New CD from Hank!

[MartcasterJunior]

I'd disagree that it's a lack of original material that's the reason for the choice of doing covers. The record company want an album that they can promote on the TV/radio and they'll know that the most attractive selling point to the people that they're targetting (who are definitely not any members of this or similar fan sites) is that they look at the list of songs and say "Ooh, I know that one". It's very difficult to sell an album of original material to a primarily older audience (who are generally more conservative and discerning in their choice of purchase), because they don't want to take a gamble and aren't really looking for their expectations to be challenged.

It's just a money-generating machine. Hank and the record company know that these albums sell well enough to justify making them, and that enables Hank to continue doing what he enjoys (the gypsy stuff) on his own terms. These albums aren't made for "the fans", they're made for the people who remember who he is and quite like the sound of it based on a series of clips in a 30-second TV advert.

At least he's not doing what a bunch of 1970s artists are doing and releasing note-for-note recreations of the old hits because it'll earn more money than the originals did, due to bad publishing deals (even though The Shadows did that back in 1989!)

[drakula63]

Yeah. What I yearn for (among other things) would be a Hank (or better still, SHADOWS) album that goes back to basics. Just Hank, Bruce (mostly acoustic), Brian and whoever they choose to have on bass (Griff probably). No synths, no orchestra, maybe a bit of piano and that's it. OK, maybe an orchestra on one carefully chosen track. The basic, raw, original and exciting Shadows sound that I first heard on Apache in 1977. Strong, straightforward melodies, powerful lead guitar sound, nothing else. I think the last album on which they did this was TASTY - ironically also 1977. As I've said before... what a year!

[Paul Childs]

Hank Plays Beatles? Like he once said, ''Never say never.''

[MikeAB]

Always thought 'Plays Elvis' would be good - some rockers and some slow stuff available there!

[kipper]

jet harris the journey 2007 great album all new stuff never got the acclaim it should have. peter

[drakula63]

How about this...

HANK ON THE BOX
Hank plays classic TV themes.

Hawaii Five-O, Bonanza, The Virginian, Bewitched, The Saint, Danger Man, The Avengers, The Persuaders!...

I'd buy it!

[martcaster]

Call me old fashioned,
but I quite liked the days when you heard that a new album would be released on the umpteenth of whatember, and the record shop would keep a copy for you. You played it at yours or your mate's house, and THEN you discussed the relative merits of the various tracks. Then you played it again and formed a slightly different opinion (etc, etc, etc)
I think it's wonderful that this forum exists for these exchanges of ideas, but the idea of an in depth 'critique' of an album that's not even been recorded yet strikes me as peculiar, to say the least. For those wanting to revisit the 'Golden Age' of Shads' music, Youtube has a host of Shads type bands out there with very passable tributes to 'That Sound'. And I can thoroughly recommend Spotify, not least for their inclusion of most of The Charades output (and The Toneraiders!) Happy listening and anticipating......
Love to all, Mart
(just a thought, how about Hank Plays Tamla.... Tears Of A Clown, Heard It Through The Grapevine, The Happening, Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay............Tony! Terry! are you reading this?)

[Fenderman]

Hank did say around the time of 'Heartbeat' as to why he didn't record more originals and he said it was hard to write consistently good material, this perhaps explains why he took 1991 off and released a solo LP the following year with about 7 originals, you need a lot of time to write songs.
He does write occasionally with Ben but he has his own career to think about, perhaps Hank could team up to write with a certain Mr Welch to write or a Mr Richard?

[JimN]

(just a thought, how about Hank Plays Tamla.... Tears Of A Clown, Heard It Through The Grapevine, The Happening, Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay............Tony! Terry! are you reading this?)

I think I'm going to be sick...

Nah... The suggestion has to have been a mischievous joke. After all, the only things worse would be "Hank Plays Stax" or perhaps "Hank Plays 1980s Synth Pop"...

[martcaster]

Alright, then! How about Hank Plays George Formby (Frank Zappa? Mikki & Griff?) Just ideas for the next Platinum seller........
Mart.