DAVE DEE, DOZY, BEAKY, MICK & TICH - Legend of ... 1968

 

  

Even if the group had never been formed, Dave Dee (real name David Harman) still had a claim to fame. In 1960 he was a policeman in Wiltshire and was called out to attend a traffic accident. It was the crash that killed Eddie Cochran and injured Gene Vincent.

Together with four of his mates from Wiltshire, Dave formed Dave Dee and the Bostons, but in 1964 a couple of songwriters, Ken Howard and Alan Blaikley took them under their wing, changed the band's name to include everyone and wrote some of their biggest hits.

The band's 3rd single, but the first to make the charts, was 'You Make It Move' released in 1965. The floodgates really opened though between February 1966 and September 1968 when they had a total of 11 songs in the top 20, 7 of them top 10 hits and 'Legend of Xanadu' reaching #1.

I've previously mentioned that in 1967 I had left home and was living in Brisbane when the Animals came to town. On the same bill was DDDBM&T, so I got to see them live in the middle of their popularity.

Although essentially a 'pop' group, when you really look at some of their songs they could almost be classed as an early 'world music' band. 'Zorba's Dance' from the movie 'Zorba the Greek' was a hit in 1965 and the following year DDDBM&T released 'Bend It'. The Greek influence is unmistakable when you play them back-to-back. Want to try a Latin beat? Listen to 'Save Me' from the end of '66. By 1967 we got the African style percussion in the fantastic track 'Zabadak', full of made up words and nonsense to hold together the two English verses. Want some whip-cracking effects - literally !! - then turn up the volume and play 'Legend of Xanadu' and throw in some pseudo-Mariachi trumpets while you're at it.

This is an early album but if you want a fuller discography you'll need to go CD or digital. Trust me, it's worth it.

Dave Dee passed away in 2009 after being with the band from the beginning. 

There have been 2 Dozy's, the original Trevor Ward-Davies left in 2015

There have been 3 Beaky's, the original John Dymond left in '89, had a couple of replacements but then came back in 2013.

There have been 3 Mick's, the original Michael Wilson stayed until 1975.

There have been 2 Tich's, the original Ian Amey played through until 2014.

Some other songs worthy of mention are 'Last Night in Soho', 'The Wreck of the 'Antoinette'' and the very obscure, very Beatle-esque 'Mrs. Thursday'.

If you are old enough, cast your mind back and relive the simple pleasures of DDDBM&T as they bounce through the 60's.

Legend of Xanadu

Zabadak

Bend It

NOT DROWNING, WAVING - Tabaran 1990

 

(not drowning, waving and the Musicians Of Rabaul, Papua New Guinea featuring Telek)

My music postings have a small but faithful following, however, this entry is self-indulgent and will mean nothing to all but one or two people. I've included it because of my attachment to and affection for Papua New Guinea, particularly the people of Kundiawa, where I lived for 5 years in the 80's and 90's.

'not drowning, waving' (styled in all lowercase) were a Melbourne group popular through the mid 80's to mid 90's playing rock, indie and world music. In July 1988 they went to Rabaul, Papua New Guinea at the invitation of the manager of Pacific Gold Studios to record with local musicians. 'Tabaran' came from those sessions. Although containing local musical styles and content there are caveats on the description of the album as a whole ..

"'Tabaran' is not a representative album of Papua New Guinea music nor is it anthropological."

".. the liner notes warn against any illusion of ethnic musical purity .."

Having said that, the overall 'feel' of the album for me is one of immersion in culture and time.

'The Kiap Song' is perhaps the most commercial of all the tracks, dealing with the attitudes of certain ex-pats to the local population, specifically mentioning the area where I spent almost all of my 5 years in PNG, Chimbu Province.

"The strong Chimbu man looks straight ahead.

He hears his masta's voice, he's lost his nerve again.

The kiap shouts, the big buffoon

he yells his orders through the coffee trees."

My only problem with this is the use of the word "Kiap" as seeming to be just the boss of a coffee plantation. In fact, kiaps were district patrol officers in pre-independence days, evolving to become district magistrates post-independence. A friend during the time I lived there was Rick Giddings who was exactly that - a kiap who became a magistrate. As can be imagined, he had some amazing stories.

There's a great intro at the beginning of the song 'Abebe' where the announcer gives a 'pidgin' language version of the band's name .. "i no dringim wara, tromwai han tasol". Literally, "he didn't drink the water, he's just throwing his hand around" - therefore - "not drowning, waving".

When the CD version of the album came out, Tim Cole, band vocalist who produced the record, decided to put a 'hidden' track as close to the end of the CD as possible. The result was a 15th song - 'Gawi Bagarap' tucked away as a little gift for the unsuspecting listener. I've listed a link to a live version of the song.

Sadly Rabaul, where this album was recorded, was destroyed by falling ash after a volcanic eruption in 1994.

Treat yourself to something different, listen to the music.

The Kiap Song

Abebe

Gawi Bagarap

EVERLY BROTHERS - Reunion Concert 1983

 

In the 2020 documentary "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart" Noel Gallagher says about the Bee Gees "When you’ve got brothers singing, it’s like an instrument that nobody else can buy. You can’t go buy that sound in a shop."

That's true of other family acts. The Beach Boys had the three Wilson brothers, Haim has three sisters, The Carpenters had brother and sister Karen and Richard, there's The Osmonds, The Jacksons, even Toto had Steve, Jeff, and Mike Porcaro.

