Celebrating Dave Clarke on his 84th birthday. —Ed.
The Dave Clark Five were one of the most successful and acclaimed bands of the British Invasion of the 1960s. Unlike the Beatles and many others of that time and place, however, they were not from Liverpool. The team was from Tottenham, North London. Their big, booming, raucous, brassy and infectious sound propelled them to seven top ten singles in the UK and eight top ten singles in the US.
The DC5's unique sound centered around Clark's pounding drums, Mike Smith's full voice, and Denis Payton's wide-ranging keyboard stylings and honking. The group was completed by guitarist Lenny Davidson and bassist Rick Huxley. Huxley also played harmonica and all four members except Smith provided backing vocals. Unlike most British Invasion bands, their sound was not centered around guitars. They were the first British band since the Beatles to appear The Ed Sullivan Show and were inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame in 2008.
The band disbanded in 1970, but Dave Clark, who was the group's manager and producer, has always curated the group's legacy with great care. Among his many other activities over the years is acquiring the rights to the major British music television show Ready Steady Go! and, in the 1980s, wrote and produced the 1986 stage musical Year.
There have been excellent compilations of the group's music on CD and vinyl, but the latest reissue is the best yet. The group's US debut album I am happy everywhere, originally released in 1964 and one of four albums released by the band in the US that year, it was reissued on white vinyl in glorious mono, from the original BMG master tapes.
British groups of the period covered many American R&B classics of the 60s, but the DC5's cover of the Isley Brothers' “Do You Love Me,” which closes the first side, is almost as important as the Isley Brothers' cover of the song ” Twist and Shout” was covered by The Beatles. The other big hits here are the title track and “Bits and Pieces”.
“Crying Over You” is a heartfelt ballad not found on the original album. “Chaquita” is an instrumental that, although credited as written by Dave Clark and DC5 lead singer Mike Smith on the label, sounds like a reworking of The Champs' 1958 song “Tequila”.
Future releases will not have three big hit singles on one album like this reissue. Later songs such as “Because”, “I Like It Like That”, “Over and Over”, “Any Way You Want It” and “Having A Wild Weekend” however either charted or received heavy airplay.
“No Time To Lose”, “Doo Dah” and “She's All Mine” have been removed from the album's original running order as released in 1964, and “Crying Over You”, “3406” and “Who Do You Think You' re Talking To” have been added to this reissue.
The album was released in Poland and has great sound quality, but a reissue this good should include a vinyl sleeve. After all these years, we hope that now all of the group's US albums will be reissued.
CURVE RATING:
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