Cliff Richard- What Car?

He sold a lot of records but he's not that interesting a figure. I mean, he's been a devout Christian for most of his life, his private life is totally private, no drink, no drugs, no relationships that anyone knows about. There's nothing much to say or write about him, beyond the piling up of stats on record sales.

... that makes him sound more interesting than he is tbh.

I don't know that much about Johnny Hallyday but I would guess he might have added newer younger fans as his career progressed. I don't think Cliff did that so much, I think his fans have just grown old along with him.

I think you’re forgetting (or underestimating) his Alan Tarney period, from 1979’s “We Don’t Talk Anymore” thru till the 1981 Wired for Sound album, when he was very successful (internationally as well) with a very fresh, new wave-poppy sound.
you could even include the run up to that, from “Miss You Nights” in 1975, and especially “Devil Woman” the next year, which was his first-ever US top 10 hit.

What makes you say I'm forgetting that?

you said “I think his fans have just grown old along with him”, and that’s not the whole story imo, as explained in my post. (and I also wrote “or underestimated” btw)

anyway, I think the big difference between Hallyday in France and Richard in the UK is that, while both may have been their country’s version of Elvis, Cliff was mostly a watered-down local version of someone the British public were already very familiar with, and Johnny was much more than that.

the UK had been experiencing Elvis first-hand (language-wise as well) for several years already as a hit-making superstar, but in France, there was much more of a remove, especially language-wise.
Elvis was a global phenomenon, France very much included, but he wasn’t nearly as dominant there as an actual hitmaker. This meant that their local version of him (the first to do all these outrageous Elvis things in a French and Francophone context, i.e. Johnny Hallyday) would have a much bigger and deeper impact (also in the long run) than whatever it was Cliff was doing for the British public.

Those records are over 40 years old! I doubt he's added too many younger fans since then.

(xp)

but we are talking 60+ year careers here! you said Hallyday might have added newer younger fans *as his career progressed*, and Cliff not so much.
I agree with you that that probably holds true for Cliff’s last 40 years, but not for the whole stretch.

"Not so much". I could be wrong about Hallyday, of course.

Cliff's "Hit" collections have mosty been in chronological order.

Even though "What Car" was top twenty, it's never been included as it doesn't really fit in alongside "Santa's List" and "21st Century Christmas" etc

@houdini said I know I've said this to you lots but he sings the title 'Through the Eye of a Needle' like Edwyn Collins

My ongoing plan at the moment is to right about his eponymous 1965 album - which has an abstract, White Album-foreshadowing, image-less sleeve that looks like a Mo' Wax album from the 90s. And an endearingly multifarious palette of songs without it feeling like you're buying into a Cliff Variety Hour.

Anyway I love Cliff quite a lot. The critical shorthand is the 1976-93 stuff is good but really there are gems everywhere in his career and part of the fun of gradually hearing his full discography is knowing his strengths and weaknesses, how well he worked in certain idioms or with certain collaborators or in certain eras and how everything connects with everything else. He is a fascinating pop star and person with an equally fascinating career trajectory that is seldom ever at all straightforward.

Again, I'm in my 20s so yes none of the cultural baggage most people I know can't get past.

My favourite song of 1976 by anyone (joint place with Ivor Cutler's Beautiful Cosmos at least)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7oEubu3mc0

Was listening to an interview with Scritti Politti’s David Gamson and he was asked what record he wished he’d written and produced. His answer- ‘We Don’t Talk Anymore’

We Don’t Talk Anymore strikes me as the song Todd Rundgren didn’t write. It would fit nicely on Hermit of Mink Hollow.

I think a big difference between Cliff in the UK and Hallyday in France is most people under 50 don’t think of Cliff as a rock and roller. There’s no reason to. “Move It” is Cliff’s only *really* famous rock and roll era song nowadays and that’s mainly because of Cliff’s decades-long campaign of bringing it up all the time. I showed my little brother a clip of Cliff performing it in 1960 and he was floored to learn Cliff came before the Beatles and was a rock and roll star.
I don’t think his place in the public consciousness is particularly defined by once being a regional Elvis clone. Hell, it’s more defined by his calendars.

Most people over 50 don't think of him as a rock and roller either tbh. Having said that, and talking of predating the Beatles, this a really good live album, sound quality is fantastic, performances are great - t
could do without the Shadows' corny between songs banter though.

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/513+CVqitnL._AC_SY355_.jpg

Apparently it was turned for release in 1962 because there was too much screaming and noise from the audience.

The Live at Kelvin Hall of its day

We Don’t Talk Anymore strikes me as the song Todd Rundgren didn’t write. It would fit nicely on Hermit of Mink Hollow.

ah yes, i totally hear this!

My ongoing plan at the moment is to right about

I can actually right. Trust me.

My favourite Cliff album at the moment is his partly self-penned semi-song cycle The 31st of February Street. It was released at 1974 after a very long gap following his previous proper album and was a total flop but it acts as a necessary and nearly fully-formed prelude to his 1976 I'm Nearly Famous/Bruce Welch/Devil Woman renaissance. Ahem, (it's his Impossible Princess!)

My favourite songs are more often the drumless baroque and acoustic ones - an interesting remake of Travellin' Light with querying strings (all pointed eyebrows and memorable expressions) is really good, and on a similar note is Fireside Song. And then there's Cliff ploughing vaguely Brian Protheroe-adjacent fields:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8y-wTGNajbc

I don't think I've ever seen that album before.

me neither! reminds me of this:

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91SbaC7qrqL._AC_SX466_.jpg

quite liked that song btw!

It was the end of his wilderness years and he hasn't failed to have a successful studio album since (with the partial exception of The Rock Connection) so it is very buried. Bob Stanley mentioned it to him in his Record Collector interview a few years ago which is the only time I've heard Cliff speak about it.

You’re not thought of as a songwriter, yet you wrote most of the songs on the 1974 album, The 31st Of February Street.

That was produced by Dave Mackay. It was a really nice production – we did a version of Travelling Light. I played guitar on it, which I rarely do. I’m no good at playing it now. So it was a nice album. But you know, you can’t outguess the public, they know what they like. And even though you may make a very sweet album, it’s just not sweet enough sometimes. We all go through that, though. Not all of our albums happen. I should have kept playing guitar. I could probably have been a better writer had I kept playing, but I found guitar onstage a total hindrance.

https://recordcollectormag.com/articles/cliff-richard