The subtitle for this DVD is “…a documentary film about the music and records
that changed our lives.”
In the original film from 2015, which I have yet to see, the focus was
on 1980s West Coast Punk. For this sequel, we are switched to the East Coast
punk scene of that period. In the pre-digital world – including CDs – the early
1980s was the last great hurrah for records in the pre-Marshall McLuhan-esque “replaced
technology comes back as art” (paraphrased) world of new vinyl. Bands started labels
or just put out their own stuff. I still remember heading down to Disc-O-Rama
on Eighth Street in Greenwich Village to see the new indie recordings coming
out and pick the ones I wanted. Thanks to FFanzeen,
I was also sent many by the labels directly to review that I would never have
seen, from both East and West Coasts, as well as in-between.
I firmly believe that record collecting is both an art and an addiction
that can catch from one to another (e.g., I learned from a high school friend,
and passed it on to a FFanzeen reader
back in the day who has never really forgiven me). However, I will add that
unless one has the collector “gene” it’s a moot point. Here is some of my
record collecting philosophy called “Reflections on Being a Record Collector.”
The focus of the film – well, the first half anyway – isn’t really about
collecting, but more about what the subtitle posits, the song that sparked
interest in music. Lots of Beatles, and even odder stuff like Kay Kaiser’s “Three
Little Fishies” (I knew that song from a Zero Mostel LP, which I still have). Along with the Fab Four, the most common mentions
are Led Zeppelin and KISS (spelled both KISS and Kiss in the captions).
Most of those interviewed, which we hear in bursts of two or three sentences
at a time, are mostly musicians, primarily in Boston and the Washington DC
area, in groups like Mission of Burma, Agnostic Front, Helmet, the Cro-Mags,
the Freeze, the FUs, and so many others. It’s definitely a hardcore roll call.
One of the subtle accuracies of this documentary is that historically
that I have noticed is that while there are women who are collectors, the
overwhelming majority are male. The Yin side
of the equation is presented here by Amy Pickering and Cynthia Connolly, both
of Dischord Records. Even many women I know who have encyclopedic knowledge of
the music, most of them are free of the collecting virus, which I totally respect.
There are sort of different chapters, including “your first record,” “who
was a key influencer” (usually an older sibling or cousin), “the record that
changed your life,” “the last record you purchased,” and “if your house was on
fire, what three records would you save?” Personally, I think that last one is
a ridiculous question only because there are too many I like and by the time I
chose, I’d be a french fry. What I find interesting is most of the answers are
along the lines of “here is this rare record so I could sell it to either buy
more records or fix my house.” My guess the point of the question is what are the
important records to you as a metaphor, not as a reality. I have rare records,
but in this context I would answer differently; that being said, Ian MacKaye
gives my fave answer.
Overall, this is an incredibly fun film, with strong nostalgia strings
to pull at your heart. “Oh, yeah, that’s a great record,” or “Wow, I hate that
one,” will shine through, though there is bound to be some “Oh, Jeez, I didn’t
even know that existed, and now I want it!” All bound to bounce around your
noggin as you’re watching. There’s not a dull moment.
The bonus material on the DVD includes the original trailer and 20:57 of
additional interview footage. While it’s totally understandable why this never
made the final cut, the first third is a load of fun as those interviewed show
off their prize possessions. For the next third, it’s kind of a mesh-mash of
different ideas, which is also interesting. The last third, though, is one long
rambling interview that really doesn’t say that much by someone I strongly
admire, FYI, and if it was someone else it probably would never have seen the
light of HD day.
I did have one issue with this: every single person interviewed is
either connected to the music industry behind the scenes, or are musicians (one
who even admits he doesn’t collect vinyl, but only digital…does that even
count?), but what about collectors who collect for collecting’s sake, i.e.,
love of the music alone? There are so many fanatical record collectors who I
find absolutely fascinating that never played a note in their lives. I know
some “hopelessly obscure” collectors, and they are much more interesting
because they didn’t create the music,
but their devotion is just as – err – hardcore. Perhaps that can be film Number
3?
