The Shadows: The Final Tour

The Shadows, England's biggest pop group before the Beatles, had already broken up and reunited twice before this 2004 “final tour” gig (the band has since re-formed for tours in 2009 and 2010). Although little known in the United States, “the Shads” are beloved back home—witness the several thousand in Cardiff, Wales, who turned out to dig the three seniors (guitarists Hank Marvin and Bruce Welch, and drummer Brian Bennett) and their band taking a 40-song nostalgia trip. Like America's Ventures, the Shadows play mostly instrumental music, totally straight. Marvin, who's legendary among Brit guitarists, is a good but conservative player, picking out the melodies on songs like “Apache” on his Fender with no embellishment and precious little soloing. The grooves range from rockin' to hokey, and there are even a couple of surprises, like a version of Mark Knopfler's Local Hero theme song, and several vocal tunes, with Marvin, Welch, and bassist Mark Griffiths in fine voice. Of course, safe bets like “Gee Whiz It's You” and “Bachelor Boy” are part of the mix. The Shadows may not have evolved more than an iota in half a century, but this is still an entertaining, great-looking show (nothing old-fashioned about the superb technical quality throughout). Presented in DTS-HD 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1, and LPCM stereo, Blu-ray extras include a contemporary interview with Marvin and Welch. Recommended. Aud: P. (S. Graham)