The Wild Roses: A Rare Instrumental Track by The Shadows

Welcome to my guitar instrumental cover of "The Wild Roses" (originally titled Nobara Saku Michi / 野バラ咲く路) composed by Somegoro Ichikawa (市川染五郎), a renowned Japanese Kabuki actor, singer, and performer (later known as Matsumoto Hakuō II). The song was originally written as a Japanese vocal pop track (Nobara Saku Michi). During the mid-1960s, instrumental rock bands like The Shadows and The Ventures were massively popular in Japan. The Shadows adapted Ichikawa's melody into an instrumental format specifically to cater to their Japanese fanbase. The track was first released in Japan in 1967 on the ODEON label as a Japanese 7" EP titled The Wild Roses (野バラ咲く路). It featured on the UK album From Hank, Bruce, Brian and John (1967) and it was also included on the compilation LP The Shadows in Japan (1967). BBC Sessions: The Shadows performed a live version for the BBC, which was later officially released on the album Live at the BBC (2018). Backing Track is by Ian McCutcheon from his Shadows Workout 5 CD. All the best Neville 29th September 2026 Vintage guitar instrumentals inspired by The Shadows, Hank Marvin, The Ventures, Duane Eddy, and more. Melodic guitar instrumentals, in the Shadows/Hank Marvin style