![]() The first night of recording, and side one of the album opened with Apron Springs, a song originally recorded and released by the mysterious “Billy the Kid” on Kapp Records in the US. The band’s first instrumental single was released just a week before the Cliff album sessions. After the success of Move It, Columbia reversed their position and signed The Drifters to a separate contract. Columbia Records originally signed Richard to the label as a solo artist with no provision for recording the band separately. Rounding out the setlists for the two nights were a handful of instrumentals by The Drifters. Live covers by homegrown artists were as close as British youth could come to seeing their American heroes in the flesh. Only a few American rock’n’roll artists were able to tour in the UK because of strict regulations on live performances by non-British artists. ![]() British rock’n’rollers’ reliance on covers in live shows was not unusual at the time. Move It, Richard’s first single and his biggest hit to date, was an obvious choice for inclusion, while his other original songs were rejected in favour of covers of popular American rock’n’roll tunes regularly featured at his live performances. Furthermore, Paramor knew the chemistry between the singer and the band was a vital element in capturing the excitement he wanted on the album.Įighteen songs were initially chosen for the two nights of performances with nine songs to be recorded each night. In just a few months, the group would change its name to The Shadows (due to a lawsuit from the US vocal group, The Drifters) and would gain a reputation as one of Britain’s greatest rock’n’roll bands with a string of instrumental hits. The current line-up - Hank Marvin on lead guitar, Bruce Welch on rhythm guitar, Jet Harris on bass and Tony Meehan on drums - was a powerful group of young musicians whose talent made up for their lack of experience. All of the group’s original members had been replaced for various reasons over the previous seven months. ![]() By the time of the album sessions, the line-up of The Drifters had changed. That had been the case for Richard’s first session with Columbia in July 1958 where half of The Drifters were replaced by session players. While the group backed Richard on all of his live appearances, Paramor generally preferred to work with more experienced musicians for recording sessions. ‘The album would cap a whirlwind seven months ofĪlso on hand were Richard’s band, The Drifters. Several hundred teenagers secured tickets for the two nights of recording. Requiring an enthusiastic audience, Columbia sent invitations to London-area members of Richard’s fan club. For the album sessions, a stage was constructed against one wall of the studio, directly below the large glass window of the second story control room overlooking the recording area. With over 198 square metres of floor space and a ceiling two storeys high, Studio 2 was one of the largest recording studios in the world, more than adequate to host a sizable concert. Remote concert recording was an iffy proposition at best, and therefore staging a concert in Abbey Road’s largest recording room, Studio 2, seemed the best option. With Richard’s initial rise to fame rooted in live performances, Columbia Records producer Norrie Paramor insisted on live recordings for the singer’s first album. The album would cap a whirlwind seven months of his rise through a string of hits and electrifying TV appearances. With three hit singles and sold-out concert halls across Britain, Richard was one of the most successful homegrown rock’n’roll stars to date. ![]() O n the evening of 9 February 1959 Cliff Richard arrived at EMI Recording Studios on Abbey Road in London to record his first album. Released in April 1959, Cliff Richard’s debut long-player was an electrifying introduction to one of the UK’s first ever rock’n’roll stars and proved that we could rock just as hard as those across the pond… ![]()
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