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Wonderful Land

Wonderful Land

Overview
"Wonderful Land" is UK #1 single by The Shadows
The Shadows
The Shadows are Britain's most successful instrumental and vocal group with a grand total of 69 UK hit singles: 35 as 'The Shadows' and 34 as 'Cliff Richard and The Shadows', from the 1950s to the 2000s...

. The song was released on the Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm & blues, rock and roll, and jazz...

 label in the U.S., but did not reach the Billboard Top 100. This single stayed more weeks at #1 in the UK
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record industry. The full chart contains the top 200 singles based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 of this list...

 than any other single during the 60's - including those by The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960 who became one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed bands in the history of popular music...

.

English musician Mike Oldfield
Mike Oldfield
Michael Gordon "Mike" Oldfield is an English multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, working a style that blends progressive rock, folk, ethnic or world music, classical music, electronic music, New Age and more recently dance. His music is often elaborate and complex in nature...

 covered "Wonderful Land" on his 1980 QE2
QE2 (album)
QE2 is a record album mostly written and performed by Mike Oldfield, released in 1980.It was his sixth album and featured both original Oldfield compositions and two short songs from bands ABBA and The Shadows...

album. Oldfield's version was also released as a single and as the B-side for his "Sheba
Sheba (song)
"Sheba" is a single by musician Mike Oldfield, released in 1980 . It is from the album QE2. In many countries the Shadows cover, "Wonderful Land", was the A-side, while the B-side was "Sheba".- "Wonderful Land" video :...

" single; in some countries, "Wonderful Land" was the a-side.
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Encyclopedia
"Wonderful Land" is UK #1 single by The Shadows
The Shadows
The Shadows are Britain's most successful instrumental and vocal group with a grand total of 69 UK hit singles: 35 as 'The Shadows' and 34 as 'Cliff Richard and The Shadows', from the 1950s to the 2000s...

. The song was released on the Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm & blues, rock and roll, and jazz...

 label in the U.S., but did not reach the Billboard Top 100. This single stayed more weeks at #1 in the UK
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record industry. The full chart contains the top 200 singles based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 of this list...

 than any other single during the 60's - including those by The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960 who became one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed bands in the history of popular music...

.

Mike Oldfield version


English musician Mike Oldfield
Mike Oldfield
Michael Gordon "Mike" Oldfield is an English multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, working a style that blends progressive rock, folk, ethnic or world music, classical music, electronic music, New Age and more recently dance. His music is often elaborate and complex in nature...

 covered "Wonderful Land" on his 1980 QE2
QE2 (album)
QE2 is a record album mostly written and performed by Mike Oldfield, released in 1980.It was his sixth album and featured both original Oldfield compositions and two short songs from bands ABBA and The Shadows...

album. Oldfield's version was also released as a single and as the B-side for his "Sheba
Sheba (song)
"Sheba" is a single by musician Mike Oldfield, released in 1980 . It is from the album QE2. In many countries the Shadows cover, "Wonderful Land", was the A-side, while the B-side was "Sheba".- "Wonderful Land" video :...

" single; in some countries, "Wonderful Land" was the a-side. The Shadows later covered one of Oldfield's songs, "Moonlight Shadow
Moonlight Shadow
"Moonlight Shadow" is a pop song written by English multi-instrumentalist Mike Oldfield and released as a single in May 1983 and included on the album Crises in the same year. The vocals were performed by the Scottish vocalist Maggie Reilly, who had joined Mike Oldfield in 1980...

".

Hank Marvin and Mark Knopfler version


Two guitarists, 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...

 (of The Shadows) and Mark Knopfler
Mark Knopfler
Mark Knopfler OBE is a British guitarist, singer, songwriter, record producer and film score composer....

 (of Dire Straits
Dire Straits
Dire Straits were a British rock band, active between 1977 and 1995. The band was formed by Mark Knopfler , his younger brother David Knopfler , John Illsley , and Pick Withers , and managed by Ed Bicknell...

) recorded a version of "Wonderful Land" in the 1990s, produced by Jeff Lynne
Jeff Lynne
Jeffrey Lynne is a two-time Ivor Novello Award recipient and Grammy Award-winning English songwriter, composer, arranger, singer, guitarist, and record producer who gained fame as the leader of Electric Light Orchestra and was a co-founder and member of The Traveling Wilburys...

.