Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich
Fontana SRF 67567
1967
Arguably the worst band name of any major band in the 1960s, thankfully the music is a little better than their gimmicky name would suggest. I like the psychedelic record cover, but unfortunately there isn't anything close to a psychedelic song on the record, it is basically bubblegum - childish and occasionally slightly naughty lyrics, cutesy vocals, big insistent beat and pronounced hooky bass lines - kind of a cross between Herman's Hermits and the Dave Clark Five. Talk about your premature greatest hits collections, this was their debut album in the United States! They never did have a hit here, nothing on this record cracked the American top 40, although there are 6 top 40 English singles on here. My two favorite songs on the record are not among them though, "I'm On the Up" and the hardest rocking song on the record, "Hands Off." These guys had a formula and basically stuck to it, aside from the sappy ballad "Here's A Heart" which is the worst song on the record, all these songs sound pretty much the same with slight variances like the Greek influence on "Bend It" or the Latin percussion on "Save Me." If you like one of their hits you'll probably like them all. I like them in small doses. They are basically a singles band, over the course of an album I find their relentless cheeriness and heavy beat to be a little wearying - I have the same problem with the Dave Clark Five. As far as bubblegum goes you could definitely do worse. Recommended for Tommy James fans who think "Hanky Panky" is a better song than "Crimson and Clover."
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