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Author Topic: K Wallis B and the Dark Shades  (Read 1463 times)

Offlinethe visitor

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K Wallis B and the Dark Shades
« on: February 01, 2025, 01:33:20 AM »
Found a link to this tune from 1987 feat. a lot of the BIA tour line up, minus Jack, Guy and Mark but including John, Terry, Chris White, Alan and additionally Phil Palmer plus a supporting others.

Not sure what the background to this tune is but recall it gets a mention in the Myles Palamer book.  Always was interested in the in between time from end of BIA tour to OES and what might have been.

Listen here

https://m.soundcloud.com/user-407385081-377594150/ml10-from-dj-mix-1987


« Last Edit: February 01, 2025, 01:37:29 AM by the visitor »

OfflineJules

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Re: K Wallis B and the Dark Shades
« Reply #1 on: February 03, 2025, 12:30:09 PM »



So Long

Offlinedustyvalentino

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Re: K Wallis B and the Dark Shades
« Reply #2 on: February 03, 2025, 03:07:27 PM »
An odd release.
"You can't polish a doo-doo" - Mark Knopfler

Offlinedmg

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Re: K Wallis B and the Dark Shades
« Reply #3 on: February 03, 2025, 04:39:19 PM »
The Man with the Golden Arm is an old 1950s B&W film noir.
"...and I blew up the radio in pretty short order."

OfflineBilly’s Tune

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Re: K Wallis B and the Dark Shades
« Reply #4 on: February 03, 2025, 11:19:37 PM »
I wonder what the purpose was or why John chose K Wallis B?  It’s also mentioned in the blurb in the OES tour programme.

Offlinehunter v2.0

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Re: K Wallis B and the Dark Shades
« Reply #5 on: February 04, 2025, 04:33:41 PM »
A vanity project if there ever was one.

Offlinethe visitor

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Re: K Wallis B and the Dark Shades
« Reply #6 on: February 04, 2025, 07:13:56 PM »
Wonder if Ed was involved  :wave

Offlinedustyvalentino

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Re: K Wallis B and the Dark Shades
« Reply #7 on: February 05, 2025, 03:48:07 PM »
Wonder if Ed was involved  :wave

The following post is from the man himself!
"You can't polish a doo-doo" - Mark Knopfler

Offlinedustyvalentino

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Re: K Wallis B and the Dark Shades
« Reply #8 on: February 05, 2025, 03:48:21 PM »
Here’s the brief background.
In 1962 original bass player Jet Harris left the Shadows to go solo , following original drummer Tony Meehan who by that time was a producer at Decca ( who signed Jet).
They decided to team up again musically and Jerry Lordan who had written Apache, Wonderful Land and Atlantis for the Shads gave them Diamonds to record which became their third UK hit and their first number one.
Jimmy Page played rhythm and John Paul Jones played bass.
When John Illsley was recording Glass ( I may have the chronology slightly wrong)  we had a brief conversation about doing an instrumental bass “associated “ track and I think I suggested a cover of Diamonds which John knew ( any guitarist or bass player who had grown up in the Sixties would have done. ).
Jet had also had a prior hit with Man With the Golden Arm ( heroin ref / Frank Sinatra starred)  so that got done as well.
K Wallis B was the name of a beat group I’d briefly played in mid sixties in Yorkshire so I suggested that as a name.
So yes it was a vanity project and yes it was my fault and it sold less than Glass !
That dance mix is atrocious - no idea who did that.
Really it was just a bit of self indulgent fun - nothing more.
I don’t think anybody got paid anything.
It’s worth listening to the originals on You Tube since all the bands Mark and I played in around Leeds would have covered both ( and virtually all the Shadows repertoire. ).
It’s odd how instrumentals went from being incredibly popular to unheard now.
Hope that is of help.

