Art & Hue
Cliff Richard Pop Art Collection
Born in India, like Joanna Lumley, as Harry Webb, Cliff is the original British rock’n’roll star, with an enduring career that still sees him touring. Cliff Richard has been an influential figure in British culture, providing the soundtrack to our lives with even The Beatles crediting Cliff for producing the first British songs worthy of listening to.
Originally compared to the King of Rock’n’Roll, Cliff found his own style with The Shadows to create memorable songs that are still played to this day, including 67 Top Ten hit singles, and the only artist to have had a number one single in five consecutive decades.
“Move It”, widely regarded as the first true British rock’n’roll single, “Living Doll”, “Summer Holiday”, “The Young Ones”, and “Bachelor Boy” are just some of his previous hits that remain in the British psyche. Later years saw hits including “Devil Woman”, “We Don’t Talk Anymore”, “Wired For Sound”, “Some People”, “Mistletoe & WIne”, and “The Millennium Prayer” topping the charts.
With a clean-living reputation seemingly at odds with that of the stereotypical rock or pop star, in many ways Cliff’s wholesome lifestyle is more rebellious because of it, and pre-dates the current “straight-edge” movement of millennials who have chosen to reject drugs and alcohol (although Cliff does have an interest in fine wine with his Portuguese vineyard).
A film, music, and fashion icon (he used to shop at John Stephen’s Carnaby Street boutiques in the 1960s where, the story goes, John Stephen created a mohair jumper overnight made from a rug especially for the singer), Cliff entered the Song Contest in 1968 with “Congratulations” which placed second behind Spain’s winning entry “La La La” but, ironically, Cliff’s song is such a popular hit, most people assume it won.
Cliff is still writing and performing, with last year seeing the release of his 44th album “Rise Up”.
Cliff only made a few films but their impact has been enduring. Cliff’s acting debut was in the 1959 film “Serious Charge” in which he sang “Living Doll”.
This was followed by “Expresso Bongo”, a satire of the London music industry and Tin-Pan Alley, in which Cliff performed four songs including “Bongo Blues”.
The positive response to “Expresso Bongo”, both at the box office and music charts with Cliff’s EP of songs from the film, ensured that Cliff simply had to appear in more musical films.
1961 saw the release of the first of Cliff’s classic film musicals, tailored specifically around him to showcase his music and talents. “The Young Ones”, which sees Cliff and his pals putting on a show to save their youth club, features The Shadows along with Richard O’Sullivan and Melvyn Hayes, both of whom would go on to appear in further films with Cliff.
The film inspired the title and theme music of the anarchic BBC sit-com of the same name, starring Rik Mayall, Adrian Edmondson, Nigel Planer, and Christopher Ryan, who would go on to appear with Cliff in a single and sketch in aid of Comic Relief.
“The Young Ones” was hugely successful in cinemas and the soundtrack album topped the charts in 1961.
Filmed at Elstree Studios and on location in Greece, the iconic red London bus travelling through Europe accompanied by memorable songs still endures in the memory. To celebrate the classic film, Studiocanal have produced a new 4k restoration of “Summer Holiday” which will be available on DVD and Blu-ray.
The remastered film comes with new extras including an interview with Saint Etienne’s Bob Stanley and a short film called “Rhythm & Greens” with The Shadows.
After the success of “Summer Holiday”, both the film, second only to Bond’s “From Russia With Love” at the box office, and the soundtrack album which spent 14 weeks at number one, 1964 saw Cliff starring in a third, and final, film musical with The Shadows.
Following “Wonderful Life”, Cliff and The Shadows were reunited on film, after a fashion, when they appeared as puppets in the 1966 film “Thunderbirds Are Go”.
Cliff Richard Pop Art Collection
All ten prints from the Cliff Richard pop art collection by Art & Hue – for yourself or as a gift for a fan of the iconic performer.
An official collaboration with Studiocanal, Art & Hue has delved into the archives to uncover images from Sir Cliff’s beloved film musicals, which have been transformed into ten stylish pop art prints.
Exclusively by Art & Hue, the collection is available in three sizes and many colour options, all printed on museum-quality archival card of 310gsm, made from 100% cotton, with fine-art pigment inks for longevity.
Available in A4, A3, and A2 sizes to fit standard-size picture frames. Please note that black frames are not included – for a guide on choosing a frame size, take a look here.
Part of the Cliff Richard collection of stylish pop art prints inspired by Sir Cliff’s film musicals, featuring Art & Hue’s signature halftone style (halftone is an age-old technique that uses dots to make up the printed image, similar to newspapers or comic books).
“The Young Ones” (1961), “Summer Holiday” (1963), “Wonderful Life” (1964), Copyright © STUDIOCANAL Films Ltd, All rights reserved.
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