They made you feel glad all over - The Dave Clark Five

G'day,
Sometimes I have to just kick myself when I realise how great a band was, sure I'd heard of the Dave Clark Five BUT I hadnt HEARD the Dave Clark Five  and thats just a big mistake

Dave Clark Five Website

I was watching a doco I picked up about the band, I grabbed it just because I had heard of them and I sort of collect historical dvds on rock bands, I was blown away, not only did immediately dig the sound BUT I knew some of the songs, I dont remember any DC5 being around growing up, but I gues since the house had Beatles and Stones recordsI guess Miss Vickii or Yogi had some DC5 as well.

So I went back to the emporium of rock that i frequent every other week and grabbed a greatest hits c.d because I had to.....then I thought :these blokes deserve a blogaroo, and here it is....ENJOY 

In 1964, it seemed that the biggest challenger to the Beatles'  was the Dave Clark Five. From the Tottenham in the Blighty capital, the quintet had the fortune to knock "I Want to Hold Your Hand" off the top of the British charts with "Glad All Over," and were championed (for about 15 minutes) by the British press as the Beatles' most serious threat. 

They were the first British Invasion band to break in a big way in the States after the Beatles, though the Rolling Stones and quickly supplanted the DC5 as the Fab Four's most serious rivals. the Five reached the Top 40 17 times between 1964 and 1967 with memorable hits like "Glad All Over," "Bits and Pieces," "Because," and a remake of Bobby Day's "Over and Over," as well as making 18 or so appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, more than any other English act. the DC5 were distinguished from their British contemporaries by their larger-than-life production, Clark's loud stomping drum sound, and Mike Smith's leathery vocals. Though accused by "ahem" critics that they lacked finesse and hipness, they had a solid ear for melodies and harmonies and wrote much of their early material, the best of which has endured quite well.

 Bandleader Dave Clark is a certifed genius, he managed and produced the band himself, and negotiated a much higher royalty rate than artists of that period usually received, AND after 3 years regained his masters from the record company, he also bought the tapes of the tv show READY, STEADY ,GO not only to save them for posterity but the licensing opportunities..SEE...GENIUS !

 After a couple years of superstardom, the group proved unable to either keep up with the changing times or maintain a high standard of original compositions, and called it quits in 1970....They were the second group of the British Invasion on The Ed Sullivan Show, appearing in March for two weeks after the Beatles appeared three straight weeks in February 1964. For some time the Dave Clark Five were more popular in the US than in their native UK, but had a renaissance in the UK between 1967 and 1970. The group disbanded in late 1970. On 10 March 2008, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The DC5 disbanded in 1970, having placed three singles on the UK chart that year, two of which reached the Top Ten. In 1970, Davidson, Huxley and Payton left and Alan Parker and Eric Ford joined on lead guitar and bass. This line-up, renamed "Dave Clark & Friends", lasted until 1973.

Between 1978 and 1993, none of their music was available to be purchased in any commercial format, as rights-holder Clark declined to licence the band's recordings. In 1993, a single CD “Glad All Over Again” was produced by Dave himself and released by EMI in Britain. 

After a 1989 deal with the Disney Channel to rebroadcast the 1960s ITV show "Ready, Steady, Go!" (which Clark owned), he made a deal with Disney-owned Hollywood Records to issue in 1993 a double CD "History of the Dave Clark Five". At the time, Hollywood needed product and so met Clark’s demand for a larger-than-usual advance. The deal also included such things as getting DC5 songs into Disney movies and creating a DC5-themed cafe at the United Kingdom Pavilion of Disney World's Epcot; when the project lost money due to low CD sales and the other things never went forward, Clark was able to end the contract early.

 No DC5 material was then legally available until 2008, when the "Hits" compilation was released by Universal Music in the UK. In 2009 selections from the band's catalogue were released on iTunes.

Post break-up
Dave Clark was also the manager and executive producer of the band. Following the group's break-up, Clark set up a media company.  Additionally he was executive producer and listed as co-writer for the 1986 London stage performance of Time - The Musical which featured the last living performance of Sir Laurence Olivier. The production received critical acclaim and featured unique electronic and mechanical theater stagecraft. A two-disc album was released in conjunction with the stage production featuring music recorded by Julian Lennon (singing DC5's song Because), Freddie Mercury, Stevie Wonder, Cliff Richard, Ashford & Simpson and Olivier's selected dialogue. This double album was digitally remastered and released on iTunes in May 2012.

Mike Smith released a now scarce CD in 2000 titled It's Only Rock & Roll and returned to performing in 2003 after a hiatus of 25 years. He formed Mike Smith's Rock Engine and did two mini-tours of the U.S. He died on 28 February 2008 in London from a spinal injury sustained after scaling a fence at his home in Spain.

