DOCSLIB.ORG

Tony Meehan's Propensity for Showing up Late for Performances Worried

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Tony Meehan's Propensity for Showing up Late for Performances Worried A Life Tony Meehan’s propensity for showing up late for performances worried him greatly. During the Blackpool season, and after frequent rows, the 18-yea r-old quit the group (the usual ‘musical differences’ reason was c ited) and went to work as an A&R man for Decca. He was quick ly replaced by Brian Bennett, former house drummer at the 2I’s and member of Marty Wilde’s Wildcats. Jet was likewise beginning to cause Bruce serious concern. Although he could be great fun (for example, when the fans screamed for Cliff outside a thea tre, Jet would jokingly shout out of a dressing room window: ‘Cliff’s queer and he hates his fans!’), his drinking and erratic behaviour were rapidly becoming a liability. On one occasion, th e Shadows were performing at Liverpool’s famous Cavern Club doing their synchronised ‘walk’ when Jet fell into the audience. Bruce attempted to explain that their bass player wasn’t well, but people in the audience shouted back: ‘He’s pissed!’ In Steve Turner’s Cliff Richard, The Bachelor Boy, Ron King (variously Cliff’s bus driver, tour manager and personal assistant) recalled that Jet a nd Bruce were always quarrelling because Bruce couldn’t stand Jet’s drinking, and that Sam Curtis, their roadie, had had to look after Jet more than the others because he needed it. In the same book, Hank Marvin stated that Jet, who saw himself as a James Dean character, could be mean and moody, as well as a lot of fun. ‘Moody’ s eems to come up a lot when people have described Jet. Given the direction his life would later take, Royston Ellis’s portrait of Jet in 1961's The Big Beat Scene was also prophetically accurate: ‘ Undoubtedly Jet Harris is the Shadow with the most sex appeal. His hungry look, dark, su nken eyes and fiery performance help him to coax screams from an audience with just a smile. Offstage he is little di fferent from the image his fans love. He is an exhibitionist and must always have an a udience to draw him out. ‘In that slim body of his burns a fantastic energy, which leaves an impression on all who meet him. Coming from an 44 A Life The new Shadows line-up. Left to right: Brian Bennett, Bruce, Jet and Hank. ordinary home background hims elf, he loves the unusual, the offbeat, the kinky people who, he reckons, are the most interesting in the world. Studying them, he likes to discover what made them tick, adopting their interesti ng characteristics for himself. ‘One of his favourite London characters is the poetess Iris Orton, known around Soho for her experiments with poetry and music. Jet himself has been i nvolved with similar experiments with poetry and music. In 1959, he composed the pop music backing to poems that were performed by th e Shadows on television with the author of this book. ‘In pursuit of enjoyment and knowledge, Jet leads a pretty hectic life. His 21st birthday in 1960 was celebrated in a riotous fashion. With a friend to drive his car, armed with a bottle of strong wine, Jet set off for a prowl around London’s coffee bars after his evening’s stint at the Palladium. Picking up friends 45 A Life en route, the evening developed into a party on wheels. Jet flaked out in his flat about five the next morning. ‘Jet is a rare personality to fi nd in show business. Not only is he a talented musician, he is a genuine person with a sense of justice and a strong loyalty to his friends. He is able to ferret out the best in everyone and encourage it. Occasionally, he has a wildness about him bordering on i mmaturity. His bouts of erratic behaviour make his position as a star name very difficult. Unable to appreciate responsibilities, he lik es a steady person at his side to keep an eye on him. ‘On the scene they say that Jet Harris will not live beyond 30. Whenever he dies, Jet will have experienced more in life than the average person. An d he will long be re membered as a legend in the sometimes sordid world of musicians, poets and offbeats he likes so much.’ I quit! On 15 October 1961, the day af ter his 21st bi rthday, Cliff and the new Shadows line-up set off on a to ur of Singapore, Australia (where they played Sydney, Melbour ne, Perth and Adelaide) and New Zealand. Meanwh ile the hits continued to flow. Cliff’s ‘When The Girl In Your Heart Is The Girl In Your Arms’ made the Top 5 later that month, while the Shadows’ latest, ‘The Savage’, made the Top 10 in November. Their performance of ‘The Savage’ was also one of the most memorable moments of The Young Ones film, released on 19 December to rave reviews. Within a week, the soundtrack album was in the charts heading for No.1. At the end of 1961, the Shadows – without Cliff this time – paid a return visit to Stockton’s Globe Theatre to play ‘the Broker’s Men’ in the pantomime Dick Whittington, starring comedian Ken Platt as Idle Jack and Frank Ifield as Dick. The panto ran from Christmas Day – wh ich fell on a Monday that year – for three weeks, a nd was well received. 1962 got off to a good start, with Cliff’s ‘Young Ones’ single shooting to No.1 in Janu ary, and the Shadows’ latest, ‘Wonderful Land’ repeating the performance in March. At this 46 A Life point in their career, Cliff and the Shadows were truly on top of their game. On 15 April, they appeared at the prestigious NME Poll Winners Concert at Wembley’s Empire Pool, as they’d won in three categories: Cliff had been selected best ‘British Male Singer’ with 18,006 votes; the Shadows had topped the ‘British Small Group’ poll with a massive 45,951 votes; and Jet had won ‘Solo Instrumentalist’ with 20,955 vote s (interestingly, Hank Marvin, who to many was the solo instrumentalist, didn’t even make the top three: Acker Bilk claimed second spot with 13,911 votes and Bert Weedon romped in to third position with 9,087!). The Shadows were also presented, so mewhat belatedly, with a gold disc for sales of ‘Apache’. Jet did the show and then walked out. Bruce Welch says he was sack ed, while Jet claimed that he resigned. The exact truth may never be known, but it would certainly have been legally difficult for one or two founder members to sack a third. What is evident, is that Jet was drinking heavily and in an emotional st ate – so whether his sudden departure was planned or spontaneous is debatable. Most likely it is something he had been thinking about for a while, then did on the spur of the moment. But, if showbiz management were encouraging him to jump ship , then they were not acting responsibly to a young man whose emotional and alcohol problems, which would have been well known to them by that time, were already too much for him to cope with. 47.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Annie Ross Uk £3.25
    ISSUE 162 SUMMER 2020 ANNIE ROSS UK £3.25 Photo by Merlin Daleman CONTENTS Photo by Merlin Daleman ANNIE ROSS (1930-2020) The great British-born jazz singer remembered by VAL WISEMAN and DIGBY FAIRWEATHER (pages 12-13) THE 36TH BIRMINGHAM, SANDWELL 4 NEWS & WESTSIDE JAZZ FESTIVAL Birmingham Festival/TJCUK OCTOBER 16TH TO 25TH 2020 7 WHAT I DID IN LOCKDOWN [POSTPONED FROM ORIGINAL JULY DATES] Musicians, promoters, writers 14 ED AND ELVIN JAZZ · BLUES · BEBOP · SWING Bicknell remembers Jones AND MORE 16 SETTING THE STANDARD CALLUM AU on his recent album LIVE AND ROCKING 18 60-PLUS YEARS OF JAZZ MORE THAN 90% FREE ADMISSION BRIAN DEE looks back 20 THE V-DISC STORY Told by SCOTT YANOW 22 THE LAST WHOOPEE! Celebrating the last of the comedy jazz bands 24 IT’S TRAD, GRANDAD! ANDREW LIDDLE on the Bible of Trad FIND US ON FACEBOOK 26 I GET A KICK... The Jazz Rag now has its own Facebook page. with PAOLO FORNARA of the Jim Dandies For news of upcoming festivals, gigs and releases, features from the archives, competitions and who 26 REVIEWS knows what else, be sure to ‘like’ us. To find the Live/digital/ CDs page, simply enter ‘The Jazz Rag’ in the search bar at the top when logged into Facebook. For more information and to join our mailing list, visit: THE JAZZ RAG PO BOX 944, Birmingham, B16 8UT, England UPFRONT Tel: 0121454 7020 BRITISH JAZZ AWARDS CANCELLED WWW.BIRMINGHAMJAZZFESTIVAL.COM Fax: 0121 454 9996 Email: [email protected] This is the time of year when Jazz Rag readers expect to have the opportunity to vote for the Jazz Oscars, the British Jazz Awards.
