I always loved those Surf-era guitar instrumentals - Ventures, Shadows, Dick Dale, et al. - but interestingly enough it was Lawrence Welk who introduced the Shadows' music to the American public, well over a year before the British Invasion. Say what you will, old Larry had a good ear - when/if he wanted to use it; he also featured electric harpsichord and Fender Bass VI (guitarist Neil Levang owned the prototype) - cutting-edge stuff for the day - on his early-60's recordings (most notably his million-seller "Calcutta"), and broke the Chantays (of "Pipeline" fame) on his Saturday night weekly show. Here's his version of a Shadows gem I've had in my repertoire since early '63 and never get tired of playing:
- and a latter-day performance by the Shadows themselves:
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"Mistaking silence for weakness and contempt for fear is the final, fatal error of a fool"
- Sicilian proverb (paraphrased)
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