"You can't polish a doo-doo" - Mark Knopfler

Offlinedustyvalentino

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Re: K Wallis B and the Dark Shades
« Reply #9 on: February 05, 2025, 04:01:27 PM »
Dusty back again with some UK chart trivia:

The first number one single of 1963 was Bachelor Boy by Cliff Richard and The Shadows

The second number one single of 1963 was Dance On" by The Shadows

The third number one single of 1963 was Diamonds by Jet Harris and Tony Meehan

So Cliff and The Shad's were kind of dominating the UK charts at that point... but there were rumblings from the North West :)
"You can't polish a doo-doo" - Mark Knopfler

Offlinethe visitor

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Re: K Wallis B and the Dark Shades
« Reply #10 on: February 05, 2025, 09:01:14 PM »
Here’s the brief background.
In 1962 original bass player Jet Harris left the Shadows to go solo , following original drummer Tony Meehan who by that time was a producer at Decca ( who signed Jet).
They decided to team up again musically and Jerry Lordan who had written Apache, Wonderful Land and Atlantis for the Shads gave them Diamonds to record which became their third UK hit and their first number one.
Jimmy Page played rhythm and John Paul Jones played bass.
When John Illsley was recording Glass ( I may have the chronology slightly wrong)  we had a brief conversation about doing an instrumental bass “associated “ track and I think I suggested a cover of Diamonds which John knew ( any guitarist or bass player who had grown up in the Sixties would have done. ).
Jet had also had a prior hit with Man With the Golden Arm ( heroin ref / Frank Sinatra starred)  so that got done as well.
K Wallis B was the name of a beat group I’d briefly played in mid sixties in Yorkshire so I suggested that as a name.
So yes it was a vanity project and yes it was my fault and it sold less than Glass !
That dance mix is atrocious - no idea who did that.
Really it was just a bit of self indulgent fun - nothing more.
I don’t think anybody got paid anything.
It’s worth listening to the originals on You Tube since all the bands Mark and I played in around Leeds would have covered both ( and virtually all the Shadows repertoire. ).
It’s odd how instrumentals went from being incredibly popular to unheard now.
Hope that is of help.

Fantastic Ed, thanks for the info, always wondered what this one was about. I don't own a copy so haven't heard anything other than the Dance version. Look forward to hearing the original when I find it.

OfflineLove Expresso

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Re: K Wallis B and the Dark Shades
« Reply #11 on: February 05, 2025, 10:02:15 PM »
Ed implying that "Glass" sold not too well, makes me even more proud to own a vinyl copy of it which I bought in our little (Northern German small town) record store in the year of release.

LE
I don't want no sugar in it, thank you very much!

Offlinedustyvalentino

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Re: K Wallis B and the Dark Shades
« Reply #12 on: February 06, 2025, 12:38:01 AM »
Ed implying that "Glass" sold not too well, makes me even more proud to own a vinyl copy of it which I bought in our little (Northern German small town) record store in the year of release.

LE

You are proud that you own a terrible record that was only released so the record company could indulge the bass player in their biggest cash cow at the time? ;)
"You can't polish a doo-doo" - Mark Knopfler

OfflineLove Expresso

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Re: K Wallis B and the Dark Shades
« Reply #13 on: February 06, 2025, 08:03:28 AM »
Ed implying that "Glass" sold not too well, makes me even more proud to own a vinyl copy of it which I bought in our little (Northern German small town) record store in the year of release.

LE

You are proud that you own a terrible record that was only released so the record company could indulge the bass player in their biggest cash cow at the time? ;)

Dusty Valentino has spoken.

I forgot that records are never made to make money, sorry.

LE
I don't want no sugar in it, thank you very much!

OfflineJules

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Re: K Wallis B and the Dark Shades
« Reply #14 on: February 06, 2025, 09:15:26 AM »
Very interesting story Ed, I always wondered why JI would had done that strange ep and under that name... mistery solved!

Regarding Glass, I think "Never told a sould" was good, but Glass is less good in many terms, but quite decent for the bassman of a massive band :)
So Long

 

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