Finally, I realize this has nuthin’ to do with nuthin’, but the
subtitles are a bit psychotic. For example, it states “The Monkeys” (though it’s
spelled correctly later on), “Cool and the Gang,” “Henry Rawlins” (Rollins), and
then another early one has a collector referring to “Corvette’s”; for those of
us old enough to know, it’s EJ Korvettes, a department store where many of us
did our initial mainstream record shopping. Here’s my totally unrelated
Korvettes vinyl story: When I was in high school, I was with someone who bought
the Woodstock soundtrack; when we got
it home we found it skipped, so we brought it back to the store. Of course,
they had to test it to prove it was actually defective. The sales clerk put on
the record just as the phone rang, so she ran out, not realizing that the
turntable was connected to the store’s PA. All of a sudden, through the entire
store, you heard Country Joe yell echoing, “Gimme an F…, Gimme a U...,” Good record collecting times.
Roy opens with a track called "The End." So, for Roy,
the end actually becomes a beginning with
a new recording for 2018. The song has a T-Rex feel. Lyrically, Roy seems to be
singing about a relationship, be it romantic or creative, that teetered on the
precipice of greatness only to implode. "Same Old Thing" has a cool, downbeat
feeling. Musically and vocally, it will turn those on who dig Jakob Dylan or
Tom Petty. It is a powerful song of regret that highlights what I have always
called Roy's painterly style of guitar playing. "Impossible Ways” is
vocally strong with a ‘60s pop feel. "Mr. Berserk" is someone we all
know; he tries to come off as if he has it all under control, but blows up like
a grenade with any or no provocation. These are some of Roy's best lyrics,
where he sings of "Mr. Berserk" being followed around by a shadow
that cannot be escaped. "Moving to L.A." is something I can relate to
after a bad fall on the ice in Boston last winter. The track has a lovely
vocal, melody, and arrangement. The music and lyrics touch the listener with an
amalgam of wistfulness and wanderlust: "I can't believe/I've stayed here
so long/It makes no sense/Once the summer's gone/It seems I don't know/Why I'm
here at all/And I can hear that balmy West Coast call." "Point
Of No Return" has a Bob Dylan/Tom Petty style vocal and overall vibe.
"All The Time That Never Was" has a feeling of sadness and
regret over real or perceived unrealized
potential. Roy describes it as "pining for things that you know are never
going to happen." This concept has resonance for me as I have been
troubled by my own sense of unrealized potential. “Thin Air" has the
message of striking back and ultimately surviving creatively against the threat
of obsolescence. "A Reason to Live" speaks of the renewal of hope and
life in the face of the increasing pressure of time and mortality. This track
is fast paced, energetic, and the catchiest of the bunch along with the closer,
"The Bright Side." As with "A Reason to Live," on
"World Run Wild," Roy's musical mojo is at full force as he
sings" My mind is on fire." So is his guitar! "The Bright
Side" is a shimmering, jingle jangle power pop track in a Byrds/Dwight
Twilley Band vein. When I spoke to Roy about the recording, I mentioned that I
always thought he was the George Harrison of the Boston-based bands Fox Pass
and Tom Dickie and the Desires. Roy showed he understood what I meant by responding
by saying "dark horse." (In addition to the dictionary definition,
Dark Horse was Harrison's record label.) The
Bright Side is a powerful follow up to Roy's 2015 release Eclectricity.
Tom Guerra
American Garden
www.tomguerra.com/
The song "Nevermore" opens this recording with power
chord/riff stylings in a classic rock vein. Guerra's voice is a combination of
approachability, vulnerability, and moxy. "Goodbye to Yesterday" was
written by Guerra and bassist Kenny Aaronson of The Yardbirds. This song has
elements of blues, garage rock in a Sonics vein, and ‘60s pop-oriented
harmonies. "Walls" is a Tom Petty number that Guerra recorded soon
after Petty's death. The vocal is downbeat and the arrangement is faithful to
Petty's style. "Jack for Joe" is Guerra's homage to his former
roommate/manager, Joe Polito, who died about 30 years ago. Guerra described
Polito as having "lived life at full-throttle racing speed." Guerra
expresses a lingering fondness for his halcyon days while asking “where can we
go now that we can't go home again?" "Blood on the Rising Sun"
was written after the Charlottesville riots and features Jon Butcher on lead
guitar. Guerra uses a Dylan/Petty style vocal to create a 21st century protest
song that ends with the chant "hate cannot replace us." "Family of
One" and "Lyin' King" are two more Guerra/Aaronson
collaborations. These were intended for inclusion on a Jack Douglas-produced
Yardbirds album – a concept that was sadly shelved. The bridge "Now that
tomorrow is here at last" is a line Guerra intended as response to the
Yardbirds' "Shapes of Things." "The Lyin' King" has blues
harp and a garage rock-oriented feel. "The Story" is a song Guerra
was moved by after hearing Brandi Carlile's version. Here Guerra's voice sounds
like he is broken but still fighting to summon up faith and strength to strive
for love. "Meet Me at the Bottom of the Glass" is a piano/vocal
arrangement with Morgan Fisher of Mott the Hoople on keyboards. Like "Jack
for Joe," it is about Guerra's friend who was lost to alcoholism. The
closer, "American Garden," is thematically a pastiche of three
Vietnam veterans with whom Guerra had conversations about their war
experiences. The title track has an Apocalypse
Now vibe with its psychedelic feel, distorted vocals, and helicopter sounds.
