Who played Bass on the most Shads recordings

[petercreasey]

The Subject heading says it all really, Which bass player recorded the most tracks with the Shads? I am pretty sure that some of the experts on the site will know. I have a sneaky feeling that it could be Alan Jones but that feeling could ( and probably is ) wrong.
Anyone got a list?

Thanks in anticipation of your expert knowledge

[iefje]

I think the competition is between John Rostill and Alan Jones. John played on six studio albums, but also a lot of singles, EP's and various other tracks released between 1964 and 1970. Alan Jones played on all studio albums from 1979's "String Of Hits" to 1989's "Steppin' To The Shadows", a number of singles tracks and also live recordings. I shall try to make a list.

[drakula63]

Without checking, or looking at any replies, my guess would be John Rostill... followed very closely by Alan Jones. Or maybe the other way around.

[JimN]

I can check using my Shadows individual recordings database, discounting live versions (rare in the early sixties, less so during the 1980s).

The check will have to be done as a manual count.

[JimN]

Going through the database from the very first recordings:

(a) leaving out the "live" versions of Jet Black and Driftin' and the South African EP's four tracks,

(b) excluding the Shadows' recordings on the early 1962 "Live At The ABC", and

(c) also excluding several tracks which were attempted but never used, eventually being replaced by later versions, whether with Jet or Licorice, but

(d) including several recordings never issued but which do still exist in complete form in the archive...

...the most accurate number I can produce for recordings with Jet Harris is fifty (50), starting with both sides of the Feelin' Fine 45 on 9th January 1959 and finishing with Perfidia and South Of the Border on Thursday 12th April 1962.

Of course, you can multiply that number by a couple of hundred percent if you include Cliff Richard tracks.

[JimN]

The score for Licorice (calculated on the same basis as that for Jet) is forty-one (41), starting with the 1962-released version of All Day on 27th April 1961 and ending (as far as I can tell) with Shazam!, Theme For Young Lovers and Walkin' on 1st November 1963.

For John Rostill, the total gets really hard to calculate, partly because the changing nature of studio recording (especially once 4-track was in use) means that there are a large number of overdubbing sessions to be discounted in arriving at the number of discrete released tracks, but it looks like - as near as I can get it - a net figure of 135 (one hundred and thirty five), starting with the originally-unreleased version of Razzmataz and ending with Chitty Chitty Bang Bang on 30th December 1968.

Calculating the numbers for Alan Jones would be a matter of counting up from album credits.

[drakula63]

Calculating the numbers for Alan Jones would be a matter of counting up from album credits.

...and a couple of b-sides. Great work, by the way.

[Hank2k]

That is some work! Once again Jim your knowledge of Shads stuff amazes me!

[petercreasey]

Thanks Jim. ( the Font of all Knowledge)

Very interesting, I sometimes think that Alan doesn't get the credit he deserves

[iefje]

Alan Jones plays on 114 studio recordings by The Shadows (alternative versions not included). Officially released live recordings, including the "'Live' At Abbey Road" album, are also excluded. They are:
1. Love Deluxe.
2. Sweet Saturday Night.
3. Riders In The Sky.
4. Parisienne Walkways.
5. Classical Gas.
6. Theme From The Deer Hunter (Cavatina).
7. Bridge Over Troubled Water.
8. You’re The One That I Want.
9. Heart Of Glass.
10. Don’t Cry For Me Argentina.
11. Song For Duke.
12. Bright Eyes.
13. Rodrigo’s Guitar Concert De Aranjuez.
14. Baker Street.
15. Rusk.
16. Black Is Black.
17. Fender Bender.
18. Mozart Forte.
19. Midnight Creepin’.
20. Change Of Address.
21. Just The Way You Are.
22. Indigo.
23. Arty’s Party.
24. Outdigo.
25. Hello Mr. W.A.M.
26. Temptation (1980 version).
27. Albatross.
28. If You Leave Me Now.
29. Equinoxe (Part V).
30. The Fourth Man.
31. Telstar.
32. Chi Mai.
33. We Don’t Talk Anymore.
34. Imagine/Woman.
35. Hats Off To Wally.
36. One Day I’ll Fly Away.
37. Summer Love ’59.
38. Misty.
39. This Ole House.
40. The Winner Takes It All.
41. Sailing.
42. Thing-Me-Jig.
43. More Than I Can Say.
44. Cowboy Café.
45. The Third Man.
46. Nut Rocker.
47. Spot The Ball.
48. The Shady Lady.
49. Life In The Jungle.
50. High Noon.
51. The Theme From ‘Missing’.
52. Treat Me Nice.
53. Cat ‘N’ Mouse.
54. Chariots Of Fire.
55. No Dancing!
56. Riders Of The Range.
57. The Old Romantics.
58. You Rescue me.
59. Lili Marlene.
60. Raunchy.
61. Elevenis.
62. Shadoogie (1983 version).
63. Africa.
64. Going Home.
65. Up Where We Belong.
66. You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me.
67. The Modern Way.
68. Diamonds.
69. Time Is Tight.
70. Memory.
71. Liverpool Days.
72. Queen Of Hearts.
73. A Whiter Shade Of Pale.
74. How Do I Love Thee.
75. Hammerhead.
76. The Saturday Western.
77. Look Back On Love.
78. Johnny Staccato.
79. I Will Return.
80. (I’m Gonna Be Your) Guardian Angel.
81. Can’t Play Your Game.
82. On A Night Like This.
83. Turning Point.
84. Our Albert.
85. I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me).
86. We Don’t Need Another Hero.
87. Walking In The Air.
88. Careless Whisper.
89. Don’t Give Up.
90. I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues.
91. A Heart Will Break Tonight.
92. The Lady In Red.
93. Pulaski.
94. Take My Breath Away.
95. The Music Of The Night.
96. I Want To Know What Love Is.
97. The Skye Boat Song.
98. Jealous Guy.
99. Chain Reaction.
100. You Win Again.
101. I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me).
102. He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother.
103. Candle In The Wind.
104. Farewell My Lovely.
105. Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love For You.
106. Heaven Is A Place On Earth.
107. When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Gets Going.
108. Alone.
109. All I Ask Of You.
110. Stack-It.
111. Shoba.
112. You Keep Me Hangin’ On.
113. Some People.
114. One Moment In time.