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Posted By: Jim Liddane on: 06/16/2010 09:21:33 EDT
Subject: RE: Am I Correct - Cliff Richard

Message Detail:
John wrote...

Well, got to say, Jim, the more I hear/read of Tom Dowd, the more I'm impressed!

Jim replied...

No argument - but I did say "Nashville producer"!

As regards Cliff - he is a very nice person by all accounts, and leads a totally blameless life. Having said that, I have never met him but everybody I know who has, even those who might not like his music much, are most impressed with him as a person.

He has a nice voice, and a good stage presence, but to me, he lacks "edge" - it is just more bland music to while away the hours.

Even back in the 60's. his "rock" hits sounded pasteurised, but that could have been due to his producer, Norrie Paramor, who seems to have been able to transform everything he touched into elevator music.

Paramor had no empathy with rock and roll, and seemed determined to merge it into MOR as efficiently as he could.

I saw Cliff & The Shadows live in 1960, before they went lounge act, and they had a tightness and an edge about them - Cliff even looked dangerous!

(Of course he wasn't remotely dangerous - Dion WAS dangerous - while Cliff was just acting. but it looked good).

But once Paramor had worked his magic, Cliff sounded more anaemic than Wayne Newton.

Paramor then did the same with the Shadows, who became a sort of poor-man's Ventures, but when I heard them live -they were rockers.

Having said rhat - Cliff had Top Ten hits in every deacade since the 1960's (of course - so had Elvis), and his management were superb to keep him in the public limelight for 50 years.

And guess what - I have no doubt whatsoever he will have hits in this decade also, extending his chart career to sixty years!

And given the lack of material to market - I doubt if Elvis will manage that.

Of course, this is just my prejudice talking - I cannot abide singers who decide that it is time to play safe and become a Vegas act, but who have the talent to do otherwise.

I have lost too many heroes along the way to schmaltz - such as Elvis, Diana Ross, Dionne Warwick, Neil Sedaka, Neil Diamond etc.

Thank God for Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, Frankie Valli, Ricky Nelson, Fats Domino, even Bobby Vee - who never forgot their roots, and were still able to remain successful when their chart careers began to fade.

And so endeth today's rant.

(As you have guessed, our heatwave has returned, so I am getting a bit edgy myself. I mean if this weather keeps going the way it seems - it could hit 75 next week, and where will we all be then?).

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