    [Show full text]
  • A Darkness at the End: the Shadows Know Your Name Free
    FREE A DARKNESS AT THE END: THE SHADOWS KNOW YOUR NAME PDF Ruth Frances Long | 448 pages | 12 Sep 2016 | O'Brien Press Ltd | 9781847178633 | English | Dublin, Ireland LARRY GATLIN - LIGHT AT THE END OF DARKNESS LYRICS O'Brien Press uses cookies on this website. They are stored locally on your computer or mobile device. To accept cookies continue browsing as normal. Or go to the cookie policy for more information and preferences. Holly, the fae matriarch, tries to sieze the power of heaven for herself, while Izzy has lost her memory and Jinx is dead The final book in the contemporary fantasy trilogy set in Dublin: and Dubh Linn, the fae world that exists in the cracks and corners of reality. Angels, A Darkness at the End: The Shadows Know Your Name demons and humans are drawn into lethal conflict as the fate of the world hangs in the balance in the final installment in this urban fantasy. Confronted with ancient powers, sacrifice and treachery. War is looming within the ranks of the Sidhe. The angels and the demons begin to draw lines, daring each other to transgress and start another war She studied English Literature, History of Religions, and Celtic Civilisation in college and now works in a specialised library of rare and unusual books. She skilfully melds real Dublin and magical Dubh Linn, making excellent use of the history surrounding the locations. She writes about Dublin as a place of magic and story, making the Irish reader see their place in a new way … a brilliant read, both heart-pounding and heartbreaking.
    [Show full text]
  • Hank Marvin Album HANK Set for Release 2Nd June 2014 Submitted By: Bennett Public Relations Thursday, 10 April 2014
    Hank Marvin album HANK set for release 2nd June 2014 Submitted by: Bennett Public Relations Thursday, 10 April 2014 Hank Marvin, the legendary guitarist and modern day icon, who has inspired generations and garnered critical acclaim throughout his career for his work with The Shadows and as a solo artist, releases a long-awaited new studio album on 2 June 2014. Simply titled HANK, the album will be released on the DMG TV label. Featuring 14 tracks, HANK includes fresh interpretations of some of Marvin’s favourite summer-themed music, along with one new composition. It’s the first new release since 2007’s UK Top 10 Guitar Man, for the man whose legendary achievements were restated yet again in The Times in February 2014, when he was listed as Number 2, amongst the world’s greatest guitar players and The Shadows amongst the greatest groups! It’s been 60 years since the man who introduced the Fender Stratocaster to the UK, picked up his first musical instrument. Marvin’s performances as a solo frontman and with The Shadows on their records and backing Cliff Richard have resulted in millions of worldwide record sales. The Shadows’ monumental chart debut with Apache in 1960 started an incredible run of 13 UK Top 10 hits for the group in just 4 years, during which time their unmistakeable style became a household sound around the world. Hank and The Shadows ruled the charts during the early 1960s and as a solo artist from the late 1970s to the present day Hank Marvin has sold in excess of 6 million albums.
    [Show full text]
  • Shoreham's Radar Station-Bookv2
    The Story of RAF Truleigh Hill by Roy Taylor Copyright Aug. 2020 Page 1 of 107 Contents Introduction……………………………………………. 1 1. Radar Development………………………………... 3 2. Wartime…………………………………………….. 4 3. Poling………………………………………………. 20 4. GEE Navigational Aid……………………..............26 5. ROTOR Period – Technical Site………………….33 6. Stoney Lane Domestic Site……………………….. 43 7. Sport………………………………………………. .52 8. Commanding Officers…………………….…….. 57 9. Finding the Veterans…………………………….. .61 10. Local Involvement………………………………. 74 11. Later Developments……………………………... 77 Appendix 1 - Roll Call………………………… …… 81 Gallery…………………………............ 86 Appendix 2 – Other Sussex RAF Radar Stations….. 93 Appendix 3 – Further Reading……………………… 94 Appendix 4 – Technical Notes (CHEL) 95 Acknowledgements………………………………… 98 The Story of RAF Truleigh Hill by Roy Taylor Copyright Aug. 2020 Page 2 of 107 Shoreham’s Radar Station The Story of RAF Truleigh Hill Introduction The Story of RAF Truleigh Hill by Roy Taylor Copyright Aug. 2020 Page 3 of 107 It is over fifty years since I first set foot in Shoreham, as a 19-year-old radar operator at RAF Truleigh Hill. I served the final 15months of my compulsory period of National Service at this, the last of my six postings. On demob, I stayed in the area and have been here ever since. I have kept in contact with four of my former colleagues. Photos and memories come out for an airing every so often, but it is only in the last few years, however, that I have started to think seriously about the history of RAF Truleigh Hill. The radar operation started in 1940, just before The Battle of Britain, and continued in several different formats until closure in 1958.
