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Cliff Richard and The Drifters |
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Info: Biography, Pictures, Discography of all CDs & DVDs |
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| Cliff Richard was by far the most significant.We were moving at the speed of
youth.Cliff and a songwriting
contract for me.Baby), added two new band members (Hank Marvin and Bruce
Welch), and I had switched from lead guitar to bass.All that in just nine months .Cliff was playing there he must be famous.Cliff if he had a fan club.Sammy, this is Jan Vane, she's gonna be our fan club
secretary.Cliff, Terry Smart, Norman Mitham and Johnny Foster
made me feel at home.Dick Teague Skiffle Group, but what they
really wanted to do was play rock 'n' roll.Hill Badminton Club, the Five Horseshoes Pub and the Tudor
Hall in Hoddesdon.Donella (who wouldn't, she was absolutely gorgeous).And to wash it all down, what
better than a glass of Tizer.That would have been
on Thursday the 24th of April, 1958.Littlewood as to who the best bands were, and Tom had told
him about us.On that Friday, we arrived
early to set up and rehearse.Greatorex spoke with Johnny,
and asked what our name was.Swiss Pub just
a few doors down along Old Compton Street.We sat at a long oak table in the dusty half light.It didn't take very long for us
to come up with the name Cliff Richard.We returned to the 2 i's, and
told Harry Greatorex the news.The expenses were to
cover our train fare.Hertfordshire to a small mens' clothing store which was known
to stock pretty cool stuff.They looked very
American, very cool, very rock 'n' roll.He actually wore it once when
we appeared at the Shepherd's Bush Gaumont.Two quid instantly down the drain.Sadly, it turned out not to be silk at all.Nottingham by steam train
from London's St.From Nottingham Station we had
to travel the remaining few miles to Ripley on the local bus.The truth is we were far from
being rebellious.Not exactly our name in lights, but it was a
start.Charming or otherwise) was
Cliff.In fact, for a ballroom it bore
a remarkable resemblance to a church hall.The best thing about the Regal
Ballroom was the stage.Twenty Flight Rock, and after that everything was
just a blur.Harry Webb truly became Cliff Richard.He in his white
shirt, we in our red.Shawcroft, the current editor of the Ripley and Heanor
News, I heard from one of his readers, Mr.Heanor, recalls going with her friends
to see us at the Regal that night.Brian Cheetham was an assistant to Harry Greatorex, remembers
it well.It made me jump up
and leave the TV; I thought it was better than the original!This site attempts to list and catalog all the known songs ever touched by Cliff
Richard spanning his entire career, in order of chronological production
(or as close as can be figured).This
is a living document and will be continually updated.Check back periodically
for updates.Click HERE to go to the front page.Don't Bug Me Baby (1958 Oh Boy!Turn Me Loose (1959 Oh Boy!Choppin' And Changin' (1959 Oh Boy!Richard, Cliff, Alma Cogen, Marty Wilde and Oh Boy!That's Love (1959 Oh Boy!Mean Streak (1959 Oh Boy!Three Cool Cats (1959 Oh Boy!Click HERE for a downloadable zipped Microsoft Excel version of this list (excluding all the song comments).Click HERE for a downloadable zipped text version of this list (including *ALL* song comments).Exceptionally
unique (no examples available right now).Cliff
Richard written songs performed by other artists, which Cliff Richard not had previously
recorded.Okay,
so now let me explain each of the columns and what they represent.Artist:
This is the primary recording artist for a song.Primarily the listings are
"Single," "Album," or "XXX."In the case of the XXX, it will likely have some info about where it should
have come from or if it had been released.Items marked "Unreleased" that have an asterisk have been bootlegged.Finally, you'll notice that some of the songs are
marked with GREY coloring.If
there are any questions, comments, corrections or complaints (!?Where Have The Shows Gone?Not just his copies but in the spirit of the thing.WITH MARTY WILDE AND VINCE EAGER ON 'OH BOY!GOING WILDE WITH MARTY !Sadly this celluloid legacy has been lost.And any details of the shows are scant to say the least.So what did Cliff perform on 'Oh Boy!That was the excitement!December 1958 and ill and overworked with laryngitis by February 1959.Boyd of overworking and exploiting his son and in late January 1959, Boyd was sacked after just three months.He had been due to take part in the 7th February show (which marked the return of Marty Wilde after a long abscence, but Cliff had to cancel as he was laid low