1960 The Shadows: Apache

After being hobbled by an increasingly anodyne Cliff Richard, no one could have begrudged The Shadows overegging their pudding by cutting loose with a good blast out on this guitar led instrumental written by Jerry Lordan. To their credit they keep the lid firmly on to trap the heat until 'Apache' fair shimmers with the Mid West prairie haze of the of the eponymous film that inspired it. With none of the cartoon Indian overtures of 'Running Bear' (apart from that godawful sleeve), the Western patina would have been unmistakeable even if the track had come packaged with a picture of a spaceship on the cover - the menace of the incessant drum beat and cantering rhythm coupled with the shriek of Hank Marvin's groundbreaking twang would re-surface in some of Ennio Morricone's memorable spaghetti Western scores. High praise indeed. Without a note ever forced, rushed or out of place 'Apache' could be accused of being too polite for its own good (which may be down to its 100% British pedigree), but by not trying too hard it neatly sidesteps any attempts at carbon dating, ensuring it remains a hardwired source of inspiration for anyone who ever bought a guitar.