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It's about time someone released a comprehensive Shadows Vocals album. I used to have the one released circa 1983, but a much bigger one, on CD/CDs is what we need. Maybe not every song in the list, but a good double CD containing at least 60 or 70 of them.

BTW, for my money, these would (OK, could!) have been hit singles...

That's the Way it Goes,
Don't It Make You Feel Good,
Will You Be There,
A Better Man Than I,
And, of course,
Trying To Forget the One you Love...

and don't forget 'I Can't Forget' !!

'Running Out of World' was a gem plus the two vocals featured on 'Established 1958' album - 'Here I Go Again (Loving You)' was very Tremeloes-ish !

plus the seventies vocal tracks - studio and live - with John Farrar and just after....then those 80's vocal tracks too

certainly scope for a more complete expanded up to 2 or even 3 CD set of Shadows vocal tracks exists - BUT is the wider public market really there for it ?
(besides us of course)


I do think the guy who posted on this thread earlier was far too derogative of The Shadows vocals in the earlier days

I LIKED their version of 'All My Sorrows' - it's well crafted and not dreary at all (that's just his view !) and 'Baby My Heart' was great

'Lonesome Fella' was moody while Jack Good praised up 'Saturday Dance' which for it's era was fine

The Swinging Blue Jeans covered both the Shads original 1964 vocal tracks on 'Dance With The Shadows' on their 'Blue Jeans A Swinging' album proving the Liverpool merseybeat bands respected The Shads vocals as well as instrumentals

George Harrison liked 'Don't Make My Baby Blue' - a UK no.10 in 1965 - George said The Shads ought to cut more vocal tracks

their style was simple - Hank was 'Don Everly' and Bruce was 'Phil' - later John Farrar was like adding Frankie Valli to The Everlys re the harmonised sound of M W & F

Jet took early 'moody' vocals, Brian and later John tended to complete their three part harmonies - John actually had a 'John Stewart' style Americanised lead voice as his 'Funny Old World' single proved while Bruce had a more reflective lead vocal voice when not taking the high harmony to Hank's lead voice

they did the vocals later as something of an alternative to just playing mostly guitar led instrumentals - like the piano led tracks etc and maybe felt their vocal work backing up Cliff was enough to get by on vocally with the guitar led instrumentals really their forte as a band (??)

- certainly besides later the M W & F albums (which undeservedly sadly just didn't sell as they should have) and the Eurovision songs (not originally planned for 'Specs Appeal') they never did more than just the two or three vocal tracks with a few all instrumental albums along the way which indicates they never felt their vocals were where their key musical idiom lay, despite cutting some terrific vocal tracks over the years

I did make a Shadows vocals compilation CD once. I included the Hank track Don't Talk and called the whole compilation Don't Sing!.

Tin hat on!

Iain

I've always thought that, regardless of the material they played- the Shadows' instrumental or vocal prowess was never in question...the standard of their playing and singing - AND their taste-was always exemplary..

It was the standard of the material which tended to vary somewhat..and sometimes they misjudged the suitability of the songs and tunes as regards contemporary popular taste which didn't help especially when the competition heated up..

They were after all one of the top groups in the world at their peak, but by 1964 onwards , the competition became fierce..and everybody else was improving fast too in songwriting and technical playing ability..

I'd agree with that. The material slipped behind the times, and they became the sort of act your mum and dad liked ... well that's always the kiss of death as far as young people are concerned!

Judging by some of the so called top singers around these days, the Shads were BRILLIANT!

neil2726 wrote:Judging by some of the so called top singers around these days, the Shads were BRILLIANT!

Yes indeed!- and regarding that review of the Shads vocals over time which someone posted here earlier, if someone criticised me and my mate in our band for sounding too much like the Everly Brothers, I'd/we'd be flattered..

We did three Everlys numbers yesterday at our gig...many great groups started out copying 'em anyway, along with Buddy Holly, so we're in good company.

In my opinion, I think The Shadows did have their own vocal sound, mostly with Hank on the lower and Bruce on the higher registers of the vocal range. On some of the late 1950's and the 1960's vocal tracks, they were augmented by Jet Harris and John Rostill. I don't think Brian Locking ever sang with the group. In the early to mid-1970's John Farrar of course added another dimension to their vocal sound. Alan Jones also had a somewhat higher voice and completed the vocal trio in the late 1970's to the late 1980's. Mark Griffiths took over Alan's role from the late 1980's.

I agree that the Shads were excellent harmony singers. The early records with Cliff showed that to a wider audience. I'm less keen on some of the lead vocals but that's just me.

In the 1980s, the Shadows used to do a vocal rendition of Elvis's 'Always on my Mind'. I know someone who is a huge Elvis fan and, in his own words, the Shadows live version of this song was the best 'cover' of it he'd ever heard.

I genuinely think that both Hank and Bruce (and perhaps in particular Hank) are woefully underrated as singers. Without wishing to waste time or offend anyone by naming names, I can think of plenty of purely vocal groups who, as singers, were/are nowhere near as good singers as the Shadows. And have you heard their live version of 'You Won't See Me', with Alan Jones on lead vocal? Incredible.

I remember playing 'Simplify Your Head' to someone once, he was a musician, and I asked him if he could guess who it was. After a lot of listening and thought, he said... ..."The Who".

I rest my case.