This article's lead section may be too short to adequately summarize the key points.(September 2021) |
"Man of Mystery" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by The Shadows | ||||
B-side | "The Stranger" | |||
Released | 4 November 1960 | |||
Recorded | 7 October 1960 [1] | |||
Studio | EMI Studios, London | |||
Genre | Instrumental rock | |||
Length | 1:58 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Composer(s) | Michael Carr | |||
Producer(s) | Norrie Paramor | |||
The Shadows singles chronology | ||||
|
"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. [2]
"Man of Mystery" was written by Michael Carr for the theme tune for the film series Edgar Wallace Mysteries , based on the books by Edgar Wallace. For the first three series, "Man of Mystery" was a "slow and haunting arrangement featuring flute, accordion and string section". However, from the fourth series, an up-tempo beat version featuring an electric guitar and percussion was used. [3]
The Shadows recorded their version of "Man of Mystery" in October 1960 and it was released as a double A-sided single with "The Stranger" in November. [4] "Man of Mystery" was released in the US and Canada by Atlantic Records in February 1962, with the flip side "Kon Tiki", which had been released as a single in the UK in September 1961. [5]
Reviewing for Disc , Don Nicholl wrote of "Man of Mystery" that the "melody is forceful without being complicated. The instrumentalists play it with inbuilt excitement that ought to have jukes rattling everywhere". He also described "The Stranger" as "another fairly solid instrumental with a theme that's rather reminiscent of some western tunes which have gone before". [6]
7": Columbia / DB 4530
7": Atlantic / 2135 (US and Canada, 1962)
"Man of Mystery"
Chart (1960–61) | Peak position |
---|---|
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [7] | 14 |
UK Singles (OCC) [2] | 5 |
"The Stranger"
Chart (1961) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australia (Kent Music Report) [8] | 88 |
Stephen Anthony James Duffy is an English musician, singer, and songwriter. He was a founding member, vocalist, bassist, and then drummer of Duran Duran. He went on to record as a solo performer under several different names, and is the singer and songwriter for The Lilac Time with his elder brother Nick. He has also co-written with Robbie Williams and Steven Page.
"Classical Gas" is an instrumental musical piece composed and originally performed by American guitarist Mason Williams with instrumental backing by members of the Wrecking Crew. Originally released in 1968 on the album The Mason Williams Phonograph Record, it has been rerecorded and rereleased numerous times since by Williams. One later version served as the title track of a 1987 album by Williams and the band Mannheim Steamroller.
Herbert Maurice William Weedon, OBE was an English guitarist whose style of playing was popular and influential during the 1950s and 1960s. He was the first British guitarist to have a hit record in the UK singles chart, in 1959, and his best-selling tutorial, Play in a Day, was a major influence on many leading British musicians, such as Eric Clapton, Brian May and Paul McCartney. He was awarded an OBE in 2001 for his "services to music".
Tommy Seebach, born Tommy Seebach Mortensen in Copenhagen, Denmark, was a popular Danish singer, composer, organist, pianist and producer. He is best known as front man of Sir Henry and his Butlers and for numerous contributions to the Danish qualifier for the Eurovision Song Contest, the Dansk Melodi Grand Prix, which he won three times. He was the father of songwriter/producer Nicolai Seebach and singer/songwriter/producer Rasmus Seebach.
Alexander Emil Caiola was an American guitarist, composer and arranger, who spanned a variety of music genres including jazz, country, rock, and pop. He recorded over fifty albums and worked with some of the biggest names in music during the 20th century, including Elvis Presley, Ray Conniff, Ferrante & Teicher, Frank Sinatra, Percy Faith, Buddy Holly, Mitch Miller, and Tony Bennett.
"Just" is a song by the English rock band Radiohead, included on their second album, The Bends (1995). It features an angular guitar riff played by Jonny Greenwood, inspired by the band Magazine. It was released as a single on 21 August 1995 and reached number 19 on the UK singles chart.
"By the Light of the Silvery Moon" or "By the Light of the Silv'ry Moon" is a popular love song. The music was written by Gus Edwards, and the lyrics by Edward Madden. The song was published in 1909 and first performed on stage by Lillian Lorraine in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1909. It was one of a series of moon-related Tin Pan Alley songs of the era. The song was also used in the short-lived Broadway show Miss Innocence when it was sung by Frances Farr.
"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.
"Morgen" is a popular song (1959), originally performed in German by Croatian singer Ivo Robić and The Song-Masters, accompanied by Bert Kaempfert and his orchestra.
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.
"Apache" is a song written by Jerry Lordan and first recorded by Bert Weedon. Lordan played the song on ukulele to 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. 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.
"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.
"Wild Weekend" is an instrumental written by Phil Todaro and Tom Shannon and performed by The Rebels, later known as The Rockin' Rebels.
"Supernatural Thing" is a song recorded by American soul and R&B singer Ben E. King. The single, released in 1975 by Atlantic Records, was a No. 1 hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart for one week. It also reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Supernatural Thing" was written by Haras Fyre and Gwen Guthrie and was produced by Tony Silvester and Bert DeCoteaux. The song was included on King's 1975 album Supernatural.
Lyn Cornell, sometimes billed as Lynn Cornell is an English pop and jazz singer. She is best known for her membership of The Vernons Girls, The Carefrees and The Pearls, having had at least one chart hit with each group, and as a solo artist with a Top 30 UK hit to her name.
"Early in the Morning" is a song by British band Vanity Fare, released as a single in June 1969. It became an international hit, peaking at number 8 on the UK Singles Chart and number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was awarded a gold disc for sales over one million.
"Breezin'" is an instrumental song composed by American singer and musician Bobby Womack. It was first recorded in December 1970 by the influential Hungarian jazz guitarist Gábor Szabó, in partnership with Womack himself. This version was included on Szabó's album High Contrast and was released as a single in April 1971 in the United States and in 1972 in the Netherlands, reaching No. 43 on the R&B chart. "Breezin'" was produced by Tommy LiPuma. Bobby Womack wrote some lyrics for the song that weren't used in Szabo's instrumental version but Womack does perform the song with lyrics on his DVD Raw, released in 2010.
"Maria Ninguém" is a song written by Carlos Lyra and first released by Brazilian bossa nova singer João Gilberto on his album Chega de Saudade in April 1959. It has been covered by numerous artists, most notably by Cliff Richard, who sang a Spanish-language version titled "Maria No Mas".
"The Frightened City" is a song by British group the Shadows, released as a single in April 1961. It peaked at number 3 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Lost Without You" is a song written by American songwriters Teddy Randazzo and Billy Barberis and first released by Randazzo as a single in September 1964. It was not as successful as some of his previous releases, only peaking at number 130 on the Billboard Bubbling Under the Hot 100. The song had more success in the UK after it was covered by English singer Billy Fury, who released his version titled "I'm Lost Without You".