The Shadows, “Shadows Are Go!,” Scamp. (***)
Guitarist Hank Marvin is one of the heroes of ‘60s British rock, even though he’s largely unknown in this country, where his group, the Shadows, was unable to score with any of its 20 British hits. For testimonials to his influence and craft, you can turn to such admirers as Pete Townshend, Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page.
Formed in 1958 by Marvin, the Shadows first came to attention in England as the backing band for Cliff Richard, who was known there as the British Elvis. Eventually, the group began releasing its own instrumental singles, including the original version of “Apache.”
The Shadows’ sound, with its throbbing guitar focus, combines some of the twang of Duane Eddy and the clean, crisp lines that would characterize the surf music craze in America. This is the first CD compilation of the group’s British hits and it’s long overdue.
*
Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).
The biggest entertainment stories
Get our big stories about Hollywood, film, television, music, arts, culture and more right in your inbox as soon as they publish.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