The pop rock section of the song juxtaposed against the more ominous elements
of “American Garden” highlight the dichotomy of the relative innocence of pre-Vietnam
War versus the lost idealism of the post-War period. The image of the "American
Garden" is all the more startling when you realize Arlington cemetery is
one interpretation of the album title. This is Guerra's third solo recording.
Also check out his band, The Mambo Sons.
This article was published in FFanzeen, issue #9,
dated 1982, beginning on page 5. It was written by the Boston-area music historian
Joe Tortelli. This was originally reprinted with the permission of Tortelli
from his own fanzine, Oh Yeah!, issue
No. 1, then and now out of PO Box 370, Arlington, MA 02476, or
joeyrome@yahoo.com. Joe has written liner notes for such artists as Delaney
& Bonnie and the Fifth Estate, has his own music-related television show
called “On Topic,” and is currently writing the biography of songwriter and
performer Bobby Hebb (“Sunny”).
My own first memory of the Dave Clark Five was seeing the film Having a Wild Weekend at the Benson Theater, in Brooklyn, NY. At
the time, I liked it better than A Hard Day’s Night (I was a bit late to the Beatles’ party). There must have been some
kind of promotion, because I remember they handed out some black and white 8 x
10 stills from the film. I gave mine away to someone I was trying to impress
(yes, a girl), but it didn’t really get me anywhere. Mind you I was 10 at the time…
Anyway, I really liked the music in the film, and still enjoy the DC5’s
recordings from that period. They seemed a bit different than the other Mersey
Beat sounds to my young mind, and I did manage to catch them, if I could (pun
intended) when they appeared on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” – Robert Barry Francos,
2018
Mike Smith * Lenny
Davidson * Dave Clark * Denny Payton * Rick Huxley
The Dave Clark Five
recorded some of the most explosive singles of the mid-1960s. They were a phenomenally
popular band during the British Invasion (1964-1965). Their fame and record
sales gradually declined over the following two years, until they finally
disappeared completely from the American record charts and our teen
consciousness.
The DC5’s reputation
was hardly enhanced during the ensuing years. The rock values of the late ‘60s
and early ‘70s included such things as instrumental virtuosity, lyrical
profundity, and musical experimentation – ideas not exactly prevalent on DC5
recordings. The “serious” (i.e., progressive FM) rock fans quickly dismissed
the DC5. The DC5 did create pop music; some of the most exciting pop music the
rock’n’roll world has ever heard. Their forte was the two-minute single: forceful,
pounding rock’n’roll literally bursting forth from those timid vinyl grooves. Guitars,
saxophone, drums, organ, voices: all sounding as one, one sounding as all. This
was the Dave Clark Five at their best – all the strength, power, and excitement
they could muster, squeezed into simple, yet well-crafted two-minute pop songs.
There were (as the more
astute among you may already have guessed) five of them: Dave Clark was the
drummer and leader of the band. Dave wrote or co-wrote all the group’s original
hits. He was also one of the earliest rock stars to produce his own band’s
records. Perhaps because Dave was a drummer, the DC5’s earliest recordings have
a stronger, fuller drum sound than many other contemporary recordings (cf., the
early Beatle LPs). Clark also directed the band’s business affairs and quickly
realized the importance of the American audience and market.