    [Show full text]
  • Remembering Lee Hazlewood 1929-2007 Live Gig Reviews
    REMEMBERING LEE HAZLEWOOD 1929-2007 LIVE GIG REVIEWS SHADOZ 07 THE THUNDERBIRDS THE FUTURAS SYDNEY SHADZ TRIBUTE SHOW BRYAN BROWNE IN THE USA NEW CD’S including MARTIN CILIA / HANK MARVIN / THUNDERBIRDS / AL CASEY / BRYAN BROWNE / KIM HUMPHREYS & MORE! THE AVENGERS On Lead Guitar is NELLO GIANSIRACUSA, on Rhythm is SAM MANUELE, Bass Guitar is ROB WATSON and on drums, JOHN FAGNANI. Their set included a selection of Shadows' numbers, and proved a fine start to the day's entertainment. I have recently had to (hurriedly) find new accommodation. The owners of my flat wanted to Tracks played were: 36-24-36 / Shadoogie / Apache sell, so my time was limited (and, yes, I did pay the / South Of The Border / Guitar Tango / Riders In rent!!). I have spent the last few weeks packing and The Sky / Theme From 'The Deer Hunter' unpacking my 'worldly possessions', and having a (Cavatina) / Kon-Tiki / Foot Tapper / The Rise And giant 'cleanout' in the process. My new details are: Fall Of Flingel Bunt / F.B.I. / Perfidia / The Savage GEOFF JERMY, 9 Hughes Street, Hoppers Crossing, Vic, 3029. Phone (03) 9749 3223. Visitors are always welcome (Melway 202 E 12) but please SHADAMATAZ call first. JOHN BESHARA is on Lead Guitar, RUSSELL My email address ([email protected]) and BAIRD on Rhythm Guitar, DAN McLACHLAN is on mobile 0428 288 577 remain the same. Also on the Bass), JOHN HALL is manning the drum stool, and move is Ben Nestrell, who has decided to retire and JEFF MANNING is manning the keyboards. move to the sunnier climes of Nambucca Heads.
    [Show full text]
  • The Last Days of John Lennon
    Copyright © 2020 by James Patterson Hachette Book Group supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce creative works that enrich our culture. The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like permission to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights. Little, Brown and Company Hachette Book Group 1290 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10104 littlebrown.com twitter.com/littlebrown facebook.com/littlebrownandcompany First ebook edition: December 2020 Little, Brown and Company is a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc. The Little, Brown name and logo are trademarks of Hachette Book Group, Inc. The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher. The Hachette Speakers Bureau provides a wide range of authors for speaking events. To find out more, go to hachettespeakersbureau.com or call (866) 376-6591. ISBN 978-0-316-42907-8 Library of Congress Control Number: 2020945289 E3-111020-DA-ORI Table of Contents Cover Title Page Copyright Dedication Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 — Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 — Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24
    [Show full text]
  • 1 This Was the Year That the Shadows Appeared As Singers Before a Pan
    1975 This was the year that The Shadows appeared as singers before a pan-European audience. The earlier 1973 initiative had not produced the desired outcome and by 1974 they were in the wilderness and did not exist as a viable group. They got together to perform at the Palladium on 27 October of that year as a personal tribute to and for the benefit of the widow of BBC producer Colin Charman. BBC boss Bill Cotton heard them and suggested that they might like to represent the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest the following year. They accepted, formed a working ensemble, and undertook a few local ‘practice’ gigs while preparing and practising the songs. The chosen song, [254] LET ME BE THE ONE, was one of six put forward for the UK’s entry in the Eurovision Contest of 1975, and was the last of the contenders performed over six successive weeks on Lulu’s BBC TV show at the start of the year. It was duly televised in Stockholm on 22 March but came in second to Dutch group Teach-In’s lyrically challenged ‘Dinge-Dong’ ~ English title ‘Ding-A-Dong’ (“Ding- A-Dong every hour,/ When you pick a flower …”), which impressed the British public sufficiently to enjoy a seven-week residence in the Singles charts (climbing to No.13). No such good fortune attended the release of The Shadows’ follow-up to their charting Eurovision Single, another piece from the same composer, the staggeringly inane, hopelessly unamusing [266] RUN BILLY RUN (“Closed my eyes, I tried countin’ sheep,/ Desp-rate Dan just looked like Bo-Peep,/ I can’t sleep”).
