"Apache" | ||||
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Single by Bert Weedon | ||||
B-side | "Lonely Guitar" | |||
Released | July 1960 | |||
Recorded | Early 1960 | |||
Genre | Instrumental rock | |||
Length | 2:37 | |||
Label | Top Rank JAR-415 | |||
Composer(s) | Jerry Lordan | |||
Bert Weedon singles chronology | ||||
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"Apache" is a song written by Jerry Lordan and first recorded by Bert Weedon. Lordan played the song on ukulele for the Shadows while on tour and, liking the song, the group released their own version which topped the UK Singles Chart for five weeks in mid-1960. [1] The Shadows' guitarist Hank Marvin developed the song's distinctive echo and vibrato sound. After hearing the Shadows' version, Danish guitarist Jørgen Ingmann released a cover of the song in November 1960 which peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US. [2]
A 1973 version by the Incredible Bongo Band has been called "hip-hop's national anthem". [3] Although this version was not a hit on release, its long percussion break has been sampled countless times on hip hop and dance tracks since the 1980s. In March 2005, Q magazine placed "Apache" by the Shadows at number 96 on its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks.
English songwriter and composer Jerry Lordan came up with the tune in the late 1950s. Lordan was inspired to write the song after watching the 1954 American western film Apache , saying that he "wanted something noble and dramatic, reflecting the courage and savagery of the Indian Apache warrior Massai, played by Burt Lancaster. [4]
It was originally recorded by British guitarist Bert Weedon in early 1960, but remained unreleased for several months due to promotion and release problems. [5] However, Lordan did not like Weedon's version of the song, as he thought it was too jaunty. [6] For this reason, whilst on tour with Cliff Richard and the Shadows, Lordan played the song on his ukulele to the Shadows, who liked the song and recorded it in June, quickly releasing it in July 1960. [4]
Around the same time as the Shadows' release of "Apache", Weedon's record label Top Rank finally released his version. Reviewing for Disc , Don Nicholl wrote that Weedon "gets the right mood and atmosphere as he works with drums on this Indian item. There's a flute in the background, too – to give the idea for the raiding party's whoops maybe. A dark noise". [7] The single peaked at number 24 on the UK Singles Chart. [8] After the success of the Shadows' version, Hank Marvin and Bruce Welch wrote "Mr. Guitar" for Weedon as a recompense for overshadowing his version of the song.
7": Top Rank / JAR-415
Chart (1960) | Peak position |
---|---|
UK Singles (OCC) [8] | 24 |
"Apache" | ||||
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Single by The Shadows | ||||
B-side | "Quatermasster's Stores" | |||
Released | 8 July 1960 | |||
Recorded | 17 June 1960 | |||
Studio | EMI Studios, London | |||
Genre | Instrumental rock | |||
Length | 2:56 | |||
Label | Columbia DB 4484 [9] | |||
Composer(s) | Jerry Lordan | |||
Producer(s) | Norrie Paramor [9] | |||
The Shadows singles chronology | ||||
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Alternative release | ||||
The recording was done at the EMI Abbey Road Studios in London. Singer-guitarist Joe Brown had bought an Italian-built tape echo unit that he did not like and gave it to The Shadows' guitarist Hank Marvin, who developed a distinctive sound using it and the whammy bar of his Fender Stratocaster. Bruce Welch borrowed an acoustic Gibson J-200 guitar from Cliff Richard, the heavy melodic bass was performed by Jet Harris, and drums by Tony Meehan. Richard himself played a Chinese drum at the beginning and end to provide an atmosphere of stereotypically Native American music. [4]
"Apache" was released with the B-side being an instrumental version of the traditional army song "The Quartermaster's Store". The band humorously renamed the song "Quatermasster’s Stores" in reference to the television serial Quatermass and it was arranged by Bill Shepherd.
Record producer and A&R man Norrie Paramor preferred "Quatermasster’s Stores" over "Apache" and wanted it to be released as the A-side. However, he changed his mind after his daughter preferred "Apache".