with flu and laryngitis for nearly three weeks during February 1959.After his appearance on Show 29 (28th March 1959) he was off air for another five weeks until his return on 2nd May 1959 (show No.VernonsGirls, I'd be smiling too!What songs did Cliff sing during the series?As each show lasted only 25 minutes and featured at least ten acts each week cramming in at least 15 songs there was only time for one solo performance from each of the guest artistes.Bug Me Baby' for his television debut on the first show of the series on Saturday 13th September 1958, which was a generous gesture by Good to introduce his new star to the nation.Marty was already the star of 'Oh Boy!Bug Me Baby' was a fantastic rocker which Cliff was due to record at the Abbey Road Studios on Friday 3rd October 1958 and which was earmarked as his next intended single release.Move It') according to one book source whose accuracy cannot be guaranteed.Cliff to sing it in this second broadcast.Cliff also performed songs from the officially released 'Oh Boy!Some were originally intended for Marty, including the opening title 'TV Hop' and closing title 'Somebody Touched Me'.He sang 7 tracks on the LP, including the opening and closing titles, which was far more than any other of the featured artists.Cliff used for his demo recording in June 1958 and sang during his Butlins residency in August 1958.Jerry Lee track was undoubtedly 'Down The Line' This frenetic rocker gave Cliff the chance to show off some fancy footwork during the two instrumental breaks and generate genuine excitement amongst the screaming female audience.Saturday Spectacular' for the ATV network in July 1960.This is a classic early live performance much revered by many Cliff fans.Elvis had to be featured in the series of course and Cliff was the obvious choice to sing the material.Concluding the cover versions, Cliff is very likely to have performed 'Twenty Flight Rock'.Cliff was keen on promoting both A and B sides of his hit singles on his TV shows.January or February 1959.April 1966 to mark their 10th anniversary in broadcasting.They opened the floodgates to a golden future.Drifters in the distance while Cliff deftly executes some 'Elvis moves' in shadow in the foreground.And to think its all been lost for over 40 years.Whilst Cliff remains obscure in America, he's been popular almost everywhere else for many, many years.Considered a joke for a considerable amount of time, i'll lose all my remaining credibility even covering him.How did he become an institution though?The sheer energy of the performance does it for me and with The Shadows backing Cliff on many of these early recordings, you can't go too far wrong with early Cliff material.Well, the title track from the hugely fun 'Summer Holiday' film.You'll know this song, it's part of the national conciousness.Cliff by now has developed a smooth vocal delivery that's pure class.The guitar work and the rhythm section truly excel.Speedy, slightly jumpy yet with a smooth pop vocal that works in contrast.You're getting enough great songs for your money between the lesser moments.You're also getting a history lesson of sorts of the changing British music scene for the past fifty years.The mid to late Sixties, early Seventies saw a Cliff Richard lost at sea releasing increasingly inferior work to indifferent responses.Come the mid Seventies, his career was restored with one of his finest ballad performances during the song 'Miss You Nights'.Punk storm and sees a grown up Cliff releasing a grown up ballad for his audience who suddenly remembered why they liked him in the first place.Cliff has that honesty in his personality.Cliff is in the business because he actually enjoys music.I'm not going to be critical of anyone who genuinely loves music, whatever the differences in our tastes.Cliff keeps a tight grip on the emotion in the song and lets it out slowly.Devil Woman' is proper though, a rock band performance with funky bass lines.We Don't Talk Anymore' is genuinely classic pop music and continues with the funky bass lines and full band performance of 'Devil Woman'.Carrie' is an always intriguing, classy slice of pop and 'Wired For Sound', slightly embarassing lyrics aside, is just great pop music.The musical 'point' of Cliff beyond those Xmas and New Year tunes, memorable ones admittedly, is a little hard to argue for once we get into this era.Millenium Prayer' became a surprise massive hit for him though and is indeed stirring come that time when one year flows into the next.Next year, i'm getting married ( 2008 ), Cliff music will likely be absent from the reception, but i'm glad i've got this set that contains nearly all of his singles.He's easy to dismiss but has given us some great music here and there through the years.Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On Britain had a rock and roller to call their own then?He took a lot from Elvis and also from Buddy Holly.Great little guitar solos with only the wandering jazzy bass lines betraying their English origins.This debut Cliff Richard album then was recorded live in front of a small, invited audience.Their screams don't really add to the excitement and I wish a version was available without the screaming.As for the songs, these aren't the quality of tunes an Elvis would have recorded.Covers abound of course, with the quirky, enjoyable instrumental 'Jet Black' a notable exception.The lead guitar again is particularly atmospheric.Well, not a lot else to say except this is clearly unfashionable music, not much attention is paid to what British musicians were doing before The Beatles came along, especially British rock musicians.Both Cliff and The Shadows would have success both together and apart and can be seen as important early musical forerunners.Where Have The Shows Gone?Whatever became of the stars?Chuck Berry, Little Richard or Elvis Presley and they were immaculate.Not just his copies but in the spirit of the thing.WITH MARTY WILDE AND VINCE EAGER ON 'OH BOY!When Jack Good met Cliff in the first week of September 1958 he saw all the requisite ingredients of a star in the making.There would be girls falling about and going into hysterics and foaming at the mouth and these furious boys chucking these great pennies at Cliff.Is this boy too sexy for television?October 1958 thrust Cliff into the centre spotlight and made him the 'star of the show.Parnes quickly regretted his decision but Wilde remained ostracised and off air for 16 weeks until 7th February 1959 (Show No.Cliff was left centre stage to take the crown.Hackney Empire in London.Boyd of overworking and exploiting his son and in late January 1959, Boyd was sacked after just three months.Cliff was also due to record his first album 'live' in front of a selected teenage audience at the Abbey Road Studios, St.Cliff and his Drifters appeared in only 7 of them.He had been due to take part in the 7th February show (which marked the return of Marty Wilde after a long abscence, but Cliff had to cancel as he was laid low with flu and laryngitis for nearly three weeks during February 1959.VernonsGirls, I'd be smiling too!What songs did Cliff sing during the series?Move It') according to one book source whose accuracy cannot be guaranteed.Cliff to sing it in this second broadcast.Some were originally intended for Marty, including the opening title 'TV Hop' and closing title 'Somebody Touched Me'.He sang 7 tracks on the LP, including the opening and closing titles, which was far more than any other of the featured artists.Cliff also performed in his very early live shows and very likely in the series too.On' and an actual 'Oh Boy!Cliff used for his demo recording in June 1958 and sang during his Butlins residency in August 1958.Cliff recorded this track many times in his early career and it is almost certain he sang it on 'Oh Boy!Saturday Spectacular' for the ATV network in July 1960.This is a classic early live performance much revered by many Cliff fans.Cliff' series for ATV in February 1961.ATV 'Cliff' series in March 1961.Cliff was keen on promoting both A and B sides of his hit singles on his TV shows.May 1959 edition of 'Oh Boy!Eamonn Andrews introduces the full length performance of 'Mean Streak' from 'Oh Boy!Did they see themselves as shock troops, as symbols of a new way of life?Drifters in the distance while Cliff deftly executes some 'Elvis moves' in shadow in the foreground.Sadly the full show from which this excerpt was taken, is lost presumed wiped, along with the rest of the series.And to think its all been lost for over 40 years.Roll Posters on the right.Although my parents never understood why I just wanted this wild screaming record for my birthday, they did the only right thing...This was the result of his shift to a softer sound in the wake of 'Livin' Doll' in late 1959.Marvin has a genuine American sound, with perhaps more embellishment and flamboyance than a lot of American players might have bothered with, while Bruce Welch, Jet Harris, and Tony Meehan reveal themselves as a solid rhythm section.They rip through numbers like 'Apron Strings,' 'Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On,' 'Ready Teddy' and 'My Babe' not very much slower than a lot of punk bands 20 years later might have done it.Shake, Rattle and Roll...Give A Twist Party (19...The items below are highlights. |
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