Embark on a kaleidoscopic trip through pop-psych music as we revisit The Dave Clark Five’s best mind-bending records from 1966 to 1969. Peter Checksfield, author of ‘The Dave Clark Five – Bits & Pieces! Every Song From Every Session, 1962-1973‘ unravels the group’s shift to experimental sounds that left their mark on psychedelic rock.
All Night Long (USA & UK B-side, March 1966)
The flipside of the equally fabulous ‘Try Too Hard’, ‘All Night Long’ is an absolutely frantic Bo Diddley-inspired semi-instrumental – with relentless “shave and a haircut, two bits” drums, wailing harmonica, piercing guitar, maracas, and even a dive-bombing bass solo – all topped off by Mike Smith’s whoops, yelps and screams. Yet people still dismiss The Dave Clark Five as a Pop group! Combined with the A-side, this surely ranks as one of the finest singles of the ‘60s.
It Don’t Feel Good (USA ‘Try Too Hard’ album, May 1966)
“The thing that people have kind of missed in reference to the Dave Clark Five, is those were big, powerful, nasty sounding records, man. Bigger, a much bigger sound than, say, the Stones or the Beatles.” – not the words of this author, but those of Bruce Springsteen. ‘It Don’t Feel Good’ has brutal fuzz guitar, frantic drumming and falsetto harmonies. Even in 1966, there were few bands playing with this power.
Fallout Shelter (‘Unreleased Tracks, Vol. Two’ download-only album, 2010)
Unlike virtually every other major – and many minor! – acts of yesteryear, there have never been vinyl or CD expanded re-issues of their albums, nor has there been any collections of unreleased material in those formats. Things were finally rectified to a degree with three download-only compilations in 2010: ‘Last Train To Clarksville’, ‘Unreleased Tracks, Vol. Two’ and ‘Unreleased Tracks, Vol. Three’. Unfortunately, there was zero info provided on recording dates, personnel, etc – so everything is left to (educated) guesswork.
Probably from 1966, ‘Fallout Shelter’ is a frantic-paced song with a groovy organ riff, thrashing and distorted guitar, maracas – and leather-lunged verses combined with a harmonised chorus – before closing with the sound of a nuclear explosion. Owing much to the London ‘Mod’ sounds of The Small Faces, The Creation and The Who, there really is nothing else quite like it in The Dave Clark Five’s repertoire… which is probably why it remained in the can for almost half a century.
Nineteen Days [LIVE VERSION] (USA & UK A-side, September/October 1966)
Unlike some of their singles, ‘Nineteen Days’ features the band sounding bang up-to-date and fully in touch with the musical trends of the time. With a double-tracked Mike Smith vocal that goes from a gravelly growl to a screaming falsetto and fuzzy guitar licks from guitarist Lenny Davidson, the song is at the same time both uncompromisingly powerful and highly memorable. Sadly, it didn’t do so well chart-wise, despite promotion at home and abroad on ‘Top Of The Pops’, ‘Ready Steady Go!’ and ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’.
Owing to the lack of live videos and audios, there’s a myth that The DC5 weren’t any good when playing live – despite those fans who actually saw them remembering otherwise. This performance from the UK’s ‘A Royal Gala’ is one of the few fully live performances known to survive, and largely confirms those fan’s recollections.
Man In A Pin-Striped Suit (USA & UK B-side, May 1967)
The USA flip of ‘You Must Have Been A Beautiful Baby’ and the UK flip of ‘Tabatha Twitchit’ (where it was slightly-re-titled ‘Man In The Pin Stripe Suit’), ‘Man In A Pin-Striped Suit’ is notable for featuring saxophonist Denis Payton on co-lead vocals, and has a fluid, almost classical, piano motif. Wasted as a B-side, it has thoughtful and contemporary-sounding lyrics, similar to what The Kinks were doing around this time.
Inside and Out (USA B-side, November 1967)
The American B-side to the middle-of-the-road ballad ‘Everybody Knows’, ‘Inside and Out’ is something else altogether: Kicking off with a thumping bass drum, it features a fluid guitar riff, ascending chords, Shakespeare-inspired lyrics, a slowed down middle-eight – and a very different, almost Lennon-esque vocal from Mike Smith. There have been some accusations that the band were simply copying ‘I Am The Walrus’, but coincidentally, both songs were released on the very same day.
