Dave Clark 5

They were great, they had the misfortune of going up against The Beatles. You won't win that one.
 
steelyman said:
They were great, they had the misfortune of going up against The Beatles. You won't win that one.
Click to expand...

Wasn't that impressed with the program (seemed like there was a lot of weird filler, and not much "live" performance, just lip-sync), but they were a great band, if a little too pop-oriented for my taste. In the pop genre, they were as good as any, but once the Beatles branched out, no match! Same thing with the Beach Boys.

They were, however, smart enough to quit while they were ahead. And Dave Clark was smart enough to have the song rights revert to him after four years. And, like Mike Nesmith, his influence on music went way beyond his years as a musician.
 
Last edited:
Jump on me if you like, but:

Dave Clark 5 was a high school band.

The Beach Boys went to college.

The Beatles went to another galaxy.
 
I've been playing music for quite a while and one thing I've learned is: slow down!

Listen to Sgt. Pepper (the opening tune). It's slow.
 
HFWR said:
Originally Posted by steelyman View Post
Jump on me if you like, but:

Dave Clark 5 was a high school band.
Click to expand...
No argument here.
Click to expand...

I agree with HFWR's view.

I always thought DC5 was a great pop band. No more, no less. Sometimes, all you want is a good pop song, well done, and not cheesy or saccharin, just a good listen. We don't always need to be serious, there's a time and place for both. I think DC5 was one of the best at filling that zone in the 60's.

-ERD50
 
Thought it was a good program. Surprised that a lot of their songs I thought the Beatles did. Back in the day, seemed like it was either the Stones or the Beatles--never paid much attention to DC5 because like mentioned previously, thought they were a little too much 'pop'. But the program was produced, directed, etc., by Dave Clark--so it was construced to make DC5 look good. Have to say I think Dave Clark was/is one smart guy.
 
steelyman said:
I've been playing music for quite a while and one thing I've learned is: slow down!

Listen to Sgt. Pepper (the opening tune). It's slow.
Click to expand...


You have to wonder about people that quote themselves.

But this thread made me listen again. They kicked it up for the reprise, and once again McCartney did the count off. What a band!
 
I'm a fan of music from that era, but I didn't know much about DC5 before watching this program. I found it pretty interesting.

One of the most interesting parts came at the end, when the credits rolled. For a program that spent much of its time lauding Dave Clark as a music-business genius and all-around fantastic guy, I was a bit surprised to see that Dave Clark himself produced and directed it. By all accounts he's a humble and down-to-earth kind of guy -- especially for a celebrity -- but that just struck me as very self-aggrandizing.
 
Payin-the-Toll said:
But the program was produced, directed, etc., by Dave Clark--so it was construced to make DC5 look good.
Click to expand...

A Bird In Hand said:
For a program that spent much of its time lauding Dave Clark as a music-business genius and all-around fantastic guy, I was a bit surprised to see that Dave Clark himself produced and directed it. By all accounts he's a humble and down-to-earth kind of guy -- especially for a celebrity -- but that just struck me as very self-aggrandizing.
Click to expand...

One thing that struck me as interesting is how much time was devoted to the "Beatles versus the Dave Clark Five" rivalry during the 1960s. OK I was not old enough during this period to appreciate the bands, but I seriously doubt that as good as the DC5 was, that the Beatles ever perceived them as a threat. In fact, I wonder just how popular all these British Invasion bands would have been if the Beatles had not paved the way. I'm glad, though, because there were some really good songs come out of these other British bands.
 
I grew up in the 60's and although I did like The Beatles the best, I liked a ton of other bands also, including DC5.
 
Payin-the-Toll said:
... But the program was produced, directed, etc., by Dave Clark--so it was construced to make DC5 look good. Have to say I think Dave Clark was/is one smart guy.
Click to expand...

A Bird In Hand said:
...
One of the most interesting parts came at the end, when the credits rolled. For a program that spent much of its time lauding Dave Clark as a music-business genius and all-around fantastic guy, I was a bit surprised to see that Dave Clark himself produced and directed it. By all accounts he's a humble and down-to-earth kind of guy -- especially for a celebrity -- but that just struck me as very self-aggrandizing.
Click to expand...

FWIW, that was addressed in the link in the OP:

The film includes interviews with Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Elton John, Steven Van Zandt and other impressive musicians who cite the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band and Clark, its drummer-manager, as influences.

It's such an outpouring of praise that an embarrassed Clark nearly took his producer credit off the project. Friends talked him out of it, just as they had talked him into doing the documentary, he said.

The band's admirers "wouldn't say it if they didn't mean it," Clark recalls being reassured.
Click to expand...

