1980 tour story

[drakula63]

I must tell this story. I may have told it before, I certainly alluded to it elsewhere.

Once upon a time, a long, long time ago... I was at boarding school. The avatar photo of myself was taken there in 1979. Just behind my right elbow is my good friend Garrie. Jump forward to the end of 1980, and the Shadows 'Change of Address' tour... I saw them at the Manchester Apollo with another boarding school friend, Dave; my first ever gig! Incredible. Not long after, presumably during half term, they played a gig in Southport, around the 29th of October. Garrie managed to get a ticket and saw them there. He bought a programme (as had I), but after the gig he was somehow able to get the big cardboard 'CoA' advertising display from the foyer! Anyway, there were a load of them, apparently, waiting at the stage door for the lads to come out, when someone said that they had already left and had gone to a nearby Indian restaurant. Garrie, living in Southport, knew where it was and led this sizable party to it. I have to smile at the thought of Garrie, clutching his programme and cardboard display, leading his men (and women) through the streets of Southport! Eventually this motley crew reached the restaurant and could see the Shads (well, some of them) inside. They tapped on the window and, eventually, Hank and Bruce came out to see them. Apparently they signed autographs and chatted quite happily for several minutes. I don't think Brian was there, which is strange.

Back at boarding school, I was naturally green with envy! I saw the advertising display and the signed programme and listened as Garrie regaled us with his tale. I have no doubt that it was (largely) true. Garrie eventually gave both the signed programme and the cardboard display to our friend Darren, with whom he was sharing a room at the time. I remember the Welch/Marvin signed centre spread being stuck to the bedroom wall with blue tack. Garrie was a generous soul. He tended to buy things and give them away - especially records. He gave me an original single of 'Jungle Jam/Turn Around and Touch Me' (which he must have got from a second hand shop) and the 1979 LP 'The Shadows at the Movies'.

I saw Garrie many times after we both left school, but sadly he died exactly 20 years ago, in May 2001. I think about him a lot and wish he was still alive.
R.I.P. mate.

I wonder if anyone else was at that Shads gig in Southport, 41 years ago?

[JimN]

Yes, 1980 at Southport... I was there.

[StuartD]

HI

That reminds me of a great story from one of their Tours.

I went to see them at Newcastle City Hall. In the foyer was a Life size Carboard cut out of Hank with his hand outstretched in which promotional items, Tour Programme and Album were slotted.

After the show I asked at the stall if I could have it. No was the answer but a £10.00 sweetener soon worked and I took it back to the car. It was in Two halves, cut across the waist, so portability was no problem.

Getting it back to my Music Shop, Jigsaw Sound Centre, it was duly placed on the shop floor and was there for years. We used it to put Sheet Music Albums in the outstretched hands.

One day an elderly lady came into the store. She was wanting a Manuscript Book for her Granddaughter. It was hilarious to see her approach 'Hank' and say "Excuse me, do you sell Manuscript Paper?" Even when I asked her to come over to the counter, I don't think she realised she had been talking to a cardboard cut out!! I must admit it was very lifelike!!

Regards

Stuart

[iefje]

