The Shadows long and illustrious career (soon to continue into 2004) has ensured that there have been thousands of record releases covering a period of 45 years and on every conceivable format; 78 rpm, 45 rpm, EP, LP, MC, CD etc., etc. Added to this is the problem of overseas releases. Even keeping track of the Shadows' releases derived from the Polydor era (1980 - 1990) would provide a staggering mass of information and statistics which most of us would struggle to keep tabs on. Fear not, intrepid Shadows' fans - 'Cometh the hour, cometh the man'. Malcolm Campbell has established himself as the leading authority insofar as discographical information vis -a -vis The Shadows is concerned. Anyone who owns his previous impressive tomes ("A Guide To The Shadows And Hank Marvin On CD" and "The Shadows At EMI") will know exactly what I mean.
So - does "The Shadows At Polydor" measure up to the previous volumes? Indeed it does. As ever, Malcolm displays his awesome mastery of his subject. His great skill (and tremendous insight) lies in the ability to process the enormous amount of data, to keep an absolute overview and then to be able to interpret and comment upon it succinctly. Just for starters he covers every release in every format in every country between 1980 and 2002!! There are copious notes and comments on each release ranging across packaging, annotation, sound quality, content and so on. There are also over 100 footnotes which are a fascinating mine of information in their own right. Malcolm can also take pride in his researches into full composer credits for which he provides the most comprehensive listing to date.
This time around, Malcolm's third volume benefits enormously from the presence of photographs to break up the text. There are just over 50 superb photographs of The Shadows during the years 1980 - 1990. The reason that the photographs are outstanding is that they are provided courtesy of John H. Humphrey and David H. Hawley. Long - standing Shadows' fans will know that these two gentlemen are arguably the finest photographers of our beloved heroes. Their work has graced many a Shadows publication down the years. Additionally there are almost 150 reproductions of record/CD sleeves including the original source releases for all of The Shadows' cover versions. This alone must have involved a monumental amount of research. You want more? Annual Surveys, Arrangements & Production, Album Review/Analysis, Index of Song Titles, etc., etc. As with his previous volumes, Malcolm Campbell has provided Shadows' fans with another exemplary work of reference. Every Shadows fan should have this book (and the previous two) in their collection. They really are indispensable and represent the definitive printed work on the subject. Finally, although erudite and meticulously detailed, I found Malcolm's prose very easy to read. I simply became engrossed and read the whole book straight through. This latest work is both informative and entertaining. Not a man to rest on his laurels, Malcolm is already preparing a major revision of "A Guide To The Shadows And Hank Marvin On CD". We'll have to wait until 2004 for that one. In the meantime please rush out and buy "The Shadows At Polydor". Believe me, you won't regret it.
