Written by: Harrison-Lennon
Recorded: 22 June 1961
Producer: Bert Kaempfert
Engineer: Karl Hinze
Released: 30 November 1994 (UK), 5 December 1994 (US)
George Harrison: lead guitar
John Lennon: rhythm guitar
Paul McCartney: bass
Pete Best: drums
Available on:
Anthology 1
The Beatles' first original composition to be professionally recorded, Cry For A Shadow was an instrumental written by John Lennon and George Harrison.
The Beatles had been approached to record a number of songs as the backing band for English rock 'n' roll singer Tony Sheridan. Towards the end of the June 1961 session, which took place in a Hamburg school assembly hall, they taped two songs of their own choosing: Ain't She Sweet and Cry For A Shadow.
It was a bit disappointing because we'd been hoping to get a record deal for ourselves. Although we did Ain't She Sweet and the instrumental Cry For A Shadow without Sheridan, they didn't even put our name on the record.
Anthology
Originally known as Beatle Bop, Cry For A Shadow wasn't released until The Beatles had found fame. It eventually saw light of day in the US and UK in 1964, on a Polydor single backed with a Sheridan song, Why.
Cry For A Shadow is the only known composition to be credited to Harrison-Lennon. The title and Harrison's lead guitar work suggest the influence of The Shadows, Cliff Richard's backing band. Although The Beatles were largely dismissive of The Shadows, their hit Apache was occasionally a feature of the lengthy German shows.
In Hamburg we had to play so long, we actually used to play Apache... But John and I were just bullshitting one day, and he had this new little Rickenbacker with with a funny kind of wobble bar on it. And he started playing that off, and I just came in, and we made it up right on the spot.
Guitar Player magazine, 1987
By 1961, a number of rock 'n' roll instrumentals had found chart success. In addition to The Shadows' Apache, The Beatles occasionally performed covers including Harry Lime (the Third Man theme), Duane Eddy's Three Thirty Blues, and Jet Harris and Tony Meehan's 1963 hit Diamonds.
They also played a number of original instrumental compositions in their early period: as well as Cry For A Shadow, they also performed Hot As Sun, Winston's Walk and Looking Glass. Their best-known instrumental, however, was Flying, from 1967's Magical Mystery Tour.
The only vocals on Cry For A Shadow are screams and yelps, presumably by Lennon and McCartney, in the background.
The result wasn't a bit like Apache, but we liked it and we used it in the act for a while.
NME, 1963
I doubt if the Beatles were dismissive about The Shadows, especially about Hank Marvin.
I think he had a huge influence on George, Paul and John.
George even had stated that without The Shads there were no Beatles.
I would like to know where and when George stated that without the Shadows there would be no Beatles.
I remember the Shadows as having little or no impact in North America at the time.
In the U.K. their style was popular which George confirmed in the Anthology series but he also seemed dismissive at the same time when briefly talking about them.
Cliff Richard and the Shadows only had about 3 songs that were hits over here.
On the other hand, instrumental groups such as the Ventures, Johnny And The Hurricanes, Link Wray, and Duane Eddy were very influential and successful not only in North America but also in Europe and in Japan.
Not only were these aforementioned acts more influential they were also more interesting to watch, unlike the Shadows.
It has been stated over and over again by the Beatles themselves that they owed a debt of gratitude to artists such as: Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Fats Domino, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, Sam Cooke, Gene Vincent, and Larry Williams.
All of these GREATS were idols of the Beatles and inspired them to learn and play rock and roll.
The Shadows do not belong in such company.
What bothers me a bit, is that The Shadows and Hank Marvin (and of course Sir Cliff) don't get the recognition they deserve. It is common accepted that British rock 'n roll started with The Beatles, but there was a period from 1958 to 1963 in which Cliff and The Shads dominated the music scene (except in the US). They were the first in Britain with such huge stardom and their own sound. They were among the firsts to write their own songs. Listen for example their 1960 album Me And My Shadows. I consider this album as the first homegrown British rock album. Most of the songs on this album were penned by members of the Shadows.
Although The Shadows were not as big or influentual as The Beatles were, their influence cannot be underestimated. Almost all great British, Canadian (and some American) guitarplayers from the 1960's and 1970's site Hank Marvin and The Shadows as their first big influence.
In my opinion Cliff and The Shadows paved the way for the British Invasion leaded by The Beatles.
Cliff Richard and the Shadows was the U.K. homegrown answer to Elvis Presley
---with the same curled lips and pompadour!
They sang and played sappy pop music that dominated the British scene after the real American rock n'roll music died down (by late summer 1958).
This previously mentioned timeframe is about the same time Cliff became number one in the U.K.!
Coincidence or what?
Cliff Richard was a product of the London music scene which thought it had perpetual exclusive rights to manipulate and control the U.K. market.
The musical groups that came from cities such as Liverpool, Belfast, Birmingham, and Newcastle (among others) broke up the cobwebs of the tired British music scene.