-ERD50
 
Thanks very much for posting the link, I watched it last night and really enjoyed it. I was 9 years old in England, in 1964 and while I remembered the DC5 I didn't have any idea of their background.

Great nostalgia trip.
 
Yes, thanks for posting, I just finished watching online @ PBS (expires in 4 days, so 'Catch it if you Can'!).

While I really did like this band, I had no idea how many hits they had in just 4 years. There was some real power and finesse in those 'pop' songs, and a lyric snippet that really jumped out at me: "We were young with all of our might!" - what a great way to capture the spirit of the 60's with a single line!


Someone mentioned they quit progressing, while The Beatles came out with Sgt. Peppers, but that song with the line "Inside and Out" sure had a Sgt Peppers sound to it. Who knows, if they had kept doing more studio work?

I'm going to have to check to see if there are any downloads of his later "Time" the musical - sure looks as if it would seem dated today, but maybe interesting?

I had to laugh every time they cut to Gene Simmons in full 'Kiss' regalia, cognitive dissonance as he actually seemed quite well spoken. But then he says "We all wanted to look like Dave"? Really?

-ERD50
 
ERD50 said:
Someone mentioned they quit progressing, while The Beatles came out with Sgt. Peppers...

-ERD50
Click to expand...

That was me. :cool:

Growing up, there was AM radio, in our case WAKY (wacky radio, seven-nine-o) in Louisville, and WLS in Chicago at night. They played a fairly wide variety of pop music - "rock", Detroit and Memphis soul, etc. - which is where the DC5 fit in. About the time FM radio started getting popular, the Beatles did Sgt. Peppers and Magical Mystery tour, and other bands more rock-album oriented, like Steppenwolf, Jefferson Airplane, or Jimi Hendrix Experience, started expanding into less pop-oriented music, probably because of pot and LSD. :LOL:

I grew up with AM radio, and liked much of the music, but the newer stuff really captured my imagination. To illustrate, there are no DC5 albums in my collection, and no Beatles prior to Rubber Soul. Not necessarily better or worse, just what I liked better.
 
Last edited:
Some others of that genre - Gerry and the Pacemakers, Herman's Hermits, Paul Revere and the Raiders, Byrds, Yardbirds, Lovin Spoonfill, Turtles, Hollies, Zombies, and of course, Monkees

others?
 
Idnar7 said:
Some others of that genre - Gerry and the Pacemakers, Herman's Hermits, Paul Revere and the Raiders, Byrds, Yardbirds, Lovin Spoonfill, Turtles, Hollies, Zombies, and of course, Monkees others?
Click to expand...

Ok. This may sound a lot like an old man...but the music sure was better back in the old days.

After watching the program, I never knew they had so many hits.
 
I do remember the DC5....and I think I even said something on a post months ago about how good they were. The show didn't really do it justice. The Turtles......Lovin' Spoonful(really J Sebastian) etc etc...yeah, my kind of music. Then you get into Bad Finger and their horrible fate. The music world is not for the faint of heart No Matter What - Badfinger - YouTube.
 
While I liked DC5, when it came time to spend my small allowance at the local record bar, I bought 45rpm's of the Beatles. Too bad I wore them out.
 
As "Bird in Hand" said: For a program that spent much of its time lauding Dave Clark as a music-business genius and all-around fantastic guy, I was a bit surprised to see that Dave Clark himself produced and directed it. By all accounts he's a humble and down-to-earth kind of guy -- especially for a celebrity -- but that just struck me as very self-aggrandizing."

Good obervation and I might have thought the same, but I read an interview with someone involved with this project (can't recall who) who asserted that DC also felt this way, and in fact had to be assured/persuaded to be listed in the credits as producer, executive producer, or whatever it was. The argument was that the show accurately portrayed his many faceted roles in the group and he should not be unduly modest or self conscious about it.

Anyway, like others have said, I forgot just how many great pop songs they had in that short period of time. And I remember thinking "Because" was by the Beatles for quite a long time back in the day. Sheesh!

Gotta love that British Invasion!
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

2HOTinPHX
At Will Employment anyone use this option?
2
Replies
25
Views
876
athena53
athena53
ER Eddie
Two Years Into Retirement
Replies
8
Views
2K
Indiana Randy
I
jollystomper
Three years of retirement after the "Glide Path"
2
Replies
27
Views
5K
Out-to-Lunch
Out-to-Lunch
ExFlyBoy5
A Sunday Night Confession
Replies
10
Views
2K
Koolau
Koolau
Hopeful
Minimum Dignity Floor
2
Replies
49
Views
15K
bmcgonig
bmcgonig

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom