Part 3,
1977 - 1990

1977 was a very good year for the Shadows. Following the success of the previous year’s ‘Rarities’ album and with the knowledge that hits repackages often sold well, EMI kicked off the year with the release of ‘The Shadows 20 Golden Greats’. Thanks partly to some very heavy television promotion and the public’s genuine interest in the group, the album sold in significant quantities and ‘charted’ a mere 48 hours after its release. It would eventually reach number one in the album charts and sell in excess of one million copies. On the strength of the album’s success, the Shadows (now comprising Hank Marvin, Bruce Welch and Brian Bennett with Alan Tarney on bass) went into the studio to record a new album and scheduled a short tour for the early summer.

The ‘20 Golden Dates’ tour, as it inevitably became known, took in a variety of smallish venues and was an instant sell-out. Such was the warmth of their reception (ten minute standing ovations were a regular occurrence) that it went a long way to convincing them that maybe this time it would be a good idea to make the reformation a permanent one. With Alan Tarney having finally left the band prior to the start of the tour, the Shadows live line-up was completed by top session musicians Alan Jones on bass and Francis Monkman on keyboards. An able player, Jones stepped easily into Tarney’s shoes and, although it has since been revealed that Monkman was less than happy during his brief stint, his keyboard playing added much to the live presentation of such classics as Atlantis, Wonderful Land and Guitar Tango.

Upon completion of the tour and with ‘20 Golden Greats’ still riding high, the new album, now titled ‘Tasty’ was released. In addition to the seven tracks recorded that year, the album also featured four tracks recorded previously with John Farrar on guitar and Dave Richmond on bass. Although generally a little ‘heavier’ than the newer material, these tracks (originally intended for the 'Specs Appeal' album) fitted in very nicely. Of the new material, Return to the Alamo, featuring an orchestra arranged and conducted by Norrie Paramor, stands out as being one of the best self-penned compositions from the Welch, Marvin, Bennett writing team. Sadly, with little by way of promotion, the album, although creatively pleasing, was not a commercial success.

In March 1978, this being their 20th anniversary year, The Shadows were reunited with Cliff Richard for a series of concerts at the famous London Palladium. Heavy on nostalgia, the concerts sold out months in advance and one particular show was described, by an enthusiastic Tim Rice, as "–quite simply, one of the best popular music concerts I have ever attended." And who are we to disagree? With Francis Monkman having vacated the piano stool, Hank, Bruce, Brian and Alan were joined for these concerts by another top session man, Cliff Hall. Cliff had actually played in Cliff Richard’s band during the 1970s and had accompanied him in such exotic places as the Far East and Russia! His jazzier style of playing and sense of humour seemed to suit the band down to the ground and, with only the briefest of interludes, he would remain their permanent keyboard player for the next 12 years.

Following the Palladium season and some other solo work, the Shadows prepared for their autumn tour by recording a new single – the keyboard-driven, disco influenced Love Deluxe. Despite some remarkable performances from the regulars and some truly stunning synthesiser work from guest player Adrian Lee, the single failed to dent the charts. If the band were disappointed, they didn’t show it, and with Cliff Hall back on board, they embarked upon a much larger tour than they had undertaken the previous year. Although they didn’t know it, they were to feature one particular number on this tour that would give them not only their biggest hit single of the decade, but would also sign-post the direction the band would take during the 1980s. The number was Don’t Cry For Me Argentina.

Due to the overwhelming response to this tune when it was played live (the audience literally shouting for them to record it), the Shads entered the studio and recorded a polished and technically perfect arrangement. For some reason, it didn’t quite work and there was a certain sense of disappointment at the result. Feeling that it was too good to waste, Brian Bennett went back into the studio, shortened it and mixed in some live applause from the recent Palladium recordings. The rest, as they say, is history. Released in November 1978, the single rocketed up the charts, finally peaking at number 5. The Shadows were back where they belonged. The renaissance had begun!

Following the success of Argentina and yet another hit, Cavatina – the Theme from The Deer Hunter, an album was inevitable. The album, ‘String of Hits’ was released during the summer of 1979 and was an immediate success. As well as the aforementioned hit singles; the album consisted mainly of the Shads’ instrumental reworkings of pop and rock standards. Lighter in style than their previous two or three offerings, the album represented a return to something more akin to the classic Shadows sound of old. The move obviously worked, for in early 1980, on the back of yet another big hit single (Riders in the Sky), ‘String of Hits’ gave the Shadows their fourth number one album! The album is also significant as it represents a very brief return to the fold (for just two tracks!) of former keyboard player Alan Hawkshaw. Dave Lawson handles the remainder of the keyboard duties for the album, whilst the ever dependable Alan Jones is on bass.

Away from the band, 1979 would prove to be an unexpecedly successful year for Bruce Welch. Although, by now, no longer Cliff Richard’s record producer, Bruce was handed a song that he felt would be ideal for the singer. The song was We Don’t Talk Anymore and the composer was former Shads’ bass player Alan Tarney. As soon as he heard it, Cliff agreed and under the supervision of Mr Welch, the song was recorded with Tarney and Trevor Spencer providing the musical backing. Upon its release, during the summer, the song’s success would exceed even Bruce’s great expectations. Giving Cliff his tenth number one, We Don’t Talk Anymore would stay at the top of the chart for four weeks and go on to become his best selling single of all time.

