Jet and Tony--a Definitive Collection.
peterfromkanata | Kanata, Ontario Canada | 09/23/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Within a few months ( 1961-62 ), Tony Meehan (drums ) and Jet Harris ( bass ) quit the original line-up of Britain's greatest instrumental group, the Shadows. When they teamed up afterwards, the results were three enormous instrumental hits on the British charts--"Diamonds", "Scarlett O'Hara" and "Applejack". Their collaboration was to be short-lived, however. An automobile accident damaged both Jet's health and his career for many years, and Tony turned to record production.
This CD includes their three biggest hits, with flip-sides, and a number of other tracks recorded by Jet as a solo artist, plus two by Tony.
If you like instrumental guitar--or, in this case, six-string, electric bass--music from the early 60s, this CD is a "must".
The only reason that I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 stars is that it includes 5 vocals--to put it politely, Jet was not a great singer, and I don't believe he ever claimed to be. At the same time, a couple of these tracks are still fun, notably "Chills and Fevers" and "Lonesome Part of Town".
The few weaker tracks are by far outnumbered by the gems. "Diamonds" has lost none of its magic--the Ventures' version pales in comparison. Jet had this amazingly deep, low sound on his bass--even the great Duane Eddy sounds "high" in comparison--if you don't believe me, listen to " Besame Mucho", "Man From Nowhere" or "The Man With the Golden Arm".
As I say in my title, this is probably as definitive a collection of Jet and Tony's material as you will find. I'm aware of a couple of other Jet Harris vocals from this period that are not included, namely " Real Wild Child" and " Clap Your Hands Once Again", but on the whole this disc covers their best material.
Bottom line--reasonable price--good sound--highly recommended.
A very sad footnote dated 8 December 2005. Tony Meehan died on 28 November, 2005, following an accident in his home. As a founding member of the Shadows, Tony was easily one of the most influential musicians during the early years of British rock n' roll. Tony was 62."
Ex-Shadows duo famous for Diamonds
Peter Durward Harris | Leicester England | 04/13/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Prior to their teaming up as a duo, Jet had two solo hits, Besame mucho just missed the UK top twenty. Man with the golden arm did better, just missing the UK top ten. At that point, Jet teamed up with Tony. Jet (the guitarist) and Tony (the drummer) had three huge instrumental UK hits together in 1963 - Diamonds (number one), Scarlett O' Hara (number two to the Beatles) and Applejack (number four) - although Diamonds is the only one that most people remember (assuming they remember Jet and Tony at all).
Jet was seriously injured in a road accident soon after Applejack was released. He never really recovered psychologically although his physical health was restored. Tony Meehan fulfilled contractual obligations. He eventually had his own minor hit (as leader of the Tony Meehan Combo) with Song of Mexico.
Some of the tracks include some singing but, as in the case of their former group, their skills as musicians exceeded their vocal skills. For that reason, the instrumental tracks are the best ones here.
This compilation presents the best of Jet and Tony, separately and together, after they left the Shadows. Nobody knows what they might have achieved without Jet's accident, but even the Shadows found big hits harder to come by after 1963.
If you enjoy sixties instrumental music (whether by the Shadows, the Ventures or anybody else) you might enjoy this collection. It's worth five stars anyway but would be even better without the vocals - or with a guest singer to do those."
Track Listings (18) - Disc #1