Dave Clark Five - backing tape failure

[@austinhattan4339]

Mike Smith was the real talent in the band. Dave Clark managed and took all of the credit. They rarely panned to Smith when he was singing the lead...making it appear that Dave Clark was.

[@bclongraven]

Mike Smith was very talented for sure but I can't find any instance where Dave Clark "Took all the credit." He always sounds humble to me. Check out his Rock and Roll hall of fame acceptance speech. He was defiantly grateful to all his band members there.

[@bjornshigg1902]

Benjamin Long then you aren't looking. How about putting your name on as co-writer on all the songs the other group members wrote even though you never wrote a word. Buying songs from other song writers and putting your name on them as writer. That is taking the credit for things you didn't do without a doubt. Look at all the publicity pics of the five and see who is always at the front. There's no doubt if the group were arranged by talent Clark would be last but if they were arranged by credits he'd be first. Watch the PBS documentary and see how much credit he takes.

[@bclongraven]

Bjorn Shigg I saw the PBS special. That's what triggered my interest in the DC5. That program doesn't specify that Clark took all the credit or stole songs. If he did those things that's bad. It doesn't hurt my appreciation of the band and their songs. Dave Clark may not have been the best drummer but his style is unique. He makes every song sound big. The movie "Catch us if you can" features Clark and Mike Smith as the prominent leaders of the group. They are the only people in that movie with any story at all. They are both featured as equals. It may be that some people see them differently but be reminded that they stayed together without any major rifts. That's the legacy of the Dave Clark Five.

[@TotalSinging]

Bjorn Shigg Dave Clark didn't need to "take credit" for anything because he actually did it all. He was way ahead of him time in the business with how he managed the band. He actually set precedents for other managers and bands to follow so as to not get screwed financially. Um, the band was called "The Dave Clark Five" - who else would be upfront in publicity photos? Talent is subjective - talent in what? Music or business? I would say Clark was a better drummer than Huxley was a bassist. Yes, Mike was "the real talent" in that band, but it was all of them together that made The DC5. It was common practice in those days to buy songs from songwriters and change the credits to your name. When you bought the song, it was yours 100% to do with as you please. The original songwriter was bought out of his credit. If Dave stole songwriting credit, how come he's never been sued for it? Dave Clark is rich because he was a smart business man who worked tirelessly; before, during and after The DC5. His purchase of the "Ready Steady Go!" catalog was enough right there to set him up financially for life. Dave Clark has ALWAYS given credit to every member of the band over the years; he has never said "it was all me", at least not in a musical sense.

[@gritsnsand]

Benjamin Long These people who are dumping on DC because he wasn't the "voice" of the band need to realize that DC and the others presented a total package of image and sound that was a tremendous success. Trying to make Dave look like a scoundrel is ridiculous. It's like dissing the baker who makes a great cake because he didn't raise the wheat and sugarcane himself. I guess they think he should have made his own drums by hand too.

[@bjornshigg1902]

in a magazine interview around 2000 Rick Huxley explained how Clark's drums were "muted" for tv performances to avoid the sound leaking into the live mics. Fake skins were placed above the real skins on the toms,bass etc and damper pads were used on the cymbals etc.

[@oldiesgeek454]

+Bjorn Schiff Thanks so much for that! I've always wondered how a drummer could "fake it" and not be heard...But now I know.

[@That_AMC_Guy]

Another trick from back in the day was to put foam on the tips of the drum sticks. That way, the sound was seriously dulled, but the "players" could still all sway and jump around in time.

[@apexjoe4769]

That's why the drum sound in this video doesn't sound like a real drum sound.Fake skins for backing tape which failed.

[@janicekociol7702]

Speaking of microphones, look how far they are from their microphones. When their backup tape began, they clearly weren't singing into their microphones.

[@bjornshigg1902]

Lets recap for those who are missing the point. They are using live mics and singing live but the music is a backing tape. The group never performed fully live on any USA TV show, they always used a backing tape and either mimed over it or sang to it.

[@Kedbuka]

Ohhhhh...okay, now I get it. The vocals sounded live to me but I see now that the music wasn't right. Thanks for pointing that out. Too bad they never played live on US television. They were great.

[@TotalSinging]

+Bjorn Shigg - actually here they end up playing and singing live because the backing tape wouldn't work. This is probably THE only time they played live in US TV.

[@bjornshigg1902]

Rock the Stage NYC no sorry its sill live mics and backing tape although there is some sound from the drums. In the interview I did with Mike Smith he talked about this and clearly told me the backing tape was fixed by Sullivan's people and they continued the performance using it. I will be posting that interview soon.

[@oldiesgeek1]

thanks for the info! the one thing that still puzzles me though is the "drums"...i'm assuming that is the "one" instrument that is being heard "live"...i mean how do you possibly fake that?...looking forward to your response!

[@ShaZAM514]

Wrong, SnapDragon----there is ONE TIME they did Glad All Over fully live on Ed Sullivan, pretty spotty quality, afterward Dave insisted on backing tracks or full lip synch. Easy to find on KZbin. Too bad, woul dlove to hear more live stuff. Many speculate it exists but Dave is hiding it. Hard to imagine with that level of fame no live concerts ever got filmed.

[@stephaneeturschmann9279]

I was 11 years old in 1964. I was a DC5 fan then, and I still am a fan of theirs. Mike Smith would sometimes sing live, and Dave Clark would sometimes play live. The rest, I don't think was live. I am a drummer, and to those who think Dave Clark wasn't a good drummer, try playing drums to DC 5 songs. Good luck, mate. All of the members of the DC5 were note-reading, truly professional musicians. Those who saw them live in concert all attest to how they could sound just like they did on vinyl. Mike Smith was even a classically-trained pianist, as well as one of the all-time great rock/soul singers. Don't be so sarcastic to what might be another era of music, please. Thank you.

[@zcadwresx]

Stephanee Turschmann I feel the same way about Ringo. After seeing the way John was with his humor and stuff. I think he loved the fact that Ringo was goofy and not taken seriously by most people back then. They couldn't take themselves to serious then.

[@d.e.b.b5788]

+Stephanee Turschmann Lots of people make a big deal about bragging 'classicly trained'. Well, there are tons of people who were classicly trained and never amounted to anything because they sucked, because being 'classicly trained' doesn't make you a great performer. Then you have others who WEREN'T 'classicly trained' who succeeded.

[@wolfpackjudo2078]

The networks forced the lip/music syncing and still do. Rarely is anyone "live" on tv.

[@patewilliam]

@@wolfpackjudo2078 The Beatles were.

[@daisysabashed9661]

Dont ever compare this shitty group to the Beatles ever again

[@jeffreylella5549]

I've searched high and low for "live" recordings of the DC5, they are not out there and that's how Dave Clark wanted it! Too bad because Mike Smith has a great Rock N' Roll voice...

[@novadarr8874]

+Jeffrey Lella I can find live stuff from nearly every group in the sixties, but DC5 the is nothing!

[@patewilliam]

@@novadarr8874 Yes - this performance I think is live 'cause it had to be and the Royal Command performance. Other than that, nothing.

[@wesleycook7687]

@@novadarr8874 You aren't looking very hard. There are clips out there. I have a VHS tape with clips not found on U Tube.

[@cuda426hemi]

@@wesleycook7687 Nope - they are all lip synched over backing tracks. ALL of them. Standing bet for decades now.. anybody that can prove or show a totally Live performance wins - but crickets, not one link to show. 🎬

[@artiewithers6980]

@@cuda426hemi The only live performance is of “Nineteen Days”, I believe at a Royal performance hosted by David Frost. It’s out there on KZbin. Looks and sounds live to me.

