Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I have heard it said on a number of occasions that, over the years, the Shadows' music moved from original compositions that were intriguing in their own way to covers of popular chart hits that approached what some have called elevator music. While this is not an opinion that I embrace completely, I consider that the criticism has some merit.

While it is perhaps too categorical to identify that all music after a certain time was destined for the elevator riding public, I am wondering at what point in the Shadows' history that you might consider that the group departed from their winning formula? As a follow up, do you consider that the "elevator period" coincided with group politics?

Until your replies then, anybody going up?

3rd floor, please.

Although I've never characterized their music as muzak, I suppose when it's a melodic instrumental, it's susceptible to such an association.

Yes I agree, Andrew.

In addition to the increased covers played by The Shadows, there also seems to be an increase in the keyboard parts. They started out as a guitar group but the arrangments were such that other instrumentation seemed to take over. I have nothing against keyboards, I just find that with all the effects and other orchestration in concert with less original material that the recordings in their later years appeal to me somewhat less.

Going down!

Basically this format referred to as Muzak began with the 1979 album String Of Hits, which were excactly what it said on the cover, a number of instrumental versions of hits by other artists with 3 exceptions.

The album however was a massive seller. Their next few albums more or less kept to this format with the exception of Guardian Angel which for me one of their later better albums but did not sell.

Bruce Welch gave a interview in a magazine a few years back when criticism was levelled at them regarding the album formats.

Basically it came down to economics the albums of cover versions sold well, albums with more original tracks didn't.

He basically conceded that marketing people were involved and in a number of cases they were told what tracks to record, but the gist of what he sai whilst not specfic was clearly we can be precious about it and have no record deal or we record albums which are commercially successful.

Even Hank Marvin's solo albums since 1990 have kept to the same theme, covers generally of vocal hits even though Hank would of course and is right to some degree state the tracks are given a different take .

royclough wrote:(...) Bruce Welch gave a interview in a magazine a few years back when criticism was levelled at them regarding the album formats.

Basically it came down to economics the albums of cover versions sold well, albums with more original tracks didn't.

He basically conceded that marketing people were involved and in a number of cases they were told what tracks to record, but the gist of what he sai whilst not specfic was clearly we can be precious about it and have no record deal or we record albums which are commercially successful.(...)

Such explanations are never very convincing. There are many examples of musicians who did not agree to such compromises, who have lost their record deals, have had troubles to find a record company or have had to go back to small record labels, have earned less money for a long time and nevertheless are still in the business. I think of people like John Cale or The Nits - even mega-stars like Prince or David Bowie. If you have got enough potential as an artist, you do not have to do what a record company tells you to do.

John Cale and The Nits I have never heard of perhaps that's why.

Prince released his first album in 1978 if he is still recording in 2025 then you are correct.
Somehow I don't think the name Prince will mean anything in 2025.

I perfectly accept Welch's rationale, he was in my view being honest.

Roy, John Cale was a founding member of The Velvet Undergound - and the mastermind behind their original concept. The Nits are an excellent Dutch rock group that is not known in the USA at all. They have been touring and recording around here since 1978, are now in their mid 50s, have released about 30 CDs of excellent quality and they make a living playing and recording their music without any commercial compromises. What more can you want as a musician? Commercial success at the price of having to play what the record company tells you?

What Bruce said here, seems to be a bad excuse for a lack of artistic spirit and a lack of ideas that The Shadows certainly had at some point. I do not believe that they could not have done anything else but the things they were told to do, if they had had convincing ideas and compositions that were really good at that time. Obviously they did not have such a direction as artists at a certain point in the 1970s. This is why the record company set the direction for them.

I like the Shadows very much and I have a great respect for them as performing artists. But they had their time in the early 60s and later they had not much potential to add anything new. And although I do not like Prince or his music at all - you can certainly not say that of him. And I am certain that you are completely wrong about his music being heard and respected in 2025.

royclough wrote:Prince released his first album in 1978 if he is still recording in 2025 then you are correct.

I suggest we should never listen to Mozart again. He died when he was 35, so how could he ever compete with The Shadows or other artists that had the chance to spend much more time repeating themselves.

Marcus

Thanks for enlightening me, I am actually in UK join us on Cloughs Classics (see board index) sometime Marcus your contribution would be welcome.

I am not a musician either wish I was and had the talent you and others on here have.


I never listened to Mozart and you are correct in some ways that they took the penny and sacrificed artistic value perhaps.

When I went on "a run" of checking out Shadows videos on youtube..I really liked them all..a lot save for one that was really painful....believe it was Ghost Riders In The Sky..I think..done in a disco fashion..not good. The Ventures have jumped on every style as it has gone by...painful for me was their "psych" period. I did not find any Shadows tracks on the site that sounded like elevator music though. Maybe a bit off topic, but I'm a fan of SOME cocktail, bachelor pad, tiki and exotica music. I would guess some might call much of those styles elevator, but to me it's when a tune is castrated if you will that the "elevator sound" is what's left.