This double-disc, 50-track collection of
the Shadows
can only be recommended to avid collectors. After breaking off with singer
Cliff Richard
(they were his backing band),
chalked up numerous instrumental hits in the early '60s, including
"Apache,"
"Man of Mystery,"
and
"Kon-Tiki."
They became the British equivalent of
the Ventures
. While the first disc is more than satisfying, the second disc takes a quick nosedive and consists mainly of filler along the lines of
"Don't Cry for Me Argentina,"
"Theme from The Deer Hunter,"
"Nights in White Satin,"
"Rodrigo's Guitar Concerto de Aranjuez."
With the exception of
Shadows
fanatics,
50 Golden Greats
would have been a much better value cut in half. By the way, the artwork for this set is absolutely hideous, especially coming from a huge corporation like
EMI
. ~ Al Campbell