly I suppose as the band gets so little recognition from the mainstream media these days. It was quite a revelation to discover the network of clubs, and to see how popular and well attended they are. Long may it all continue

I'd be interested in your views

Cliff

83 now as I write this.
I can’t answer your question! All I can say is that, thanks to the Shadows Clubs and, in due course, to the Shadows themselves, especially Bruce, there’s been a resurgence of interest that few of us would have predicted.
I think it’s run its course now and anyway the Shadows have understandably stopped.
This site is packed with historical information and it’s great so many people want to look at it. However there isn’t much new to say, which is probably why it’s not being said!
Down to 55 as I finish.

Thanks for the reply Ian - it was a bit of an unfair question, but thought I'd ask anyway .

One of the things that has always saddened me a little, is the lack of recognition afforded to pre-Beatles British music. Most folk are familiar with the Cavern Club, but few that I speak to are aware of the existence and significance of the 2is. It's refreshing to find a site like this one which is, as you say, an absolute mine of information and goes a good way to redressing the balance.

I should add, the Shadows clubs were an absolute revelation to me when I when I "discovered" our local branch earlier this year. Couldn't believe it had been running all those years just a few miles down the road from me. A 35+ year lay off from guitar playing has now ended and earlier in the year I was able to play (badly ) with a live band in front of an audience for the very first time . A terrifying experience (for me AND the audience LOL) but one I hope to repeat on a regular basis once normality resumes.

All in all, I really think that everyone involved in running this site and the various Shadows clubs deserve a huge vote of thanks.

Merry Xmas to one and all ,

Cliff

A happy Christmas to everyone on this forum and their families. After a truly horrendous year, those of us who recognise the true meaning of Christmas know that there is always hope. Music brings people together - the music of Cliff and the Shadows is always uplifting, and the world definitely needs something uplifting right now. Desperate times often bring out the best in people, and my wife and I have experienced tremendous kindness this year, often from unexpected places. God bless you all.

I first found out about this site and then from this site the existence of shadows clubs back in 2015. From time to time I wonder how it took me so long to find this site and hence the local shadows club.

Seems now as soon as I put "Shadow" in the search bar up comes the suggestion for this site. So why did this not appear earlier. I have just tried it - seems I always used to put in "The Shadows" followed by what I was looking for. This seems not to pull up suggestions showing this site.
I actually found this site when looking for a plectrum - used to be the Hank Marvin one but is now the Birt Weedon one by the seem of it. A post from this site came up in response.

I seem to remember that in the early stages of the internet - bad sites used to bury common words in their web pages so that unsuspecting people would be directed or shown these sites.
I have not yet produced a Web page myself - but I simply ask the question - could something be done so that when someone puts in "The Shadows" it shows this site?
There may be others in the same situation I was in so they could be attracted here.

As mentioned above, there are many more visitors here than there are members. I imagine a fair number of them land here as a result of Google searches or their equivalent. Search for something more specific than the group name and this site is much more likely to come up. To make this a priority finding on a Google search for “The Shadows” we would have to pay Google. We have no money apart from kind donations some members make (see Donate at the top). Any money received this way goes towards our internet hosting charges, on which we nearly break even...