[@andyinoregon]

The Dave Clark Five are virtually alone as a successful '60s band that never gave their fans a live concert album or an '80s reunion tour. Add to that the fact that Dave Clark has gone to incredible lengths to remove the live audio from almost all of their filmed performances and replace it with the sound of their studio recordings. If they could really deliver the goods live, as so many of their fans claim, why doesn't Dave Clark want us to hear it? Why are The DC5 missing from London's NME live concerts? Why are there no DC5 "Live at the BBC" performances?

[@andyinoregon]

@@wesleycook7687 My comment made clear it's their 1960's concert sound Dave Clark won't let us hear. Why could The Beatles and The Stones always play live on Ed Sullivan, and sound great doing it, while The DC5 always performed to a backing track? And why are The DC5 missing from the NME live concerts and live at the BBC broadcasts?

[@engineer909]

The DC5 really didn’t do much in England did they? Nothing like the US..

[@daltonpoff5051]

You have a great point probably the only real musician in that band was Mike Smith he played all the way up to his accident rest in peace Mike

[@stewartfenton7660]

@@andyinoregon man if they wouldn't even play on the NME concerts, they MUST have been bad!

[@janicekociol7702]

I was never a fan, though I liked a few of their songs. Still, they had me fooled, just like they fooled everyone else. But in some of their recordings, even the audience is fake--prerecorded from Beatles shows.

[@macarthurp]

Just goes to prove that they really could sing and play well...and it was nice to hear a stripped down version without the reverb. They were good sports about it and gave it their all!

[@ajjy1110]

Clark couldn't play for shit

[@hollywoodjoe123]

OK - - but - - why did they need a back up recording at all anyways ?

[@gregdavidson5898]

It's not completely live. There IS a backing tape, it just failed at first. IF they were going to do it ONLY to a backing tape they would not have been able to play live because they wouldn't have had the amps, etc all set up somewhere because they wouldn't have need amps. You can hear live drums as well as the pre-recorded ones. The slap-back echo on the guitar is from the backing tape, they never would have pulled it off live at a moment's notice. I think even though there is lyp sic going on with the vocals I think the mics are also live . The mix is too good to be live that quickly.

[@jeffreycampbell4643]

@@hollywoodjoe123 It's not matter of what they needed. It's what the producers decided.

[@ayotteable]

Easy to figure out,Mike counts off to let the guy in charge of the backing tape when to start it.Then at least Mike and Lenny are singing live over it.That is obvious to the eyes and ears.

[@oldiesgeek454]

+Larry Mangini You may already be aware of this, but the same backtrack malfunction happened to Paul Revere and the Raiders. Ed Sullivan didn't understand, and thought they were being lazy and stalling. But they were just waiting for backtrack to begin. If you haven't seen it, it's here on youtube.

[@bjornshigg1902]

sorry Karen you are still incorrect. The DC5 never played live on ANY TV show in the USA. They always either lip-synched or sang live to backing tapes which is what is happening here. Live mics over backing tapes always gives the impression the whole performance is live when it actually isn't.

[@hempelchamp]

It look like they sang live to me.

[@TotalSinging]

They never played live on US TV.

Bad Karen!

[@ClueSign]

Haha -- the vocals are live -- and possibly the crash symbol. Good job Dave for hitting it on time.

[@zjmusiclover9094]

Bjorn Shigg but they played on all of the real tracks unlike many 60's bands so lets give credit there

[@davidcarlin3850]

Mike smith died with a net worth of only 100k. Sad when the lion share went to Clark who didn’t even write the music but was credited

[@richbailey8174]

@@susanrike7476 I am not sure how much of that was actually true. Clark created the band with the others agreeing right up front to work for salaries. He was also smart enough at the time to own everything which was innovative. So nobody was tricked or had a gun to their heads. I haven't heard anything about him not helping Mike either. He wasn't happy when Mike couldn't appear with them at the RRHOF ceremony. here he is talking about Mike....kzbin.info/www/bejne/omOwZWOubJ5kgJY

[@richbailey8174]

@@susanrike7476 I think some of what you are saying isn't true but whatever

[@susanrike7476]

@@richbailey8174 He died 11 days before the induction ceremony. He planned to be there. It wasn't meant to be. Sad but true.

[@sparkle1108]

Mike Smith sat in with the Paul Shaffer band on David Letterman about 15 years ago.

[@susanrike7476]

@@sparkle1108 Thanks for sharing. I read that when Mike Smith wanted to launch a solo career after they disbanded, Dave Clark threatened to sue him for use of his name. Mike was apparently crushed and segued to writing ad jingles. Decades later, Mike was ready to move on when his accident happened. So sad.

[@charleslascari7191]

The Beatles played live, including on the Ed Sullivan Show. Many artists didn't.

[@SuperMikecarp]

You'll find that nearly every artist sang and played live on Sullivan, he insisted on it. For some reason he sometimes allowed them to sing to backing tapes, as was the case here, or completely mime their performance. This is what happened with the Mamas and the Papas, but it was a rare occurrence.

[@Kali-nl3ll]

Yup They practiced well at the Indra club

[@SuperMikecarp]

@@perrybarton I realise that, the DC5 almost never played live on TV, although the backing of this performance was not the same as the record, as the organ sounds very different. I've only ever seen one completely live performance from them - it was the Royal Command Concert from 1966. I guess the Queen outranks Dave Clark, so he couldn't get his own way for once!

[@perrybarton]

@@SuperMikecarp My eyes were clearly playing tricks on me. I had thought your previous comment said that the DC5 were lip-syncing here. Sorry about that. 😎

[@SuperMikecarp]

@@perrybarton Thank you Perry. I wondered why you corrected me! I too have been guilty of posting things on this site and Facebook without fully checking the facts first, and then being castigated harshly! I love interacting with people who clearly have similar interests to mine, especially if they are on the other side of the world.

[@mikecurtis11]

Wow! It's a bummer to learn the DC5 did not perform live. I really love the recordings.

[@suecox907]

They played live in concert.

[@BadChizzle]

Smith has a smile for the ages! Cuts through the tinsel, man!! Wo wo wo wo wo wo...

[@wwrigh]

Hey Bjorn. You seem to know a lot about the DC5. Thanks for posting all your comments. Dave I guess wasn't much of a musician, putting the business pieces together was his strength I suppose, which was important. After all the years that has passed, the amazing part to me is Mike Smith keeping the peace and never saying anything derogatory about Dave. Mike could have been a millionaire 20 times over at the minimum. Again thanks for posting all your comments. It's interesting reading

[@seanbo31]

Mike Smith - who bore a distinct resemblance to a taller Paul McCartney - was a superb musician, came up as a classical pianist, had a naturally "gritty/raspy" vocal quality (as did John Lennon) that was wonderful in ANY context, and was talented enough to make a solid living as a studio musician after the band's breakup, is one of the truly tragic stories of rock'n'roll. At least the final four+ years of his life were. Sad that both he and the DC5 are not nearly as well remembered/known as they ought to be.

[@karmik2]

i met Mike just before he fell backwards off his fence and landed on his neck, breaking it and becoming paralyzed. It was at one of his Rock Engine shows here in the USA, in a little hole-in-the wall-club called The Turning Point. Well, to say the least, both he and his band were amazing. They rocked the place. I got to chat with him for a few minutes after the gig was over. Nice Guy. When i found out that he was tragically catastrophically injured, i was deeply saddened by this, and followed everything that was written about him. He was in the hospital for a very long time, always accompanied by his loving wife. I remember there being solicitations for donations to help with his medical bills treatments and for all the expenses having to do with having to live as a paraplegic. In the end, i believe he died with little money left........... probably because he had very little from his DC5 years ................. Shame on Dave for that !

[@wesleycook7687]

@@karmik2 Dave Clark was at the hospital every day with Mike before he died. Mike wasn't broke. He just liked performing. He was on the David Letterman show and sang with Paul Shaffers orchestra. It's probably on U Tube.