By 1963 Apache had sold over a million copies in the UK. [10]
It has been cited by a generation of guitarists as inspirational and is considered one of the most influential British rock 45s of the pre-Beatles era. In a 1963 NME article, The Shadows said, "What's the most distinctive sound of our group? We often wondered what it is ourselves. Really, it is the sound we had when we recorded 'Apache' – that kind of Hawaiian sounding lead guitar ... plus the beat". [11]
In March 2005, Q magazine placed "Apache" by the Shadows at number 96 on its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks. [12]
The Shadows' "Apache" entered the UK top 40 on 21 July 1960 at number 35, [13] climbing into the top 20 the following week. A fortnight later, the song rose twelve places to number 3 and, on 25 August, deposed "Please Don't Tease" – on which The Shadows backed Cliff Richard – to begin a five-week run at number 1.
On 29 September, "Apache" dropped to number 2, replaced by "Tell Laura I Love Her" by Ricky Valance. The Shadows version proved to be an enduring hit, enjoying a 19-week run in the top 40 which concluded on 24 November, reappearing for one more week on 8 December. During this run, the group's follow-up single "Man of Mystery"/"The Stranger" peaked at number 5, alongside the number 3 success of "Nine Times Out of Ten" (backing Cliff Richard).
According to the UK Official Charts Company, "Apache" was the 28th best-selling single of the 1960s. [14]
7": Columbia / DB 4484
Chart (1960) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australia (Kent Music Report) [15] | 4 |
Austria [16] | 22 |
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) [17] | 6 |
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia) [18] | 2 |
France (SNEP) [19] | 2 |
Germany (GfK) [20] | 6 |
Ireland (Evening Herald) [21] | 1 |
Italy ( Musica e dischi ) [22] | 14 |
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [23] | 11 |
New Zealand (Lever Hit Parade) [24] | 1 |
Spain (Promusicae) [25] | 8 |
UK Singles (OCC) [1] | 1 |
"Apache" | ||||
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Single by Jørgen Ingmann | ||||
from the album Apache | ||||
B-side | "Echo Boogie" | |||
Released | 1 November 1960 | |||
Recorded | October 1960 | |||
Studio | Metronome Studio, Copenhagen, Denmark | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:00 | |||
Label | ||||
Composer(s) | Jerry Lordan | |||
Producer(s) | Jørgen Ingmann | |||
Jørgen Ingmann singles chronology | ||||
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Danish guitarist Jørgen Ingmann recorded a cover of "Apache" in October 1960 after hearing the Shadows' version, which had recently been released in Denmark. Ingmann had been looking for a B-side to his self-penned song "Echo Boogie" and decided that "Apache" would work. [26] He played all instruments on both tracks, as well as mixing and producing them. [27]
Released in Denmark at the beginning of November by Metronome Records, it was quickly released in the US by ATCO along with a big advertising campaign, where the single was credited as 'Jorgen Ingmann and His Guitar'. [28]
The single entered the Billboard Hot 100 in the final week of January 1961 and peaked at number 2 ten weeks later at the beginning of April for two weeks behind "Blue Moon" by the Marcels. [2] In Canada, "Apache" topped the CHUM Chart for two weeks in March 1961. [29] Ingmann would go on to have a smaller hit in North America with "Anna", which peaked at number 54 in the US and number 34 in Canada June 1961. [30] [31]
Cliff Richard has said that "Ingmann put in a few tricky bits, but essentially it was a cover job. If the Shads had made the charts there [in the US] with 'Apache', things might have been very different for us". [32]
7": ATCO / 6184 (US and Canada)
Chart (1961) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canada (CHUM) [29] | 1 |
Chile [33] | 2 |
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista) [34] | 2 |
Germany (GfK) [35] | 6 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [2] | 2 |
US Hot R&B Singles ( Billboard ) [36] | 9 |
US Cash Box Top 100 [37] | 4 |
US Cash Box R&B Top 50 [38] | 9 |
"Apache" | |
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Song by Incredible Bongo Band | |
from the album Bongo Rock | |
Released | June 1973 |
Recorded | 1973 |
Studio | Can-Base Studios, Vancouver, Canada |
Genre | Funk |
Length | 4:54 |
Label | Pride (MGM) |
Composer(s) | Jerry Lordan |
Producer(s) |