Lost In His Dreams (USA & UK ‘Everybody Knows’ albums, December 1967)
The band’s nods to Pop-Psych were sadly few and far between, but this is another one of those rare examples. Sung by Mike with prominent co-vocals from Denis, ‘Lost In His Dreams’ features a brief up-tempo ‘Russian’ intro, 3/4 ‘waltz’ time interludes, melodic guitar riffs – and some suitably way-out lyrics.
HOLD ON (‘Last Train To Clarksville’ download-only album, 2010)
A brief version of ‘Hold On’ could be heard in the band’s ‘Hold On, It’s The Dave Clark Five’ TV special in the summer of 1968, but it took over 40 years for the full song to be released. With its teasing short brass band intro, riff-ing, squealing horns, Mike’s highest, most challenging vocals – which he pulls off nicely – and a previously-unheard middle-eight, it was well worth waiting for.
Best Day’s Work (UK ‘5 by 5’ album, November 1968)
‘Best Day’s Work’ is a mid-tempo Rhythm ‘n’ Blues song with a fuzzy guitar riff and organ, sounding not unlike The Animals circa 1966 – but it then unexpectedly breaks into a fast, Jazzy instrumental break, with organ, piano, and what sounds like a baritone saxophone. First released on a UK-only album, it later appeared in the USA as the B-side to 1969’s ‘If Somebody Loves You’ single.
Make Believe World (‘Unreleased Tracks, Vol. Two’ download-only album, 2010)
Recorded around 1968/1969 but not released until 2010, ‘Make Believe World’ features a mannered Mike vocal with a weird ‘under water’ effect, combined with trippy guitar and a sing-along chorus. Very strange indeed, it has more in common with The Pretty Things’ late ‘60s recordings than it does The Dave Clark Five of old.
Further information
Peter Checksfield: The Dave Clark Five – Bits & Pieces! Every Song From Every Session, 1962-1973
Excellent piece, there are more “way out”numbers than those mentioned here,but it’s good to see DC5 get some kudos as they seem to be one of the forgotten UK bands who were huge in the USA at the time,as their release schedule was frantic in the US compared to the relative calm of their UK releases.
That much of their material has not been reissued outside of Greatest Hits packages and repackages hasn’t helped in keeping them known,as many other artists from the same time.
Their albums,in particular the non uk albums from 67-70 have never saw official legit reissues in the cd age, though there have been pretty decent “bootlegs”with 2 albums and extras including single sides, on cd,that show DC5 in a less pop, more experimental, psych, paisley pop, fuzzed up groovers type of mode and deep album cuts away from their more mainstream pop fare, DOES show the DC5 could groove with the best and trippier end of late 60s music.
For some strange reason Dave Clark himself seems very hesitant and protective of the DC5 catalogue,as he personally has had control of the catalogue and indeed their legacy, resulting in NO reissue programme, of ALL the DC5 albums,in the cd age, unlike ALL the other big bands from that time.
SO ANY legacy has been lost,as the disappointment of 60s music enthusiasts that DC5 albums have NOT been reissued with single only cuts and indeed the many unreleased recordings laying collection dust seems to be counterproductive in the full story of DC5, and of indeed their part in musical and cultural history of BOTH the US and the UK.
As the success they had in the States compared to other UK acts was up there with The Beatles and Rolling Stones, though as the 60s entered into the later years, their success did wain like MANY other very successful acts through the psychedelic into the prog and heavy Rock era.
It IS those years that those acts recorded their best, non mainstream, less pop, bendy, trippy moments, and DC5 were NO different!!
I so wish a box set, or indeed a CD reissue programme would happen, but at this time it seems very unlikely that any physical product except from Greatest Hits packages with the same songs, will ever be made available unfortunately!!
Thanks for putting in the time and given us this amazing article!
So many great songs that everyone left behind!!!!!!!!!!!!
I listened to the three songs available on download only and thought they were good. The thing that Dave Clark doesn’t seem to realise is that as fans of the DC5 are mostly of an older age, we prefer something that we can see and hold. Many, many lesser artists have released box sets of previously unissued tracks, etc. so why won’t he? He, and we, won’t be around for too many more years and then it will be too late.
Great book by the way. I’m glad I got in there just in time to give it a 5* review on Amazon. Why did Mr Clark object to it? Has he got something planned?