The Beatles & others overcome a snobbish class system that was against anyone who came from the "provinces".
Cliff's music and movies made little impact over here and did not pave the way for the Beatles.
Cliff and the Shadows did not appear on the Ed Sullivan Show or American Bandstand and were barely mentioned in American teen magazines such as Hit Parader.
The Beatles broke down the door for British music performers to compete in America and the rest of the world.
All by themselves!
As for Hank Marvin, his name is not spoken of in the same breath by some of the guitarists that I have read.
Performers such as Eric Clapton,Pete Townsend, Burton Cummings,George Harrison and John Fogarty who instead praised such influences as: B.B.King,Duane Eddy,Link Wray,James Burton,Chet Atkins, and of course Les Paul.
In conclusion, Cliff and the Shadows were hitmakers that's all.
They sold a lot of records but they will always be "underestimated" (in your opinion) because history has found the right place for them.
Sorry, but what you say is not quite true imo.
Cliff and The Shads did an American tour in 1960 and their reception over there was very good. They toured with some American r&r artists and became the favourite of the audience.
Unfortunately the recordcompany didn't support them fully during and after the tour, so they didn't crack the States then, which was a missed opportunity.
I'm convinced when the recordcompany had fully supported them, they could have cracked the States.
And in 1962 they did appear on the Ed Sullivan Show (even twice) but made little inpact...
And about sappy pop music... in that time (1962) even Elvis and other great artists made 'sappy pop music'.
But before that time Cliff and The Shadows made some really great rock 'n roll records. For example listen to Move It, Dynamite, She's Gone, Chopping and Changing, Mean Streak, Never Mind, Nine Times Out Of Ten, Please Don't Tease, Gee Whiz It's You, Apron Strings, D In Love and The Shadows' instrumentals like Apache, FBI, Wonderful Land, Man of mystery...
These are examples of how fresh the sound of Cliff and The Shadows was and still is.
Imo these songs are among the best rock 'n roll tracks ever made.
And about the influence of Hank B Marvin, he IS cited as a main influence by guitarists such as Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits), Brian May (Queen), Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin), Pete Townsend (The Who), Jeff Beck, Randy Newman, and even by Clapton and Hendrix and many many more...
Cliff and The Shadows started the music scene in the UK (not in the US, but that is not important in this case).
And I think they were very important in the development of rock 'n roll music.
How many guys in the 1960's (and even today) did pick up a guitar after hearing The Shadows' Apache?
I think countless
From Anthology:
PAUL: "It was symptomatic of our group that we turned 'How Do You Do It' down. The other huge stand in our life, a little later on, was saying to Brian Epstein, 'We're not going to America until we've got a Number One there.' We waited, and I think that was one of the best moves we ever made. We were very cheeky. It was all based on Cliff Richard, who had been to America and been third on the bill to Frankie Avalon. We thought, 'Oh dear, Cliff is a bigger star than Avalon! How could he do that? And Adam Faith - all the early stars we looked up to had gone with terrible billing. So we said, 'We're not going until we get a Number One and we're headlining.'"
JOHN: "[In the 1950s] There was no such thing as an English record. I think the first English record that was anywhere near anything was 'Move It' by Cliff Richard, and before that there'd been nothing." (1973)
Move It was massively influential among British teenagers. I also saw a recent BBC documentary about the electric guitar, in which numerous famous British musicians said they first bought a guitar (a red Stratocaster was the most desirable, as Hank Marvin played one) after seeing The Shadows, with their choreographed movements and guitar-melodies.
From Many Years From Now:
Paul McCartney: "There were groups that did Cliff and the Shadows. There was a group called the Blue Angels that sounded exactly like Roy Orbison; they were immaculate. The Remo Four did a lot of Chet Atkins stuff, with clever guitar picking. So we decided we couldn't keep up, we couldn't better any of them, we had to find our own identity. We looked on Bo Diddley b’ sides, we looked for obscure rhythm and blues things: Searchin' by the Coasters, Anna by Arthur Alexander."
It's also worth pointing out that the Decca producer for The Beatles' audition was Tony Meehan, the Shadows' drummer. The Beatles later claimed that Decca couldn't see what was unique about them, as they were unable to see beyond the confined of the styles of British bands like The Shadows.
Meehan was actually paid by Brian Epstein to produce the session, and The Beatles were impressed to be in the studio with a member of The Shadows.
McCartney, in Many Years From Now: "We gave him some money for doing it. There was a deal struck there, it was the first time we saw that they weren't all doing it just for art. This was commercial realities kicking in. We sat out there in the studio and tried to perform. We'd got a fairly silly repertoire at that time, George doing Sheik of Araby and I was still doing Besame Mucho."
The Beatles also met Cliff and the Shadows several times at parties and events in the early-to-mid 1960s. There was some rivalry and possible disdain on The Beatles' part, but in reality I believe they were cordial and even friendly towards each other.
Yes that's true.
