| "The War Lord" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by The Shadows | ||||
| B-side | "I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Arthur" | |||
| Released | 19 November 1965 | |||
| Recorded | 9 October 1965 [1] | |||
| Studio | EMI Studios, London | |||
| Genre | Instrumental rock | |||
| Length | 2:16 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Jerome Moross | |||
| The Shadows singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"The War Lord" is an instrumental by British group the Shadows, released as a single in November 1965. It peaked at number 18 on the UK Singles Chart. [2]
"The War Lord" was written by American Jerome Moross and is the theme tune to Franklin J. Schaffner's 1965 film The War Lord , starring Charlton Heston and Richard Boone. [3] It was recorded by the Shadows in October 1965, a month before the American premiere of the film, although their version was not included on Moross' soundtrack album. [4]
The Shadows' version was released as a single with the B-side "I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Arthur", written by their bassist John Rostill. [5] It spent nine weeks in the UK Top 40, peaking at number 18 for two weeks over the 1965–66 Christmas and New Year period. [2]
Reviewing for New Musical Express , Derek Johnson wrote that "rasping, reverberating, low-register Hank Marvin guitar permeates this item, with pounding drums and tambourine added to accentuate the heavy beat" and that "it's a simple melody, insidious in its nagging repetition. The performance is as polished as ever, and it's the most with-it sound the boys have waxed for some time". [6] In Record Mirror , it was described as "a persuasive sort of theme, hall-marked by Shadow professionalism. You'll soon be whistling along with this one. It's compact musicianly – but all with a beat". [7]
"The War Lord" later appeared as the first B-side track on the EP Those Talented Shadows, released in September 1966. [8]
7": Columbia / DB 7769
| Chart (1965–66) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report) [9] | 30 |
| Singapore [10] | 5 |
| UK Singles (OCC) [2] | 18 |
The Shadows were an English instrumental rock group, who dominated the British popular music charts in the late 1950s and early 1960s, in the pre-Beatles era. They served as the backing band for Cliff Richard from 1958 to 1968, and have joined him for several reunion tours.
Marvin, Welch & Farrar were a 1970s British and Australian popular music group formed by Hank Marvin and Bruce Welch, both members of The Shadows – as a change of direction manoeuvre during 1970 to 1973 – and John Farrar. The distinction was that while The Shadows were famous for their instrumental work, Marvin Welch & Farrar were a trio, vocal harmony group. They have been favourably compared to USA folk close harmony group Crosby Stills Nash and Young and The Hollies.
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"Don't Forget to Catch Me" is a song by Cliff Richard and the Shadows, released as a single in November 1968 from their album Established 1958. It peaked at number 21 on the UK Singles Chart.
"The Time in Between" is a song by Cliff Richard and the Shadows, released as a single in August 1965. It peaked at number 22 on the UK Singles Chart.
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