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Passing noted: Mike Smith of "The Dave Clark Five" at 64

C

CrankyYankee

A week and a half before his band, the Dave Clark Five, was to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the band's lead singer, keyboard player and chief co-writer, Mike Smith, died of pneumonia today at age 64. Smith had developed a chest infection that stemmed from the severe spinal cord injury he suffered in 2003, which left him paralyzed below the ribcage.

http://blogs.usatoday.com/listenup/2008/02/dave-clark-five.html
 
I am sorry to hear of Mike's passing.

The DC-5 had its' share of hits and, though they didn't enjoy the success of the Beatles or the Stones, they occupied a unique spot in rock and roll history. The music is valid...and, though I am sorry Mike didn't live to see it, I am happy they will be inducted to the Hall Of Fame.

My respects and condolences to Mike's family and friends.
 
dave Clark Five

"Come Home" 1966

As I Write my Letter today, Tears start falling from eyes
I remember things we used to say, and the ties that bind, I love
only one thing that I want to Do Come Home, come home

RIP Mike Smith and Denny Payton
 
I am especially saddened by this. I had followed Mike's recovery since his accident. I made a donation to his medical care fund and sent along a get well letter. Imagine my surprise a few months later when I received a personal thank you letter from his wife Charlie, followed up by an e-mail thanking me for my thank you e-mail I sent. All the time she had to spend with Mike and his recovery and she found time to write me twice; Charlie is quite the special person. You could tell from Mike's website updates that those two truly loved each other.

And to think... were it not for Jann Wenner, the DC5 would have been inducted last year and Mike would have actually seen it come to fruition.

Rest in peace, Mike.
 
Is it Dave Clark that absolutely refuses to release the DC-5 catalog on CD? The one that will only license the mono versions of songs, if any songs are released at all?

Is Dave Clark also the one who won't like give a penny to the other band members? Afraid rereleases would generate revenue that would go to the others, something he doesn't want to do?

There's more on this on the Steve Hoffman forum, from DC-5 fans that for years have wanted to find the group's great music on CD.
 
Dave Clark was one of the few artists that retained rights to his music, he asembled the group to fund his soccer team. He must have basically hired a recording and touring band, as opposed to and equal sharing group. He is an astute business man, and realeased the double DC-5 Mono (currently out of print) package a few years back. There are some Bootleg DC-5 stereo packages, floating around. The same situation with Alan Klein (abkco) and the Cameo-Parkway Catologue, for years unavailable. The Stones (on abkco) is another group whose entire catologue is in Mono, there is a great bootleg called Stones "Strictly Stereo" floating around. He may not be too popular, but you gotta give Dave credit, for sticking It to the labels, even something the Beatles and Beach Boys couldn't do.
 
I seem to recall his band's name as the Dave Clark Five, not just "Dave Clark."

Here is some other information on the situation and the licensee's apparent greed of not wanting anyone else to benefit from the fruits of their labor.

http://www.websitetoolbox.com/tool/post/bsnpubs/vpost?id=2095027&highlight=dave+clark

http://www.websitetoolbox.com/tool/post/bsnpubs/vpost?id=2095027&highlight=dave+clark&trail=45

Here's a good summary of Mr. Smith's apparent attitude towards his "bandmates" (I mean laborers):

[size=10pt][size=10pt]To the question, "Were they forced to sign the contracts?" the answer, of course, is no. But the case can be made that they didn't know what they were signing, either. These were working class kids in the late '50s and early '60s. People didn't routinely call a lawyer for everything, the way they might today. Plain and simple, they were screwed over, just like a lot of the '50s vocal groups. The difference is the people in the groups were exploited by record company crooks and managers; the DC5 members had their pockets picked by someone they thought was their friend. The group made enough money that all five should have been set for life; instead one guy made a fortune and four others went looking for jobs.[/size][/size]
Click to expand...
 
Yes, Dave Clark, did in his mates, as they said the God Father "It wasn't personal, it was business".