    [Show full text]
  • 01. Brazil / Les Paul with Mary Ford the Best of the Capitol Masters: 90Th Birthday Edition 02
    2005/09/24 （ ALBUM TITLE ） 01. Brazil / Les Paul with Mary Ford The Best of The Capitol Masters: 90th Birthday Edition 02. Dialog and In The Mood / Les Paul with Mary Ford The Best of The Capitol Masters: 90th Birthday Edition 03. Walk, Don't Run / Johnny Smith Moods 04. Walk, Don't Run / Chet Atkins The Best Of Chet Atkins 05. Walk, Don't Run / The Ventures The Ultimate Collection 06. Walk, Don't Run / Penguin Cafe Orchestra Penguin Cafe Orchestra 07. Midnight / Peter Green & Splinter Group Twang! A Tribute To Hank Marvin & The Shadows 08. Ain't Nobody's Business / Jimmy Witherspoon Blues Masters 09. I Want To Be Loved (But Only By You) / Savannah Blowing The Fuse - 28 R&B Classics That Rocked The Jukebox Churchill in 1947 Blowing The Fuse - 28 R&B Classics That Rocked The Jukebox 10. Since I Fell For You / Annie Laurie in 1947 Blowing The Fuse - 28 R&B Classics That Rocked The Jukebox 11. New Orleans Blues / Johnny Moore's Three Blazers in 1947 12. Turn On Your Love Light / Bobby Bland Turn On Your Love Light 13. T-Bone Shuffle / T-Bone Walker Capitol, Imperial Years 14. Okie Dokie Stomp / Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown Lightning In A Bottle - Original Soundtrack Recording 15. Guitar In My Hand / Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown The Aladdin Records Story 16. My Time Is Expensive /Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown The Best Of Duke-Peacock Blues 17. Born In Louisiana / Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown Standing My Ground 18. Jambalaya (On The Bayou) / Professor Longhair Rock 'N' Roll Gumbo 19. River's Invitation / Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown Gate Swings 20.
    [Show full text]
  • Warren Dosanjh the Music Scene Of
    i-spysydincambridge.comi-spysydincambridge.com The Music Scene of 1960s CAMBRIDGE Walking Tour, Venues, Bands, Meeting Places and the People Award Winner 2014 researched and compiled by Warren Dosanjh 6th Edition April 2015 Walking Tours 2009-12 Photos © Mick Brown For information on how to book a fascinating guided walking tour of the 1960s Cambridge music scene, please contact: [email protected] Introduction ambridge developed its own unique music scene during the 1960s. Some local musicians later left and became internationally Cfamous while others, equally talented, chose to remain in the city. This booklet describes the venues, meeting places, the way of life of young people during the 1960s and some of the bands that entertained them. The story is told by Cambridge residents and musicians who were there in those times and are still here today! Contents III Map of City Centre showing positions of venues 1-22 Venues, meeting places and gallery of local people 24-26 Roots of Cambridge Rock photos and links 27 Devi Agarwala remembered and Maxpeed Printers 28-31 Pete Rhodes, Alan Styles, Tony Colleno and Clive Welham remembered 32-67 Bands and Vocalists 68 About this booklet 1 Photo by Ralph Goodfellow Publisher and main contributor: Warren Dosanjh, email: [email protected] Editing/Layout/Selected Youtube clips: Mick Brown, email: [email protected] with editorial help, advice and research by David Chapman Further contributions and research: Lee Wood, Alan Willis, Jenny Spires, Brian Foskett, Viv ‘Twig’
    [Show full text]
  • Are We Still Rolling?
    Are We Still Phill BRrowonlling? Studios, Drugs and Rock ‘n’ Roll - One Man’s Journey Recording Classic Albums Are We Still Phill BrRowonlling? Studios, Drugs and Rock ‘n’ Roll - One Man’s Journey Recording Classic Albums To Sally: Thank you for everything. I could not have achieved as much without you. “There’s my truth, there’s your truth, and then there’s The Truth.” -Steve Smith “This is my truth - some may disagree.” -Phill Brown In memory of musicians, producers, family and friends who did not make it to 2010: Robert Ash, Mark Bolan, John Bonham, Lenny Breau, Linda Brown, Vicki Brown, Leslie Brown, Jenny Bruce, David Byron, Sandy Denny, Dave Domlio, Jim Capaldi, Mongezi Feza, Lowell George, Keith Harwood, Alex Harvey, Bill Hicks, Nicky Hopkins, Brian Jones, Paul Kossoff, Vincent Crane, Ronnie Lane, John Martyn, George Melly, Bob Marley, Steve Marriott, Jimmy Miller, Denise Mills, Willie Mitchell, Roy Morgan, Mickie Most, Harry Nilsson, Kenji Omura, Robert Palmer, Mike Patto, Cozy Powell, Keith Relf, Lou Reizner, Nigel Rouse, Del Shannon, Norman Smith, Alan Spenner, Guy Stevens, Peter Veitch, Kevin Wilkinson, Suzanne Wightman and Chris Wood. Are We Still Phill BrRowonlling? Studios, Drugs and Rock ‘n’ Roll - One Man’s Journey Recording Classic Albums Copyright 2010 by Phill Brown Published by Tape Op Books www.tapeop.com [email protected] (916) 444-5241 Distributed by Hal Leonard www.halleonard.com Art Direction by John Baccigaluppi Editing by Larry Crane Graphic Design by Scott McChane Proofreading by Caitlin Gutenberger Legal Counsel by Alan Korn Front Cover photo by Roger Hillier Phill would like to thank Larry Crane and John Baccigaluppi at Tape Op Books, Roger Hillier, Julian Gill, Robert Palmer, Barbara Marsh, Dana Gillespie, John Fenton, Ray Doyle, Steve Smith, Sasha Mitchell, Caroline Hillier and Paula Beetlestone.
