Hank Marvin - Gold
by Kimberly Bright
published: 21 / 9 / 2019

Label:
Crimson
Format: CD Box
intro
Shadows guitarist Hank Marvin’s fifty years of solo work is captured on a new three-CD collection
Hank B. Marvin’s 'Gold' three-CD set is an exhaustive compilation of tracks chosen from his nearly twenty solo albums released since 1969. Marvin is known as the very first homegrown English-born guitar god, who achieved success with the Shadows, the group that backed singer Cliff Richard in the late ‘50s before going on to be the biggest guitar instrumental band in the UK and Europe. The clean cut, friendly, bespectacled, skinny, Buddy Holly lookalike from Newcastle and his trademark Fiesta red Stratocaster massively influenced the first generation of British, Canadian, and Australian guitarists who continue to worship the ground he walks on. (Mark Knopfler and Brian May both make appearances on 'Gold'.). To name a few: George Harrison, Ritchie Blackmore, Jimmy Page, Rick Springfield, Neil Young, Tony Iommi, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Randy Bachman, and David Gilmour. In his autobiography 'One Train Later' Andy Summers tells the story of chasing an alarmed Marvin through the streets and back alleys of Bournemouth at age fourteen just to get his autograph on a Shadows concert programme. In one of the great cultural divides separating the U.S. from the U.K., the Shadows and Hank Marvin were basically ignored in the U.S., where the Ventures, Dick Dale & His Del-Tones, the Surfaris, and other instrumental “surf guitar” bands held sway. Marvin’s signature sound - clean, undistorted, with judicious use of tremolo - is flexible enough to encompass the variety of styles he’s tackled throughout his career. This set includes film and TV themes (notably 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly' and a wonderful James Bond medley), standards, decades worth of pop hits (Buddy Holly, the Kinks, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, Bryan Adams), his own compositions ('Russian Doll#, 'The Hawk and the Dove'), and early hits with Cliff ('When the Girl in Your Arms is the Girl in Your Heart', 'Devil Woman' and 'Move It'). Since he proved himself and his legendary ability back in his twenties, he seems to have spent his post-Shadows years recording whatever he likes and having a great time. The cover songs and themes were all chosen simply because he appreciates the tunes and experiences obvious joy in playing them. Many of his understated arrangements hardly showcase his staggering talent at all and in some cases obscure it. There are no avant-garde journeys and no Satriani-like fireworks that came to be associated with masters of the instrument; rather, there are a few surprising choices that sound perfectly fine in his hands: Sting, the Eagles, the Allman Brothers, the Doors, and Queen. This well curated box set will provide long-time fans a chance to gather highlights of Marvin’s considerable body of solo work in one place.
Track Listing:-
1 The Good the Bad and the Ugly2 Sealed with a Kiss
3 Peggy Sue
4 Ebb Tide
5 Love Is All Around
6 Guitar Man
7 Sacha
8 True Love Ways
9 Captain Zlogg
10 Life Line
11 Moon River
12 Ticket to Ride
13 The Hawk and the Dove
14 Invisible Man
15 Jessica
16 This Guy's in Love with You
17 While My Guitar Gently Weeps
18 Go Jimmy
19 Fields of Gold
20 Summertime
21 Move It
22 Wonderful Land
23 Slow Down
24 (Everything I Do) I Do It for You
25 Flamingo
26 Don't Answer
27 We Are the Champions
28 Midnight at the Oasis
29 Peter Gunn / Baby Elephant Walk
30 Live and Let Die
31 Rainy Day Goodbye
32 California Girls
33 Devil Woman
34 Leila (Danny's Got a Song for You)
35 Bird of Beauty
36 Summer Holiday
37 Light My Fire
38 I Only Have Eyes for You
39 James Bond Medley
40 Pipeline
41 Wired for Sound
42 Don't Talk
43 Killing Me Softly
44 Syndicated
45 Hotel California
46 Into the Light
47 Nivram
48 All Alone with Friends
49 La Bamba
50 Theme from 'Poirot'
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