Mike Smith was the lead
vocalist and organist, as well as Dave Clark’s most prolific songwriting partner.
Smith certainly did not have a great vocal range, but he was a great
rock’n’roll singer nonetheless. He could wail and scream if necessary, but most
importantly, he fit the songs and the songs fit him.
Denny Payton was a
British Invasion anomaly – a saxophone player. Payton’s driving sax energized
the group’s up-tempo material; he was the secret ingredient in the DC5 “sound.”
Lenny Davidson was probably the least-heard guitarist in the British Invasion.
The sax, organ, and drums all took precedence over the guitar on DC5 records,
so Davidson was more of a rhythm, than lead, guitarist. Rick Huxley was the
band’s fifth member and bass guitarist.
Glad All Over
The Beatles had just
appeared on “The Ed Sullivan Show” for three consecutive weeks (twice live and
once on tape). Their records were dominating America’s airwaves as no one’s
ever had. Things were happening so quickly it almost seemed ridiculous to ask,
“What’s next?” A week later, on the same “really big show,” we found out…
The Dave Clark Five
were next. They appeared before America’s teenagers with neatly trimmed Beatle
haircuts, matching suits, and black boots with the highest Cuban heels ever
seen.
The DC5 exuded an
enormous amount of energy on stage. Their music was direct, fast, and powerful.
Visually, the audience’s attention was riveted to the roguishly cute
organist/vocalist and the very handsome drummer. But the image of the band that
still remains most clear and distinct from early 1964 is that one of the boys
stamping their pointed black boots to the drum beat of “Bits and Pieces.” It
was, one supposes, a calculated gimmick of sorts, but it was, at the same time,
a genuine gesture demonstrating the band’s commitment to the primal rock beat. That
stagemanship set the DC5 apart and guaranteed that they would be recognized in
America.
“Glad All Over” was the
DC5’s initial hit single on this side of the Atlantic. It arrived in early ’64,
along with the “Ed Sullivan” appearance and a wave of hype about the band,
which drove the Beatles from the No. 1 spot on the British charts. “She Loves
You” and “I Want to Hold Your Hand” owned the top of the British Singles charts
for weeks on end until the DC5 broke the Fab Four’s string with “Glad All
Over.” Now the DC5 seemed destined to do the same thing in America.
Of course, this rivalry
led to a flurry of press reports about the Beatles and their “new challengers.”
Would the upstarts’ Tottenham Sound outstrip the dominant Mersey Beat? Who was
better, the Beatles or the Dave Clark Five? These and other questions would be
answered rather emphatically in good time, but in 1964, they did appear to be
rather important [there were several
Beatles vs. the Dave Cark Five teen-type magazines at the time, a wise corporate
move to sell copies to the fans of both of the top bands – RBF, 2018].
“Glad All Over” was
quickly followed on the charts by the equally pulsating “Bits and Pieces.” Both
songs were Dave Clark-Mike Smith collaborations, and both were Top-10 hits simultaneously.
They were joined in the upper regions of the American Charts by a powerful DC5
rendition of the Contour’s classing, “Do You Love Me.”
All three singles came
from the band’s first American album on Epic Records, entitled Glad All Over. This LP established a
pattern which the DC5 would follow rather closely on all subsequent albums. Glad All Over included 11 songs, all of
which were rather short (two to three minutes), even by mid-‘60s standards. The
emphasis was on the hit singles. While it might be unfair to characterize the rest
of the material as filler, it certainly could not match the hits.
This and future DC5
albums included a couple of instrumentals (“Chaquita” and “Time”). There were
also a couple of cover songs: the above-mentioned “Do You Love Me” and Maurice
Williams’ “Stay.” Finally, there were several non-hit originals which tended to
be patterned after the smashes, but simply were not as compelling (“All of the
Time,” “I Know You,” “No Time to Lose,” “She’s All Mine”).
Glad All Over proved to be an extremely popular album, eventually going
Gold (over 250,000 units). During the Spring of 1964. It was the only new rock
LP which could hold its own on the charts against the three big Beatle records
(Meet the Beatles, The Beatles Second
Album, Introducing the Beatles).
During the ‘60s, bands remained
popular by quickly following up their initial success with new material. The
Dave Clark Five became quite adept at the follow-up, as they proved to be one
of the prolific groups of the mid-‘60s.