    [Show full text]
  • Mr Angry, Still Angry Keith Talks to Billie Davis Jeff
    August 2017 98 In association with "AMERICAN MUSIC MAGAZINE" ALL ARTICLES/IMAGES ARE COPYRIGHT OF THEIR RESPECTIVE AUTHORS. FOR REPRODUCTION, PLEASE CONTACT ALAN LLOYD VIA TFTW.ORG.UK Raye Duval, TFTW Heritage Show 10, The Borderline 2015 © Paul Harris Mr Angry, still angry Keith talks to Billie Davis Jeff Two-Tone Boogie says “Hi” We “borrow” more stuff from Nick Cobban Soul Kitchen, Jazz Junction, Blues Rambling And more.... 1 2 The original Holy Batman’s dying Promotion! Now’s my wish was to: chance! “ HOLD THE THIRD PAGE! ” Hi Gang, Welcome to the mid-summer edition of Tales From The Woods magazine. Now if the advert above does not press all the right buttons, I guess you’re reading the wrong publication, subscribing to the wrong organization. This promises to be one hell of a show, another landmark in the making, I can feel it in my gut folks. I have spoken to all artists over these last few weeks at the time of typing, and they are really up for it, I mean really raring to go. As you can see we are returning to the 100 Club after a break of a few years. Unfortunately we have decided to leave the Borderline, as I truly feel the ambience of the refurbished venue is unsuitable for our type of show. I must point out before any cries of disloyalty towards the 100 Club for leaving that venue for the Borderline, it was purely that at the time the veteran Oxford Street establishment was under threat. It was suggested by the management that we move our event to a temporary home whilst the problems were in the process of being sorted out.
    [Show full text]
  • 'Talk of the Town', And, Later in the Year, in Cabaret Wi
    1966 The group appeared with Cliff for a six-week spell at London’s ‘Talk Of The Town’, and, later in the year, in cabaret without Cliff at Bournemouth and South Shields. But they were with him for three further major projects, the films ‘Finders Keepers’ and (as puppets) ‘Thunderbirds Are Go’; and also (in the flesh) the pantomime ‘Cinderella’ which opened at the London Palladium on 10 December 1966. For all three, the first two especially, they penned a number of finely crafted vocal and instrumental pieces, which resulted in eponymous releases, an LP (which made No.6), an EP (No.6 again), and another LP put out in January 1967 (a mere No.30 for Cinderella , a very uneven set, the first Cliff Album not to make the Top 20). The high points for Cliff and The Shadows in the Singles department were the outstanding ‘Time Drags By’ (No.10) and ‘In The Country’ (yet another No.6), both group compositions. The Shadows fared less well with their own Singles, the first and third of which were vocals: [138] I MET A GIRL (No.22), [154] A PLACE IN THE SUN (No.24), [156] THE DREAMS I DREAM (No.42). [138] I MET A GIRL was eminently hummable, if not in the league of “a Rubber Soul outtake”, to which one reviewer likened it; nobody appears to have stopped to reflect that the elegant [154] A PLACE IN THE SUN, released in July, might have been wholly out of line with current market trends, as a glance at the Top 20 for the beginning of August, say, will reveal; as it happened though, Hank Marvin’s [156] THE DREAMS I DREAM, the most commercial-sounding by far and a composition that compares favourably with his later favourite [203] THE DAY I MET MARIE, was the one that gave them their lowest chart placing to date; it would be recorded by Cliff Richard without The Shadows on the 1968 Album Established 1958 .
    [Show full text]