A 1973 version by Michael Viner and a funk group called the Incredible Bongo Band added a bongo drum introduction and included more percussion. The drum break was played by Jim Gordon. Although this version was not a hit on its initial release, it became heavily sampled in early hip hop music, including by Afrika Bambaataa, who cited its influence. It has been sampled by hip hop performers such as The Sugarhill Gang, L.L. Cool J, The Roots and Nas, techno performers The Future Sound of London and Moby, and drum and bass acts J Majik and Goldie. [3]
The 2013 documentary Sample This, directed by Dan Forrer and narrated by Gene Simmons, recounts the story of The Incredible Bongo Band and its recording of "Apache". [39] [40]
"Apache" | ||||
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Single by The Sugarhill Gang | ||||
from the album 8th Wonder | ||||
B-side | "Rapper's Delight" | |||
Released | November 1981 | |||
Recorded | 1981 | |||
Studio | Sweet Mountain Studios, Englewood, New Jersey | |||
Genre | ||||
Length |
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Label | Sugar Hill | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Sylvia Robinson | |||
The Sugarhill Gang singles chronology | ||||
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In 1981, the rap group known as the Sugarhill Gang covered the Incredible Bongo Band's version of the song on its second album, 8th Wonder . In 1982, this version peaked at No. 53 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 51 on the US Dance chart, and No. 13 on the US R&B chart. [41] In 1995, this version was featured in "Viva Lost Wages", a sixth-season episode of an American sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air , [42] and then in "Whoops, There It Is", a subsequent clip show from the series. [43] Using the distinctive beat and bongo drums as well as Native American war cries, the Sugarhill Gang added rap lyrics with references including the following: [44]
A reworked version of this song for children titled simply "Jump on It!" is featured as the title track on the Sugarhill Gang's album Jump On It! . This song differs from the original version with the signature "Jump on it" line being replaced by "Jump up", lyrics encouraging children to learn science, mathematics, and English, and a stronger funk influence.
The Minnesota Lynx of the WNBA adopted "Apache" as the unofficial team anthem in 2007. Following victories, the team would dance to the song at center court. [58] For the first home game of the team's first WNBA Finals appearance, the team brought in the Sugarhill Gang to perform the song at halftime. [59]
Instrumental rock is rock music that emphasizes instrumental performance and features very little or no singing. Examples of instrumental music in rock can be found in practically every subgenre of the style. Instrumental rock was most popular from the mid-1950s to mid-1960s, with artists such as Bill Doggett Combo, The Fireballs, The Shadows, The Ventures, Johnny and the Hurricanes and The Spotnicks. Surf music had many instrumental songs. Many instrumental hits had roots from the R&B genre. The Allman Brothers Band feature several instrumentals. Jeff Beck also recorded two instrumental albums in the 1970s. Progressive rock and art rock performers of the late 1960s and early 1970s did many virtuosic instrumental performances.
Grethe and Jørgen Ingmann were Danish singers and musicians. Together they won the Dansk Melodi Grand Prix in 1963, and went on to represent Denmark in the Eurovision Song Contest 1963 with the song "Dansevise" with music by Otto Francker and lyrics by Sejr Volmer-Sørensen. The song won the competition. No other Danish song would take first place in the Eurovision competition again until the year 2000 when the Olsen Brothers won with their song, "Fly on the Wings of Love", and again in 2013 when Emmelie de Forest won with the song "Only Teardrops"
Jørgen Ingmann was a Danish jazz and pop guitarist from Copenhagen. He was popular in Europe and had a wider international hit in 1961 with his version of "Apache". He and his wife Grethe Ingmann won the 1963 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Dansevise".
The Shadows were an English instrumental rock group, who dominated the British popular music charts in the pre-Beatles era from the late 1950s to the early 1960s. They served as the backing band for Cliff Richard from 1958 to 1968, and have joined him for several reunion tours.
