CLIFF RICHARD – "Travellin' Light"

I think this was the record that Hank Marvin first played his (pink) Fender Stratocaster on

Light Entertainment Watch Cliff Special #2: Here’s an (incomplete!) list of Cliff’s guest appearances on other people’s where copies do survive;

THE (NOEL EDMONDS) LATE LATE BREAKFAST SHOW: with Dolly Parton, Cliff Richard (1982)

ANT AND DEC’S SATURDAY NIGHT TAKEAWAY: with Blue, Lee Ryan, Busted, Cliff Richard (2004)

ASPEL & COMPANY: with Twiggy, Cliff Richard, Bob Carolgees and Spit the Dog (1985)

ASPEL & COMPANY: with Cliff Richard, Wendy Craig, Barry McGuigan (1986)

AN AUDIENCE WITH…: Cliff Richard (1999)

BRUCE’S GUEST NIGHT: with Cliff Richard, Rita Rudner, Lisa Stansfield, Pat Cash, Howard Keel (1992)

BRUCE’S GUEST NIGHT: with Jimmy Tarbuck, Lisa Stansfield, Cliff Richard (1993)

CANNON AND BALL: with Cliff Richard, Windsor Davies (1983)

CELEBRITY: with Daniel Farson, Cliff Richard (1959)

CELEBRITY READY, STEADY, COOK: with Ainsley Harriott, Cliff Richard, Jane McDonald (2001)

CILLA: with Cliff Richard (1973)

CILLA: with Frankie Howerd, Cliff Richard (1973)

CILLA: with Hannah Gordon, Cliff Richard (1973)

CILLA: with John Alderton, Cliff Richard (1973)

CILLA: with Stephen Lewis, Cliff Richard (1973)

CILLA: with T-Rex, Kenny Lynch, Cliff Richard, Marc Bolan, Eddie Waring (1973)

THE DAME EDNA EXPERIENCE: with Mary Whitehouse, Cliff Richard, Sean Connery (1987)

DES O’CONNOR TONIGHT: with Jane Seymour, Cliff Richard, Transvision Vamp (1989)

DES O’CONNOR TONIGHT: with Thelma Barlow, Peter Baldwin, Joe Longthorne, Cliff Richard, Whitney Houston (1990)

DES O’CONNOR TONIGHT: with Cher, Cliff Richard, Jason Donovan, Jim Davidson, Ursula Andress (1991)

DES O’CONNOR TONIGHT: with John Cleese, Cliff Richard (1997)

THE EUROVISION SONG CONTEST: with Cliff Richard, Katie Boyle (1968)

THE EUROVISION SONG CONTEST: with Cliff Richard (1973)

FIFTY YEARS OF MUSIC: with Henry Hall, Lulu, Vera Lynn, The New Seekers, Gilbert O’Sullivan, Cliff Richard, The Young Generation (1972)

THE FRANK SKINNER SHOW: with Eddie Izzard, Cliff Richard (2001)

FRIDAY NIGHT’S ALL WRIGHT: with Cliff Richard, Paul Burrell, Gary Barlow, Jesse Spencer, Destiny’s Child, Womack & Womack, Lisa Loud, Miss World (1999)

IN CONCERT: with Cliff Richard (1976)

THE KENNY EVERETT VIDEO CASSETTE: with Cliff Richard, Bernard Manning, Billy Connolly (1981)

THE KENNY EVERETT VIDEO CASSETTE: with The Pretenders, Billy Connolly, Cliff Richard, Tom O’Connor, Anna Dawson (1981)

THE KUMARS AT NO.42: with Cliff Richard, Neil Morrissey (2003)

THE LITTLE AND LARGE SHOW: with Cliff Richard (1978)

THE LITTLE AND LARGE SHOW: with Cliff Richard, Henry Cooper (1980)

LIVE FROM THE PALLADIUM: with Russ Abbot, Barry Manilow, Bright & Breeze, Bros, Paul Jones, Cliff Richard, Bella Emberg (1988)

LOOK – MIKE YARWOOD!: with Cliff Richard, Cheryl Kennedy (1974)

