Search - Acker Bilk :: Stranger on the Shore

My favorite instrumental of all time

Joseph H Pierre | Salem, OR USA | 05/17/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

" I'm 70-years-old, and have survived a variety of musical fads and tastes, but this instrumental by Acker Bilk is my all-time favorite.Many years ago--in the late 'fifties--on the way to Portland in my car, I heard this song on the radio. It hit me hard. I almost braked, I was so stunned by its beauty. The B-flat clarinet was absolutely soulful. It was as if the tune had been written and performed especially for me and had been written in my soul.Since then, my daughter--now grown and with a couple of grandchildren--when she was in grade school, learned to play the clarinet so that she could play it for me. She knew how I loved it.No other artist does it like Acker Bilk.Probably everyone has heard it by now, but if you have not, may I recommend it to you?"

Timeless

Susan Fong | Las Vegas, NV USA | 07/04/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Acker Bilk (what a distinctive name he has!) composed and performs the title song "Stranger on the Shore" on this CD filled with familiar pop songs performed by Bilk's soothing clarinet in the foreground and the lovely strings orchestra in the background.The melody of "Stranger on the Shore" is one of the most wistfully beautiful and haunting ever composed. Once you hear this tune, you cannot forget it. The melody is constructed with such grace and ingenuity, that it stirs your imagination and soul like few other songs can. I agree with the other reviewers that "Stranger on the Shore" is a masterpiece in popular music. Its musical depth and emotional appeal are timeless and universal."

Garden Party

John M. Bell | SC | 04/03/2006

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Although the songs are done well, "Stranger on the Shore" is not the song that was the number one song of the year in 1963. It reminds me of Rick[y] Nelson's performance at Madison Square Garden; it was not the same! Stranger on the Shore has been made "new and improved [?]" and does not have the Leon Young Corale nor the distictive ending. Ending,what ending! This is not the song that was my closing theme song as a disc jockey."