THE SHADOWS – "Apache"

I remember the version by Danish guitarist Jorgen Ingman, which was a big hit in the states. (Was it possibly the first Euro-rock hit in the States? It was surely the first Scandinavian rock hit.) I didn’t hear the Shadows version until many years later, and I’m not sure which followed which–I don’t think it was an original in either case.

After hearing both, I prefer Ingman’s. It’s much more subtle and possesses a sort of virtuosity that the Shadows didn’t have. I particularly liked the little touch Ingman had of quietly making the guitar strings sound like arrows zinging.

No doubt one of the high points, either version, of the instrumental trend that was so strong at the time.

I still recall dressing myself in “Indian” garb and dancing around the living room to it–when I thought no one was watching.

So this was number one when I started school. I was probably aware of the piece at that time too; I can’t remember a time when I didn’t know Apache, but I knew nothing of charts at five years old (I was a late school-starter on the Wirral, partly down to Cheshire being out of step with the rest of the country in its school year. In a few years they’d fall into line, resulting in me missing a whole year from my education. The results of that can’t be quantified but I’m quite sure there was a disadvantage for me in it.)

Anyway, for a long time to come it was what you plucked out when you found yourself with a guitar in your hand. And its lagacy lives on – a Barrow busker was playing it in Portland Walk the other week.

Light Entertainment Watch: Here’s a list of missing Shadows performances;

THE BIG SHOW: with Phyllis Diller, Michael Bentine, Alfred Ravel, Anita Harris, Dickie Henderson, The Five Luxors, The Shadows, Frankie Vaughan, The London Line, The Mike Sammes Singers (1968)

THE BLACKPOOL SHOW: with Dickie Henderson (Compere), The Blackpool Show Dancers, Bob Sharples and his ABC Television Showband, The Shadows, Julie Rogers, Chris Kirby, Les Dawson (1967)

DAN FARSON MEETS…: with The Shadows (1962)

TARBUCK’S BACK: with The Shadows (1969)

THANK YOUR LUCKY STARS: with Cliff Richard, Helen Shapiro, The Shadows, Billy Fury, Chubby Checker (1961)

THANK YOUR LUCKY STARS: with Cliff Richard, The Shadows, Helen Shapiro, The Mudlarks, Karl DenverTrio, Robb Storme, Alvin Stardust, Barry Alldis (1961)

THANK YOUR LUCKY STARS: with Russ Conway, The Shadows, The Brook Brothers, Eddie Falcon, Julie Rayne, Dave Sampson, Teddy Johnson & Pearl Carr (1961)

THANK YOUR LUCKY STARS: with Brian Matthew, Cliff Richard, Kenny Ball and his Jazzmen, Ronnie Carroll, Petula Clark, The Karl Denver Trio, Craig Douglas, Frank Ifield, The Shadows, Helen Shapiro (1962)

THANK YOUR LUCKY STARS: with Brian Matthew, Winifred Atwell, Ray Bennett, The Beverley Sisters, Craig Douglas, Mike Sarne, The Shadows, Rosemary Squires, Norman Vaughan, Bob Monkhouse (1962)

THANK YOUR LUCKY STARS: with Cliff Richard, The Shadows, Eden Kane, Joe Brown, The Vernons Girls, Candy Sparling, Pete Murray (1962)

THANK YOUR LUCKY STARS: with Russ Conway, The Shadows, Danny Williams, Bob Wallis and his Storyville Jazzmen, Russ Hamilton, Susan Singer, Terry Young, Jimmy Young (1962)

THANK YOUR LUCKY STARS: with Brian Matthew, Cliff Richard and the Shadows, Alma Cogan, Billy J. Kramer, The Searchers, Brian Poole and The Tremeloes, Brian Matthews (1963)

THANK YOUR LUCKY STARS: with Brian Matthew, Cliff Richard, The Shadows, Bobby Rydell, Ronnie Carroll, The Rolling Stones, Christopher Sandford, The Breakaways, Gene Pitney, Dave Curtis and the Tremors (1963)

THANK YOUR LUCKY STARS: with Brian Matthew, The Shadows, Freddie and the Dreamers, Kathy Kirby, Kenny Ball and his Jazzmen, Kenny Lynch, Dusty Springfield, Janice Nicholls, Ian Fenner (1963)