LOOK ALIVE: with Cliff Richard, Paul Curtis (1975)

MICHAEL BALL: with Cliff Richard, Elaine Paige (1993)

THE MORECAMBE AND WISE SHOW: with Cliff Richard, Vikki Carr (1973)

THE NEW LONDON PALLADIUM SHOW: with Cliff Richard and the Shadows, Robert Harbin, Charlie Drake, Henry McGee (1965)

THE O ZONE: Behind The Scenes At Cliff Richard Video Shoot (1990)

OH BOY!: with Jimmy Henney, Michael Holliday, Cherry Wainer, Lord Rockingham’s XI, Peter Elliott, Cliff Richard, The Dallas Boys, Neville Taylor and the Cutters, The Drifters, ‘Cuddly’ Dudley (1958)

OH BOY!: with Tony Hall, Jimmy Henney, Cliff Richard and the Drifters, Marty Wilde, The Dallas Boys, Cherry Wainer, Lord Rockingham’s XI, Don Lang, Red Price, The Vernons Girls (1959)

ONE TO ONE: with Cliff Richard (1989)

PARKINSON: with Leslie Caron, Robert Morley, Cliff Richard (1977)

PARKINSON: with Sammy Cahn, Cliff Richard, Placido Domingo (1980)

PARKINSON: with Cliff Richard, Joan Rivers, Jamie Oliver (2004)

PARKINSON ONE TO ONE: with Cliff Richard (1988)

POP GOSPEL: with Teri Scoble Dancers, Berni Flint, Cliff Richard, Nutshell, Bryn Haworth (1979)

POP GOSPEL: with Teri Scoble Dancers, Berni Flint, Parchment, Cliff Richard (1979)

POP GOSPEL: with Berni Flint, Revelations, Steve Goddard, Cliff Richard, Garth Hewitt, Adrian Snow (1980)

POP GOSPEL: with Revelations, Berni Flint, Trade Secret, Cliff Richard (1980)

POP QUIZ: with David Grant, Rick Parfitt, Cliff Richard, Barry Gibb, Midge Ure, Paula Yates (1981)

POP QUIZ: with Cliff Richard, Cheryl Baker, Stuart Adamson, Michael Dolenz, Nick Heyward, Hal Lindes (1983)

THE ROCK GOSPEL SHOW: with Sheila Walsh, London Community Gospel Choir, Cliff Richard (1984)

THE ROYAL VARIETY PERFORMANCE: with Nana Mouskouri, Les Dawson, Cliff Richard, Duke Ellington and his Orchestra, Peters and Lee, Ronnie Corbett, Rudolf Nureyev, Dick Emery, Francis Van Dyke (1973)

THE ROYAL VARIETY PERFORMANCE: with Des O’Connor, Cliff Richard, Brian Conley and the cast of Jolson, Elaine Paige, Joe Pasquale, Bob Downe, Allan Stewart, Alistair McGowan, Marvin Hamlisch, Pendragons (1992)

RUSSELL HARTY: with Peter Cook, Cliff Richard, Richard O’Brien (1975)

RUSSELL HARTY PLUS: with Cliff Richard, Asha Puthli, Binnie Barnes (1973)

SATURDAY MATTERS WITH SUE LAWLEY: with The Duchess of York, Cliff Richard (1989)

SEASIDE SPECIAL: with Tony Blackburn, Cliff Richard, Claud François, Joe Dassin, The Half Wits, Norman Caley, Jennifer (1977)

SEASIDE SPECIAL: with Peter Powell, Cilla Black, Cliff Richard, Don Maclean, Jerry Stevens, Keith Harris, Lenny Henry, Antonia Rodriguez (1979)

SHANG-A-LANG: with Cliff Richard, Big Jim Sullivan (1975)

SHOWSTOPPERS: with Cliff Richard, Cy Coleman, Bonnie Langford, Eternal (1995)

SONGS OF PRAISE: with Cliff Richard (1995)

SONGS OF PRAISE: with Cliff Richard, Aled Jones, Pete Waterman, Lauren Waterworth (2003)

THE SOUTH BANK SHOW: Cliff Richard (1993)

