RayL wrote:These amps feature just tremolo, whereas the 1960s AC30s had the choice of tremolo or a gentle vibrato. Did The Shadows ever use that vibrato effect on any of their recordings? I can think of one 1980s track (Bermuda Triangle) that uses electronic vibrato but did they ever use the original Vox vibrato in the 1960s?
Ray L
The well-known early recordings featuring that sort of effect (eg,
Driftin',
Voice In The Wilderness,
Willy And The Hand Jive) were recorded in 1959, probably with a Selmer Stadium amp in use for lead guitar. Neither the AC15 nor the AC30 quite gave that Fender-type tremolo effect.
Later Shadows (and Cliff Richard) releases featuring the effect provided on the AC30 ("Vib/Trem" at a choice of only two depths and three speeds) are surprisingly few (given the extensive efforts of Jennings to incorporate tremolo in what was effectively the Shadows' signature amplifier) and included:
[1966]
Blue Turns To Grey (Cliff Richard),
A Place In The Sun, its B-side
Will You Be There?,
One Way To Love.
[1967]
I Can't Forget,
Stardust (rhythm),
Friday On My Mind,
Maria Elena.
I ought to mention the acoustic tune
Autumn (released on the "Shadows On Stage And Screen" EP in 1967), which has the Jennings "Vibravox" effect on the
acoustic lead guitar (probably a Gibson J-45). As they say in the USA... "Go figure...".
[1968]
Don't Forget To Catch Me (Cliff Richard),
Here I Go Again (rhythm).
[1973]
Gutbucket (second guitar)
[1977]
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,
Montezuma's Revenge (rhythm),
Bermuda Triangle (rhythm),
Creole Nights (rhythm),.
After that, the effect seems to be little used (just as it was between 1960 and 1965), though it is sometimes suggested by keyboards with similar settings. However, there was a slight resurgence in 1990:
Sealed With A Kiss,
Strawberry Fields Forever (rhythm).
Any more?
JN