Denis Payton died on 17 December 2006 at the age of 63 after a long battle with cancer. Rick Huxley died from emphysema on 11 February 2013 at the age of 72. Len Davidson taught guitar for many years at a school in Cambridgeshire, where he still lives.
Induction into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

The Dave Clark Five made the list of nominees for the class of 2008, and on 13 December 2007 it was announced that the band would be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on 10 March 2008. The group was inducted by Tom Hanks, who wrote, directed, and starred in the film That Thing You Do!, which was about an American one-hit wonder band that became popular in the wake of the British Invasion.

In attendance with the three surviving members of the DC5 were the families of Lenny Davidson and Rick Huxley, and Denis Payton's two sons. Mike Smith had planned on attending but died eleven days before the induction. Dave Clark opened up his acceptance speech by saying that he felt like he was at the Oscars. Davidson gave mention that they arrived in New York for the ceremony on 8 March, exactly 44 years after their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show.

Joan Jett honoured the Dave Clark Five by performing "Bits and Pieces" with John Mellencamp's band. To perform "Glad All Over", Jett was joined by John Fogerty, John Mellencamp, Billy Joel and other artists that performed throughout the evening.
In March 2008 a 28-track collection, The Dave Clark Five: The Hits, was released on iTunes.

Personnel
At the peak of its success the band included:
Dave Clark (born David Clark, 15 December 1942, Tottenham, North London, England), was the drummer.
Mike Smith (born Michael George Smith, 6 December 1943, North Middlesex Hospital, Edmonton, North London – died 28 February 2008, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire), was the lead vocalist and keyboardist.
Lenny Davidson (born Leonard Arthur Davidson, 30 May 1944, Enfield, Middlesex) (ex The Off Beats, The Impalas) on lead guitar.
Rick Huxley (born Richard Huxley, 5 August 1940, Livingstone Hospital, Dartford, Kent - died 11 February 2013) (ex The Riverside Blues Boys, The Spon Valley Stompers) on bass guitar.
Denis Payton (born Dennis Archibald West Payton, 11 August 1943, Walthamstow, East London – died 17 December 2006, in Bournemouth, Dorset) (ex The Renegades, The Les Heath Combo, The Blue Dukes, The Mike Jones Combo) on tenor and baritone saxophones, harmonica, and guitar.

Glad All Over (US; 1964)

The Dave Clark Five Return! (US; 1964) / A Session with The Dave Clark Five (UK; 1964)

American Tour (US; 1964)

Coast to Coast (US; 1965)

Weekend in London (US; 1965)

Having a Wild Weekend (US; 1965) / Catch Us If You Can (UK; 1965)

I Like It Like That (US; 1965)

Try Too Hard (US; 1966)

Satisfied with You (US; 1966)

5 By 5 (US; 1967)

You Got What It Takes (US; 1967)

Everybody Knows (UK; 1967) / (US; 1968)

5 by 5 = Go! (UK; 1969)

If Somebody Loves You (UK; 1969)

Good Old Rock'n'Roll (UK; 1970)

A Recked DVD Review: Motorhead Stagefright

The Stage Fright dvd  is a 2005 live gig  hosted by our favourite loudest band on the planet, Motörhead. It was filmed in Düsseldorf, Germany during the band's 30th anniversary year.

Now, its fairly well known that I a MotorheadBanger, I just dig the whole legendary swagger that Lem seems to have in (ace of ) spades...Sure, the great man hasnt been very well of late, but this dvd is the band at the height of their powers.

Lem straps on his signature Rickenbacker bass, strolls up to the famous 45% angled mic and  kickstart's the show by saying "We are Motorhead and we play Rock and Roll." 
This double DVD has the full 90 minute concert from a show to an decidely sold-out house  at the Philipshalle in Dusseldorf Germany, along with a second DVD loaded with a shitload of extra features. 

The is loaded with a huge of barnstorming classic Motorhead tunes and several rarities like "I Got Mine" (off "Another Perfect Day" album) or the in your face "Just 'Cos You Got The Power". Of course, the set wouldn't be complete without the definitive monster hits from the band such as the gritty "Ace Of Spades" and my all-time favorite "Iron Fist."

The crowd (and us viewers) are knocked back in our seat with the vastly talented Phil Campbell on guitar and Mikkey Dee on drums. Phil and Mikkey  are clearly having more fun than anyone in the arena here and are certainly no slouches at their jobs. I must admit that the band does sound more "musical" at this point too, without seeming to lose the Motorhead edge they have become so well known for over the years. 

