Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich
BBC SESSIONS ON CD
(The Zabadak Magazine review)
DAVE DEE, DOZY, BEAKY, MICK & TICH 'The BBC Sessions' BR Music BS 8026-2 (2CD)(77m56s)(69m18s)
(Netherlands) 1st March 2008
One great point of this 54 track release is that there are 9 (DD)DBM&T tracks here for virtually their very first true release, but there are also many other aspects, and so let's begin. Excellent to hear 'Hold Tight!' showing that they could reproduce their studio sound live & a fine solo from Tich. As we have previously said before then Dozy emerges as an underrated soul singer and his lead vocals on both 'Hands Off' & then (for first time release) 'Hello Josephine' being both top. The solid soulful 'Hello Josephine' is one of the best finds here (great track). Pity was never released on vinyl at the time (that session recorded 2nd August 1966) but again if so then we wouldn't have the pleasure to finally hear it now.
The 2nd of the new tracks is 'Watch Your Step' & though we've already heard before via BBC transcription discs and DVD great to hear it here in top quality. 3rd new one is '(You've Been A) Bad Girl' (written by Harman/Davies/Dymond/ Wilson/Amey) and is another good sound. This is one of the strongest written by the band in terms of catchiness. It is not psych but pure pop. 23rd track here (4th new) is 'Dr. Feelgood' which is a competent rocker. 'If I Were A Carpenter' is superb & suits the band. Tich with his special effects pedal creating a great guitar sound. On most of the well-known songs then it has to be said that the original studio sound is the superior, but that doesn't take anything away from these versions.
Many have been also especially re-recorded (it was BBC policy that this be done for their shows & probably related to a copyright decision) and so not really totally live as per example 'Zabadak' & 'Wreck Of The Antoinette' (done for the shows) & so there are just slight differences. The TOTP version of 'Zabadak' (which we've already heard on DVD) is a fine subtle re-interpretation (recorded on 5th October 1967) & may well be better than the actual single. There are in fact two different versions of 'Zabadak' here and both are fine. With 'Please' well then this version reaches new heights & interesting new touches – quite brilliant.
Slight disappointments are that 'Just Dropped In' is missing (as it did come out on a BBC transcription disc & was always particularly fond of this) and also 'Dancing In The Street', plus that there are no actual pics of the band from any of their BBC Sessions, reproduced in the CD booklet.
Moving on to CD-2 & 2nd track here then Dave Dee bravely tackles (not completely successfully) 'Paint It Black' (5th new) with star performers being Beaky & Mick with their interesting guitar & drums interplay. A cover of Buffalo Springfield & Neil Young's 'Mr Soul' (6th new) is an excellent outing with Beaky in fine vocal & Tich's extended solo. If some of these 6 (not released in the 60s tracks) had have come out on their 2nd & 3rd LPs then it could have strengthened DDDBMT's case back then rather than as is evident the paltry 15 weeks that they accumulated on the UK LP charts.
There's a fine re-interpretation of 'Loos Of England', which breathes new life into it (how many others had the courage to tackle songs like this one?). Strangely a couple are exactly the same as the original studio recordings. Was looking forward to hear how they'd perform 'Tonight Today' live but it was not to be (applies also to 'Bad News' & 'Mr. President' which both also sounded identical to the original studio recordings). 'Rain' though is quite different with now just the two lead guitars and is really live.
Getting to more highlights on this release, then there are the 3 new never before heard DBM&T tracks in 'Talk To Me' (Beaky's lead vocal), an excellent 'Helplessly Hoping' & 'Bluebird' (Dozy does the little lead on both of these otherwise its mostly shared vocals). 'Talk To Me' is in fact not the Small Faces song (that which was the flip of 'Here Come The Nice') as the track listing indicates, but is actually a cover of Moby Grape's 'Can't Be So Bad', which was an often covered fave with Brit bands. Stephen Still's 'Bluebird' as per 'Mr. Soul' are both from the same Buffalo Springfield LP (one of the great albums from the 60s & which had a huge impact on the band). These 3 new additions revive strong memories of the 'Fresh Ear' LP and what could & should have been.
54th & final track on this 2CD release is the beautiful & peaceful 'Sweden'. Back to those 9 new ones, then each and all were certainly up to the standard at the time of those recordings that originally came out (on vinyl).
Congratulations goes out to BR Music & Bert van Breda (along with help from Herman van Gaal) for making this all possible & keeping the DDDBM&T flag flying high.
Ron COOPER (ZABADAK Magazine)
TO THE MOUNTAINS OF THE MOON…
DAVE DEE R.I.P. 17 Dec 1941 - 9 Jan 2009 We are all in deep grief & need courage. A friend & a totally unique & gifted person has sadly now left this world. Since the age of fourteen & 1967 then Dave Dee has been a main hero…probably second to my father. Then Dave’s story continued over the next 35 years with various reunions with DBM&T, sporadic album, single & odd track releases…each being eagerly anticipated. Highlights being the ‘Jean Musy/Few & Far Between’ and ‘Unfinished Business’ albums with even his Xmas songs having something special. Then there was his record company Double D venture in the early 80s which also loved and followed closely all those acts…the 12 singles & 4 LPs were treasures…bless the Dance Band, Sweat, Features, Marianne Chase, Fatal Charm, Zed etc. For me Dave deserved much greater recognition than what he ever received and that perhaps via the Zabadak magazine…that Dave would finally get some wider appreciation. I spoke to Dave many times over the years – beginning from 1976 & when he was semi-managing AC/DC. He was always very sharp, clever, an honest person & with a keen sense of humour and who got my respect. He also enjoyed his sport & seemed to follow soccer, rugby & even cricket and could talk about a wide range of topics. At the end it was not such a shock because Dave had sadly been suffering from ill health for now a number of years but being the trooper he was you could never tell this from what was happening on stage…and also his final recordings showed he still was in really fine voice. It was a big pity that he had to suffer at the end though. First heard the devastating news from Alan Clayson and then rang Tich & Dozy who were both seemingly quite destroyed. Condolence/tribute emails were in the mean time flooding including (from amongst many) Alan Blaikley, Peter Daltrey, Marianne Chase, Dianne Finnegan, Peter Mason, Mario Sienknecht, Herman van Gaal, Olaf Owre, Ken Howard etc. Ron Cooper (Zabadak Magazine)
If no-one sang and the only sounds
The sixties. The first names that spring to mind are 'The Beatles', 'The Rolling Stones' and 'The Kinks' to name a few. Wrong of course.
NEW RECORDINGS OF DDDBM&TAmazing! After so many years new recordings of Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich. |