Lennon/Mccartney did in George Harrison (only allowed him a couple of songs per LP), that why he quit the group and broke up the Beatles(contrary to popular belief that Yoko, did). Ironically George had the first #1 as a solo artist, because he was a great composer in his own right.

Eventually Paul was done In By Yoko, when she refused him permission, to list his compostitions as Macartney/Lennon. Eventually all the Beatles had #1's individuallly, because they were talented.

John almost became the first individual to have Two posthumous #1's, sadly "Woman" stalled at #2 by Joan Jett (I Love Rock And Roll).
1. Otis Redding... dock of the bay
2. Janis Joplin ..........Me and Bobby Mcgee
3. Jim Croce ....Time In A Bottle
4. john Lennon.......(Just Like) Starting Over

It's a Cut Throat business, and we haven't even addressed the label owners, the Music publishers, etc.
 
palalwanabe said:
Yes, Dave Clark, did in his mates, as they said the God Father "It wasn't personal, it was business".

Lennon/Mccartney did in George Harrison (only allowed him a couple of songs per LP), that why he quit the group and broke up the Beatles(contrary to popular belief that Yoko, did). Ironically George had the first #1 as a solo artist, because he was a great composer in his own right.

Eventually Paul was done In By Yoko, when she refused him permission, to list his compostitions as Macartney/Lennon. Eventually all the Beatles had #1's individuallly, because they were talented.

John almost became the first individual to have Two posthumous #1's, sadly "Woman" stalled at #2 by Joan Jett (I Love Rock And Roll).
1. Otis Redding... dock of the bay
2. Janis Joplin ..........Me and Bobby Mcgee
3. Jim Croce ....Time In A Bottle
4. john Lennon.......(Just Like) Starting Over

It's a Cut Throat business, and we haven't even addressed the label owners, the Music publishers, etc.
Click to expand...
No, it wasn't Joan Jett. "I Love Rock and Roll" topped the charts in 1982. "Woman" was held out of #1 by REO Speedwagon ("Keep on Loving You") and Blondie ("Rapture"). Interesting to note that Blondie also replaced Lennon at #1 when "The Tide is High" displaced "Starting Over."

On "Wings Over America," Paul's Beatle songs were indeed listed as "McCartney/Lennon." And this was during John's lifetime.

Paul blamed Yoko for him losing out to Michael Jackson on bidding for the rights to the Beatles songs, but I don't know how true that is. I later found out that George Harrison's songs were not part of that package deal. I had not previously been aware of that.
 
firepoint525
Yes, you are absolutely correct on REO and Blondie, keeping Woman out of #1, I stand corrected, good job. In my haste I was looking at 03/17/82 a year later.

I believe Paul wanted future Beatle packages to be listed as Mc/Len, where he was then main contributor. I believe the lead vocalist on any Lennon/McCartney composition was the main author of said cut.
 
palalwanabe said:
firepoint525
Yes, you are absolutely correct on REO and Blondie, keeping Woman out of #1, I stand corrected, good job. In my haste I was looking at 03/17/82 a year later.
I believe Paul wanted future Beatle packages to be listed as Mc/Len, where he was then main contributor. I believe the lead vocalist on any Lennon/McCartney composition was the main author of said cut.
Click to expand...
The U.S. publishing on all their songs is indeed, Maclen music. Except for "Love Me Do"/"P.S. I Love You," which was Beechwood Music, or something like that. In the U.K., it was Northern Songs. (Remember, "It's Only a Northern Song"? ;D)

Your contention that George was the one who broke up the Beatles is a new one on me. I had always thought it was Paul. I think he was the first one to publicly quit the Beatles, and he had his "McCartney" album (the one with the bowl of cherries on the cover) released simultaneously to compete with "Let It Be." Of course, John had "Instant Karma" on the charts at #3 the same week the "Let It Be" single went to #1. It is true that Yoko was a favorite scapegoat when it came time to blame someone for "breaking up" the Beatles. But she was just in the wrong place (and too visible!) at the wrong time!

