Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Right, Roy. I've only seen the Shadows in seconds-long clips, and those tend to be of the whole band turning in unison. That's the extent of my knowledge of the Shadows and their music! I didn't mean to sum them up based on fractions of seconds of videos. Sorry!

Jerry your observation is a good one though. Much of what remains of groups of yesteryear is short clips of their performances. The fact that the media has saved or savoured these moments originally for broadcast is interesting in and of itself.

Even the Fabs had their own choreography of sorts, including the stereotypic bow at the end of the performance and their individual moves that may not have been typical of their live act overall. The same goes for Elvis and his backup singers to kept this thread intact.

You have raised a most interesting line of thinking for another topic - How did the medias' portrayal of live performances shape the manner in which groups were perceived?

Yes, Imagine if the only video images we had of Beatle performances were those big bows they took in the early Beatlemania days!

My wife and I went to a Beatles Tribute concert last Feb, featuring 1964 The Tribute and they were great but I did tire of the bowing after every song it got sorta silly after the first 30 minutes. But then that would have been longer than a typical Beatles concert

"Even the Fabs had their own choreography of sorts"

I presume Peter that you are speaking about the famous head shakes by both Paul and Ringo and the little shuffle that George used to do with his feet. John's open leg and head held high stance with his guitar slung fairly low, was of course legendary.

Perhaps the bows at the end of the performance were designed to demonstrate that the boys from the streets of Liverpool had acquired some respectable manners. Epstein probably had something to do with that.

Yes Brian, I was indeed referring to all of the comments you have made in your first paragraph above. I think there is little doubt that the bows were suggested by Epstein.

Question, Did the other groups in Epstein's stable do the bows also or was it only a Beatle thing?

Here's some You Tube of a full song Shadows performance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7LPJzq_P90&search=shadows%20fbi

At last a American Shadows fan - well done Matt, as an aside Crackerjack was a children's tv programme here in UK.

I found one of their albums years ago while rooting through my dad's collection. He was responsible for my love of instrumental music. I see a lot of the Shadows in Los Straitjackets.

Matt is that a polite way of saying I must be an old git




Only Joking

Well, in Australia/New Zealand, 'rooting' through any of dad's collections would not be a polite way of saying anything...

Also Only Joking

Not at all Roy. At 40, I'm hardly a spring chicken myself. I learned a lot about good music from my dad. Ventures, Shadows, Booker T and the MG's, etc.

I had a fraternity brother from down under in college who used to die laughing every time he met someone named Randy. It was a while before he explained that one to me.

Sometime I forget we're not all from the Colonies.