There's been a massive love-in for Cliff Richard ever since his 70th birthday last week with a load of hand-wringers quacking on about how John Lennon got all the celebrations for his 70th the week before but there was hardly any for, ugh, Sir Cliff. I'm nowhere near a Lennon apologist, but I don't recall Cliff Richard writing some of the most memorable tunes in popular music history, or, along with five other people, changing the face of popular culture forever. But then, perhaps I'm being picky, aren't I? I dunno, all I can see of Cliff Richard is that he's part of the establishment light-entertainer who nicked his act off of Elvis Presley. I want my pop and rock stars a bit rebellious, that's what pop and rock music's about, isn't it? I'm sure Cliff had his fingers crossed when he was giving it all that 'Hang loose, Daddio!' back in the late fifties and early sixties and was looking at the long game. Maybe I'm being very old-fashioned in being this cool.
Not only that, but his old backing band get nowhere near the recognition they deserve. I don't recall anyone ever saying that the sainted Cliff inspiring anyone to pick up a guitar. Along with Burt Weedon's Play in a Day manual and Lonnie Donegan you can trace an arc that goes like this:
To this:
To this:
To this:
To this:
To this:
To this:
To this, last year's Christmas No.1, saying 'we're not taking the middle-of-the-road shit any longer.' Only one person in that list of groups has accepted a Knighthood, some would say he deserved it, even if it did make him part of the Establishment. Thank you, Hank B Marvin, Bruce Welch, Jet Harris, Burt Weedon and Lonnie Donegan. Not thank you, Cliff Richard:
2 comments:
It's always the same. The guys in the backroom invariably play second fiddle to the talent. The Glitter Band being a case in point: even though Angel Face and Goodbye My Love charted, they never really stepped out of The Leader's shadow. That said, they never followed him into PC World either.
And don't forget the Incredible Bongo Band's cover of Apache one of the founding breaks sampled by early hip-hoppers.
This is a cracker of Shad's wig out Scotch on the Socks
At least they got a shoo-in for Cliff's Thunderbirds appearance (the Anderson's even got the guitars right - Burns were the Shad's guitars of the time)..
If you get the chance dig about for Brian Bennet bits, the band's drummer has made some properly funky nuggs
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