Despite the fact that the album for this tour was released on Sanctuary Records, it's the top notch SPV Records who are involved with this DVD and this company is easily the leader by far at putting out perfectly shot concert products and simply delivering more value for your money than any other name on the market.

 

 On DVD 2 are a series of documentaries on the band, highlighted by informative backstage interviews and the such, including a portion entitled "We Are The Road Crew," which is particularly fun to watch because it provides a unique insight into how the people behind Motorhead's epic stage performance keep them firing on all cylinders from one show to the next. This second disc is 120 minutes in length 
Oh yeah and the dvd also has a 16 page color booklet filled to chockers with cool photos.

Any fan of Motorhead should not hesitate to add this gem to their collection.

"Dr. Rock"

"Stay Clean" 

"Shoot You in the Back" 

"Love Me Like a Reptile"

"Killers"

"Metropolis" 

"Over the Top" 

"No Class" 

"I Got Mine"

"In the Name of Tragedy" )

"Dancing on Your Grave"

"R.A.M.O.N.E.S"

"Sacrifice" 

"Just 'cos You've Got the Power"

"Going to Brazil" 

"Killed by Death" 

"Iron Fist" 

"Whorehouse Blues" 

"Ace of Spades" 

"Overkill"

Anvil - Canadian Metal Gods...EH!

Now before I started this blogaroo, I checked my folder with all my old handwritten notes of the record/cassette collection, and to my amazement , I had a cassingle (remember them) of Metal on Metal by Anvil, and here all this time I thought the doco about them was my first introduction to them, makes me wonder why I didnt have any of their albums at the time, maybe even Utopia records ( my purveyor of all things metal) didnt even get them imported, but thats a guess.

I'm in full agreement with Lars and Slash when they say, "What the f**k happened to Anvil, they were cool" ...after watching the doco, I think it comes down to crap managers and real bad fkn timing, I think this led to their plummeting into the abyss of non famousosity(?).....BUT...their  super fan Sasha fixed their famousosity for 'em with the movie and Lips family and Chris Tsangarides sorted the album "This is Thirteen"...oh and Lips and Rob for writing the damn thing

O.K time to drop an Anvil tale or two on you....
Toronto, Canada's Anvil were one of the first North American bands to push the sound and style of  NWOBHM one step further. Clearly they were listening to the likes of Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, and many others from across the Atlantic, Anvil  played louder, faster, and heavier than their heroes, some say, laying the groundwork for the thrash movement that took over heavy metal's underground in the '80s. 

Yet unlike many of the furious West Coast thrashers that immediately followed them, Anvil were mostly out for a good time: their albums often featured mildly  pornographic sex songs, and frontman Steve "Lips" Kudlow frequently took to the stage in a bondage harness and played guitar solos with a vibrator.

Dildos aside, Anvil's musical contributions were very real; their fastest songs were some of the earliest speed metal recorded, while jazz-trained drummer Robb Reiner set new technical standards for the genre, including pioneering the double bass drum technique that's become a staple of many drummers  since. Anvil's second and third albums, Metal on Metal and Forged in Fire, made significant waves in the metal community over 1982-1983, but despite the respect of musicians and metalheads alike, stardom was not to be theirs. Geographic isolation, label and management difficulties, and shifting musical trends all conspired against them, leaving them largely the province of cultists and collectors just a few short years later. Undaunted, Anvil soldiered on, continuing to record and tour whenever possible, and in 2009, a documentary film by the band's former teenage roadie threatened to break them to the wider audience they never found in their prime.

Anvil were formed in Toronto in 1978 by childhood friends Steve "Lips" Kudlow (vocals/guitar) and Robb Reiner (drums). Both came from Jewish families, and had been playing music together since their teens. Initially known as Lips, the band added bassist Ian Dickson and rhythm guitarist Dave Allison, and in 1980 recorded an independent album titled Hard 'n' Heavy, which introduced their penchant for sexual explicitness. Upon signing to the Canadian independent label Attic Records, the band changed its name to Anvil, and reissued Hard 'n' Heavy with an updated cover in 1981. 

Their groundbreaking second album, Metal on Metal, adopted a much faster, heavier style, and took the metal underground by storm. Anvil snagged opening slots on tours with the likes of Iron Maiden and Motörhead, among others, and played significant festival dates in Japan and England. The 1983 follow-up Forged in Fire refined Anvil's signature sound while adding more musical variety, and furthered their growing following.

BUT, Anvil's success stopped right there. Seeking a better stateside deal, the band's manager got them released from Attic, but a new contract never materialized. While the band hung in limbo, metal exploded -- a wave of hook-heavy pop-metal bands conquered the mainstream, while avowed Anvil fans like Metallica, Slayer, and Anthrax (the latter of which started out playing Anvil covers) catapulted the genre into new realms of heaviness, far beyond anything Anvil had ever recorded. 