[@brianpatrickclarke5993]

@TheRealJukebox, his voice (which I mentioned being "gritty/raspy") was like John Lennon, but his visage was very Paul McCartney. Take a look at a photo of them both in '64 when The Beatles and The DC5 first hit here in the States. Phenomenal front man!

[@williefinn4932]

mike smith wasn`t his usual chirpy self here...no doubt he was a bit pissed off at the backing track failure...didn`t bother dave clark, though....all that money!

[@rickenbacker12]

It's the Bobby Graham Five, it's his playing on the malfunctioning tape. The guy pretending to play drums is just another sleazy businessman pretending to be a musician.

[@rickenbacker12]

He told Graham once "make it simple so I can play it live". And the RRHOF won't induct the Monkees but they induct the DC5 who are a farce when the news came out a few years back when it was mentioned that all session musicians (including the drums) were used on the DC5's records. Plus Clark giving himself credit for the first five hits which were written by Ron Ryan. businesslessonsfromrock.com/notes/2014/04/not-feeling-glad-all-over/

[@JOHNNYJ39]

The screaming during the blackout reminded me of the Tingler! Glad All Over that I got to see Mike Smith at the Turning Point just before he died..

[@bjohnkautzman1041]

I thought the lights were going to come back up with Angela Landsbury on stage....

[@richardmeyersmeyers8123]

I really appreciate your knowledge on the dc5. Obviously they made no attempt to sound like they did on the record here. Did they lip sync everything after this? If so, why the change? Thanks.

[@ShaZAM514]

I would not want to be the guy having to explain this to Ed Sullivan and Dave Clark, formidable personalities. Tape was playing along, no volume, failure in the playback amp circuit. Comes in on an off beat, took a minute for them to catch up.

[@garychambers5850]

Only two of the guys are alive? Wow, thats sad. I only knew of "Mike Smith" passing. He probably would still be with us be had a very bad accident.

[@wesleycook7687]

@@garychambers5850 Dave Clark is the only surviving member.

[@keithhyttinen8275]

Not once have a seen any video of the DC5 playing live anywhere. What was the problem? I think they may have used studio musicians when recording.

[@hollywoodjoe123]

Why not just do the song love ? What happened here ?

[@ovalvox7888]

This is why the Beatles and Stones blew these guys away. They both performed live on the Ed Sullivan show.

[@capothree]

Well well- how did Dave Clark not manage to buy this one up so nobody could see or hear it! I don't know why he was so afraid of performing live on TV, they were a great live band.

[@mangomonkey6938]

This isn't completely live. I believe they're singing to a pre-recorded backing track.

[@vincentm614]

That must have been highly nerve wracking for the band and especially for Sullivan. I liked The Dave Clark 5 but this is a true testament to The Beatles who were much more talented and actually played live on the Sullivan show and played on their own records and wrote and sang much better. The Beatles were clearly the most talented musically of the british invasion bands and were able to more than hold there own as they got bettee during the psychedelic era later in the 60's.

[@djangorheinhardt]

As a player in the 60's in a band that became very famous,( without me ! ) , we were from Manchester 30 miles from Liverpool and followed the Beatles in to some of the venues.They see not raved about then but not many bands were .The Beatles when famous,did not play live,and as al, groups did,the prerecorded the backing track,and some of the vocals,and played along " live " to that.P.S.The top Liverpool band ,admired country wide was not the " fab four " ( said with a sneer " but a band called "the Big Three " As one author said in a book , " No band in the country could match their onstage magnificence " They were a cross between the 'Stones and The Who..The Who by the way were the only band I heard live on TV, completely live,as they had had all their gear pinched and they could not prerecord the backing tracks and used borrowed equipment and played live,marvellously.I later taught guitar and music in schools in the Borth west of England so I was privy to see some of the text books the kids used for GCSE on " pop " music .I have never read such a load of misinformed, misleading tripe in all my life,and much of it about the Beatles.But that's another story.

[@judmcc]

A wonderful "Milli Vanilli" moment!!!

[@usrphil77]

Nice to see someone pulling the curtain on the DC5. The vocals are live here (with an occasional hit on the drums from Dave to make it all seem live), with the music and backing vocals on the backing track (when the tape finally starts, you'll hear the background responses with no one near a mic...Mike Smith was a great singer and you could see his frustration at the opening of the song). In the "Dave u metary" shown recently on PBS, it was said that the DC5 performed more live shows than The Beatles...if that were so, at least we all know we could find real live Beatles performances all over KZbin without much effort (even though a lot have been pulled off recently). As Bjorn said, there are zero out here of the DC5.

[@albo2006]

we caught Mike Smith live in the 90s & he played keyboard & sang beautifully. Always wondered why there was no dc5 live album since so many other groups did them.beachboys,beatles,kinks,cliff etc.easy moneymaker for the record companies. on the royal command performance they look very unsure playing Nineteen Days then do basically a Mike Smith solo song.

[@fernandodavidpadillatafur2535]

They couldn't sing except mime, so they were forced to sing live when backing tape failure.

[@bjornshigg1902]

the "Sitting Here Baby" performance was sang with Live mics over a backing tape.

[@jamesmarshall8836]

Bjorn Shigg The same for Mike's Ed Sullivan performance of YOU GOT WHAT IT TAKES. Live vocal on top of the studio tracks.

[@senorxrey6429]

Somehow I never heard about this "tape malfunction", and I always saw The Ed Sullivan Show on Sundays with my family during dinner. A regular ritual for most families back then. The ratings for Ed's show for many years were mindboggling. He had more viewers than '60 Minutes' now, even if they're #1 in their time slot. That's what makes this such an unusual event. Live TV shows back then were so professionally produced that these mess-ups were very rare (unlike today's local 10 and 11pm being directed from a city 800 miles away.) This tape f**k-up is equivalent to the overblown Oscar's "envelope-gate" incident. I still can't believe I never knew of the DC5 playing live on Ed until KZbin. In these days, lip syncing was the NORM, rarely the exception. Even appearances where an artist or band was singing "live to track" were very rare. The record companies are marketing a PRODUCT (the 45 performance heard on the radio) and wanted the consistency of the record on every TV appearance. Very simple. It has nothing to do with a band's capability to play live or not. It has nothing to do with technology of the day or any other theory. Here the DC5 were total pros, prepared, picked up the ball, ran with it, and gave the millions of CBS-TV viewers an incredible live performance. (none of their audio was pre-recorded here)

[@wesleycook7687]

This clip wasn't shown because it was a rehearsal. When they actually came out to perform, everything went smoothly. Yes, they used a backing track but their singing was live. The guitars had leads but no amps were on stage. However, the Beatles first appearance also had leads but no amps on stage. So did they have a backing track too? Ed Sullivan wanted the TV audience to be able to hear the bands over the screaming and you can look at the Beatles first appearance on the Sullivan Show on U Tube and you can hear them very well over the screaming.

[@graemekornicki6810]

Mike Smith mentions the tape snapping and when their plane nearly lost a wing on Dave Dee's Christmas beat club broadcast in 1988.It featured 60s clips with then studio reminiscences from, Mike Smith Mike d,abo reg Presley Justin Hayward to name a few I still have it on VHS but can't upload it.

[@Jay-vr9ir]

@@wesleycook7687 The Beatles were always live on Ed and they had amps on stage .

[@jakesam33]

Well there you go to all those who never heard them play live and didn't think Dave could play the drums. That must have been so hard not knowing whether just to start playing or not in case some sound guy got it fixed and started the song while they were playing live. Thanks for uploading.

[@bjornshigg1902]

not sure what point you are trying to make Karen. Clark was a very poor drummer who couldn't hack it other than in an environment where the screaming drowned out his drumming. If they'd started to actually play when the backing tape failed you still wouldn't have heard anything as none of their instruments were plugged in and Clark's drums were muted for tv appearances.

[@hempelchamp]

Bjorn Shigg Watch the video again!!! Their instruments are plugged in!!!