I could certainly understand George being upset. He was the first one to put out a solo album ("Wonderwall"), and he "stuck it" to the other Beatles by being the first to get a solo number one. And also, for that matter, the last Beatle to have a solo number one. ("Got My Mind Set on You")

I believe John's song "Starting Over" probably would have gone to #1 whether or not he had lived to see it. It was #6 the week before his death, and #4 the week after, so it was definitely poised to go to #1. And Kenny Rogers had been #1 for six weeks with "Lady," so he was due to be de-throned! ;D I do not believe Lennon would have stayed at #1 for five weeks, had he lived. He was eventually overthrown by Blondie, and they were only at #1 for a single week with "The Tide is High," so I'm thinking their run at the top might have been a week or two longer, and Lennon's a week or two shorter, had he lived.
 
George quit the Beatles and the Beatles decided it was time to breakup the band, (George stated this on the Dick Cavett show).

The dissolution then involved legal matters and the Beales decided to keep it a secret, all ageed (Including George), when Paul went public John was furious. Paul went public to advance his position in securing the Eastmans, as legal representatives, the rest of the group wanted ALan B. Klein (abkco records), as it turns out both their choices were bad ones.

"The Long and Winding Road"
 
Interesting regarding the nonavailability of the DC5 catalog. When I started acquiring the music for the Radio Bop 50s/60s library, I found it odd that I couldn't find the Dave Clark Five on CD...finally after perusing the internet, I acquired a 30-song "Greatest Hits" CD with 17 songs in stereo issued on the German Rock In Beat label with no publishing info or any liner notes...the group had 12 songs on the Billboard Top 40 through 1965 plus 5 more in 1966-67...it seems surprising that they didn't try to milk their catalog by selling to ABKCO or someone who specializes in historical rereleases...

Harold Levine
Program Director
Radio Bop
radiobop.com
 
radiobop said:
Interesting regarding the nonavailability of the DC5 catalog. When I started acquiring the music for the Radio Bop 50s/60s library, I found it odd that I couldn't find the Dave Clark Five on CD...finally after perusing the internet, I acquired a 30-song "Greatest Hits" CD with 17 songs in stereo issued on the German Rock In Beat label with no publishing info or any liner notes...the group had 12 songs on the Billboard Top 40 through 1965 plus 5 more in 1966-67...it seems surprising that they didn't try to milk their catalog by selling to ABKCO or someone who specializes in historical rereleases...

Harold Levine
Program Director
Radio Bop
radiobop.com
Click to expand...
Dave Clark pretty much wanted to keep everything to himself, despite the "group" name.
Read posts about him online and you will soon see how many fans he has.

His sound was pretty much limited to the "boom boom boom" and didn't progress like other groups such as the Animals, Kinks, Beach Boys, Beatles, 'Stones, Who.

DC=5 remained in the mold of Gerry and the Pacemakers, the Searchers, Peter and Gordon, Herman's Hermits, who had mostly simple sentimental songs and many of which sounded like newer versions of early 60s teen idols like Frankie Avalon.

In fact, many of those above did mostly covers of U.S. hits (Searchers, Tremeloes) or covered ancient British ballroom songs (Herman's Hermits' "Dandy", Peter and Gordon singing about "tea and crumpets," etc.)

This whole "British music was superior to everything else" in the mid-60s" was a myth. The Beatles, Animals, Kinks, 'STones, Who, etc. were groundbreaking.

Many of the other lesser groups (above) were pretty much just about average with little originality. Kind of like the more creative and LP-oriented artist early 70s Elton John vs. the late 70s onward Elton John that focused on great singles and filler in the rest of the LPs.

One analysis I recently read online said the "British Invasion" hurt black artists more than American rock groups like the Beach Boys and Four Seasons. The author compared the music of 1963, which contained many more singles by black artists, to '64 and '65, which were bereft of such songs (as the charts then were filled with mostly non-Beatles British pop songs) until Otis Redding and others came along with the new soul in '66.
 
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