A Lady in Shadows

Review: As a lifelong Shadows fan, I have tended in recent years to buy up their compilation albums as well as original recordings to enjoy them all in different formats. In this collection Disc 1 profiles Shadows' recordings, whilst Disc 2 showcases Hank Marvin's solo tracks. The way this disc is presented nicely contrasts the different approaches of the group and solo recordings and gives an insight into the historical recordings the group has made over the years. The only down side to this collection is that the versions of the Shadows' hits are the Polydor re-recordings and not the original EMI ones which, in my opinion, were better. This should not detract from the disc as a whole which is an extremely enjoyable collection, showcasing certainly one of the most influential, yet underrated groups this country has ever produced. Hank's guitar playing is as impeccable and brilliant as ever. Favourite tracks are: The Deer Hunter (Cavatina), Wonderful Land, Theme for Young Lovers and the brilliant live version of Sacha.

This 6CD collection includes every studio title recorded by the group from their very first efforts in early 1959, right up to the very end of 1966. It features 31 tracks in mono not previously available on CD & 3 tracks which are released in stereo for the very first time.

Live at the Paris Olympia Review by Bruce Eder
On the one hand, the Shadows are among the last throwbacks to a brand of utterly professional, painstakingly precise package rock & roll that existed in England before the Beatles and their contemporaries came along and substituted passion for a degree of virtuosity. On the other, the Shadows were among the biggest boosters of the electric guitar in a culture that still wasn't certain of its feelings for American-style jazz, much less rock & roll. This expanded version of the live album they cut at the Paris Olympia showcases the group's virtues and flaws about as well as anything they ever did, and may be the best way – other than picking up a handful of hits like "Apache" – for the uninitiated to discover the Shadows.