To celebrate the success of Cliff's "Summer Holiday" and The Shadows' "Foot Tapper" both being at No.1 in March, Bruce Welch threw a party with Cliff, the Shadows, The Vernons Girls and the Beatles. The Beatles played their 'new' single "From Me To You", while the Shads played "Atlantis", followed by Cliff and Shads singing "Please Please Me". This turned into a friendly impromptu battle of the bands. The Beatles did a Shadows impression complete with wildly exaggerated leg-kicking cross-over step. Cliff, the Shads and the Beatles all joined in singing and playing rhythm and blues. The Beatles sang the Chiffons' "He's So Fine", the Isley Brothers' "Shout" and some Ray Charles classics.
The Shadows also attended Paul's 21st birthday at the Liverpool Empire.
According to Cliff's biography there was mutual respect between both groups.
So there were more links between them. The story is that Paul wrote Yesterday for a big part in Bruce Welch's house in Albufeira.
Also, according to Hank Marvin, the song Here There and Everywere was firstly offered by Paul to The Shadows as an instrumental.
Ofcourse the Beatles were bigger, had more influence on the whole music scene. I cannot deny that.
But, it bothers me that sometimes Cliff and The Shadows aren't even mentioned as an influence on the music scene, especially the British music scene.
There are so many 60's groups who are heavily influenced by Cliff and The Shadows.
Hello Tyzos & Co--
First of all, over here Jorgen Ingmann's version of Apache was a BIG hit record. The original version by the Shadows made no impact in North America.
Once again I emphasize that the Ventures,Duane Eddy and Link Wray were a big influence over here for guitar related music.
Second of all, I grew up during this era and enjoyed early rock n'roll and despised the watered down music that had taken over completely by 1959.
By 1963 only Motown, some Folk Music and some R&B was any damm good.
Let's face it, people all over the world were listening to American music good and bad and also IMITATING it as well.
I do not need to read about this era by sourcing wikipedia,youtube or Paul McCartney to sustain and support my point of view.
Just because today you think or believe Cliff and the Shadows should have or could have cracked the American market doesn't have anything to do with reality at that time.
My perspective is that I lived through this era and Cliff and his group did not have the musical muscle or new image to make it big over here, irregardless of the their success elsewhere.
As I recall it, one or two of his movies were delegated to drive-ins and run down theatres.
If and when Cliff was on American TV and toured in America as well, it sure didn't make any waves over here.
There were tours over here at the time but only Dick Clark Tours, Motown revues or appearances by James Brown made big news.
Myself and my friends attended Motown revues and couldn't be bothered spending money on sappy music.
Last and most important of all,this website is about the Beatles.
Not Cliff Richard & The Shadows.
If you so fervently admire Cliff & the Shadows then start a website about them.
By the way, whose music is dominating the charts worldwide right now as we speak?
Hey Tyzos--Where did you read that George Harrison comment that without the Shadows there would be no Beatles?
You still haven't given us a response to that question.
What are the names of the 60's groups that were so heavily influenced by
Cliff & The Shadows? (and quote the source).
Get well soon.
Joseph,
My point is not that Cliff and The Shadows had influence or hits or whatsoever in the States. My point is that they don't get that recognition they deserve for their contribution of rock 'n roll music in the UK.
Most UK groups from the '60s and '70s do cite Cliff and The Shadows as a huge influence on their music, or better said, because of them they started making music. That's a fact. There are plenty of examples.
I think you don't know Cliff's and The Shadows' music, so I recommend you to listen to the following albums:
Me and My Shadows - Cliff Richard and The Shadows (1960)
The Shadows - The Shadows (1961)
Live at the ABC Kingston - Cliff Richard and The Shadows (1962)
All three albums are pre-Beatles albums and listening to these albums, for me it's clear that British Rock music started with Cliff and The Shadows.
And don't get me wrong, I really like The Beatles and today I listen a lot of their music. But Cliff and The Shadows started it in the UK.
Guys - thanks for all your comments - it's been really interesting.
I'm a bit wary of this become too much of a heated Beatles v Shadows debate, as it could go on and on. I'm sure the merits of the Shadows could be better discussed elsewhere, too, as this is a Beatles site first and foremost. Can we leave it there please?
This song can be heard in the background on the film That'll Be The Day starring Ringo Starr. I'm not sure it was mentioned in the credits a long with many other songs in that film. It was either That'll Be The Day or the sequel Stardust - I'm not sure. I don't know of any other actual Beatles recordings being used in films that aren't by or about the Beatles.
Even if the Shadows did not have the impact in early 60's, they did that for great British Bands and guitarist.
forget about Cliff.
but Hank Marvin influenced George Harrison, others including David Gilmour. his style was unique using vibrato and Echo.
He was invited and Played on Rockestra with Paul 1979, that with the instrumental "Cry for a Shadow" shows how the Beatles adored them.
The Shadows were Pioneers in a way.
Just goes to show...if The Beatles had wanted to be a instrumental surf band, they would have been great at that, too...