“Can’t You See She’s
Mine” was the DC5’s fourth hit single. It had the same rockin’ appeal as the
first three smashes and became yet another Top-10 record.
Another album was also
released. The Dave Clark Five Return
contained the latest hit single, six other originals, plus three cover songs
(including Link Wray’s “Rumble” and the [Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil] classic,
“On Broadway”). This LP was clearly patterned after their initial album. Unlike
Glad All Over, however, Return only produced one hit song, not
three.
In August of 1964, Epic
records issued the DC5’s fifth single of the year, the ballad “Because.” This
song was a major change of pace from the band’s previous booming hits, and it
indicated a new level of musical sophistication and lyrical sensitivity for the
band (just as “And I Love Her” had done for the Beatles a couple of months
earlier). “Because” went on to become a massive hit and one of their
best-remembered songs.
An album featuring
“Because” was also released. American
Tour had a front cover seemingly patterned after the Beatles’ Second Album, and a title aimed straight
at the teenage American consumer. As the single “Because” indicated, the DC5
appeared to be trying to widen their musical horizon somewhat on this LP
(through the dreadful instrumental version of “Blue Monday” was hardly necessary).
Ironically, the most memorable LP cut was a “Glad All Over” sound-alike, “Come
On Over.”
The DC5 closed out 1964
with two singles, “Everybody Knows” and “Any Way You Want It” (followed by an
album containing both hits, Coast to
Coast). Having found success with both rockers and a ballad, the boys tried
to combine both styles in the song “Everybody Knows.” Unfortunately, the tune
did not possess a clear focus because of its changing tempo and because it
lacked a memorable lyrical hook. “Everybody Knows” was the DC5’s least popular
single to date, but it still broke the Top-15.
The Dave Clark Five
finished their first year of pop stardom with a two-and-one-half minute
definition of rock’n’roll. “Any Way You Want It” was the band’s most powerful
single since “Bits and Pieces.” Propelled by Denny Payton’s driving saxophone
and surrounded by the densest production imaginable, “Any Way You Want It”
muscled its way onto the playlist of America’s radio stations.
Thus, an incredible year
ended for the Dave Clark Five. They began the year as newcomers, challenging
the Beatles in England, yet totally unknown in the USA. An appearance on “The
Ed Sullivan Show” made them overnight sensations and the most prominent rivals
of the Fab Four in the States. They toured the US extensively and were accorded
the same frenzied approval from screaming fans as the Beatles. Their seven hit
singles and three best-selling albums demonstrated their wide appeal to
teenagers in no uncertain terms. In any normal year, the phenomenal rise of
this British band would have been the music story of the year. However, 1964 was
not a normal year; it was the year of the Beatles.
The DC5 had to “settle”
for No. 2. They easily outdistanced the rest of the First Wave of British
Invasion groups: the Searchers, Gerry and the Pacemakers, the Swinging Blue
Jeans, Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, Peter and Gordon, etc. In fact, their only
real “rivals,” besides the Beatles, were two American groups who first charted
in 1962: those blond, sun-tanned surfers from the West Coast, the Beach Boys,
and those falsettoed Philadelphians, the Four Seasons.
The DC5 could say
goodbye to 1964 with a good deal of pride and self-satisfaction, but they must
have looked forward to 1965 with just a touch of trepidation and uncertainty.
After all, their last two singles, while popular, were not as big as their
earlier records. Moreover, they were now an “established” act, gazing backwards
at newer and trendier stars. And in the ‘60s, there was no shortage of fresh
faces.
Two of the hottest new
properties emerging in late 1964 had quite different images. There was the
“cuter than cute and nicer than nice” Peter Noone, singing with an appealingly
exaggerated British accent. His band, Herman’s Hermits, had a hit in late ’64
with “I’m Into Something Good,” and was preparing a major assault on the
American record charts with a series of sugar-coated tunes. At the same time, a
group of brooding, unkempt Blues enthusiasts had just scored with their first
Top-10 smash in the US, “Time is On My Side.” The Rolling Stones, with their
carefully cultivated “bad boy” image, were getting ready to give teenagers
satisfaction. And what of the Dave Clark Five…
Catch Us If You Can
The DC5 needed a strong
single to maintain their enormous popularity in the highly-charged musical
atmosphere of 1965. “Come Home,” their first release of the year, proved equal
to the task. A sensitive and complex ballad in “Because” tradition, “Come Home”
demonstrated the band’s ability to transcend the bounds of basic rock’n’roll.