[@bjornshigg1902]

hempelchamp plugged into their guitars but can you see the other end? I assure you they are NOT playing those instruments on this clip.

[@waynescott8625]

Bjorn Shigg Lenny IS playing as is DC...

[@MReiterRealtor]

Dave only played the drums when they were on TV or at a concert. All their recorded songs were played by the great Bobby Graham.

[@dbrowdie]

The DC 5 were magical. So much energy. Love that chugging Vox Continental organ played by the great late Mike Smith

[@Mister_Pedantic]

It was magical all right. It certainly wasn't live performing.

[@airaction2257]

Dave Clark was no drummer just a businessman taking the lions share and all the credit for himself.

[@bjornshigg1902]

100% true

[@wesleycook7687]

Bullshit. Just because you can't admit that the DC 5 were the only group that knocked the Beatles off the charts in 64, you just spread unfounded rumors. Dave never took credit for anything, and made sure that the camera was on Mike while he was singing.. Dave was the manager and he created the band and secured a recording contract while other bands were struggling. And he was the first to knock the Fab Four out of the number one slot. After John's death, Paul and Dave became friends, Paul even appears in the DC5 documentary.

[@Brad68303]

@@bjornshigg1902 he was a con man!

[@JohnJones-qy5ko]

Just look how he plays. I've never seen another drummer move like that. Both hands always in unison.

[@JHelak]

I just read on a DC5 forum that while there was an obvious backing tape failure, it was repaired and indeed the band sang live to a recorded instrumental version of Glad All Over. This answers my previous question as to what their guitars were plugged into if they knew they were not going to play. Also, note that Clark's cymbal work doesn't come near to matching the music as it is heard. Huxley's bass and Davidson's guitar are seem not to match the music. Love Mike Smith's singing!

[@patewilliam]

If that was a backing tape, it was badly done.

[@janicekociol7702]

Do we know for sure that we are hearing live voices? They are further away from their microphones than most other singers.

[@gdholmfirth]

I always wondered what they would have sounded like live. Now we sort of know.

[@Mister_Pedantic]

I remember when they tried to play "Any Way You Want It" live on Ed Sullivan. It was dreadful to hear, especially when I was one of those "better than The Beatles" DC5 fans at that time. I suppose DC has suppressed the video of that.

[@wsnone9934]

I LOVE VIDEO'S LIKE THIS. THINGS DO GO WRONG AND YOU HAVE TO MAKE THE BEST OF IT. THEY DID A DECENT JOB IN SPITE OF THE MISHAP.

[@smasica]

Much as I loved the DC5, Dave Clark was kind of a jerk. He was the 'owner' and operator of the group and the music. The other 4 guys worked for him. He owned all the music and insisted they never play live. A real control freak. Lots of info out there on him.

[@robertvaughn6646]

the smartest musician of the day at that time. Even Macca said he was ahead of them in the control of their music. Can't fault him for that considering most musicians got screwed by the label (like the Beatles). Good on ya Dave!

[@Mister_Pedantic]

@@robertvaughn6646 Smart businessman? Sure. Musician? In his dreams.

[@ronvonryan]

@@Mister_Pedantic He had the Band under contract and they were paid a set wage every week regards how much the Band made on shows, tours, TV shows etc. Also it was written in their contract that any song written by a Band member had to have Dave's name on the song as a 'co-writer' so he could claim 50% of the song's royalty, very ruthless.

[@Mister_Pedantic]

@@ronvonryan Thanks. People (including me) have wondered why the band members never spoke out. Were there non-disclosure clauses in the contracts? If so, how could Mr Clark punish them decades later?

[@ronvonryan]

@@Mister_Pedantic What you must take into consideration is that back then it was very different to what things are now. It was the early days of British Rock&Roll, most young men who wrote songs or played in Band were in it for the music, Dave Clark was in it as a business, to make money. He had them all under contract that stipulated what they were paid, what a band member would get from any song he wrote (50%), and back then musicians were not as savvy as they are now, today's musicians and writers have learnt from watching how the early writers and musicians were treated. Also if you look back at 1964 you will see that Dave had some very powerful American friends!!!

[@ergbudster3333]

Big argument down below here. Hey, kids.. its SHOWBIZ right? Cat produced some good jingles. This ain't freakin Beethovin here. Like any bandleader he hired some cats, cut some sides, made some dough. You really got broaden your listening. This ain't ART it's SHOWBIZ. Right?

[@andyinoregon]

The Dave Clark Frauds. It's a damn shame singer Mike Smith didn't leave to front a band of really talented musicians and songwriters. We should have heard his expressive voice throughout the '70s and '80s. Hell, The Monkees were still a successful touring band well into the 1980s, outlasting The DC5 in relevance by several decades.

[@bobbarker7733]

I totally agree. Dave Clark was a charlatan and a thief!

[@funeralangel8262]

@@bobbarker7733 😮 *WOW !*

[@bobbarker7733]

@@funeralangel8262 Wow what? Do you want to get educated?

[@bobbarker7733]

@@wesleycook7687 He Sad Sack, you could never educate me on ANYTHING! You are the one that believes that Dace Clark actually played drums on DC5's performances and recordings. I assure you that he never played on any of the released recordings and only 'acted' like he was playing on the videos and live performances! Anyone who believes otherwise are just plain stupid. As for DC5 replacing the Beatles on anything in history again just shows that you have your head planted firmly up your colon. Please just STFU.

[@wesleycook7687]

@@bobbarker7733 And you're still full of shit. Dave was the manager and leader of the band. At the height of their career , Dave had carpal tunnel surgery so he used session drummers. He was under contract and had to appear on stage plus sit in on recording sessions. Did you and Bjorn Shit have a good time spreading false information and creating bogus websites? I think you pick on the DC5 because they were second only to the Beatles . If they hadn't been good, they would have never got a recording contract.

[@davidmcque627]

Dave Clark always had a strange drumming tecnique. Always smiled though.

[@cowsongs]

+David Mcque That's because he's not really playing (and didn't play on the recordings, either)

[@cowsongs]

+David Mcque That's because he's not really playing (and didn't play on the recordings, either)

[@davidmcque627]

It seems that not many People did back then...........

[@LordFlashheart.11]

Same technique on every song!

[@madshadows830]

Should of Been the Mike Smith Five with Bobby Graham...Dave Clark wasn’t a drummer, he was a Milli Vinilli

[@Mister_Pedantic]

The DC Frauds were the Britney Spears of the British Invasion.

[@thehaughtcorner]

@@Mister_Pedantic Bullshit. They played live in clubs all over England for years.

[@richardrice40]

It's my understanding that Dave Clark started the band hence the DC 5. I would other thought that were getting jerked or unfairly treated they would have left. I'm tired of all this whineing about Dave Clark this and Dave Clark that, bottom line they were a helluva band that put some of best music of the 60's that will stand the test of time.

[@madshadows830]

@@richardrice40 Dave Clark had not musical talent. He' was a 60's Milli Vanilli...Mike, Leeny, Dennis and Rick were musicians...Mike Smith was the bands star!

[@richardrice40]

@@madshadows830 So you're comparing a guy who's in the rock 'n' roll hall of fame to Milli Vanilla ? We're done.........

[@ilovemusic7748]

Do you think Dave, Rick, Lenny and Denis sang Backing Vocals on their songs?

[@bjornshigg1902]

there's no reason to think otherwise and you can clearly pick Len's voice out on most songs

[@Jeffrey76240]

I bet the group was throughly pissed..

[@peterchecksfield9958]

'The Ed Sullivan Show', 14th February 1965 (fortunately the other two songs performed that night didn't have any tape breakdowns!).

[@buddychump]

Milli Vanilli? Give me a break!! These guys were pros and did a pretty good job of doing it all when obviously (to my surprise) the Ed Sullivan show wasn't as live as we believed! Thanks to Bjorn for a great post!!

[@z512345]

You have to understand that Dave was the boss and a very good manager, he hired all the other guys and payed them a salary. Dave ran the show alone.Unlike The Beatles who all had input in the music and the band. Dave never wanted the band to play live on T.V. shows so that they would always sound good. Some times it would be backing tapes of the music and they would sing live. My band,back in 1966 opened for them in the Boston Gardens. They did play live , and they where good. The girls where screaming.

[@prezakid9]

Frank, what was the name of your band?Any other local bands on the bill? That must’ve been an amazing experience.

[@z512345]

@@prezakid9 We where named the Kastaways, and we where the opening band for them. I still talk about it to this day some 50 years ago.

[@prezakid9]

@@z512345 Frank, not that I doubt you in any way, but I’ve only been able to find 1965 and 1967 Boston Garden shows in their touring history online. The opening act that I found for the 1965 garden show is teddy and the pandas, and then in the 1967 show, Bundal of joy, The Boston common, The Hons and The Mods. Are you possibly confusing 1966 with 1965?

[@z512345]

@@prezakid9 Octavia, I had a hard time finding it myself, I do know all those bands you mentioned. We where there I don't know if I have the year mixed up or not. I'll have to do more digging , but I can tell you stories of that night. Maybe you can help finding more?

[@prezakid9]

@@z512345 Frank, regarding the 1967 show, I found a concert poster that listed all of those opening acts as well as the Dave Clark Five. Regarding the 1965 show with Teddy and the Pandas opening I’m sure there was other opening acts and you guys were probably one of them. I’ll keep looking to see if there’s a concert poster for that show. By the way I’d love to hear some stories about that night.

[@braintap9072]

They were a good studio band who wrote very little of their own music, which sets them apart from their rivals, the Beatles, whose performance on Sullivan was very much live. I had always heard that Sullivan insisted on live only performances.... I sure don't remember this debacle, although it's pretty obvious in their other live performances as well.

[@bjornshigg1902]

Braintap, over 95% of the DC5's catalogue was self-penned.

[@bjornshigg1902]

I think you've been listening to too much of DC's BS. Up until" Do you love me" the DC5 didn't exist as a pop/rock group, they were a dance band they played waltzes and foxtrots with a little bit of Rock and Roll thrown in at the end of the evening. Prior to that they were a skiffle group. All this playing at the USAAF bases you hear about was as a dance band, you would not have heard GAO, B&P or anything like that. from them. The Mecca was a ballroom organisation, Rock venues didn't exist when the DC5 were playing for them, they were there so people could dance in circles attached to each other! The first time they played anything like Rock at places like the Tottenham Royal was after "Glad All Over".All this "sell out night after night" is just pure BS.

[@braintap9072]

***** Yes, I was around 13 when the Beatles came to America. I always enjoyed the DC5 too. I just don't think they were in the same class as the Beatles, history shows that is true. I am just really surprised the there is not one single concert of the DC5 playing without them playing to a backing track. Even more shocking is that Sullivan allowed that. From what I understand, he insisted on live performances only.

[@bjornshigg1902]

yes I live in Britain and yes I was around in "the day", I'm 66 and have been following the DC5 since 1963. I know/knew all the band members pretty well so I am pretty clued up in what went on. DC does talk a load of rubbish at times , in fact the PBS Documentary he put out is mainly fiction.Don't get me wrong, I like the DC5 music but I don't like the incorrect info put out by DC as fact.

[@jimmcintyre6664]

They wrote almost all their stuff

[@nicholasbrowning4558]

Dave Clark was a sharp businessman at a time when artists were being hosed. He owned or bought up a lot of 60's videos and turned into a company called shout!. He made a fortune

[@RoyFive]

Knowing it was lip synced never stopped me from wanting to tune in and enjoy the performances. That was especially true of shows like Where The Action Is. It was just fun to see what the artists actually looked like in addition to hearing the songs I enjoyed.

[@isotopefeeney]

What I don’t understand is: if The Ed Sullivan show was ‘live’ (which everyone seems to acknowledge it was) (in other words, you’re seeing it as it’s happening, like SNL today), then this would have gone out (been telecast) this way…but I don’t remember anything like this. Not that I saw every TV appearance by every British band (altho’ I tried my hardest!), but between my friends at the time and all the other fans / collectors I’ve known over the years, it seems everything from ‘back in the day’ has been remembered, memorialized, dissected: what songs The Beatles did on Ed Sullivan, how cool Keith Moon looked on Shindig!, The Stones having to (well, at least agreeing to) change the words to Let’s Spend The Night Together to appease Uncle Ed. etc. etc. But I’ve never heard anything like this being mentioned by anyone. Leads me to believe maybe that The Ed Sullivan Show wasn’t as ‘live’ as people thought…?

[@MrGandharva108]

This band is in the rock n roll hall of fame. Just think of the great bands, vocal groups & singers that are not.

[@arthouston7361]

When bands appeared on shows like Ed Sullivan, the backing tape was referred to as a “TV track,” which was an instrumental of the hit, and usually the band word sing live vocals against that TV track. In situations where someone was not physically up to a live singing performance, then they would mime to the full track, in what we now call a lip-synch.

[@cozener845]

Ed Sullivan has all the charisma of a cold dead fish. How did he ever get to present a variety show?

[@bornyesterday21]

Ed would always book big acts like The D. C. 5 and others so that people would watch all the other trash he had on for 40 minutes...... remember Topo Gigio? (the italian mouse.) lol.. That was rich. I can't believe his show was on prime time for 20 years. But it worked. I watched it all the time.

[@chass5438]

We had a math teacher in Jr. high that looked like him, I always would say, "It's Gonna Be A Really Big Shooo" whenever we'd see him coming down the hall. I'd get my friends to laugh like holy hell.

[@peter1949]

It was nice to see what they sounded like stripped down...still great. I wish there were some more "live" performances...I agree with another poster Mike Smith and Dennis Payton were the true talents in the band.

[@eugeneendres5846]

What occurred to me was - what was Ed Sullivan doing when this happened ? I could just picture him grabbing the Tech guys by the collars, and trying to strangle them. lol

[@vrinda5303]

That's probably what he was doing!

[@eugeneendres5846]

lol.

[@oldiesgeek454]

+Eugene Endress It's widely known that Ed used to "throw back a few" while standing in the wings. He was Irish after all...lol

[@ericschenk9854]

Wow. It is sad that for a group that had so many great pop hits, they could not perform without backing tracks. How is it that the Beatles and the Stones were capable of performing live without any electronic "support" but the Dave Clark could not recreate their in studio work live?

[@janicekociol7702]

Does it make you wonder who actually played on their records?

[@eyeballll]

This may be the closest thing to a live performance you'll find on KZbin.

[@MajorWolfgangHochstetter]

Punch in "Nineteen Days" live.

[@topsypart2880]

John Thomas my favorite song 19 days

[@tomb4575]

What's always amazing is that while groups preached peace love and a communal workspace, ever year proceeding the RRHOF induction ceremony is filled with stories of who's not showing up or refuses to be on the same stage because of money or who was believed to be the real genius of the group.

[@johnhourigan6049]

Exactly! Goes to show the bands preaching peace, love, etc., would engage in the very things they and their songs were criticizing 😅😅😅 It’s why you can’t take this stuff seriously.

[@DeetroitEddie]

These guys played MANY gigs live before they broke through in America. Smith, Davidson & Peyton wrote a LOT of great stuff too. Dave's business sense was decades ahead of it's time (but, yes, his ethics were at times very questionable). Overall, a great band with a great sound. About time they got more credit!

[@Mister_Pedantic]

Do you have a video of a live performance?

[@wesleycook7687]

They would have to have been good to get a recording contract.

[@crimsonwolf9099]

@@wesleycook7687 I'm a DC5 fan but that statement is just wrong. There were/are tons of artists that stunk and got record contracts. Gary Lewis & the Playboys, the Cowsills, etc.

[@michaelrocke7917]

Your right. You have to sound good to arouse public interest. No public interest, no contract.

[@ptournas]

​@@wesleycook7687Remember Fabian?

[@Speedracer78]

This is faster than the recorded version. And Dave's drumming sounds much different than on the record, as does the guitar. So if they are truly being accompanied by a backing track then the question here is, which instruments are live and which aren't?

[@bjornshigg1902]

Andrew Barton you have to remember Clark didn't drum on any of the records , that was session drummer Bobby Graham. None of the instruments paled by the other 4 are live although it is possible there's some spillage from the drums into the live vocal mics. Although Rick Huxley stated in print that the drums were muted they may not have been totally silenced.

[@CastleOfThoughts]

+Bjorn Shigg Maybe Bobby Graham's face should have appeared on those DC5 album covers. I lose more respect for The DC5 with every revelation you make, and they were my favorite group back in the day. It's no wonder we always see Dave being completely unable to even mime the freakin drum parts on those tv appearances! He wasn't even playing them on the tracks. Geeze Louise!

[@alexmolina3682]

+Andrew Barton Ok ... remember Dave produced the recording sessions and maintained ALL the master tapes. Although most of the material that was released on 45's were mono mixes, the master tapes at the very least were 4 track. Recorded tracks without vocals were very easy to produce and supply to the producers of shows which the DC5 and other bands performed on. I don't know what the criteria would be for a band to perform completely live, but to have live singing over background recording tracks could easily give the impression that the performance was live. Now as far as Dave's drums and hi hat being padded .. whether that's true or not, I am a drummer and I can clearly see in nearly any video that the DC5 are performing that Dave sticks are NOT MAKEING CONTACT with anything except for the occasional cymbal.

[@bjornshigg1902]

+Alex Molina you are correct in the main, except DC didn't produce the recording sessions Adrian Kerridge and Mike Smith did. It's yet another one of DC's claims which is untrue

[@bjornshigg1902]

+robert beatty please don't call me a iar, no I wasn't there but I have interviewed Bobby Graham, the other members of the DC5 and the recording engineers who were in the studio at the time. ALL say Graham played on all the hit records up to 1967.

[@crimsonwolf9099]

Mike Smith (a name hardly anyone remembers) was one of the greatest vocalists in rock. For me it was always The Mike Smith 5! The DC5 were influences on many groups that came later including The Ramones and Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band. For me Mike Smith and Eric Burden were the two best UK male vocalists of that era. Others, (Jagger, Ray Davies, Daltry, Beatles, Manfred Mann's Paul Jones, etc) may have been better "performers" but those two were the best singers! (Although Paul Jones is very seriously underrated and comes in at #3.)

[@doowopdan1879]

Paul Jones is another name few know, at least in the U.S., because the band was named after someone else (I know Jones had some solo hits in the U.K., but not here). But you're right, he has a very distinctive voice, and his later "Manfreds" (alumni from the original band) performances are excellent. Mike D'Abo, who replaced him, wasn't half bad either.

[@chipgaasche4933]

woolf, you seem to be hanging out with the wrong people!..also, you seem to have forgotten Lennon and McCartney..the two best singers from that era.

[@sanguinefan1734]

What's the big deal? Wasn't it the norm back then for pop musicians on TV to mime to a backing track, usually whatever hit record was being promoted? It was certainly the case on BBC's Top of the Pops. There must be lots of examples in the blooper archives where the backing track didn't play for one reason or another.

[@fgldnglbs]

That sounds very live to me, at long last. Doesn't sound anything like the record. A bit raw, but energetic. Sax just needed to be miked better. Someone pointed out elsewhere that they played American airbases and bands had to be good in order to get those gigs. Clark really must have been finicky about his band's sound.

[@peteandpuy]

I did see them play live in 1964 in Boston. They were playing their instruments. It didn’t sound all that good but it was close.

[@ModernNatureBand]

The Beatles did their Sullivan show live!

[@beatlebuick]

The Beatles played live every performance … even when they sent video .

[@joegongora2200]

I agree the Beatles appeared about 4 or 5 times on the Ed Sullivan Show & their performances were live.

[@bobbarker7733]

Why is that anything to brag about? They knew that all of the girls in the audience would be screaming so loud no one would be able to hear how crappy they sounded live.

[@steveomusicman6645]

What was the date of this telecast,(sometime in 64, Im sure, but when? and are they any more videos of the other song they probably did on the show?

[@bjornshigg1902]

20th June 1965, the other songs they did on the show were "I like it like that" and "Come Home"

[@fangirllinda]

@@bjornshigg1902 Did they have to do a shorter version of "Come Home" because of the backing failure? There's youtube clip somewhere and you can hear Mike tell Lenny to start with the second verse.I think it was from this very show...or am I'm making things up?.

[@dsjump]

As Mama Cass once said, "Cue the tape!"

[@bwanadave76]

I thought she said, "CACKH!.........can't.........breathe......ack.........."

[@chass5438]

Why was that ?

[@oldiesgeek454]

+Chas S bwawnadave76 is referring to the longtime rumor that Mama Cass died from choking on a sandwich bite. But in reality, she died from heart failure.

[@topsypart2880]

Chas S on creeque ally . at the end of the song they go off track for a few seconds.priceless

[@joelake7986]

Pretty sure she choked on a Werthers, just like Hendrix. Werthers have killed more rock stars than all other candies put together.

[@RobertBlevins]

The most common backing tapes did not include drums, and the mikes were live. They were produced as a matter of form by the record companies. Why? Because back then TV shows didn't have the time or budgets they have now. It took time to set up live gear, test PA's, etc for every act scheduled. Soundstages were often shared with other TV shows and there was time pressure every week to get the show on tape. So they used backing tapes to cut time and costs.

[@bjornshigg1902]

Robert Blevins that's perfectly true but all the other groups on Sullivan played live without backing tapes. Show on UK TV didn't use backing tapes at all the acts lip-synched to their records.

[@novadarr8874]

+Robert Blevins Never saw the Beatles on Ed's show with a backing tracks.... only in much later years they did obvious videos, like MTV today.

[@wyatt1153]

Session drummer Bobby Grahm played drums on all those DC5 hits and Dave Clark took credit for it. Shame on him.

[@novadarr8874]

+wyatt1153 Not to mention stealing song writing credits.... not a savvy business man, just a crook.

[@billgannon9788]

Which songwriting credits?

[@scootergreen3]

Were any of the musicians any good or were they just actors?

[@jimmcintyre6664]

@@scootergreen3 they could all play...they did many live gigs and tours in the UK and US

[@fangirllinda]

@@scootergreen3 Check out the Mike"Boomer" Smith Radio Interview in 2003 , about a week before he and his band performed at BB King's .Pure Gold! kzbin.info/www/bejne/f5yqinyiathgbKs

[@2340Vegas]

It was all about their "sound" of the Dave Clark Five songs on my cheap phonograph and transistor radio - the saxophone, the vocals and the stomping on the floor.

[@lilybond6485]

Dave Clark was a business man more than he was a drummer or singer for the band.

[@captainsoul1953]

most band used backing tapes on these shows...they recorded them before the shows....so it's them playing but not live on air

[@captainsoul1953]

+ᏳᏫᏜᏡᎦᏈᏜᏫᏳ this ain't the backing track of Glad all over 45

[@wesleycook7687]

@ Only the music. The vocals were live.

[@Dion1957]

They were compared to the Beatles?????????????????????

[@garychambers5850]

They compared all British groups to The Beatles back then. Still.. there's only *ONE Beatles* .

[@wesleycook7687]

@@garychambers5850 Not any more. There are so many tribute bands that sound exactly like the Beatles, unless you see them you wouldn't know the difference.

