Cry for a Shadow
Encyclopedia
"Cry for a Shadow" is an early Beatles
instrumental
. It was recorded on 22 June 1961 at the Friedrich-Ebert-Halle, Hamburg-Harburg
, Germany
while they were performing as Tony Sheridan
's backup band for a few tracks, under the moniker The Beat Brothers. It was written by George Harrison
with John Lennon
, as a parody of the Shadows
style. (The Shadows, who backed Cliff Richard
, were the biggest British instrumental rock & roll group at the time of the recording.) It imitates the lead guitar with typical Hank Marvin
licks, the melodic bass fills, and even has an imitation during the second middle eight of the famous Jet Harris
yell. It is the only Beatles track to be credited to Lennon and Harrison alone.
It was intended to be released as the B-side
of "Why
", another Sheridan song with the Beatles, but the record company chose to release another song instead. In early 1964
, as the Beatles were gaining popularity, the record company Polydor decided to release it, with "Why" changed to the b-side. According to Bill Harry
, editor of the Mersey Beat
newspaper, Cry for a Shadow's original title was "Beatle Bop".
It was also released in 1995
as part of the Anthology 1
compilation.
San Francisco new wave
group Translator
released a cover version of this song as a B-side in 1983
.
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
instrumental
Instrumental rock
Instrumental rock is a type of rock music which emphasizes musical instruments, and which features very little or no singing.Examples of instrumental rock can be found in practically every subgenre of rock, often from musicians who specialize in the style, most notably Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Link...
. It was recorded on 22 June 1961 at the Friedrich-Ebert-Halle, Hamburg-Harburg
Hamburg-Harburg
Harburg is a borough of the city of Hamburg, Germany and a quarter in this borough. The borough Harburg lies on the southern shores of the river Elbe and covers parts of the port of Hamburg, residential and rural areas and some research institutes...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
while they were performing as Tony Sheridan
Tony Sheridan
Tony Sheridan , is an English rock and roll singer-songwriter and guitarist...
's backup band for a few tracks, under the moniker The Beat Brothers. It was written by George Harrison
George Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
with John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
, as a parody of the Shadows
The Shadows
The Shadows are a British pop group with a total of 69 UK hit-charted singles: 35 as 'The Shadows' and 34 as 'Cliff Richard and the Shadows', from the 1950s to the 2000s. Cliff Richard in casual conversation with the British rock press frequently refers to the Shadows by their nickname: 'The Shads'...
style. (The Shadows, who backed Cliff Richard
Cliff Richard
Sir Cliff Richard, OBE is a British pop singer, musician, performer, actor, and philanthropist who has sold over an estimated 250 million records worldwide....
, were the biggest British instrumental rock & roll group at the time of the recording.) It imitates the lead guitar with typical Hank Marvin
Hank Marvin
Hank Brian Marvin is an English guitarist, best known as the lead guitarist for The Shadows. The group, which primarily performed instrumentals, was formed as a backing band for vocalist Cliff Richard...
licks, the melodic bass fills, and even has an imitation during the second middle eight of the famous Jet Harris
Jet Harris
Jet Harris, MBE was an English musician. He was the bass guitarist of The Shadows until April 1962, and had subsequent success as a soloist and as a duo with the drummer Tony Meehan....
yell. It is the only Beatles track to be credited to Lennon and Harrison alone.
It was intended to be released as the B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
of "Why
Why (Tony Sheridan song)
"Why" is one of the early songs performed by The Beatles when they were backing Tony Sheridan as the Beat Brothers. In the UK, it is the B-side of the instrumental rock tune "Cry for a Shadow". Originally intended to be the A-side, the record label Polydor chose not to release it...
", another Sheridan song with the Beatles, but the record company chose to release another song instead. In early 1964
1964 in music
-Events:*January 1 – Top of the Pops is broadcast for the first time, on BBC television.*January 3 – Footage of the Beatles performing a concert in Bournemouth, England is shown on The Jack Paar Show....
, as the Beatles were gaining popularity, the record company Polydor decided to release it, with "Why" changed to the b-side. According to Bill Harry
Bill Harry
Bill Harry is the creator of Mersey Beat, an important newspaper of the early 1960s, which focused on the Liverpool music scene...
, editor of the Mersey Beat
Mersey Beat
Mersey Beat was a music publication in Liverpool, England in the early 1960s. It was founded by Bill Harry, who was one of John Lennon's classmates at Liverpool Art College...
newspaper, Cry for a Shadow's original title was "Beatle Bop".
It was also released in 1995
1995 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1995.- January–February :*January 18 – Jerry Garcia crashes his rented BMW into a guard rail near Mill Valley, California, USA, but is not injured in the accident....
as part of the Anthology 1
Anthology 1
Anthology 1 is a compilation album by The Beatles, released by Apple Records in November 1995. It was released as the first part of the Anthology trilogy of albums with Anthology 2 and Anthology 3, all of which tie-in with the televised special The Beatles Anthology. It contains "Free as a Bird",...
compilation.
San Francisco new wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
group Translator
Translator (band)
Translator is a San Francisco rock band that had success during the 1980s. They created a sound that spanned updated British Merseybeat and stripped-down punk-like rock to psychedelia. Inspired by the Beatles and 1960s California folk-rock bands such as The Byrds, their guitar-based music was...
released a cover version of this song as a B-side in 1983
Break Down Barriers EP
Break Down Barriers was an EP released by San Francisco new wave group Translator in 1983. The 3 tracks from this record were included as bonus tracks on the No Time Like Now CD release....
.
Personnel
- George HarrisonGeorge HarrisonGeorge Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
– lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure... - John LennonJohn LennonJohn Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
– rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together... - Paul McCartneyPaul McCartneySir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
– bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, yell - Pete BestPete BestPete Best is a British musician, best known as the original drummer in The Beatles. He was born in the city of Madras, British India...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
External links
- Cry for a Shadow - online audio. Source: Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
. Song of The BeatlesThe BeatlesThe Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
with Tony SheridanTony SheridanTony Sheridan , is an English rock and roll singer-songwriter and guitarist...
from the album The Early Tapes of The BeatlesThe Early Tapes of The BeatlesThe Early Tapes of The Beatles is the first digital repackaging of the 1962 German album by Tony Sheridan and The Beatles called My Bonnie. The original repackage was first issued in Germany in 1964 and titled The Beatles' First. It was recorded at Hamburg in 1961. This repackage was released in...
, 1961.