Talk about surviving. Perennial teenager Cliff Richard has continued to sing
his quirky pop tunes since he was 17. He’s the only UK singer to chart
over five decades. His backing band the Shadows turned surf-style instrumentals
into mega hits, with 35 singles landing on the UK charts (plus 35 more with
Richard), making them Britain’s most successful instrumental and vocal group
of all time! John Lennon once claimed: “Before Cliff and the Shadows, there
had been nothing worth listening to in British music.” When you listen
to the wealth of songs on The Final Reunion: Live From The 02 Arena
In London, you can see why the Beatle felt this way.
Led by Richard’s voice and Hank Marvin’s signature vibrato sound on the guitar,
the band rifled through 42 songs for a sold-out crowd at London’s 02 Arena
in the autumn of 2009. Opening with the bouncy “We Say Yeah” into
“Gee Whizz It’s You,” the quasi-surfer, old time 50s vibe is prevalent
throughout. Richard is in decent voice, although at times he sounds a little
winded. Still, the man delivers, especially on slow ones like “A Voice
In The Wilderness” and “I Am The Lonely One.” What’s truly apparent,
however, is the mastery of the Shadows.
The band show off their instrumental credentials, running through “Shadoogie,”
“Dance On,” a subtle “Sleepwalk,” and their big hit, “Apache.”
Richard comes out with a jacket change and sings “C’mon Everybody.”
Then there is a 30-minute break (no more then 20 seconds on this expertly shot
DVD) and the guys come out for another batch of songs. “Lucky Lips”
sounds especially good with the three-part harmonies. The entire 137 minute-performance
ends with “The Young Ones.” There’s some extras, mostly rehearsal
footage, but the strength of The Final Reunion: Live From The 02 Arena
In London is in the performance — revisiting classic songs for
the very last time.
~ Ralph Greco, Jr.
