Dave Clark Five "Facts"

I love the Dave Clark Five. I purchased the History set, and was able to peruse the booklet. In it, only Dave is interviewed. Many claims are presented as fact, but I have noticed in threads on this board things come into question. If the claims in the booklet are true, Clark is one of the most innovative and important musicians of the British invasion.

1. Did Clark play drums on the recordings and invent their sound?
2. Did Clark actively produce all of their music?
3. Were they a fantastic live band, as is claimed in the booklet, winning a poll as England's #1 circuit live band?
4. Did Clark actually write or co-write all the songs?
5. Did Clark indeed pioneer the first music video?
6. Did The Dave Clark Five successfully crack America before the Beatles ever came over?

So how much do we actually know about this band and how they worked?

 

A lot of this is certainly bull. But were the records great? Emphatically yes.

 

I only found out this morning that Dave Clark made a play in 1986 called Time and Freddie Mercury sang the title song.
Time

Show logo
Music Jeff Daniels
Lyrics Dave Clark and David Soames
Book Dave Clark and David Soames
Productions 1986 West End

 

One more:
7. Did Clark compose the text of the booklet?

 

Don't know about all this, but a local Cleveland AM radio station had a Saturday night show called IIRC "vote for your favorites" where you could call in and vote for your favorite artist. Among the big 3 Brit bands (circa 1965), DC5, Stones, and Beatles, the DC5 won their fair share as I recollect. I couldn't vote because it was a "long distance" call.
Remember long distance? You could be 3 miles away from someone in some areas and pay long distance phone charges.

 

There is no doubt the music is great, and no doubt they were popular. I was amazed at Clark's accomplishments cited in the booklet, but hear whispers here that it is not so. What do we actually know about this band?

 

Session drummer Bobby Graham played on a number of the Dave Clark Five hits. Glad All Over for one.

 

1. Did Clark play drums on the recordings and invent their sound?

He did not play the drums on their biggest hits. That was session ace Bobby Graham. Clark may have played drums on some album cuts. Whether he directed Graham to play in a certain way and was responsible for bringing the drums forward in the mix is an open question.

2. Did Clark actively produce all of their music?

He certainly was involved in the production of their records. Whether he was the mastermind of their sound is another open question.

3. Were they a fantastic live band, as is claimed in the booklet, winning a poll as England's #1 circuit live band?

I don't know about "fantastic," nor do I know about that poll. But despite Clark's detractors, the DC5 had to be at least a decent live band. They served a lengthy stint playing in U.S. servicemen's clubs before they hit the big time. You don't get asked back to venues like that if you stink.

4. Did Clark actually write or co-write all the songs?

I'm sure at least some of his songwriting credits are bogus, but he had enough control that he could slap them on.

5. Did Clark indeed pioneer the first music video?

No.

6. Did The Dave Clark Five successfully crack America before the Beatles ever came over?

A nonsensical claim, easily belied by taking a look at contemporaneous Billboard charts.

 

I should have worded #6 better. The claim is that they successfully toured America before the Beatles came over with large crowds.

It is amazing how little we actually know about this band. Did the other band members ever talk about the band?

 

saw them in 65 and they were great!

 

The Beatles did a mini-tour of America first, probably set up mostly for the Ed Sullivan (Feb 64) shows and 2 or 3 other dates. DC5 did a full tour a few months later, later that Summer the Beatles did a full tour.

 

Very cool!

 

Regardless, they were a great band that have sadly been forgotten somewhat.

I have never heard a song blast from the speakers quite like "Glad All Over." An amazing track that needs to be cranked to "11."

 

"Glad All Over" was the first US hit and it didn't make the top 10 until March 28, nearly two months after the Beatles came over. At the time that would have been an eternity.

 

Clark claims he was able to get control of his masters before signing his record deal, which if true is probably his most significant accomplishment.

 

As has already been mentioned, Clark didn't play on a few tracks, though it wouldn't surprise me if the DC5's drum-heavy sound was his idea. At the very least, they stood out from their contemporaries as a rock band that could also appeal to those wanting something relatively harmless they could still dance to. Good Old Rock 'N' Roll, indeed.

Clark has definitely proved himself to be someone with an ear for what works, though I'm not sure how much of the DC5's production credits he deserved.

I believe the DC5 winning a British poll was correct, and while there are those who recall them being a solid live act, there's very little surviving evidence of this.

I'm sure that Clark had some degree of input, but I don't believe he was ever the DC5's main writer.

So many people claim to have invented the music video that it's hard to keep up...

The DC5 made a dent in the US as an early success in the so-called British Invasion, but they certainly weren't the first, and The Beatles did indeed break first. Still, the fact they were able to achieve anything at all "across the pond" can't be ignored.

A lot has been said about how Clark stiffed his former bandmates, and his iron grip on their masters has ensured that the DC5 is now a mere footnote in history.

 

Which Cleveland AM station? They usually have a 800# in addition to the local number. If you are in PA it was probably 1100 WTAM. I thought they had an 800#. I checked their web page, none was listed.I know WHK 1420 does give out an 800#.
Don't you have a cellphone? "Long distance" is a thing of the past for me as I can either use my cell phone or my Ooma landline which calls the entire US, Canada and Mexico as a local call.

 

I think he's talking about 1965.

 

OOPS you are right.

 

That was before Maxwell Smart even had his shoe-phone!

 

In 1965?? Um...NO

 

It's possible. I don't know if we'll ever know for sure.

At any rate, I believe there were more than just "a few" tracks that Clark didn't play on. But what's most significant is he likely didn't play on ANY of the band's single A-sides — and that's what the DC5 are most known and celebrated for.

I don't understand this statement. How does your description NOT apply to any of the DC5's contemporaries in 1964 and at least most of 1965? Most all bands were plowing that same field, albeit with sometimes differing approaches, in those years.

 

Even if the DC5's full tour predated The Beatles' first full tour by a little bit, I don't see that it counts for much. In the spring of 1964, The Beatles were busy filming A Hard Day's Night and couldn't have toured the US anyway. There's no doubt that they would have had record-breaking crowds had they been able to, and that their appearances would have swamped any response to the DC5.

 

I agree, the Beatles pretty much conquered America in that short tour, Dave just has a talking point.

 

As does Anyway You Want It! But thanks to Glad All Over I've spent a lifetime producing audio samples of foot stomps to record with. Nobody ever includes them on electronic drum presets