Attic issued a collection of hits and outtakes called Backwaxed in 1985, but the official follow-up to Forged in Fire, Strength of Steel, wasn't released until four years later in 1987, when the band licensed it to Metal Blade. Creatively disappointing, Strength of Steel effectively killed what little momentum Anvil had remaining. They recovered somewhat on 1988's heavier Pound for Pound, which featured trademark sex songs like "Safe Sex" and "Toe Jam," as well as the hockey anthem "Blood on the Ice," but it was too late. Dave Allison left the band in 1989, and was replaced by Sebastian Marino, but not before the release of that year's Past & Present: Live in Concert.

Marino's only album with Anvil was 1991's Worth the Weight, a darker, thrashier outing than anything they'd previously done. It too failed to catch on, and was followed by a lengthy recording drought. Ian Dickson called it quits in 1993, being replaced by Mike Duncan; Marino left to join Overkill in 1995 and was replaced by Ivan Hurd, while Duncan departed a year later in favor of new bassist Glenn Five (b. Glenn Gyorffy). Thus rebuilt Anvil signed with Canadian indie Hypnotic Records and issued the comeback album Plugged in Permanent in 1996, which continued the heavy, serious direction of its predecessor. 

Released in 1997, Absolutely No Alternative returned to the band's tradition of sex songs with offerings like "Show Me Your Tits" and "Hair Pie." Speed of Sound appeared in 1999 and found Reiner experimenting with the blastbeat technique for which he'd helped lay the groundwork. However, the band went with a somewhat lighter, more classic metal style for its next several albums, 2001's Plenty of Power (that featured a tribute to "Pro Wrestling", so I was happy), 2002's Still Going Strong, and 2004's Back to Basics.

In 2005, Anvil were contacted by a former roadie, Sacha Gervasi, whom they'd met as a teenager while touring England. Gervasi had grown up to become a screenwriter, most notably penning the Steven Spielberg-directed The Terminal, and wanted to film a documentary about his old friends. The result, Anvil! The Story of Anvil, chronicled Anvil's efforts to tour Europe and to record their 13th album, aptly titled This Is Thirteen, which reunited them with their early-'80s producer Chris Tsangarides. 

Without a label, Anvil opted to maximize profits by selling the album through their own website. Following Hurd's exit from the band, the film became a hit on the festival circuit in 2008, and was released in the U.K. in February 2009. Within two months, it became the highest-grossing rock documentary in U.K. history, and was quickly snapped up by VH1 for American distribution. 

Anvil! The Story of Anvil was released in the U.S. to glowing reviews in April 2009, and the band supported it with live gigs at a series of screenings around the country and a collection of brand-new songs called This Is Thirteen. In 2010 a remastered re-release of 1989's Past & Present arrived on Roadrunner, followed in 2011 by Juggernaut of Justice. After nearly 35 years of rockin', the band's fiftheenth album, Hope in Hell, arrived in 2013.

1981: Hard 'n' Heavy (Attic)

1982: Metal on Metal (Attic)

1983: Forged in Fire (Attic)

1987: Strength of Steel (Metal Blade)

1988: Pound for Pound (Metal Blade)

1992: Worth the Weight (Maximum Records)

1996: Plugged in Permanent (Hypnotic/Massacre)

1997: Absolutely No Alternative (Hypnotic/Massacre)

1999: Speed of Sound (Hypnotic/Massacre)

2001: Plenty of Power (Hypnotic/Massacre)

2002: Still Going Strong (Hypnotic/Massacre)

2004: Back to Basics (Massacre)

2007: This Is Thirteen (Independent)

2011: Juggernaut of Justice (The End Records)

2013: Hope in Hell (The End Records)

Live Albums

1989: Past and Present – Live in Concert (Metal Blade)

Compilation Albums

1985: Backwaxed (Attic)

1999: Anthology of Anvil (Metal Blade/Hypnotic)

2011: Monument of Metal (The End Records)

Steve "Lips" Kudlow – lead vocals, lead guitar (1978–present)

Robb "Robbo" Reiner – drums (1978–present)

Chris Robertson – bass guitar (2014–present)

Former members

Dave "Squirrely" Allison – guitar, vocals (1978–1989)

Ian "Dix" Dickson – bass guitar (1978–1993)

Sebastian Marino – guitar (1989–1995)

Mike Duncan – bass guitar (1993–1996)

Ivan Hurd – guitar (1995–2007)

Glenn "Glenn Five" Gyorffy – bass guitar, backing vocals (1996–2012)

Sal Italiano – bass guitar (2012–2014)