Long before bands like the Beatles and the Beach Boys dominated popular music culture, The Shadows, an instrumental rock group from the UK, topped the charts weekly with nothing but a couple Stratocasters and a drum kit. They took the stage as Cliff Richard’s backing band during the ‘60s and used their downtime to write catchy earworms that would go on to be sampled heavily and used in countless films, permeating and influencing pop culture without a lead vocalist.

“Man Of Mystery,” kicks off with the wailing shriek of a Fender guitar before the entire band joins to count the song in. Lead guitarist, Hank Marvin, plucks out a spy movie melody on top of the fluttering rhythm guitar and walking bassline. Marvin plays guitar with no filler, never striking an unnecessary note or going down winding tangents of disposable outtakes. Every fret played adds multitudes of layers to the track, making “Man Of Mystery” an utterly distinct work of art. The Shadows had a knack for invading your eardrums and scratching the itch you didn’t know needed scratching. While they bookended an era of instrumental bands as pop music turned towards production quality and lyricism, The Shadows’ music remains distinctive and fresh 50 years later.