F.B.I. (instrumental)

1961 single by the Shadows

"F.B.I."

Single by The Shadows
B-side| "Midnight"
Released| 3 February 1961 (1961-02-03)
Recorded| 13 September 1960[1]
Studio| EMI Studios, London
Genre| Instrumental rock
Length| 2:18
Label| Columbia
Composer(s)|

* Hank Marvin
* Bruce Welch
* Jet Harris

Producer(s)| Norrie Paramor
The Shadows singles chronology
| "Man of Mystery" / "The Stranger"
(1960)  | "F.B.I."
(1961)  | "The Frightened City"
(1961)

|
|

"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.[2]

## Release and reception

[edit]

"F.B.I." was written by the Shadows' Hank Marvin, Bruce Welch and Jet Harris, but due to complicated publishing contracts it was credited to their manager Peter Gormley.[3] The actual composers' names never appeared on the credits. It was released as a single by EMI on the Columbia label, with the B-side "Midnight", written by Marvin and Welch.[4] It was released in the United States and Canada in July 1961 on Atlantic Records with "The Frightened City", written by Norrie Paramor, as the B-side.[5]

Reviewing for Disc, Don Nicholl described "F.B.I." as "a quick moving melody that may not quite live up to the implications of the title – but which is a very contagious thing all the same". He also wrote the "Midnight" "seems pretty obviously to have been inspired (consciously or not) by "Sleep Walker". The same sliding electric guitar technique is used for a similarly lazy melody".[6]

## Track listing

[edit]

7": Columbia / DB 4580

1. "F.B.I." – 2:18
2. "Midnight" – 2:30

7": Atlantic / 2111 (US and Canada)

1. "FBI" – 1:52
2. "The Frightened City" – 2:21

## Musicians

[edit]

* Hank Marvin – lead guitar
* Bruce Welch – rhythm guitar
* Jet Harris – bass guitar
* Tony Meehan – drums and percussion

## Charts

[edit]

Chart (1961)  | Peak
position

|

Australia (Kent Music Report)[7] | 60
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[8] | 18
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[9] | 16
Canada (Vancouver CFUN)[10] | 24
France[11] | 3
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[12] | 18
New Zealand (Lever Hit Parade)[13] | 3
UK Singles (OCC)[2] | 6

## Covers

[edit]

* A cover version of "F.B.I." with "Wheels" as the B-side (cat. WB 436) was released in February 1961 on the UK Embassy Records budget label – sold exclusively in Woolworths stores. It was credited to "Bud Ashton" (a generic pseudonym used to represent whatever session musician had actually made the recording).[14]
* English guitarist Bert Weedon covered the song on his 1976 compilation album 22 Golden Guitar Greats.[15]
* Queen guitarist Brian May covered "F.B.I." with Francis Rossi and Rick Parfitt of Status Quo on the 1996 tribute album Twang!: A Tribute to Hank Marvin & the Shadows, and it later appeared as the B-side of his 1998 single "Why Don't We Try Again".[16]
* Experimental rock group Massacre recorded a cover of "F.B.I." in 1981, which was released on their 2005 reissue of Killing Time.[17]
* Ian Hunter and his band, featuring the guitarist Mick Ronson, covered "F.B.I." on the double live disc Welcome to the Club.[18]
* The solo in Australian alternative rock group TISM's 1995 single "Greg! The Stop Sign!!" is a variation on the intro riff.
* Jethro Tull's "From a Deadbeat To an Old Greaser", a cut from the album Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young to Die!, contained the line "When bombs were banned every Sunday and the Shadows did F.B.I."

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Koers, Ivo. "Instrumentation On Shadows Recordings II: The Primary Singles" (PDF). malcolmcampbell.me.uk. p. 6. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
2. ^ a b "Shadows: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
3. ^ Bruce Welch; Howard Elson (1989). A Life in the Shadows. London: Viking Publishers. pp. 123–124\. ISBN 0-670-82705-3.
4. ^ "The Shadows - F.B.I." 45cat. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
5. ^ "The Shadows - FBI". 45cat. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
6. ^ "Disc Date" (PDF). Disc. 4 February 1961. p. 10. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
7. ^ Kent, David (2005). Australian Chart Book 1940–1969. Australian Chart Book Pty Ltd, Turramurra, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-44439-5.
8. ^ "The Shadows – F.B.I." (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
9. ^ "The Shadows – F.B.I." (in French). Ultratop 50.
10. ^ "C-Funtastic Week of September 16, 1961". 16 September 1961. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
11. ^ "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard. 3 July 1961. p. 14. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
12. ^ "The Shadows – F.B.I." (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
13. ^ "Lever Hit Parade". flavourofnz.co.nz. Archived from the original on 26 November 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
14. ^ "Bud Ashton – F.B.I. / Wheels (1961, Vinyl)". Discogs. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
15. ^ "Bert Weedon – Bert Weedon's 22 Golden Guitar Greats (1976, Vinyl)". Discogs. 1976. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
16. ^ "Twang! - A Tribute To Hank Marvin & The Shadows (1996, CD)". Discogs. 1996. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
17. ^ "Massacre – Killing Time (2005, Digipak, CD)". Discogs. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
18. ^ "Ian Hunter – Welcome To The Club - Live (1980, Vinyl)". Discogs. 1980. Retrieved 31 August 2021.

* v
* t
* e

The Shadows

* Hank Marvin
* Bruce Welch
* Brian Bennett
* Ian Samwell
* Mark Griffiths
* Jet Harris
* Tony Meehan
* Brian 'Licorice' Locking
* Warren Bennett
* John Rostill
* John Farrar
* Alan Tarney
* Alan Hawkshaw

Studio albums|

* The Shadows
* Out of the Shadows
* Dance with The Shadows
* The Sound of The Shadows
* Shadow Music
* Jigsaw
* From Hank, Bruce, Brian and John
* Shades of Rock
* Rockin' with Curly Leads
* Specs Appeal
* Tasty
* String of Hits
* Change of Address
* Hits Right Up Your Street
* Life in the Jungle
* XXV
* Guardian Angel
* Moonlight Shadows
* Simply Shadows
* Steppin' to the Shadows
* At Their Very Best
* Reflection

Singles|

* "Apache"
* "Man of Mystery"
* "F.B.I."
* "The Frightened City"
* "Kon-Tiki"
* "The Savage"
* "Wonderful Land"
* "Guitar Tango"
* "Dance On!"
* "Foot Tapper"
* "Atlantis"
* "Shindig"
* "Geronimo"
* "Theme for Young Lovers"
* "The Rise and Fall of Flingel Bunt"
* "Don't Make My Baby Blue"
* "The War Lord"
* "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue"
* "Let Me Be the One"
* "Don't Cry for Me Argentina"
* "Theme from the Deer Hunter (Cavatina)"
* "Rodrigo's Guitar Concerto"
* "Riders in the Sky"
* "Heart of Glass"
* "Equinoxe (Part V)"
* "The Third Man"
* "Telstar"
* "Imagine"/Woman"
* "Treat Me Nice"

Compilations|

* Greatest Hits
* 20 Golden Greats

Extended plays|

* The Shadows
* The Shadows to the Fore
* The Shadows No. 2
* The Shadows No. 3
* Spotlight on The Shadows
* The Boys
* Hits from the Young Ones
* Los Shadows
* Rhythm & Greens

Related articles|

* Discography
* Discography with Cliff Richard
* Cliff Richard
* Thank You Very Much (1979, live album)
* The Final Reunion (2009 DVD)

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz work

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