1980 was to be a year of change. In the light of their increasing success, the Shadows felt that as their contract with EMI was due for renewal, now would be a good time to renegotiate certain aspects of the deal. One of the prime concerns was that Hank, Bruce and Brian wanted to buy back the rights to all their classic recordings and lease them to EMI as required. This arrangement was already commonplace with many other popular artists and groups. Similarly, they also wanted to retain the rights to all future work. Unfortunately, after months of talks, EMI failed to agree. The result was that after over twenty years together, the Shadows and EMI parted company.

Any fears that the fans may have had were soon quashed, however, and the Shadows first album for their new record label, Polydor, was, unsurprisingly, just as good as its predecessor. ‘Change of Address’ contained several self-composed tracks (Arty’s Party and Midnight Creepin’ being perhaps the best) as well as a move into the direction of ‘classical rock’ with Mozart Forte and Hello Mr W.A.M. The highlight of the album, however, for most people, was the band’s stunning interpretation of Jean Michel Jarre’s Equinoxe Part V. Although not a big hit when they had released it earlier in the year, the number instantly became a firm favourite when played live and today stands out as one of the Shadows best recordings of the 1980s.

Having now firmly established themselves as masters of the instrumental cover version, it is, perhaps, not surprising that most of the Shadows’ output for the remainder of the decade followed this particular path. Albums such as ‘Hits Right Up Your Street’, ‘XXV’, ‘Moonlight Shadows’ and ‘Simply Shadows’ consolidated their position and provided very healthy record sales. Although covers would make up the majority of their output during this period, albums such as ‘Life in the Jungle’ and ‘Guardian Angel’ would provide a platform for several outstanding original compositions. Unfortunately, poor sales of the latter in 1984 would ensure that a whole album of original material would never surface again.

With successful albums and sell-out tours, the Shadows enjoyed renewed popularity during the 1980s and, once again, became regular fixtures on both the radio and TV. They also found time to get back, twice, with Cliff Richard, for some spectacular reunion shows. Although just missing the anniversary years, the concerts (held in 1984 and 1989 respectively) were far larger in scale than the previous get together – reflecting the increase in popularity that both Cliff and the Shads had enjoyed since 1978. The 1989 shows were particularly memorable; firstly because they were staged at Wembley Stadium and secondly because, during his own set, Cliff was joined on stage by Jet Harris and Tony Meehan for a truly legendary reunion. The concerts were also significant as they provided the enthusiastic (and very large!) crowd with their first taste of a brand new Brian Bennett composition, Mountains of the Moon. Despite never having heard it before, the audience greeted this piece as warmly as they did most of the old favourites – giving it, quite deservedly, one of the best receptions of the day. Joining the Shadows for these shows, and all subsequent work, was bass player and former guitarist in Cliff’s band, Mark Griffiths. Having stood in for Alan Jones in 1986 (ironically whilst he was ‘on secondment to Cliff), Mark was an instant hit with the fans and quickly proved himself to be a great addition to the band. In less than happy circumstances, Mark was asked to return following Alan Jones’ near fatal car crash in 1988. Due to the nature of his injuries and need for extensive hospital treatment, Alan was never able to rejoin the band as hoped and Mark remained with them until the end.

In 1989, the Shadows made the interesting move of re-recording most of their classic hits from the 1960s (plus a couple of their more recent hits) and releasing them via Polydor as ‘The Shadows at their Very Best’. The idea behind this, one assumes, is that the Shads themselves could have control over their greatest hits. The new arrangements, on the whole, were very close to the originals, with only Brian’s more powerful drum sound occasionally giving the game away.

At the end of their 1990 tour, Brian Bennett announced his intention to retire from the band. Although the worsening atmosphere within the band could be seen as an influencing factor in his decision, what is certain is that he needed to devote more time to his burgeoning career as a composer. Since the mid 1970s, Brian had composed and performed on a great deal of incidental music for television. As his workload increased (at the time he was scoring The Ruth Rendell Mysteries for ITV and other recent work had included the BBC’s crime series Pulaski) so it became more and more difficult to juggle both careers successfully. Although it wasn’t, perhaps, a forgone conclusion, Brian Bennett’s departure from the band would signal the end. With one of the core elements gone and with the remaining members growing tired of the relentless routine, on December 1st 1990, at the Mayflower in Southampton, the Shadows played what was to be their final gig.

Brian leads the Shadows off stage for the final time (photo by Tony Jedrej)

Many groups insist on struggling on, way beyond their natural ‘sell by’ date. Summer seasons in holiday camps and pub gigs have to suffice, where, previously, only major venues and the best recording studios would do. It is to their credit that, either by luck or judgement, the Shadows called it a day whilst they were still on top. Their last album, ‘Reflection’, sold half a million copies and, right up until the end, they were still packing the same venues that they had played during their ‘60s heyday.

The story of the Shadows is a remarkable one. Their music entertained, influenced and inspired more than one generation. The sheer scale of their talent can never be called into question. No one who has ever seen (or simply heard) the Shadows play can ever forget the magic. As one fan once said, "The Shadows represented everything that was good about British pop music. As composers and performers, they rated second to none. Any band that can move effortlessly and with equal precision between the idioms of rock ‘n’ roll; jazz and heavy rock, as they often did ‘live’, deserves the utmost respect." I make no apology for the enthusiasm. That fan was me!

Although they have long since split up, the continued popularity of the frequent compilation albums and the enduring dedication of fans from all over the world will ensure that ‘the Sound of the Shadows’ is one that will never be forgotten.

CHRIS DRAKE 04/01/01

The Shadows 1958-1969
The Shadows 1970-1976

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last modified 07 September 2003