Psychedelic Skeletons In The Closet—Dave Clark Five
Psychedelic Skeletons In The Closet—Dave Clark Five
Everybody who made a record before 1967 has a bad psychedelic moment. The Dave Clark Five had three. The work that would get them into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was already done by the Summer of Love. Entering into the era of lengthy “Moby Dick” drum solos, Clark’s time-keeping technique (which might generously be described as someone driving a nail through a wall) would prove an outstanding liability.
Like most early British Invasion groups, the DC5‘s game of “catch up if you can“ with the Beatles was getting very near the end. But not without a trio of ghastly last gasps.
Backhistory:
For two years the Dave Clark Five was the Beatles’ fiercest US chart rival, churning out a staggering 17 Top 40 hits stateside. Dave and the lads, you’ll remember, weren’t Merseybeaters, but the sole proponents of the “Tottenham Sound,” a welcome if lunkheaded counterpoint to the Beatles’ ever-accelerating artistic ambitions.
The DC5 habitually padded its albums with slavish Beatle rewrites, yet grew evermore confused as the Fabs’ music became more complex than say, “I’ll Follow The Sun.” Unable to get past Sgt. Pepper’s title track, Dave and the boys kept rewriting it over and over and over again in the hopes of becoming enlightened, or at least mistaken for groovy.
Suspect Records:
“Inside and Out” single released Dec. 24, 1967
“Maze of Love” released single released Aug. 18, 1968
“Live In the Sky” single released outside US in Nov. 1968
Release Date In Relation to Sgt. Pepper LP:
Six months, fourteen months and seventeen months after, respectively
Suspicious Psychedelic Instrumentation:
Remember the fuzzy lead guitar riff from Sgt. Pepper’s title track? The DC5 copy that and spread it across two songs: “Inside and Out” and “Maze of Love.” “Inside and Out” also has a freakout string section.
Psychedelia Enabler:
Believe it or not, “Inside and Out” was actually commissioned by Italian director Franco Zefferelli for his film, Romeo and Juliet. Not surprisingly, the Zeffer gave the “Tottenham Sound” two thumbs down after hearing Shakespeare translated by the Dave Clark 5:
“Two little villages on their own
Each lot taking care of his own
One with a son that never looks happy
The other with a daughter
that dresses so snap-py!
They love each other
and they’re trying to get together
But the feud between their parents
isn’t getting any better!”
Worst Lyrical Moment
“Maze of Love” contains this lightning bolt of self-realization:
“Too many people are running around and trying to find themselves
If they could only understand, it’s the egg and not the shell
Stand too close to the mirror and you won’t even see yourself.”
What’s It Sound Like?
As “Sgt. Pepper” zeroxes, the previous two tracks at least contain a kernal of originality (see “the egg and not the shell” bit). “Live in the Sky” has not only the same marching feel of “All You Need Is Love,” but also an ebullient Mike Smith singing “all together now” every chorus and “all you need is love” about halfway through. This kind of stupidity in song-stealing is not unlike a guy who robs an out of town 7-11 and then asks the clerk for directions on how to get home. While “All You Need Is Love” quoted the French national anthem “Les Marseilles” and the Beatles’ own early signature hit “She Loves You,” the DC5’s lower IQ opts for “I’ve Been Working On the Railroad” and the DC5’s own recent flop single “Red Balloon.” With that kind of elevated thinking, “Live In the Sky” was dead in the water on arrival.
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