Despite the success of this record, “Come Home” was the final hit ballad of
their halcyon period.
The obligatory album
followed in the Spring of ’65. Like the other DC5 LPs, Weekend in London contained the hit (“Come Home”), the covers
(“Blue Suede Shoes,” “Little Bitty Pretty One”), and the fillers (too many to
mention, though one song, “Til the Right One Comes Along,” indicated that the
Clark-Smith writing team were familiar with the recent “I’ll Follow the Sun” by
another famous duo).
Weekend in London was the last in a series of DC5 albums whose liner notes
referred to their ongoing rivalry with the Fab Four. These liner notes ask the
intriguing question, “Is the Dave Clark Five the Number One group in the world
today?” The answer is predictable, if unrealistic. It is significant to note
that this “rivalry,” which once seemed so real, had become little more than
record company hype.
The DC5’s second single
of ’65 was a cover version of the Chuck Berry chestnut, “Reelin’ and Rockin’.”
The Boys gave Berry’s rocker a powerful, straight-ahead interpretation with
absolutely frantic Mike Smith vocals. “Reelin’” was the band’s first non-original
single in over a year, and it was probably their weakest selling to date.
Yet another remake
followed in June, when the DC5 released, “I Like It Like That.” This Chris
Kenner original attracted widespread attention and airplay, which translated into
another Top-10 hit for our heroes.
In the dead of Summer,
the DC5’s long-awaited movie appeared. Originally called Catch Us If You Can, the film was released under the title, Having a Wild Weekend. While the movie
didn’t exactly make people forget A Hard
Day’s Night or Help!, the
soundtrack originals and the song quality was consistently high. This album
included a good mixture of rockers, ballads, and mid-tempo tunes, and even the instrumentals
were more appealing than usual. The title song, “Don’t Be Taken In,” the
atypical “If You Come Back,” and “I Said I Was Sorry” are among the best cuts
from the LP.
Remarkably, only one
single was taken from the soundtrack, but what a single it was: “Catch Us If
You Can” is not as frenzied as some other DC5 classics, but is just as catchy
and hook-laden, and even features a surprising harmonica lead. “Catch Us If You
Can” was a smash; the band’s biggest hit in a solid year.
The DC5 were in the
midst of their hottest streak since early ’64, and their final single of the
year was not about to change that. “Over and Over” was a consecutive Top-10
hit, and their only song ever to reach the coveted Number One position on Billboard’s weekly record charts. The
arrangement for “Over and Over” seemed to copy that for “Catch Us If You Can”
right down to the harmonica interlude, despite the fact that is was yet another
cover tune.
Nineteen sixty-five
ended for the DC5 with the release of a “throwaway” LP, I Like It Like That. Apparently distributed to belatedly cash in on
the Summer success of the title song, this was not one of the group’s stronger
efforts. Even the front cover picture appears to be an outtake from the Glad All Over sessions.
Despite the final LP,
the Dave Clark Five truly finished the year 1965 with a flourish. Their final
single, “Over and Over,” was sitting comfortably at the top of the charts and
their popularity was still intact. Despite intense competition from a variety
of British bands and from a revitalized American scene (the Byrds, Sonny and
Cher, etc.), the DC5 had every right to be pleased with their surge in the Summer
and Fall. They must have been somewhat troubled, however, by the fact that
three of their last four singles were non-original cover tunes at the time when
Dylan, Lennon-McCartney, and Jagger-Richards were gaining more and more
attention for their songwriting talents. Also, their last LP of the year, I Like It Like That, could not have looked
or sounded very promising beside the Beatles’ Rubber Soul or the Stones’ December
Children, two other contemporary albums.
The problem facing the
DC5 as 1965 passed was quite simple, yet quite fundamental: rock music was
changing, but they were not. While the Beatles, Stones, Beach Boys and others
were experimenting with new sounds and techniques, sophisticated arrangements,
and varied instrumentation, the Dave Clark Five were sticking with a
tried-and-true rock’n’roll formula. The DC5 had achieved what they wanted
(pop-rock stardom) and were not interested in changing or “progressing” to
please others.