The Everly Brothers had Phil and Don.

If you were around in 1957, a new sound came over the radio. 'Bye Bye Love' and 'Wake Up Little Susie' were both released that year and became instant hits in the fledgling Top 20's, 40's or 100's. These two songs were written by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, who went on to also write 'All I Have To Do Is Dream', 'Take a Message to Mary' and 'Bird Dog'.

Before too long though, the brothers were writing their own material with '(Till) I Kissed You' and 'Cathy's Clown' proving they knew how to create their own hits. In fact in England 'Cathy's Clown' was catalogue number WB1, the first Warner Bros. Records ever released in the United Kingdom.

They remained popular even through all the musical revolutions happening in the 60's, one of my favourite Everly Brothers songs came out in 1967 - 'Bowling Green', a country influenced slightly 'pop' type tune where the guitar sound is replaced by the brothers singing 'ching' over and over.

Sadly, as happens sometimes even in the best of families, by the early 70's the Everly Brothers were starting to fray at the edges. At a concert at Knott's Berry Farm in 1973 Don was reported as saying he was tired of being an Everly Brother, but during the show Phil put the nail in the coffin by smashing his guitar and walking off stage, leaving Don to finish the set alone.

It was a full 10 years before they spoke again, but the result of them patching up their differences was this album - 'The Everly Brothers Reunion Concert' at The Albert Hall on September 23 1983. Musically it's a great double album with all the songs people had been waiting to hear again, sung with the magic of perfectly harmonised voices.

Somewhere along the line in the printing of this album, the proof reader went on a break and let a couple of errors slip in. Although the track listing on the cover is correct the well known song 'Bird dog' is listed as 'Bird Song' on the label, and Susie had a name change to 'Suzie', again on the label.

The Everly Brothers influence can't be overstated. From The Beatles, The Bee Gees and especially Simon and Garfunkel, who took the Everlys on their 2003/4 tour, they impacted the direction of music throughout their lives. Amazingly, Phil Everly was the inspiration behind Warren Zevon's hit 'Werewolves of London'. Phil watched a 1935 movie called 'Werewolf of London' and "suggested to Zevon that he adapt the title for a song and dance craze."

A nice bit of trivia concerns Erin Everly, Don's daughter. For a short time she was married to Axl Rose who wrote the song 'Sweet Child O' Mine' for her.

Phil Everly passed away on 3 January 2014, just a couple of weeks before his 75th birthday. A heavy smoker for most of his life, he died of lung disease. Don will be 84 years old in February 2021.

Bowling Green

THE MONKEES - Greatest Hits 1969

In 1968 I was the first caller through to a competition on radio station 4LM in Mount Isa, Queensland. I won 10 45's and one of them was The Stone Poneys singing 'Different Drum' backed with 'Some of Shelley's Blues'. The lead singer of The Stone Poneys was Linda Ronstadt. To this day, 'Different Drum' is one of Linda's best known and loved tracks.

What has this got to do with The Monkees? Well, 'Different Drum' and 'Some of Shelley's Blues' were both written by future Monkee Mike Nesmith.

The line-up of talent on this album is amazing. No, I'm not talking about the lads who make up the band, I'm talking about the people who wrote the songs.

'Daydream Believer' was by John Stewart who had his own hit with the single 'Gold'.
'Pleasant Valley Sunday' came from the powerhouse of Gerry Goffin and Carole King.
Nilsson's 'Cuddly Toy' joined the collection and Neil Diamond threw in 'A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You' and the early hit 'I'm A Believer'.
Five of the tracks came from Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, the stand-out being the Monkees first single and first #1 'Last Train to Clarkesville'. 

Band member Mickey Dolenz wrote what is possibly the oddest titled song of them all, 'Randy Scouse Git'. It was a phrase he heard on the British TV show "Till Death Do Us Part", the original show that inspired the US take-off 'All In The Family'. In the UK the song was renamed 'Alternate Title' because of the meaning of the phrase, basically  "horny, Liverpudlian jerk" which may have offended a portion of the listening public - and certainly the BBC radio stations.

Far from being a no-talent bunch of faces put together purely for a TV show, the 4 members of The Monkees were artists in their own right.

Peter Tork had been known in the folk music scene in Greenwich Village and was a multi-instrumentalist.

Mickey Dolenz appeared on TV shows and had his own group 'Mickey and the One-Nighters'. He was also a competent songwriter. He had Perthes disease as a child leaving his right leg shorter, so played drums oddly, using a right hand and left foot set-up.

Mike Nesmith as mentioned above was a songwriter and solo artist. Perhaps as well-known as him was his mother Bette who famously invented the correction fluid 'Liquid Paper' and went on to become a millionaire.

Davy Jones, born in Manchester, had a career as a child star, appearing on British television in shows such as 'Coronation Street' and 'Z-Cars' but also on stage as the Artful Dodger in the West End musical 'Oliver'. If it hadn't been for him having early fame, we would never have heard of David Bowie. Bowie of course was born David Jones but after calling himself Davy and Davie he wanted to avoid confusion so renamed himself David Bowie.

It's easy to fob the Monkees off as one of those manufactured groups that seemed to pop up in the 60s. Think of The Archies. In fact they put out some memorable, complex and very long-lived songs that are still being played over 50 years later. 

That's not a bad legacy. 

Last Train to Clarkesville