[@jmm1000]

original milli vanilli moment. no one is playing here - only the vocal mics are live. and clark is barely hitting the drumheads that are covered with terrycloth towels. they were passable musicians, but even the recording isnt clark on drums. ZE-ro comparison to the beatles.

[@shigsho]

I saw them LIVE abd they were great. Too manby DC haters out here.

[@pgroove163]

i dug them

[@fangirllinda]

@@pgroove163 After 55 years, I still love the DC5, that's how old I am :D That voice of the late , great Mike Smith STILL makes my hear skip a beat!

[@wesleycook7687]

I agree with that.

[@yesterdayproductions1019]

Many bands did what we call a "TV" mix on television all through the 60's. The vocals were live but the music was pre-recorded. In this instance, not only is the music pre-recorded, but the BACKING vocals are also on tape. The ONLY thing LIVE is Mike Smith singing lead. It was easier this way. It doesn't mean the Dave Clark 5 never played live. They TOURED the US in 1964 playing live. Besides Mike Smith, who was REALLY talented, Denis Payton was very proficient on saxophone & Lenny Davidson on rhythm guitar. Dave Clark was mediocre (not terrible) on drums & Rick Huxley was weak (not terrible) on bass. That's why Dave & Rick never played on their records.

[@eightinches3671]

Of all the video footage I seen on youtube I have yet to see the DC5 play live. They're always lip syncing or singing to a pre-recorded tape. I never understood why, even on the Ed Sullivan show, they didn't just play live like the Beatles or Stones.

[@johnvolkman4070]

I ran across an entirely live audio recording several years. All that really stood out were Mike's vocals & organ playing and bass drum. Mikes organ covered alot of the shortcomings of live performances I would imagine. I agree with your comments of Dave and Rick. I think I've seen all the posted videos here and Rick looks like a guy who was just told, "fake it, you'll be fine. No none will hear it anyway".

[@EvanDahill]

I loved their recordings, but they were not the musicians on the recordings. Period. Dave Clark was a genius marketer.

[@jimmcintyre6664]

They played on the records apart from Clark

[@beerborn]

This is the first time I've heard DC5 live and not lip-syncing on studio recordings. Why are all their live performance do they have to lip-sync on studio recordings.

[@webwillie1]

DC5 Lip-synced everything, never played live.

[@wesleycook7687]

Did it pretty well too. Sold a lot of records . Knocked the Beatles out of the number one spot. Always gave great shows. And they were a lot sharper dressers. I once said that the DC5 was the second best band of the British Invasion, but actually they were as good as the Beatles. Look at the U Tube clip called The Beatles vs The Dave Clark Five. Paul McCartney is on it and has nothing but praise for the DC5. It also shows live clips. Even Paul said the DC5 sang live at the London Palladium several times. Pull it up and see it for yourself. The 3 hour one,not the 5 minute one.

[@ilovemusic7748]

Based on my research it seems to indicate that in some of the early stuff Dave Clark did play Drums but they were doubled by (Bobby Graham). Makes sense because on some early stuff the Drums sounded doubled. The later stuff is definitely Dave Clark on Drums.

[@bjornshigg1902]

Clark didn't play on any of the hit records or most of the album tracks prior to 1967. After that Clark played on most of the output. There was no doubling of drums on the early records , it was purely Bobby Graham on his own. Simply putting it, Clark wasn't up to playing the loud raucous stuff they put out at that time. He was a pedestrian poor drummer no better than the average pub drummer.

[@ilovemusic7748]

Literally all sources ive read credit both Dave Clark and Bobby Graham as Dummers on albums and songs.

[@bobrush5005]

i loved the dc5 although i always figured (even at age 12) that they were a pre-packaged band (and some even said their shirts were "grotty!" :) ) however, i always thought mike smith had a great voice. years later, when i became close friends with ace london session guitarist vic flick, vic told me he did a number of sessions for dave clark (producer) and while there was always different bass players, consistently playing were session drummer bobby graham and the man, himself, Mike Smith on both vocals and keyboards (organ and/or piano). vic stayed friends with mike and in later years sat in with Mike Smith's Rock Engine when they played vegas where vic resided at the time. he said mike was a great rock singer and player, and was very moved when he passed away in spain some years ago. dave? good business man, basically. and an advantage-taking fraud, as far as i'm concerned.

[@MajorWolfgangHochstetter]

Bob- I have a hard time rationalizing the whole thing. If Rick did not play on 'most' recordings what purpose did he serve? He was with Dave from the very beginning. I do hope that a definitive history of the group (not just Dave) will be published before I leave this mortal sphere.

[@bobrush5005]

that would be nice, but it seems DC has all that legacy stuff locked up tight. there was what i'd hope would be "the real story behind the dc5" doc on tv - but, it was owned by dc, and all spin and b.s., like him in the studio playing drums. you may find some answers in Bobby Graham's wonderful book (i don't recall if he sent it to me - he's no longer living - of if i found it somewhere on line. www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/bobby-graham-session-drummer-who-played-on-around-15000-records-1791653.html

[@MajorWolfgangHochstetter]

Thanks Bob, I'm going to check that out. I've always enjoyed the instrumental, "On the Move", and had thought Dave was a masterful drummer in that respect, but then I'd see him in a video doing "Glad All Over", and be quite confused.

[@bjornshigg1902]

I assisted Bob with the passage in his book on the DC5. Even then he missed things out or refused to put things in ( depending on how you look at it) as basically like many others he was sh*t scared of DC.

[@valeriewhite9918]

Thanks Bob At last we can clear up the debate of the Dave Clark drumming on the Studio tracks by some one who has met and spoken to a session player who actually played on the sessions the great VIC FLICK [JAMES BOND theme] who no doubt spoke up after the 30 years secrecy clause that Dave Clark made all the session players on his recordings sign ,I have been a Professional Drummer for 50 yrs and a Drum teacher for 17 yrs and I actually started playing to DC5 records in 1963 and can tell everyone this is all basic grade 5 stuff BOBBY GRAHAM who 100% played on all DC5 sessions SINGLES,EP's, and ALBUMS, was asked by Dave Clark to simplify the drum parts [ie; fills]as Bobby put more fills and patterns in on studio runs before Takes ' as any advanced player of the time would have . Even though as 13 year old kid I was struck by Dave's SHOWMANSHIP I still started to have my doubts to his ability when watching him ''Mime /Sync on tv shows at the time the TRACKS that really show this are DO YOU LOVE ME the studio track has lots of great fills by BOBBY GRAHAM all over it and EP track NO TIME TO LOSE watch any TV performance of these tracks [NO TIME TO LOSE suppiciously unreleased by Mr Clark]and you will see NO ATTEMPT to play those fills which shows YES he could play drums BUT of limited ability Recording studio ability and live playing are a totally different world You have to have done recording sessions [which I have many times ]to know what it's like then i even met a sax player in 1967 who was in a band on tour with DC5 in USA and said saw a Session drummer on live shows behind a curtain on stage all the fans USA in particular Have to face the FACTS 1 there we're huge sums of money to be made and FACT 2 Dave Clark may have played live on some gigs within his limits FACT 3 DAVE CLARK DID NOT PLAY on the DC5 recordings it was BOBBY GRAHAM final test for any doubters listen to the KINKS -YOU REALLY GOT ME and ALL DAY AND ALL OF THE NIGHT same CARLTON drum KIT and you can tell same drummer same feel groove everything it's BOBBY GRAHAM let's end this debate once and for all .

[@keithhyttinen8275]

You can appreciate how good the Beatles were. Live on every Sullivan show, pretty much sounding exactly like the studio recordings of their hits. Love the DC5 songs. I think they just sang with studio pros playing the instruments.