The DC5’s satisfaction
with the status quo can, perhaps, be appreciated visually. During a period when
pop styles were changing even faster than rock music itself, the DC5 looked the
same as always, right down to their “Beatle” boots and haircuts, matching
suits, and clean-shaven faces. In an era when other pop stars were breaking the
old rules and making up new ones, the DC5 were still playing the game according
to the 1964 rule book. By 1966, this just was not good enough.
At the Scene
Since the Dave Clark
Five had charted a dozen hit singles in just 24 months, Epic Records decided it
was high time for a compilation album. The Dave Clark Five’s Greatest Hits was issued in early 1966
and soon became their biggest selling LP. This “hits” package contained all
their singles to date, except “Come Home” and “Reelin’ and Rockin’.” It also
sported liner notes by Gloria Stavers of 16
Magazine.
The DC5’s Greatest Hits sums up the band’s major contributions
to the mid-‘60s music scene: It includes 10 great songs from the blistering
“Bits and Pieces” to the sensitive “Because,” from the uninhibited “Glad All
Over” to the enthusiastic “Over and Over.” Typically, the four songs are less
than two minutes long, and none is more than three. The DC5’s ability to
produce powerful, succinct singles is well-documented in this fine album.
A new single was also released
in early ’66. “At the Scene” was an attempt to recapture the energy, beat, and
drive of the “Bits and Pieces” era. And it really does succeed as an energetic
rocker with mildly “hip” lyrics (“Everyone who is lonely / I’ve got a place for
you / Where the music pla-a-ays… / Till way past 2”). The problem, of course,
was that the music world had changed since “Bits and Pieces,” and what may once
have been a smash, was simply a solid, but unspectacular, hit in ’66.
“Try Too Hard” followed
“At the Scene” in the Spring. With its piano and guitar frills and relatively
sophisticated arrangement, “Try Too Hard” sounded more contemporary than its
forerunner. It did not, however, set the record charts on fire. The B-side of
this single was a three-minute drum and harmonica solo accompanied by vocal
screams and moans, suggestively titled “All Night Long.” It may not have been
the last word in avant-garde music, but it certainly was not standard DC5 fare
either.
Two more singles were
issued in the Summer of 1966. Neither the moderately paced rocker, “Look Before
You Leap,” nor the ballad “Satisfied,” is noteworthy because it was the first
ballad to be released as a single since “Come Home” in early ’65.
Two uninteresting
albums were produced during this period. Try
Too Hard contained the title hit plus nine other new, but uninspired, originals.
Satisfied With You included “Look
Before You Leap,” the title song, more originals, and a superfluous version of
the Rascals’ “Good Lovin’.” These two LPs indicated that the DC5 had finally ended
the habit of placing instrumentals and golden oldies on each album. Following
the lead of the Beatles and Stones, the DC5 were increasingly relying on their
own writing skills. Unfortunately, the DC5’s songwriting abilities did not
match those of their more respected countrymen.
Dave Clark continued to
co-write all the group’s original material. Mike Smith was playing less of a
role in the musical collaborations, while Lenny Davidson and Denny Payton were
becoming more important. None of the various writing teams tried to guide the
band in a new direction so this condemned the DC5 to apparent mediocrity in a
year of great musical change and experimentation.
The Dave Clark Five’s
second “greatest hits” compilation in less than a year emerged as 1966 came to
a close. More Greatest Hits
contained two more hits from early ’65
(“Come Home” and “Reelin’ and Rockin’”), as well as four more recent singles
(“At the Scene,” “Try Too Hard,” “Satisfied With You,” and “Look Before You
Leap”). The quality of this LP could not compare with that of their first “hits”
set, and its sales slipped likewise.
By this time, the Dave
Clark Five had clearly fallen from the front lines of contemporary rock’n’roll,
both creatively and commercially. While they still managed to tour and make
television appearances (they appeared on “Ed Sullivan” quite often), their
record sales were declining sharply. In a year which witnessed the release of
such seminal albums as the Beatles’ Revolver,
the Rolling Stones’ Aftermath, and
the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds, DC5 fans
had to be content with Try Too Hard and
Satisfied With You. Unquestionably,
1966 was a disappointing year for the Dave Clark Five.
