MALCOLM CAMPBELL'S SHADOWS WEBSITE


THE SHADOWS AT EMI - THE VINYL LEGACY

REVIEWS: RECORD COLLECTOR



  • Source: Record Collector No. 261 (March 2001) p. 136
  • Reviewer: Russell Newmark

    Some stark facts: there were twenty-five Shads UK hits in the 60s, including five No. 1s (rather neatly, there were another twenty-five hits with Cliff, again including five chart-toppers). When "Apache" replaced Cliff’s "Please Don’t Tease" at No. 1 in 1960, they effectively became the first act to dislodge themselves from the top. And even as "Apache" began its descent, they occupied three of the Top 10 positions (admittedly harnessed to Cliff in two cases).

    This internationally-researched opus is a companion volume to Malcolm Campbell’s previous work, A Guide To The Shadows And Hank Marvin On CD, reviewed in RC in July 1999. The new book is a statistical delight for the committed Shadows aficionado, with every page awash with facts and figures on the singles, EPs and LPs released by them (both on their own and with Cliff) during the group’s association with EMI between 1959 and 1980.

    It first summarises their various accomplishments, then gives details of all 192 UK releases, working record by record and logging personnel, writer credits, date of issue and catalogue number, before analysing chart performance.

    Each year’s coverage opens with a basic Shadows diary and includes an overall appraisal of the group’s impact at that particular time. Overseas releases are noted, as are alternative versions of individual tracks, where applicable, and information on both vinyl and CD issues.

    With an alphabetical discography and appendices offering yet more Shads data, the volume will surely satisfy even the most dedicated fact-seeker’s appetite.



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