Biography
For listeners outside England or beyond the baby-boom cohort, grasping the place of Marvin, Welch & Farrar in pop history requires some context. The trio produced outstanding vocal pop steeped in the close-harmony style of Crosby, Stills & Nash and other early-seventies ensembles, yet their work is best understood against the backdrop of Hank Marvin and Bruce Welch’s long-standing roles in the Shadows, the instrumental quartet that had enjoyed renown since 1958. The incongruity is akin to members of the New York Philharmonic string section launching a choral ensemble and excelling at it.
The project grew directly from the fact that the Shadows had never confined themselves solely to instrumentals, even apart from their celebrated partnership with Cliff Richard. Marvin and Welch had occasionally sung on record; although those tracks never became commercial hits, critics and attentive listeners consistently praised them. After a decade of success that peaked in the first four years and gradually diminished amid the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and changing tastes, the Shadows—then comprising Marvin, Welch, bassist John Rostill and drummer Brian Bennett—placed the band on hiatus in 1968. Rostill and Bennett pursued separate careers, Welch stepped back from music, and Marvin issued solo material plus a joint album with Richard. By 1970, however, Welch was prepared to launch a fresh venture that deliberately avoided any resemblance to the Shadows’ established sound, settling on a harmony-vocal format. Rather than form a new group or revive the Shadows name, the pair chose to perform simply under their own names, yet felt a third voice was essential.
Welch’s Australian fiancée, Olivia Newton-John, recalled their positive reaction to guitarist John Farrar during an earlier Australian tour and put them in touch; the connection was eased because Newton-John had recently worked with singer Pat Carroll, who was married to Farrar. By the close of summer 1970 Farrar had arrived in London, and the three began recording with Clem Cattini on drums and Dave Richmond on bass. Their first single, “Faithful” backed with “Mr. Sun,” appeared in early 1971 and showcased striking vocal harmonies that earned favorable reviews and radio play, though it failed to chart. The self-titled debut album fared better, reaching number 30 on the British chart. The collection marked a complete departure from the instrumental style long associated with Marvin and Welch; they even reworked the earlier Marvin-penned Shadows number “Throw Down a Line” in a fresh vocal arrangement. Demonstrating the strength of the new material, Cliff Richard covered two of the album’s original songs, scoring a Top 30 hit with “Silvery Rain” the same year. The record’s intricate three-part harmonies prompted comparisons to an unplugged or low-wattage Hollies album.
The timing was complicated by the simultaneous release of a new Shadows album; both LPs climbed to the identical peak of number 30 within weeks of each other. An abbreviated American edition of the Marvin, Welch & Farrar set attracted little attention. Subsequent singles and the follow-up album Second Opinion appeared, yet by mid-1972 personal circumstances—chiefly the end of Welch and Newton-John’s engagement—had reduced the trio to the duo of Marvin and Farrar. A tour supporting Cliff Richard drew substantial audiences, but many concertgoers arrived expecting Shadows instrumentals and left disappointed by their absence. In 1973 the venture was absorbed back into a reactivated Shadows lineup that restored Brian Bennett on drums. Hank Marvin later recalled, in remarks quoted by David Wells in the liner notes to a Beat Goes On reissue, that several Marvin, Welch & Farrar vocal numbers integrated smoothly into the Shadows’ live sets. Farrar continued supplying vocals until his departure to collaborate with Olivia Newton-John and relocate to America. Welch subsequently built a successful production career, Marvin released occasional solo recordings, and the Shadows remained active well into the twenty-first century, amassing more than forty years as recording artists. In 2006 Beat Goes On reissued both Marvin, Welch & Farrar albums on CD.
The project grew directly from the fact that the Shadows had never confined themselves solely to instrumentals, even apart from their celebrated partnership with Cliff Richard. Marvin and Welch had occasionally sung on record; although those tracks never became commercial hits, critics and attentive listeners consistently praised them. After a decade of success that peaked in the first four years and gradually diminished amid the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and changing tastes, the Shadows—then comprising Marvin, Welch, bassist John Rostill and drummer Brian Bennett—placed the band on hiatus in 1968. Rostill and Bennett pursued separate careers, Welch stepped back from music, and Marvin issued solo material plus a joint album with Richard. By 1970, however, Welch was prepared to launch a fresh venture that deliberately avoided any resemblance to the Shadows’ established sound, settling on a harmony-vocal format. Rather than form a new group or revive the Shadows name, the pair chose to perform simply under their own names, yet felt a third voice was essential.
Welch’s Australian fiancée, Olivia Newton-John, recalled their positive reaction to guitarist John Farrar during an earlier Australian tour and put them in touch; the connection was eased because Newton-John had recently worked with singer Pat Carroll, who was married to Farrar. By the close of summer 1970 Farrar had arrived in London, and the three began recording with Clem Cattini on drums and Dave Richmond on bass. Their first single, “Faithful” backed with “Mr. Sun,” appeared in early 1971 and showcased striking vocal harmonies that earned favorable reviews and radio play, though it failed to chart. The self-titled debut album fared better, reaching number 30 on the British chart. The collection marked a complete departure from the instrumental style long associated with Marvin and Welch; they even reworked the earlier Marvin-penned Shadows number “Throw Down a Line” in a fresh vocal arrangement. Demonstrating the strength of the new material, Cliff Richard covered two of the album’s original songs, scoring a Top 30 hit with “Silvery Rain” the same year. The record’s intricate three-part harmonies prompted comparisons to an unplugged or low-wattage Hollies album.
The timing was complicated by the simultaneous release of a new Shadows album; both LPs climbed to the identical peak of number 30 within weeks of each other. An abbreviated American edition of the Marvin, Welch & Farrar set attracted little attention. Subsequent singles and the follow-up album Second Opinion appeared, yet by mid-1972 personal circumstances—chiefly the end of Welch and Newton-John’s engagement—had reduced the trio to the duo of Marvin and Farrar. A tour supporting Cliff Richard drew substantial audiences, but many concertgoers arrived expecting Shadows instrumentals and left disappointed by their absence. In 1973 the venture was absorbed back into a reactivated Shadows lineup that restored Brian Bennett on drums. Hank Marvin later recalled, in remarks quoted by David Wells in the liner notes to a Beat Goes On reissue, that several Marvin, Welch & Farrar vocal numbers integrated smoothly into the Shadows’ live sets. Farrar continued supplying vocals until his departure to collaborate with Olivia Newton-John and relocate to America. Welch subsequently built a successful production career, Marvin released occasional solo recordings, and the Shadows remained active well into the twenty-first century, amassing more than forty years as recording artists. In 2006 Beat Goes On reissued both Marvin, Welch & Farrar albums on CD.
Albums