SUMMERTIME SPECIAL: with Cliff Richard, Jessica Martin, Wayne Dobson, Shane Ritchie (1987)

SUNDAY, SUNDAY: with Cliff Richard, Billy Connolly, Tommy Tune, Twiggy (1983)

SUNDAY, SUNDAY: with Cliff Richard, Irene Handl, Griff Rhys Jones, Fred Newman, Dennis Taylor (1985)

SUNDAY, SUNDAY: with Cliff Richard, Stewart Grainger, Nick Hancock, Hancock & Mularkey (1987)

SUNDAY, SUNDAY: with Cliff Richard, Richard Branson, Bruce Forsyth, Nanci Griffith, Gillian Lynne, Colin Moynihan, Julia Sommerville (1989)

SUNDAY, SUNDAY: with Cliff Richard, Jonathan Ross, John Caird, Paul Daniels, Frances Ruffelle, Peter Shilton, Toyah Willcox (1990)

SUPERSONIC: with Cliff Richard, The Bay City Rollers, Albert Hammond, Pilot (1975)

SUPERSONIC: with Glitter Band, Cliff Richard, Mud, Frankie Mills (1976)

TERRY WOGAN’S FRIDAY NIGHT: with Frank Skinner, Cliff Richard (1992)

THEY SOLD A MILLION: with Alyn Ainsworth and his Orchestra, Cliff Richard, Julie Rogers (1973)

THE TUBE: with Jools Holland, Paula Yates, Cliff Richard, Killing Joke, Mark Bego, Robin George, Kronos, Geoff Barton, Ray Cokes, Terry & Gerry (1985)

VAL PARNELL’S SPECTACULAR: The Cliff Richard Show (1960)

WOGAN: with Michael Parkinson, Jane Lapotaire, Cliff Richard (1984)

WOGAN: with Hank Marvin, John Parr, Cliff Richard, Sir Jimmy Savile, Loretta Swit, Lisa Adams, Shelly White (1985)

WOGAN: with Nigel Hawthorne, Sarah Potter, Cliff Richard, Jack Scott (1985)

WOGAN: with Cliff RIchard & Sarah Brightman, Uri Geller (1986)

WOGAN: with Brother Andrew, Sarah Brightman & Cliff Richard, Derek Nimmo, James Judge Pickles (1987)

WOGAN: with Diana Lamplugh, Cliff Richard, Lady Rothermere, Terence Stamp (1987)

WOGAN: with Helena Amram, Peter Bruinvels, The Hollies, Cliff Richard (1987)

WOGAN: with Cliff Richard (1988)

WOGAN: with Cliff Richard (1989)

WOGAN: with Van Morrison, Cliff Richard, Fenella Fielding, Leslie Nielson (1989)

WOGAN: with Cliff Richard, Terry Marsh, Lloyd Kaufman, Bill Malin (1990)

WOGAN: with Wet Wet Wet, Annette Bening, Cliff Richard (1992)

Another double A side, though the terrific Dynamite – possibly his best rocker – was listed separately on the chart. It reached no.16.

Dynamite was written by Ian ‘Sammy’ Samwell who had written all of Cliff’s singles up until Living Doll, but Travellin’ Light was Cliff’s first American-penned A-side; the relative lack of success of Dynamite meant Sammy never wrote another A-side and country-pop teen ballads were Cliff’s new sound. It sounds American alongside his earlier singles – there’s an extra layer of pop here, a confidence and completeness, a sense of space and relaxation helped by a swaddling blanket of echo. It is also the unwitting blueprint for early Francoise Hardy recordings.

Travellin’ Light sounds best when listened to directly after the clammy Living Doll – clearly meant as a soundalike follow up, it’s far better lyrically, instrumentally, vocally and production-wise: I love that bottom-of-the-well reverb on Cliff’s voice; “I’m a hoot and a holler away from paradise” is a winning line; and that “mmm mmm mmm mmmmmm” towards the end in lieu of the title is the aural definition of a fifties teenage crush.

Not sure if his gal will appreciate the lack of comb and toothbrush, though.

@2: Can it please wait till autumn ’97 Danish bunny.