#33 Cliff Richard & The Shadows/Various Artists: Summer Holiday

Cliff and the Shadows enjoy their time in the sun…

(Columbia)

Released: 18th January 1963

Topped the chart:

27th January 1963 (for 14 weeks)

Fourteen weeks total.

Make no mistake: Cliff Richard in early 1963 was nothing short of a cultural monster in the UK. Starring in the second highest grossing film of the year at the UK box office, soundtrack album atop the LP charts for 14 weeks, and all three singles also hitting number one, Cliff had also achieved a cross-generational appeal thanks to his move into light entertainment, and as a result he was bigger than any British pop star had been in his own country up until that point.

It helped that the aforementioned soundtrack album, Summer Holiday, was a minor step up from his previous work. Rather than an awkward crossover of rock n roll and musical theatre a la The Young Ones, Summer Holiday is weighted significantly more to the latter. Aside from Hank Marvin’s Buddy Holly-ish guitar on the title track, the songs here are pure British “Pop” movie musical fare, and it suits Richard to a tee.

It doesn’t hurt either that the songs here are much more laid back thanks to the film’s setting. Cliff’s louche vocals can come across as smug, but here he relaxes into the style and smoothness, with both the ABS Orchestra and The Shadows providing a hefty dose of energy when needed- from the swirling strings on Seven Days to a Holiday to the handclaps and shuffle beat of Dancing Shoes and Big News respectively. Cohesion in what has been missing from Cliff’s release up until the is point and Summer Holiday feels like a soundtrack planned from the off in its structure.

However, there are still strange decisions and an air of naffness that makes it hard to recommend completely. Instrumentals by The Shadows and the orchestra are broadly fine if a little flimsy, with three Shadows tracks in a row feels like overkill, even if Foot Tapper is a fun and deserved hit, A Swingin’ Affair, though thankfully not a cover of the Frank Sinatra song, does still aim for that level of smooth Ol’ Blue Eyes swing and it’s safe to say that neither Richard nor duettist Grazina Frame (dubbing for the film’s female lead Lauri Peters) have the chops to pull it off convincingly. And while there is nothing here as dreadful as the vaudeville routine from The Young Ones, Orlando’s Mime is just as irritating as it sounds, proving particularly hard going in the film itself.

Despite that, there are a clutch of genuinely excellent songs here. Summer Holiday itself needs little introduction and breezes in and out on a soft and fragrant summer wind. Batchelor Boy is the album’s other enduring hit and a rather pedestrian lyric is lifted by sweet harmonies and a rolling barroom piano into an uplifting chorus. Lyrics weigh down two of the best songs here as well, namely Dancing Shoes and closer Big News- the former particularly egregious with unimaginative reference to nursery rhymes, but both are sweet and catchy confections, with the latter acting as a positive note to leave proceedings.

So while Cliff and the Shadows were about to be proven horrifically out of date, we leave them now for some time in rude creative health. But of course, changes were on their way thanks to an earthquake heading our way from Liverpool…

Score: 6/10

Track Listing:

SIDE A

1.      Seven Days to a Holiday- Cliff Richard, A.B.S. Orchestra, The Michael Sammes Singers

2.      Summer Holiday- Cliff Richard and the Shadows, The Norrie Paramor Strings

3.      Let Us Take You For A Ride- Cliff Richard, A.B.S. Orchestra, The Michael Sammes Singers

4.      Les Girls- The Shadows

5.      Round and Round- The Shadows

6.      Foot Tapper- The Shadows

7.      Strangers In Town- Cliff Richard, A.B.S. Orchestra

8.      Orlando’s Mime- A.B.S. Orchestra

SIDE B

9.      Bachelor Boy- Cliff Richard and the Shadows, The Michael Sammes Singers

10.  A Swingin’ Affair- Cliff Richard, Grazina Frame, A.B.S. Orchestra

11.  Really Waltzing- Cliff Richard, A.B.S. Orchestra, The Michael Sammes Singers

12.  All at Once- Cliff Richard, A.B.S. Orchestra

13.  Dancing Shoes- Cliff Richard and the Shadows

14.  Yugoslav Wedding- A.B.S. Orchestra

15.  The Next Time- Cliff Richard and the Shadows, The Norrie Paramor Strings

16.  Big News- Cliff Richard and the Shadows