[@bjornshigg1902]

there was a session drummmer ( Bobby Graham) and a session bass ( Eric Ford) the other 3 DC5 guys played on the recordings

[@wesleycook7687]

The Beatles were not live on every Sullivan Show. They also used backing tracks. John Lennon said even the first show they did used a backing track that they sung along with. This was so the home audience could hear them over the screaming. John said they couldn't even hear themselves and felt like they were lip syncing part of the time.

[@pedroperezfarias]

Leonard 'Lenny' Davidson on guitar

[@chipgaasche4933]

Yes, we know!!

[@wesleycook7687]

@@NoOne-kr4jc Who cares? Just more personal opinion. I think the DC5 was probably the best band that came out of the British Invasion.

[@carlcurtis]

I think there was ONE occasion when the Five sang live on Ed Sullivan. I won't swear to it, but the first time I saw them show their Nineteen Days video, they prefaced it with Sittin' Here Baby and sang it live. It was absolutely different from the B side of the 45. I want to stress than I'm going by memory of something that happened in 1966. Unfortunately, I can't find a video of it on KZbin.

[@Mister_Pedantic]

They tried to sing Any Way You Want It live on Ed Sullivan and it was painful to watch, especially when they tried to replicate the studio echo with their voices.

[@jakesam33]

well they must have plugged them in during the blackout because when they come back on that's live Mike even comes in late and being the professionals they are they smiled and carried on

[@scootergreen3]

Just because they are plugged in doesn't mean the volume on the amp is turned up. I'm a guitarist singer and drummer. Don't believe everything you see and hear.

[@perrybarton]

Mike comes in late because it takes him a minute to realize how far into the song the backing track is when it finally starts playing.

[@VirreFriberg]

Wonder why they lip-synced on the Ed Sullivan show, I thought most of those performances were live

[@09bnunez]

back in the day every group sang to background tape and solo singers female and male

[@Smile892011]

+Doc Reasonable Not true. The Beatles actually mimed! Their manager, Brian Epstein, wouldn't allow them to possibly screw up in front of a televised audience.

[@bjornshigg1902]

+Smile892011 not on Sullivan though, they played live, they also played live on some UK TV Shows.

[@cowsongs]

+Smile892011 No. Completely live on the Sullivan show. Look up the Royal Variety Performance 1963... that was completely live as well. Yes, there were some TV appearances where the mimed, but it wasn't because Epstein was afraid of the TV audience. It was because of space and time limitations (i.e. the tv show didn't have a large enough stage area, or the gear, or the time to set them up with full live gear to play, so they just lip synced it). In contrast, the DC5 *never* played live.

+Eriberto Nunez no they did not.

[@roxydogooder6619]

For one supposedly being said looks upset, Mike sure had a wink and a smile once they got going.

[@nikolamarkovina2751]

Never would have happened to the Beatles.

[@wesleycook7687]

It did. Ready Steady Go.

[@fangirllinda]

Was there an interview posted with Mike or Lenny about this backing tape failure or did I miss it ?

[@bjornshigg1902]

I have a video of Mike talking about it in my collection, it is in an interview with Dave Dee in a Christmas Special

[@fangirllinda]

@@bjornshigg1902 What year ?

[@bjornshigg1902]

@@fangirllinda 20th June 1965

[@fangirllinda]

@@bjornshigg1902 Sorry, I meant the date of the Dave Dee Christmas Special, so I can search for it. Thanks.

[@roughtake8784]

Dave Clark didnt even play on the hits, Bobby graham session great never got credit.

[@recordguy4321]

@@wesleycook7687 stfu!!!!! Bobby graham played on more hit records than anyone in England in the 60's. Who cares about wipeout. I've had to play that dumb ass song in groups since it came out in 63.

[@recordguy4321]

@@wesleycook7687 yes i played it back in the mid 60's, and i can think of many more DC5 songs that are more difficult Wipeout is not difficult if you listen to the original by the Surfaris

[@recordguy4321]

@@wesleycook7687 hey jerk off just type in Bobby Graham on you tube and watch the videos of the SIGNED Contacts which he played on, example Kinks, Pretty Things DC5, Petula Clark etc. You really are an IDIOT. I've got 10 Sandy nelson albums and dont need to be lectured by you.. you CREEP! Get a life!

[@wesleycook7687]

@@recordguy4321 I already did. Found 2 clips of Graham, nothing else. Nothing special. I can always tell when people make baseless claims, they start name-calling and getting pissed off. Phil Collins said Dave Clark was a great drummer. Quest Love from the Roots was on the DC5 documentary and hailed Dave Clark as a great drummer. Buddy Rich met Dave Clark years ago and gave him tips on drumming. So, if the real truth hurts, then go back to what you are doing. Dissing the most enteraining band of the 60s. I have a life. You're the one that needs one. Sandy Nelson only made 2 albums I know about. No more comments. I'm done with you , Bjorn Shit and the rest of your circle jerk that are pissed off because you never made a name for yourselves, so you single out one successful band and ignore all the other Invasion groups. As far, as I'm concerned, John Lennon was the biggest prick of all. Ignored his own son for one thing. Stuck Ringo and George in the background. Paul, he didn't mess with. Yes, he would let George sing as long as his face was out front but usually just the harmonies. But I said no more comments. This is it.

[@MrRETEROROB]

I've heard about this. thanks for uploading.

[@Upsiditus7]

Obviously Dave Clark is a lousy drummer.

[@porflepopnecker4376]

I was just thinking, it looked like his first time behind a drum kit.

[@howardlevin2753]

Rawness live aside, people who were there remember a rivalry between the Beatles and Dave Clark Five through 1963-64, not with the Rolling Stones. The other two had distinctive sounds at the service of their own songs; the DC5 also helped establish keyboards in bands and had a sax to boot That's how they got into the RRHOF. Then the Stones started writing and developed a dynamic where the DC5 did not and that ended an otherwise respectable run.

[@janicekociol7702]

Some rivalry. In England, the DC5 had one #1 hit, "Glad All Over." They finally reached #1 in the U.S. with "Over and Over." That's it. The "rivalry" was created by Dave Clark himself. He was the group's publicity agent as well as manager. The DC5 toured a long time in the U.S. and did many Ed Sullivan shows. Dave Clark somehow missed doing the live concerts in England that other groups were doing.

[@howardlevin2753]

@@janicekociol7702 And Clark, as the manager, is likely responsible for the DC5 never playing live on tv (unless it was an accident). Nonetheless, although the Beatles outran nearly everyone for #1's, people still recall a rivalry.

[@davidspencer3191]

The real live DC5👏..before the backing tape cock up😸

[@CVWII]

I recall one show with the Kinks that had to be done live because one of the guitarists played the wrong chord and it was so obvious that he stood there grinning for most of the next verse.

[@isotopefeeney]

Shindig!

[@wesleycook7687]

Shindig or Bandstand neither one had good accoustics. That's why the bands and singers mimed. Dave Davies ripped the core out of his amp in the first live show they performed in because he couldn't get the sound on You Really Got Me right. This caused a raunchy distortion that was a crowd pleaser so they went back in the studio and re- recorded it and it went from 46 on the charts all the way to the top ten in two weeks.

[@fgldnglbs]

Why the DC5 never played live on tv is a total mystery. Didn't they make it as a live act before getting a record deal? Did Clark think they sounded too raw? So what if they did? What about their sold-out shows?

[@empeethreeman]

The Dave Clark Five were a superb band.Their music was a great alternative to the dominant Mersey Sound (also great).Listen to some of their dynamic tracks loud and on a good audio system.For example Any Way You Want It.....

[@Crisadasme]

Come home, bernardette, julia

[@bpabustan]

So it turns out, DC5 is not actually playing live.

[@Kenjock3000]

Didn't the Sullivan show do two tapings? This might have been the earlier "rehearsal" one.

[@bjornshigg1902]

No, This is what actually went out over Live TV

[@wesleycook7687]

This was a rehearsal. On Saturday. It never went out live