THANK YOUR LUCKY STARS: with Brian Matthew, Cliff Richard and the Shadows, Mike Sarne, Susan Maughan, Helen Shapiro, The Mojos (1964)

THANK YOUR LUCKY STARS: with Brian Matthew, The Shadows, Roy Orbison, Ronnie Carroll, Eden Kane, Me and Them (1964)

THANK YOUR LUCKY STARS: with Brian Matthew, The Shadows, Marianne Faithfull, Mike and Bernie Winters, Brian Poole and The Tremeloes (1965)

THANK YOUR LUCKY STARS: with Brian Matthew, The Shadows, The Beatles, Tom Jones, The Kinks, Mark Wynter (1965)

THANK YOUR LUCKY STARS: with Brian Matthew, The Shadows, Tony Jackson, Danny Williams, Sandie Shaw (1965)

THANK YOUR LUCKY STARS: with Brian Matthew, Cliff Richard and the Shadows, Dusty Springfield, Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Titch (1966)

THANK YOUR LUCKY STARS: with Brian Matthew, The Shadows, The Walker Brothers, Dave Berry, Long John Baldry (1966)

Here are some later ones that do survive;

CILLA: with The Breakaways, Wilfred Pickles, George Layton, The Shadows (1974)

DES O’CONNOR TONIGHT: with Freddie Starr, The Shadows, Elayne Boosler (1982)

DES O’CONNOR TONIGHT: with The Shadows, Richard Clayderman (1987)

THE EUROVISION SONG CONTEST: with The Shadows, Teach-In (1975)

THE FREDDIE STARR SHOWCASE: with The Shadows, Hugh, The Bouncing Czechs, Chopper Harris, Colin Filditch, Dee Curtis, Soho (1983)

IT’S CLIFF RICHARD: with Una Stubbs, Hank B. Marvin, The Shadows (1970)

LIVE FROM THE PALLADIUM: with Victor Borge, The Shadows, Bonnie Tyler, Mike Oldfield (1987)

LONDON NIGHT OUT: with The Ladybirds, Hot Gossip, Charles Aznavour, The Shadows, Clodagh Rodgers, Les Dennis, Gil Dova (1980)

LULU: with Gilbert Becaud, Billy Dainty, Bernie Clifton, The Shadows (1975)

LULU: with Hughie Green, Gilbert O’Sullivan, Bernie Clifton, The Shadows (1975)

LULU: with Ian Lavender, Jackie Pallo, Bernie Clifton, The Shadows (1975)

LULU: with Michael Bates, Bernie Clifton, The Shadows (1975)

LULU: with Neil Sedaka, Neville King, Bernie Clifton, The Shadows (1975)

LULU: with Norman Collier, Labi Siffre, The Shadows (1975)

LULU: with Richard O’Sullivan, Bernie Clifton, The Shadows (1975)

LULU: with The Shadows (1975)

THE MAIN ATTRACTION: with Paul Daniels, Tessie O’Shea, Kajagoogoo, Les Dennis, Dustin Gee, Max Wall, The Shadows (1983)

MARTI CAINE: with The Shadows (1980)

MICHAEL BARRYMORE’S SATURDAY NIGHT OUT: with Sarah Brightman, Jimmy Cricket, Johnny Hart, Diane Langton, George Marshall, The Shadows (1989)

SATURDAY NIGHT AT THE MILL: with Pam Ayres, The Shadows (1981)

SIX FIFTY FIVE SPECIAL: with The Shadows (1982)

THE VAL DOONICAN SHOW: with The Gojos, The Adam Singers, The Shadows, Ted Ray (1967)

WOGAN: with Stephen Fry, Steve Hollings, Michael Palin, The Shadows, Barbara Windsor (1986)

WOGAN: with Edward Heath, Gary Lineker, The Shadows, Russ Abbot, Sue Lawley (1987)

The Sugarhill Gang’s version is better.

there’s a terrific sense of understated menace to this – created in large part by the drumming that constantly nags and unsettles the lead guitar melody, which in turn is insistent and threatening

– and I think I could have done a lot worse. 7 seems fair.