Bruce Welch with fiancee Olivia Newton-John
Painfully wholesome Bruce Welch slams back at his critics
By Gordon Coxhill
ALMOST three years ago, Bruce Welch, to now of Marvin, Welch and Farrar, formally gave notice the Shadows of his intention to quit. His health was shattered by too many exhausting tours and late night recording sessions. His personal life was in a chaotic state for more or less the same reason.
“Then I realised that 1 was missing playing very much, and Hank was looking around for something to occupy his time.”
Bruce and Hank had first bumped into John Farrar during a 1967 Shadows’ tour of Australia. He was playing in a group on the same bill and impressed the “veterans.”
When the time came to find someone to make up the trio,” says Bruce, “John was one we thought of. We phoned him in Australia and put it to him. We called again two days later and he packed his bags.
So Marvin Welch and Farrar came into being. Already well-exposed via performances, a hit record is proving elusive. Have the group found it difficult to move away from the giant shadow of the Shadows (pun not intended)?
“Not so much us,” he replies, “but I think the public has. We accept that the Shadows, the music, those stage routines are part of pop history, but the public seemed very reluctant to let go of the group. I dare say the group could get together again tomorrow and pack theatres up and down the country with our old hits.
“There’s a big big market for nostalgia, but it’s far more difficult getting something new accepted. I wouldn’t dream of knocking what the old group did, what we accomplished, but as far as I’m concerned it’s past, to be remembered with fond affection.”
Bruce rightly feels that a hit record-preferably an album! “would go a long way towards establishing the group as something fresh and original.”
“The second album has had rave reviews,” he says proudly, and adds, “John wrote nine of the numbers so it’s certainly like an injection of new blood to Hank and myself. I can’t say what sort of audience we would like to appeal to, we just want to sell records.”
“Could you tell me what sort of audience Simon and Garfunkel appeal to?” And I have to confess I can’t.
“No, of course not. They appeal to everybody, from university students to mums and dads and little kids. It doesn’t matter whether the lyrics are a bit on the clever side as long as the melody is strong enough.
BRUCE WELCH, with fiancée Olivia Newton John: in need of a hit record.
“Yes, we do need a hit record but I’ll tell you one thing, we won’t record anything like The Pushbike Song to make it happen for us. There’s no desperation or anything like that. We’ll let things take their time and try to keep true to what we really are.”
For some reason Cliff Richard seems to have come in for some strong criticism recently with the failure of “Flying Machine” it seems like kicking a a man when he’s down and so have his band of stable mates, M.W. & F. and Olivia Newton-John.
Bruce hadn’t seen the reviews from the opening night of the current London Palladium season, but when I told him the general tone he was not exactly amused.
Painfully wholesome was one condemnation of the show. “Is that so?” he said. “Well, you tell them that it is also painfully packed. We’re getting a great reception, the Palladium is going great business, and everybody is having a lot of fun. What more do you want?”
What more indeed. “Actually I did see one one piece,” Bruce suddenly remembered. “It said: Marvin Welch and Farrar were what you would expect. What is that supposed to mean? That is the total summing up of our 27 minutes on stage. I don’t know how anybody can write that.”
When the trio aren’t working. Bruce is often at his Barnet home writing songs, listening to albums, producing sessions for Livvy (Newton-John) or at the cinema.
“A full and happy life,” he beamed. “We’re not going mad with work, just enough to keep ourselves happy. Everything is falling into place just right if only we could get a record away.”
Nice to see Bruce so chirpy again, and I can’t believe Livvy can take all the credit for that!