Cliff & The Shadows Album 1st Jan 2011

[strongbow]

Yes, there’ll be no performer royalties on this reissue. But as the album in question is Me and My Shadows, only Cliff is affected – the Shadows were paid as session musicians on the early recordings with Cliff and didn’t receive performer royalties. However, they had writing interest in several of the songs, so there’ll still be royalties from that.

[Natalie]

I would say it is Cliff and the Shad's finest work. What a thrill if you are one of those who is hearing it for the first time! I can well remember when I did- it was 1981 I was 14 and there was a lad in my year who was into rock'n'roll and wore his hair slicked back. I think he had heard that I liked the same sort of music too and that got us talking (that's all there was to it honest!) and I must have mentioned Cliff and the Shads. Next day he tells me that he has got something that I probably would like (!) and produces a vinyl copy of the mono 'Me and My Shadows' out of his box for me to borrow! Needless to say I couldn't wait to get home and get it onto a turntable to play. I was not disappointed and thrilled to the delights of "Choppin'n'Changin", "I Cannot Find My True Love" , "She's Gone" and "Evergreen Tree" for the first time. At the time there was no reissue of 'MAMS' available so had to make do with taping the LP and was gutted when I had to give it back to its owner. I didn't own a copy myself until I managed to get an import copy of it in stereo where I learnt for the first time of the different versions of some of the tracks. It remains my favourite work by them to this day.

Shortly afterwards I was leant a copy of Royston Ellis' book on the Shadows (by my music teacher who incidentally was later to disrupt my clarinet practical by breaking into "Stand up and Say that" whilst accompanying me on the piano. I managed to pass however by doing the guitar part (on the clarinet!) and then "Bo Diddley") in which that marvellous LP is recalled and I learnt that the harmonica on "Evergreen Tree" was played by a chemist called Gerry Furst- who says school is a waste of time! It has taken me almost thirty years to finally get my own copy of the book and I was not disappointed when I read it again!

[Didier]

If as has been suggested by Didier these recordings are no longer in copyright to EMI, so does this mean that Cliff and The Shadows will no longer receive royalties from these recordings?

Song authors and composers still have copyright royalties, but performers will not, the recording themselves are now in the public domain.
This 50 years limit exists in most of the EU (UK included), but there was a proposal to extend it to 95 years, as it's the case in the USA. The EU parliament brought it down to 70 years, but as fas as I know, it hasn't been approved yet by the Council of the EU.
Anyhow, at this time, the Shadows only had a session fee.

Didier