At the turn of the
year, a new single, “Nineteen Days,” was issued. Neither this rocking single,
nor the follow-up LP, 5 X 5, managed
to restore the band’s sagging popularity.
You Got What It Takes
Finally, in early 1967,
a Dave Clark-Lenny Davidson composition revived the group’s fortunes. “I’ve Got
to Have a Reason” had a bit of a “Catch Us If You Can” sound and a catchy
chorus. While not exactly a chart-topper, “I’ve Got to…” was the band’s best
effort in close to a year.
Then, in the spring of
’67, the DC5 struck pay dirt. “You Got What It Takes” had been a sizable rhythm
and blues hit in 1960 for Marv Johnson, an early Berry Gordy discovery. The DC5
remake featured surging horn lines and an effusive Mike Smith vocal. The
upfront horn section represented a new direction for the band, while Smith’s vocal
was one of his best ever. “You Got What it Takes” gave the DC5’s popularity and
record sales a much-needed boost. The vital question fans asked was whether
this was a fluke single or an overall resurgence for the band.
The next album was
titled, cleverly enough, You Got What it
Takes. This proved to be their most convincing 12-incher since the Having a Wild Weekend soundtrack. The
new LP included the title song, “I’ve Got to Have a Reason,” and some strong
new originals (“Play with Me,” “Dr. Rhythm”). “Tabatha Twitchit” was not a DC5
composition, but their version of the turn was pure contemporary pop.
Unfortunately, it was not released as a single in the States.
“You Got What it Takes”
did not usher in a new era of chart supremacy for the DC5, though they did
manage to score again. Digging back even further into musical antiquity, the
group released a single version of “You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby” the
Summer of Love. “Baby…” was a “big” production number with plenty of horns, a
brassy lead vocal by Mike Smith, and just a touch of “Winchester Cathedral”-style
nostalgia. The flip side of the single, “Man in the Pin Stripe Suit,” is a
delightful, Beatle-influenced composition, which features fairly adventurous
(for the DC5, anyway) instrumentation (harpsichord) and production.
The final DC5 single to
chart in the USA was issued in late ’67; it was called “Everybody Knows.” For
trivia buffs, it should be noted that this made the DC5 the only rock act to
ever chart with two different songs,
each of which possessed the same title.
The DC5 closed out their album-making careers with one final American LP, also
called Everybody Knows.
Thus, as the year 1967
ended, so did a remarkable chapter in the history of rock’n’roll music. Like
1964, 1967 was a watershed year in rock history. The artists who dominated the
mid-‘60s were supplanted by new acts (Cream, the Doors, Jimi Hendrix Experience,
the Jefferson Airplane) with a more serious message and a heavier, more
contemporary sound.
The Dave Clark Five, evidently,
accepted their fate philosophically: the band returned to England, where they
continued to record both as the DC5 and Dave Clark and Friends. And though some
of these were released in America, none found any real success.
Epic Records did issue
two more DC5 albums. The first was a double album of old material called,
simply, The Dave Cark Five. Oddly, it
contained only a few of the band’s hit singles. The second was released in the
Spring of 1975 and titled, appropriately, Glad
All Over Again / The Dave Clark Five’s Greatest Hits. This two-record set
captures all the exuberance and excitement of the DC5 at their single-making
best. It contains all their biggest, most memorable songs (“Glad All Over,”
“Bits and Pieces,” “Because,” “Catch Us if You Can,” “You Got What it Takes”),
a few obscure gems (“Good Time Woman,” “Forget,” “Here Comes Summer”), and
thoughtful liner notes by Ken Barnes.
Interest in and
appreciation of the Dave Clark Five has grown somewhat in the past couple of
years, largely as a result of the emergence of the New Wave scene. And that
seems appropriate, for the Dave Clark Five deserve to be remembered fondly by
all those who enjoy driving pop and energetic rock’n’roll.
Currently living in Saskatoon (email at RBF55@msn.com for address). From 1977-88, I used to publish a print version of a music magazine in New York called FFanzeen, which dealt with the wide-ranging independent music scene. I also photographed many bands from the period (and since). Now I write this blog. And the beat goes on.
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