CLIFF RICHARD UK 78 A VOICE IN THE WILDERNESS

	£		60
	$		80

HERE'S A CHANCE TO PICK UP CLIFFS LAST AND ONE OF HIS RAREST UK RELEASES ON AN ORIGINAL UK COLUMBIA 78

1960  CLIFF RICHARD and the SHADOWS - A VOICE IN THE WILDERNESS

Harry Webb became lead singer of a rock and roll group, the Drifters (not to be confused with the U.S. group of the same name). Before their first large scale appearance, at the Regal Ballroom in Ripley, Derbyshire, in 1958, they adopted the name "Cliff Richard and the Drifters". The four members were Webb, Ian "Sammy" Samwell on guitar, Terry Smart on drums and Norman Mitham on guitar. None of the other three played with the later and better known Shadows, although Samwell wrote songs for Richard's later career.

For his debut session, Paramor provided Richard with "Schoolboy Crush", a cover of an American record by Bobby Helms. Richard was permitted to record one of his own songs for the B-side; this was "Move It", written by the Drifters' Samwell on a number 715 Green Line bus on the way to Richard's house for a rehearsal.

There are a number of stories about why the A-side was replaced by the intended B-side. One is that Norrie Paramor's young daughter raved about the B-side; another was that influential TV producer Jack Good, who used the act for his TV show Oh Boy!, wanted the only song on his show to be "Move It".

The single went to No. 2 on the UK charts. Music critics Roy Carr and Tony Tyler wrote that it was the first genuine British rock classic, followed by Johnny Kidd and the Pirates's "Shakin' All Over". John Lennon was quoted as saying that "Move It" was the first English rock record.

In the early days, Cliff Richard was marketed as the British equivalent to Elvis Presley. As did previous British rockers such as Tommy Steele and Marty Wilde, Richard adopted Presley-like dress and hairstyle. In performance he struck a pose of rock attitude, rarely smiling or looking at the audience or camera. His late 1958 and early 1959 follow-up singles, "High Class Baby" and "Livin' Lovin' Doll", were followed by "Mean Streak" which carried a rocker's sense of speed and passion, and Lionel Bart's "Living Doll". It was on "Living Doll" that the Drifters began to back Richard on record. By that time the band's lineup had changed with the arrival of Jet Harris, Tony Meehan, Hank Marvin, and Bruce Welch. The group was obliged to change its name to "The Shadows" after legal complications with the U.S. Drifters.

My heart was so heavy with longing for you
My arms were so lonely, lonesome and blue
Alone in my sorrow, I heard a voice cry
A voice in the wilderness, a voice from the sky

Have faith in your darling, the voice seemed to say
Be true to her memory, she'll come back one day
And though there was no-one, nobody to see
A voice in the wilderness brought comfort to me

We had a quarrel, I was unkind
Why did you leave me, love made me blind
Come back to me darling, I yearn for your touch
Have pity, come back now, I need you so much
Believe me and you'll hear it, the voice from above
The voice in the wilderness, the voice of true love

Believe me and you'll hear it, the voice from above
A voice in the wilderness, the voice of true love.

B SIDE: - DON'T BE MAD AT ME

    DON'T MISS OUT - BID NOW!!

10" 78 RPM RECORDS NEED CAREFULLY PACKING, AND I CLAIM TO HAVE THE BEST PACKAGING IN THE WORLD FOR DISPATCHING THEM!!

THE GREG'S GREAT'S SYSTEM CONSISTS OF A SPECIALLY DESIGNED INNER BOX MADE OUT OF 1" THICK POLYSTYRENE, WHICH THEN GOES INSIDE A DOUBLE CORREGATED STIFF OUTER CARDBOARD CARTON. THE BOXES CAN TAKE UP TO 21 RECORDS,

USUALLY FOR MAILING OVERSEAS, I RECOMMEND NO MORE THAN 7 IN A BOX, OTHERWISE IT GOES OVER THE AIRMAIL SMALL PACKET MAXIMUM WEIGHT OF 2Kgs WHICH CAUSES A LARGE HIKE IN POSTAL RATES.

I SEND OUT ON AVERAGE ABOUT 30 PARCELS A WEEK AND DISPATCH IS NORMALLY DONE ONCE A WEEK - SO IF YOU DON'T GET YOUR RECORD WITHIN A WEEK IN THE UK, PLEASE DON'T BE TOO SURPRISED - YOU MAY HAVE JUST PAID FOR IT THE DAY AFTER I'VE DONE THE PARCEL RUN!! - ON THE OTHER HAND YOU MAY HAVE HIT IT LUCKY, AND GET THE PARCEL WITHIN A DAY OR TWO!! 

IF YOU REALLY HAVE AN URGENT REQUIREMENT FOR THE RECORD - BIRTHDAY PRESENT, WEDDING, FUNERAL etc PLEASE TELL ME - (BECAUSE I CAN'T READ MINDS!) I WILL DO MY BEST TO GET IT OUT FOR YOU URGENTLY.

IF A RECORD ARRIVES CRACKED OR BROKEN DESPITE MY BEST EFFORTS WITH THIS FANTASTIC PACKAGING I WILL REFUND THE MONEY IN FULL. - JUST SEND ME A QUICK SCAN - IF IT IS A VERY RARE RECORD I MAY ASK YOU TO SEND IT BACK OTHERWISE IT WILL BE YOURS TO KEEP OR DISPOSE OF.