Cliff and the Shadows were the first pop act I ever attended, about 1963 in Blackpool. By standards then he was breaking new ground in pop music (which was pretty new anyway) and over the years tried to develop other styles to keep up with the times, mostly successfully. In my mid teens I learned to play the guitar and soon learnt that many of those early 60s musicians were actually pretty noddy technically, using only a handful of basic chords. I was in fact a singer in a folk group for several years in the 60s and 70s, which also began with three chords until Simon and Garfunkel came onto the scene.
Later on, lots of musicians and groups relied on machines and technology to produce more interesting, varied and technically advanced sounds, but weren't necessarily good musicians.
Further advancements in "pop" music came with more meaningful lyrics (some of which I never understood - and not sure the musicians did either. Cliff was initially a part of the "baby stage" of pop music, so naturally many of the later pop stars beat him in many ways.
I saw him around 15 years ago in Sheffield and hated his new style of music and his garb of a tight leather "jumpsuit", it was just not what I expected from Cliff.
The false accusations of paedophilia floored him for good, especially as the accusations appeared in the media while he was abroad and had known nothing about it. I believe the shock made him quite ill and even now I don't think he ever recovered. What a way to treat a man who gave his life to music and brought enjoyment to millions around the world.
And why do others seem to think it is okay to add their own nasty (but unsubstantiated) comments that he simply does not deserve?
I still play his "older" music as its part of my early life, just as I do Elvis music and a myriad of other acts from back then. The Hollies were my love of all time. Anyone like to dish the dirt on Alan Clarke?
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