SOUNDTRACK: THE SHADOWS-“Apache” (1960).
In 1960, Cliff Richard’s backing band released this instrumental that shot to the top of the British charts. The song was named after the 1954 film Apache.
The band had a signature sound. Hank Marvin used an echo box and a tremolo bar on his Fender guitar. The melodic bass was by Jet Harris. Percussion was by Tony Meehan and Cliff Richard, who played a Chinese drum at the beginning and end to provide an atmosphere of stereotypically Native American music.
It has been cited by a generation of guitarists as inspirational and is considered one of the most influential British rock 45s of the pre-Beatles era because of the appeal of “that kind of Hawaiian sounding lead guitar … plus the beat.”
The song is really catchy with a surf guitar/Western riff and the rumbling drums. There’s a few parts which create some drama and forward motion.
[READ: June 29, 2021] Beeswing
I’ve been a fan of Richard Thompson since about 1993. I’ve seen him live about ten times and I’ve listened to most of his earlier work (including most of his Fairport Convention stuff).
I don’t love all the Fairport material. I likesome of it, but I never really got into it that much. And, I never really thought about what it was like being in Fairport back in the late 60s. So this autobiography was a strange thing for me. Seemed like an obvious read and yet it’s about an era that I didn’t have a lot of interest in.
Which proved to be the perfect combination.
Richard starts the book in the early 1960s. I was a little concerned because I really didn’t like the opening page–the style concerned me. But the idea that dust and fog were so pervasive in London that it cast a haze over everything was pretty interesting. Especially when he says that explains the state of London artistry–soft and fuzzy because of the haze.
Then he moves on to himself. His family was pretty traditional–his father was a policeman. He was not interested in school and a normal career. (more…)
