Dance with the Shadows

[iefje]

When i was replacing my Shadows vinyl albums with CD's i bought a CD copy of 'Dance with...' from HMV, the guy serving me sniggered and showed the CD to the guy serving next to him who diplomatically ignored him when i handed it over, i should have complained but didn't.

Probably someone who doesn't like The Shadows and who thinks they are old-fashioned. A very dumb person.

I had a friend that worked in that shop at the time, i told them about this a few weeks later and i was told he had been sacked for ridiculing someone who bought a Frank Sinatra CD. They complained to the manager, they also told me the guy did this quite often.

Obviously someone who's not suitable for the job. A seller of music should have an open mind and be able to recommend certain music, although nobody likes every kind of music ever made, in which case he or she should at least behave professional.

[GoldenStreet]

When i was replacing my Shadows vinyl albums with CD's i bought a CD copy of 'Dance with...' from HMV, the guy serving me sniggered and showed the CD to the guy serving next to him who diplomatically ignored him when i handed it over, i should have complained but didn't.

You can only wonder at the recruitment process in such cases at that time, this type of character almost pulled in off the street, with little or no training relevant to customer relations. Not many HMV shops about now, though!

Bill

[Fenderman]

I bought Shadow Music a few weeks later from the same place and the person serving acted normal.

[alewis41]

When i was replacing my Shadows vinyl albums with CD's i bought a CD copy of 'Dance with...' from HMV, the guy serving me sniggered and showed the CD to the guy serving next to him who diplomatically ignored him when i handed it over, i should have complained but didn't.

Probably someone who doesn't like The Shadows and who thinks they are old-fashioned. A very dumb person.

In 1990, when I started buying CD instead of vinyl, I had almost the opposite experience in a record shop in Kent. I brought a Shadows CD jewel case to the counter just as the shop started playing an unknown (to me) guitar record over the speakers. Impressed by the sound and playing, I asked the sales assistant what it was, he checked and said "Wicked Game by Chris Izaak". Referencing my purchase, he added that it sounded like The Shadows. Over twenty years later, I met guitarist James Wilsey in Los Angeles and had a guitarist's conversation with him. I wish I'd remembered that anecdote. He'd have been delighted to hear that someone from Britain thought he sounded like Hank.

Sadly James passed away a couple of years ago. In addition to his work with Chris Isaak and the Avengers he released an excellent solo album - El Dorado - in 2008 which is full of twang.

Andrew

[Iain Purdon]

There's quite a long pause at the end of In the Mood. I remember when this track was played on YLE radio (the Finnish BBC) in 1964, they inadvertently skppped the part that follows the pause thinking the music was over. One of my favourites on this album is Zambesi with its strong bass involvement. But I do like all the tracks.

I amuse myself when listening to In the Mood by mentally counting the band back in at the end. (I know, little things ...)
Agree about Zambesi. This was John showing what he could do, as indeed he does in In the Mood. The album provides a great style comparison for us bass players between Licorice, as on French Dressing to name but one of three, and John on all the other tracks.

[drakula63]

When i was replacing my Shadows vinyl albums with CD's i bought a CD copy of 'Dance with...' from HMV, the guy serving me sniggered and showed the CD to the guy serving next to him who diplomatically ignored him when i handed it over, i should have complained but didn't.

That's terrible. I'd have said something to the guy and I know a few others who would have too... then again, I doubt he would have been so cocky if it had been me buying it. He shouldn't be working in a record shop with an attitude like that. Glad to hear that it had a happy ending. Couldn't have happened to a more deserving bloke!


I MUST tell you this story.

Exactly 40 years ago I went into a shop to buy 'The Third Man', which had just entered the charts. There was an extremely attractive, youngish girl behind the counter and I suspected that I might get some kind of comment, so I just indicated the rack of singles that were behind her and said "Number 63 please." She turned, took it off the rack, looked at it and said "The Shadows?", in a tone that suggested I had perhaps made a mistake. "Yes," I replied. "The Shadows!" in what I hoped was a polite but slightly offended tone. She said no more, put the record in a bag and off I went. I was 17 at the time, so I suspect that I must have seemed like an oddity to her. And, as far as I recall, that's the only time I have ever encountered any kind of negativity when buying either a Shads or Cliff record. But, yes, it does happen.

[StuartD]

I remember being mortified in mid 1962 when I went to Vallances in Leeds to but=y Guitar Tango.

The shop assistant said 'Who is it by?'!!!

Couldn't believe it!!

Regards

Stuart

[MikeAB]

When I started work in 1965 an older colleague who was into classical music and jazz sneered 'with them (Shads) you always know what is coming next'. Fast forward to music 'now' and that is true - what is next is usually what has just happened, umpteen times.

[Simon Underwood]

I originally bought this as part of the double LP re-issue with The Sound Of The Shadows, and have to confess that I was slightly underwhelmed with both of them. However, I recently found a near mint copy of the original mono pressing of DWTS, so I thought I'd take a punt on it, and it's blown me away, the sound quality is so much better, so I've had to re-appraise this, and it's moved up quite a few places in my Shads album chart. I always felt that those early stereo mixes were a bit of a compromise, although they were much better than that other band of two guitars, bass and drums with the instruments panned hard to one side and the vocals to the other! Perhaps time for Giles Martin to have a look at those?
Guess what I'm looking for now!

[JimN]

I originally bought this as part of the double LP re-issue with The Sound Of The Shadows, and have to confess that I was slightly underwhelmed with both of them. However, I recently found a near mint copy of the original mono pressing of DWTS, so I thought I'd take a punt on it, and it's blown me away, the sound quality is so much better, so I've had to re-appraise this, and it's moved up quite a few places in my Shads album chart. I always felt that those early stereo mixes were a bit of a compromise, although they were much better than that other band of two guitars, bass and drums with the instruments panned hard to one side and the vocals to the other! Perhaps time for Giles Martin to have a look at those?
Guess what I'm looking for now!

It's actually easy to make improved stereo mixes from original stereo versions.

Let me see...

An out-of-copyright recording, such as Guitar Tango... have a listen to it in stereo (pref on headphones and familiarise yourself with the sound picture... then I'll post a link to a reworked version...