A great tour. Of the new album at the time, "Change Of Address", they played no less than seven tracks: "Mozart Forte", "Midnight Creepin'", "Change Of Address", "Arty's Party", "Temptation", "Albatross" and "Equinoxe (Part V)". That makes it the studio album of which The Shadows played the most number of tracks during one single live show, compared to all other studio albums. They did play more tracks live from other albums (nine from the "From Hank, Bruce, Brian And John" album), but not during a single live show. Of the other studio albums they played the following tracks live (including radio and TV recordings, but excluding those played live by individual members of the group):
- "The Shadows" (7) : "Shadoogie", "Nivram", "Baby My Heart", "All My Sorrows", "Gonzales", "That's My Desire" and "Sleepwalk".
- "Out Of The Shadows" (4): "Perfidia", "Little 'B'", "Bo Diddley" and "Spring Is Nearly Here".
- "Dance With The Shadows" (6): "Chattanooga Choo-Choo", "Tonight", "That's The Way It Goes", "Big 'B'", "In The Mood" and "Temptation".
- "The Sound Of The Shadows" (5): "Brazil", "A Little Bitty Tear", "Five Hundred Miles", "Deep Purple" and "Let It Be Me".
- "Shadow Music" (none).
- "Jigsaw" (4): "Jigsaw", "Tennessee Waltz", "Stardust" and "Waiting For Rosie".
- "From Hank, Bruce, Brian And John" (9): "Snap, Crackle And How's Your Dad", "Evening Glow", "Naughty Nippon Nights", "The Wild Roses (Nobara Saku Michi)", "San Francisco", "The Letter", "The Tokaido Line", "Alentejo" and "The Day I Met Marie".
- "Shades Of Rock" (1): "Something".
- "Rockin' With Curly Leads' (2): "Jungle Jam" and "Turn Around And Touch Me".
- "Specs Appeal" (3): "Honourable Puff-Puff", "Don't Throw It All Away" and "Let Me Be The One".
- "Tasty" (1): "Walk Don't Run".
- "String Of Hits (6): "Riders In The Sky", "Parisienne Walkways", "Classical Gas", "Theme From The Deer Hunter (Cavatina)", "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" and "Rodrigo's Guitar Concerto De Aranjuez".
- "Change Of Address"(7): see above.
- "Hits Right Up Your Street" (8): "Telstar", "Chi Mai", "Imagine/Woman", "Summer Love '59", "This Ole House", "Thing-Me-Jig", "The Third Man" and "Nut Rocker".
- "Life In The Jungle" (6): "Life In The Jungle", "The Theme From 'Missing'", "Treat Me Nice", "Chariots Of Fire", "No Dancing!" and "Riders Of The Range".
- "XXV" (3): "Going Home", "Time Is Tight" and "Memory".
- "Guardian Angel" (2): "How Do I Love Thee" and "Hammerhead".
- "Moonlight Shadows" (2): "Moonlight Shadow" and "Three Times A Lady".
- "Simply...Shadows" (2): "Walking In The Air" and "Pulaski".
- "Steppin' To The Shadows" (3): "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother", "Mountains Of The Moon" and "Stack-It".
- "At Their Very Best" (20): all tracks.
- "Reflection" (3): "Crockett's Theme", "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" and "Riders In The Sky '90".

Have I forgotten any?

What's remarkable, is that The Shadows never (to my knowledge) played live any tracks from the "Shadow Music" album and a total of nine from the "From Hank, Bruce, Brian And John" album, which is a somewhat more obscure studio album.

[drakula63]

Towards the end I don't think the Shads were particularly 'into' what they were recording and I'm not surprised the later albums were barely represented live.

1980 was an exciting time, a new beginning, and in many ways felt like 1979 part 2. The Change of Address advertising thing was pretty big, about four times the size of the album cover (at a guess) and was basically that design with the Shads' silhouettes cut out. It had a kind of detachable or attachable horizontal strip which went across the bottom and made it stand up (or stop falling over, depending upon how you look at it!). It was made of very thick card. This is all from memory.

Another thing Garrie said at the time was that when they all saw the crowd tapping on the window and motioning to them, a pretty big guy stood up and Bruce just put his hand on the guy's shoulder and pushed him back down, before he and Hank left the table and went outside. I will guess that this guy was a body guard, or whatever. Bruce was (still is) a big guy and I can just see him doing this! I'd love to have been there and seen it all happening. This was a great time for the Shads, as they rode the wave of renewed popularity and those years, 1977-1980, were magic. And it was an unforgettable experience seeing them live... even if I didn't meet them after the show. Not THAT show anyway!

[Arpeggio]

I would hazard a guess that the 'pretty big guy' was none other than Mick Johnson.

[drakula63]

I would hazard a guess that the 'pretty big guy' was none other than Mick Johnson.

Maybe. Garrie said that Bruce just stood up, casually put his hand on the guy's shoulder and gently sat him down again!

[GoldenStreet]

Bruce was (still is) a big guy and I can just see him doing this! I'd love to have been there and seen it all happening.

Wasn't 'Big Boy' Bruce's nickname? The final track on side 2 of the eponymous first album is named after him.

Bill

[drakula63]

Bruce was (still is) a big guy and I can just see him doing this! I'd love to have been there and seen it all happening.

Wasn't 'Big Boy' Bruce's nickname? The final track on side 2 of the eponymous first album is named after him.

Bill

Ha ha!! That wouldn't surprise me. Funnily enough... that reminds me... another boarding school story from about 1978-79. One of us, maybe me or Garrie, had the first Shadows album and I clearly remember another of our friends, Pete, looking at the pic of Bruce on the back and saying "He's built like a brick s***house!" So, yes, I can well believe that it was Bruce's nickname. Pete came to see the Shadows with me in Derby in 1983. But that's another story...