Phil Dirt - Reverb Central - PO Box 1609, Felton, CA 95018-1609 USA The Shadows - Dance With The Shadows
 | This set was issued in Brazil I think. It's a good cross section of period Shadows material. It's hard to beat this band for easy rock guitar instros. |
Picks: Fandango, Tonight, Big 'B', In The Mood, The Lonely Bull, The High And The Mighty, Temptation
Track by Track Review
Surf (Instrumental)
Whammied guitar portrays train whistles, but the rest of the arrangement is fairly tame. While really nice, there aren't any chills up the spine. Gorgeous playing, just no excitement.
Blue Shadows Surf (Instrumental)
This blues is an easy moving piece with no real melody. Its main guitar feature is a riff that cycles through.
Surf (Instrumental)
Spanish flair and very cool rolling drums, along with some really nice guitar licks. The verses where the two guitars are playing melodies together are superb. "Fandango" is an excellent track all around!
Surf (Instrumental)
From West Side Story, this song is done with very lovely tone and liquid flow. "Tonight" is delicate and ultra romantic. Simply beautiful!
Surf (Instrumental)
"Big 'B'" is a light number with a mathematical feel and slightly jazz-tinged structure. It seems more about the writing than the playing, but the drum break lifted from Cozy Cole's "Topsy - Part II" with touches of Sandy Nelson is very well done. It may not be original, but it sure is well executed.
Surf (Instrumental)
I don't think I've ever heard such a light weight version of this classic instro. It's quite nice, even smooth and engaging. Delicate, exquisite guitar lines.
Surf (Instrumental)
Done with delicacy and very cool arranging, Sol Lake's often covered song has yet another fine cover. Not exactly liquid, but superbly smooth and engaging. It's songs like this that show off just what fine musicians The Shadows were!
Dakota MOR (Instrumental)
Harmonica lead MOR mung.
Surf (Instrumental)
A great drum beat and spunky energy run below liquid guitar. An excellent performance and recording with some really nice playing from everyone.
Surf (Instrumental)
This film score flows slowly with a cool kind of warmth, if you know what I mean. Soft, long notes with an easy sound.
Surf (Instrumental)
The playful melody of this pop instro is nicely translated into Shadow-eze. Very fine playing, but an unremarkable track from a memorability standpoint.
Surf (Instrumental)
This is just one of many guitar instro versions of Arthur Freed and Nacio Herb Brown's "Temptation," the best of which for my money is Al Casey. It's well executed, silky smooth and precise, with glorious guitar tone and playing.