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I own no Shadows albums. It's true. Is there a fully
comprehensive best-of? What do you guys recommend as
must-haves?
Richard
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--- In , Richard <errant_jedi@y...>
wrote:
>
> I own no Shadows albums. It's true. Is there a fully
> comprehensive best-of? What do you guys recommend as
> must-haves?
>
> Richard
>
As with many successful recording artists, THE SHADOWS have had
their music repackaged ad infinitum. Many different 'best of'
packages can be had on CD. I like the "Abbey Road" collection, and
recommend some of EP Collection CDs. There's plenty to choose from.
UNSTEADY FREDDIE
P.S. they are doing Scandanavian and UK dates into May; I'm
actually thinking of checking them out!!!
There was one a few years ago called "Shadows Are Go" it's got them
in puppet from on the car from the Thunderbirds. I like it.
--- In , Richard <errant_jedi@y...>
wrote:
>
> I own no Shadows albums. It's true. Is there a fully
> comprehensive best-of? What do you guys recommend as
> must-haves?
>
> Richard
>
>
>
> __________________________________
> Do you Yahoo!?
> Yahoo! Small Business - Try our new resources site!
>
--- In , Richard <errant_jedi@y...>
wrote:
>
> I own no Shadows albums. It's true. Is there a fully
> comprehensive best-of? What do you guys recommend as
> must-haves?
Richard,
As others have told you, there's TONS of comps out there, and none
of them are perfect. Shadows Are Go! was the only official US
release CD, and leaves me very unsatisfied (some of the choices seem
at very best completely random!). But you can get the Brit stuff
relatively cheaply, too. My recommendation would be to start with
two CDs:
The Shadows: The Shadows (self-titled)
- this is their first LP from 1961. It has tons of classics,
such as Gonzales, Shadoogie, Find Me A Golden Street, their version
of Sleepwalk (which was even more popular in Europe than the
original by Santo & Johnny), Blue Star, Nivram, etc. There's some
album filler (there always is) and a couple of vocals which are
nothing to write home about. But overall, this is a classic CD, and
a necessary part of any Shadows collection. I'd recommend the
Digipac-version which has both the mono and stereo versions of the
album. (The stereo featues such extreme separation that I often
prefer mono.)
The Shadows: Greatest Hits
- this is the reissue of their first compilation, and still the
best one. It came out in '63 and it has all of their early singles
('60 through late '62, I think) plus most of the b-sides (with a
couple of unfortunate exceptions). So, you get Apache, Man Of
Mystery, FBI, The Frightened City, Kon Tiki, The Savage, Peace Pipe,
Wonderful Land, Dance On and a bunch of others. Again, pick the
newish Digipac version.
I think most Shadows fans agree that their subsequent albums have
been somewhat uneven. Out of the Shadows ('62) is less essential
than their first one, but I'd still highly recommend it (The Rumble -
not the Link Wray song -, Cozy, Perfidia, Little B, all great
stuff); Dance With the Shadows ('64) a bit of a transitional album -
some of it was brilliant (Temptation, Zambesi, Fandango), some of it
much less so (Dakota, The Lonely Bull, French Dressing). They were
also showing signs of Beatlemania influences with their vocals (all
their albums but one had at least a couple of vocals, which in
general aren't bad - I think they were very good singers, actually,
and they even had several vocal hits); Sound of the Shadows ('65) is
one of my favorites, with greater agression and incredible guitar
tones - the album is full of classics (Brazil, The Lost City,
Breakthru, Deep Purple, National Provincial Samba, etc...). Stuff
after that ('66-'68) I would recommend only for more hardcore
Shadows fans. The Shads broke up in '68 until '73, and then
from '73 to '78 only did occasional work (though much of it was
pretty cool, especially their '73 album Rockin' With Curly Leads -
those that think that the Shads were all about easy listening after
the sixties should hear this album!). They became fully active
in '78 and from then until their breakup in '90 they toured a lot
and released a CD a year. Unfortunately, these are also the years
that most Shadows fans abhor. Bruce admitted that in '78 the
Shadows became a business first and a creative musical entity a
distant second - they turned into the Ventures! ;) They recorded an
enormous amount of crap during those 13 years (with a few diamonds
here and there).
also, there are some hits that are not on any of these releases,
things like Atlantis, Rise And Fall Of Flingel Bunt, and many
others. Those can be found on many different comps, but probably
the best one again is the original comp from '65, More Hits (a
follow up to Greatest Hits). That one has just been released on
digipac, too.
Hope that helps.
Best regards, and enjoy.
Ivan
Hey, I saw that, Ivan! Slippin' a besmirchment of the mighty Ventures
in the midst of several paragraphs. I did and do agree that the
Ventures were definitely focused on the business end of music BUT not
to the cost of their creative performance. Their focus on the
business end actually had positive effects on the music. It forced
them to put one foot in front of the other and to create.
