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Re: Shadows 60th?

PostPosted: Wed Jul 31, 2019 6:27 pm
by Jay Bass
Iain Purdon wrote:
drakula63 wrote:For me, the 60th anniversary of Apache is a very, very important one and in many ways just as important as the anniversary of their formation.

I agree with that. The Beatles “arrived” in 1963 with Please Please Me, their first in a long line of No 1 hits. Their journey to that point is well known to fans but not to the general public at the time.
Likewise with the Shadows. Apache is what made everyone sit up and take notice.

Hi Iain
just on a tech note please please me never made uk No 1 The Beatles first uk no 1 was officialy From me to you
i know there are varying views on this , but the guiness book of hit singles doesnt list Please Please me as a uk NO 1
best regards
jay

Re: Shadows 60th?

PostPosted: Wed Jul 31, 2019 7:40 pm
by Uncle Fiesta
This is correct; there were two UK charts at the time, New Musical Express and Melody Maker, as they were not yet merged. (I mean the charts merged, not the mags.)

Only one of those charts showed PPM at number 1.

Re: Shadows 60th?

PostPosted: Wed Jul 31, 2019 11:20 pm
by JimN
Uncle Fiesta wrote:This is correct; there were two UK charts at the time, New Musical Express and Melody Maker, as they were not yet merged. (I mean the charts merged, not the mags.)

Only one of those charts showed PPM at number 1.


Actually I'd be pretty sure that both the New Musical Express (whose charts were used by Radio Luxembourg for their Sunday Top Twenty show) and Melody Maker showed Please Please Me as a number 1 hit. Both of those publications were aimed at punter fans (admittedly, Melody Maker was the slightly more cerebral of the two). The controversy arises only because the industry decided (presumably at a later date) to use a trade paper chart as the "official" record, and due undoubtedly to a statistical glitch in that chart's data, the record has been downgraded.

But the facts are clear. As far as NME, MM and Luxembourg were concerned at the time, Please Please Me was a number 1 hit and those of us who were there and taking an interest can recall that quite clearly.

Re: Shadows 60th?

PostPosted: Thu Aug 01, 2019 8:49 am
by bgohara
I also read on Everyhit a while ago (though I can't now find the reference), due to revisionism, Apache is not now recognised as a million seller and that the gold disc was apparently awarded erroneously! :roll:

Re: Shadows 60th?

PostPosted: Thu Aug 01, 2019 9:39 am
by howarddobson
Of course next year Cliff Richard will be 80 - another opportunity for a celebration. Quick Shads appearance at the RAH should do it.

Re: Shadows 60th?

PostPosted: Thu Aug 01, 2019 9:55 am
by drakula63
Correct me if I'm wrong... but wasn't Apache the Shadows' FIRST hit single? I know they'd released a couple of singles already, but they'd failed to set the charts alight. Nice that your very first hit single is a NUMBER ONE!
:D

Re: Shadows 60th?

PostPosted: Sun Aug 04, 2019 3:39 pm
by shadowriter
Does it really matter if it was 1 or 2 Apache was a brilliant record. Brilliantly written, brilliantly played
brilliantly recorded and for me the most influential record ever made. The fact that 60 years after it's release guitarists are still
learning and playing it every week is testimony to that fact.

As for the documentary, I will hold my breath and hope for the best. I can count on one hand the number of docs I have
looked forward to that have been good. Mostly 2 minute playing clips followed
by the wheeling in of non descript celebs repeating facts we already know. Let's hope this is one doesn't turn out to be one of those.

Re: Shadows 60th?

PostPosted: Mon Aug 05, 2019 1:15 pm
by drakula63
shadowriter wrote:Does it really matter if it was 1 or 2 Apache was a brilliant record. Brilliantly written, brilliantly played
brilliantly recorded and for me the most influential record ever made. The fact that 60 years after it's release guitarists are still
learning and playing it every week is testimony to that fact.

As for the documentary, I will hold my breath and hope for the best. I can count on one hand the number of docs I have
looked forward to that have been good. Mostly 2 minute playing clips followed
by the wheeling in of non descript celebs repeating facts we already know. Let's hope this is one doesn't turn out to be one of those.


I suspect that Hank, Bruce, Jet and Tony (and many others) were quite pleased that it got to number 1 and not 2. Perhaps it doesn't 'matter', but it's still nice that their first hit single was a number 1. It showed a huge vote of confidence on the part of the general public - and at a time when it actually meant something to get to the top of the charts and you had to sell a hell of a lot of records. I know that Pete Townshend is just one of the other interviewees and I'd hardly call him nondescript.

Re: Shadows 60th?

PostPosted: Tue Aug 06, 2019 9:17 am
by shadowriter
drakula63 wrote:
shadowriter wrote:Does it really matter if it was 1 or 2 Apache was a brilliant record. Brilliantly written, brilliantly played
brilliantly recorded and for me the most influential record ever made. The fact that 60 years after it's release guitarists are still
learning and playing it every week is testimony to that fact.

As for the documentary, I will hold my breath and hope for the best. I can count on one hand the number of docs I have
looked forward to that have been good. Mostly 2 minute playing clips followed
by the wheeling in of non descript celebs repeating facts we already know. Let's hope this is one doesn't turn out to be one of those.


I suspect that Hank, Bruce, Jet and Tony (and many others) were quite pleased that it got to number 1 and not 2. Perhaps it doesn't 'matter', but it's still nice that their first hit single was a number 1. It showed a huge vote of confidence on the part of the general public - and at a time when it actually meant something to get to the top of the charts and you had to sell a hell of a lot of records. I know that Pete Townshend is just one of the other interviewees and I'd hardly call him nondescript.


Oops! Sounds like my comments offended you, no offence was meant at all and I do apologise.
I merely meant that in my opinion one or two would not have changed the way Apache kick started the Shads career and the golden era of instrumentals that followed. My comment re Documentaries was of course concerning past documentaries not the upcoming one which like everybody else I am so looking forward to and hoping it does turn out to match all our expectations.

Re: Shadows 60th?

PostPosted: Tue Nov 05, 2019 4:26 pm
by iefje
I just came across this on The Who's website: https://www.thewho.com/pete-home-after-the-tour/

Scroll down to the entry for July 4th, 2019. As well as The Shadows, I'm also a very big fan of The Who, so I think it's great to have Pete Townshend featured in interview segments for the documentary! :thumbup: