1961 The Shadows: Kon-Tiki

Belatedly tapping into the vein of exotica that so enthused 1950's America, ('Kon-Tiki' was the name of the raft used by Norwegian Thor Heyerdahl in his 1947 Pacific expedition), The Shadows put further distance between their own output and their meat and potatoes backing for Cliff Richard. But while 'Apache' successfully captured the ominous mystery of the reservation, this is less of a winner; 'Kon-Tiki' never once manages to put me in mind of some Polynesian paradise or conjure up the zest of the ocean in getting there, something which I think is a fair requirement for a tune that specifically namechecks Heyerdahl's South Sea exploits. Marvin does his best and 'Kon-Tiki' does breeze along on a pleasant enough twang, but it's one that's unmistakeably home-grown and resolutely functional. And with a tune too slight and choppy to settle into anything comfortable, it's a struggle to remember how to whistle it's main theme mere minutes after it's finished.