I don't mean to turn this particular string back into more Ventures
discussion. I do have a great Shadows 2 CD comp from the early '90's
with mostly early stuff and then some of the better latter day stuff.
I'll have to get the title when I get home. It doesn't have all my
favs, it's missing "Chatanooga Choo Choo" for instance, but it was
excellent intro for me getting into the Shadows back then.
-Marty
--- In , "ipongrac" <ipongrac@g...>
wrote:
>
> --- In , Richard <errant_jedi@y...>
> wrote:
...Bruce admitted that in '78 the
> Shadows became a business first and a creative musical entity a
> distant second - they turned into the Ventures! ;) They recorded an
> enormous amount of crap during those 13 years (with a few diamonds
> here and there).
... Ivan
Marty, my friend...
--- mctippens <> wrote:
> I did and do agree that the Ventures were
> definitely focused on the business end of
> music BUT not to the cost of their creative
> performance.
Not to put too fine a point on it, but some of their
releases were/are positively embarrassing. They
clearing did some magnificent things, but their "grind
out another album" work plan generated some real mung
too. Their nearly disco period is the worst, right
along with the early eighties sataellites are fun
sessions. Yikes, I shiver just to think about it,
especially when compared to "Journey To The Stars" or
"Rap City" or "Ten Seconds To Heaven" or "Damaged
Goods" or "The Lonely Sea."
=====
Yes, Phil,
The Ventures put out some stuff that was purdy schmaltzy. The nearly disco
period is indeed the worst of the Ventures eras BUT it came at a time when they
were not under their "grind out another" album work ethic. It came in the mid
'70's and was the lone domestic album for several years before and after. On the
other hand, "Journey to the Stars" , "RapCity" and the other great Ventures
recordings you mention came right in the middle of their "grind out another
album" period.
-Marty
----- Original Message -----
From: Phil Dirt
To:
Sent: Tuesday, March 15, 2005 3:25 PM
Subject: Re: [SurfGuitar101] Re: Getting started with The Shadows
Marty, my friend...
--- mctippens <> wrote:
> I did and do agree that the Ventures were
> definitely focused on the business end of
> music BUT not to the cost of their creative
> performance.
Not to put too fine a point on it, but some of their
releases were/are positively embarrassing. They
clearing did some magnificent things, but their "grind
out another album" work plan generated some real mung
too. Their nearly disco period is the worst, right
along with the early eighties sataellites are fun
sessions. Yikes, I shiver just to think about it,
especially when compared to "Journey To The Stars" or
"Rap City" or "Ten Seconds To Heaven" or "Damaged
Goods" or "The Lonely Sea."
=====
.
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
True enough... I must say I never quite understood how
that all worked for and against them. I've always had
a love-hate kind of view of them.
I saw them several times live in the eighties and
nineties, always very dissapointed at the near-dead
nature of their stage presence and playing - mostly
with Jerry Reed. It just seemed like their pose was
saying we are the Ventures, love us, we need not
entertain. Not to overstate, but all of the shows were
quite dissapointing - extremely low energy - as if
they had already retired.
--- Marty Tippens <> wrote:
---------------------------------
Yes, Phil,
The Ventures put out some stuff that was purdy
schmaltzy. The nearly disco period is indeed the worst
of the Ventures eras BUT it came at a time when they
were not under their "grind out another" album work
ethic. It came in the mid '70's and was the lone
domestic album for several years before and after. On
the other hand, "Journey to the Stars" , "RapCity" and
the other great Ventures recordings you mention came
right in the middle of their "grind out another album"
period.
-Marty
----- Original Message -----
From: Phil Dirt
To:
Sent: Tuesday, March 15, 2005 3:25 PM
Subject: Re: [SurfGuitar101] Re: Getting started
with The Shadows
Marty, my friend...
--- mctippens <> wrote:
> I did and do agree that the Ventures were
> definitely focused on the business end of
> music BUT not to the cost of their creative
> performance.
Not to put too fine a point on it, but some of their
releases were/are positively embarrassing. They
clearing did some magnificent things, but their
"grind
out another album" work plan generated some real
mung
too. Their nearly disco period is the worst, right
along with the early eighties sataellites are fun
sessions. Yikes, I shiver just to think about it,
especially when compared to "Journey To The Stars"
or
"Rap City" or "Ten Seconds To Heaven" or "Damaged
Goods" or "The Lonely Sea."
=====
.
Visit
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Yahoo! Terms of Service.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
.
Visit for
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---------------------------------
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Terms of Service.
=====
The Shadows comp I spoke of below is called, "The Original Chart Hits 1960 -
1980 Plus Other Classic tracks". From my perspective today it's missing some of
my current favs BUT recalling my perspective at the time I purchased it, it was
an excellent introduction.
-Marty
----- Original Message -----
From: mctippens
To:
Sent: Tuesday, March 15, 2005 1:15 PM
Subject: [SurfGuitar101] Re: Getting started with The Shadows
Hey, I saw that, Ivan! Slippin' a besmirchment of the mighty Ventures
in the midst of several paragraphs. I did and do agree that the
Ventures were definitely focused on the business end of music BUT not
to the cost of their creative performance. Their focus on the
business end actually had positive effects on the music. It forced
them to put one foot in front of the other and to create.
I don't mean to turn this particular string back into more Ventures
discussion. I do have a great Shadows 2 CD comp from the early '90's
with mostly early stuff and then some of the better latter day stuff.
I'll have to get the title when I get home. It doesn't have all my
favs, it's missing "Chatanooga Choo Choo" for instance, but it was
excellent intro for me getting into the Shadows back then.
-Marty
--- In , "ipongrac" <ipongrac@g...>
wrote:
>
> --- In , Richard <errant_jedi@y...>
> wrote:
...Bruce admitted that in '78 the
> Shadows became a business first and a creative musical entity a
> distant second - they turned into the Ventures! ;) They recorded an
> enormous amount of crap during those 13 years (with a few diamonds
> here and there).
... Ivan
.
Visit for archived messages,
bookmarks, files, polls, etc.
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a.. To visit your group on the web, go to:
b.. To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Marty,
What do you think of Nokie's playing on "Rap City"
Live in Japan '65? Everytime I hear that I crack up just thinking
how GOOD it is.
Bill
--- In , "Marty Tippens"
<mctippens@e...> wrote:
> Yes, Phil,
>
> The Ventures put out some stuff that was purdy schmaltzy. The
nearly disco period is indeed the worst of the Ventures eras BUT it
came at a time when they were not under their "grind out another"
album work ethic. It came in the mid '70's and was the lone domestic
album for several years before and after. On the other
hand, "Journey to the Stars" , "RapCity" and the other great
Ventures recordings you mention came right in the middle of
their "grind out another album" period.
> -Marty
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Phil Dirt
> To:
> Sent: Tuesday, March 15, 2005 3:25 PM
> Subject: Re: [SurfGuitar101] Re: Getting started with The Shadows
>
>
> Marty, my friend...
>
> --- mctippens <mctippens@e...> wrote:
> > I did and do agree that the Ventures were
> > definitely focused on the business end of
> > music BUT not to the cost of their creative
> > performance.
>
> Not to put too fine a point on it, but some of their
> releases were/are positively embarrassing. They
> clearing did some magnificent things, but their "grind
> out another album" work plan generated some real mung
> too. Their nearly disco period is the worst, right
> along with the early eighties sataellites are fun
> sessions. Yikes, I shiver just to think about it,
> especially when compared to "Journey To The Stars" or
> "Rap City" or "Ten Seconds To Heaven" or "Damaged
> Goods" or "The Lonely Sea."
>
> =====
>
>
>
> .
> Visit for archived
messages, bookmarks, files, polls, etc.
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
> ADVERTISEMENT
>
>
>
>
>
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>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Fantastic! The whole band works their arses on that number.
-Marty
----- Original Message -----
From: supertwangreverb
To:
Sent: Tuesday, March 15, 2005 4:44 PM
Subject: [SurfGuitar101] Re: Getting started with The Shadows
Marty,
What do you think of Nokie's playing on "Rap City"
Live in Japan '65? Everytime I hear that I crack up just thinking
how GOOD it is.
Bill
--- In , "Marty Tippens"
<mctippens@e...> wrote:
> Yes, Phil,
>
> The Ventures put out some stuff that was purdy schmaltzy. The
nearly disco period is indeed the worst of the Ventures eras BUT it
came at a time when they were not under their "grind out another"
album work ethic. It came in the mid '70's and was the lone domestic
album for several years before and after. On the other
hand, "Journey to the Stars" , "RapCity" and the other great
Ventures recordings you mention came right in the middle of
their "grind out another album" period.
> -Marty
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Phil Dirt
> To:
> Sent: Tuesday, March 15, 2005 3:25 PM
> Subject: Re: [SurfGuitar101] Re: Getting started with The Shadows
>
>
> Marty, my friend...
>
> --- mctippens <mctippens@e...> wrote:
> > I did and do agree that the Ventures were
> > definitely focused on the business end of
> > music BUT not to the cost of their creative
> > performance.
>
> Not to put too fine a point on it, but some of their
> releases were/are positively embarrassing. They
> clearing did some magnificent things, but their "grind
> out another album" work plan generated some real mung
> too. Their nearly disco period is the worst, right
> along with the early eighties sataellites are fun
> sessions. Yikes, I shiver just to think about it,
> especially when compared to "Journey To The Stars" or
> "Rap City" or "Ten Seconds To Heaven" or "Damaged
> Goods" or "The Lonely Sea."
>
> =====
>
>
>
> .
> Visit for archived
messages, bookmarks, files, polls, etc.
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
> ADVERTISEMENT
>
>
>
>
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
> a.. To visit your group on the web, go to:
>
>
> b.. To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
>
>
> c.. Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms
of Service.
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
.
Visit for archived messages,
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