The Incredible Bongo Band, also known as Michael Viner's Incredible Bongo Band, was a project started in 1972 by Michael Viner, a record artist manager and executive at MGM Records, producer, MGM Records executive and Curb Records founder Mike Curb and arranger Perry Botkin Jr. Viner was called on to supplement the soundtrack to the B-film The Thing With Two Heads. The band's output consisted of upbeat, funky, instrumental music. Many tracks were covers of popular songs of the day characterized by the prominence of bongo drums, conga drums, rock drums and brass.
"(Ghost) Riders in the Sky: A Cowboy Legend" is a cowboy-styled country/western song written in 1948 by American songwriter Stan Jones.
Jeremiah Patrick Lordan was an English songwriter, composer and singer. He had three hit singles on the UK Singles Chart before focusing purely on songwriting. Amongst his songwriting credits were the chart hits "I've Waited So Long", "Apache", "Wonderful Land", "Diamonds", and "A Girl Like You".
"Wonderful Land" is an instrumental piece written by Jerry Lordan and first recorded and released as a single by The Shadows in February 1962. It stayed at number one for eight weeks on the UK Singles Chart, a feat only Elvis Presley, the Shadows and the Archies managed in the whole of the 1960s.
"F.B.I." is an instrumental rock tune recorded by the British group the Shadows and released as a single in February 1961. It spent 19 weeks in the UK Singles Chart reaching number 6 in mid-February and mid-March 1961.
Michael Ames Viner was an American film producer and record producer, who later shifted into book publishing and became an innovator in the audiobook field. A widely sampled percussion break in the recording of the song "Apache" by the Incredible Bongo Band, a group he assembled in the early 1970s, has been frequently integrated into many hip hop recordings.
The Shadows to the Fore was an EP by The Shadows, released in May 1961. The EP was released as a 7-inch vinyl record in mono with the catalogue number Columbia SEG 8094. The Shadows to the Fore was the UK number-one EP for 28 weeks, having three separate stints at the top of the chart from June 1961 until May 1962.
The Shadows is an EP by The Shadows, released in January 1961. The EP is a 7-inch vinyl record and released in mono with the catalogue number Columbia SEG 8061 and in stereo with the catalogue number Columbia ESG 7834. The Shadows was the UK number-one EP for 20 weeks, having two separate stints at the top of the chart from January to June 1961. The cover photograph was taken by Angus McBean. The original picture showed Cliff together with the Shadows, however the layout for the EP was adapted and Cliff was replaced by yellow triangles.
West Street Mob was an American boogie and electro band, active between 1981 and 1984, best known for their 1983 song "Break Dance — Electric Boogie." The band comprised Joey Robinson, Jr., Warren Moore and singer Sabrina Gillison.
"Atlantis" is a rock music instrumental by British group the Shadows, released as a single in May 1963. It spent 17 weeks on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number two for two weeks.
"Pepe" is a 1960 song written by Hans Wittstatt and Dory Previn for the musical comedy film Pepe, featuring Mario Moreno ("Cantinflas") in the lead role. It was first recorded by Shirley Jones for the movie. Duane Eddy covered the song the same year. There have also been several other cover versions of this song.
"Bongo Rock" is a rock and roll instrumental recorded by Preston Epps, written by Epps and Arthur Egnoian. Released as a single in 1959, it charted #14 Pop in the United States, and #4 in Canada. It was included in Epps' 1960 album Bongo Bongo Bongo.
"A Voice in the Wilderness" is a song by Cliff Richard and the Shadows, released as a single in January 1960. It peaked at number 2 on the UK Singles Chart and also received a silver disc for 250,000 sales.
Thank You Very Much is an album of the March 1978 reunion concerts at the London Palladium by English singer Cliff Richard and the group that backed him in the 1950s and 1960s The Shadows. It was released in February 1979 on the EMI label and reached No. 5 in the UK Albums Chart.
Bongo Rock is the debut studio album by Incredible Bongo Band, released in 1973. It peaked at number 197 on the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart. It includes the band's version of the Jerry Lordan-written song "Apache".
"Man of Mystery" is an instrumental rock piece by the Shadows, released as a single in November 1960. It peaked at number 5 on the UK Singles Chart.
This disc was a chart topping disc for six weeks and a million seller by 1963 in Britain
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