The Herd - "The Fontana Years" 2 x Vinyl, LP, Compilation, 2009 (Vinyl Lovers)

For this past month, I have been obsessing over the British 60s band The Herd.  Due to my shopping mood at the time I purchased an original U.S. compilation album of ten Herd songs.  Mostly due to the fact that The Herd seemed to be under the spell of the songwriting talents Howard Blaikley (Alan Blaikley & Ken Howard).   Dave Dee, Dozy Beaky, Mick & Tich used their services as well as The Honeycombs.  All brilliant.  So how can the Herd fail?  What surprises me is how much I love The Herd's music.  Listening to this double-album of 32-songs, it strikes me that The Herd was very much part of the 1967/1968 British world at the time.  "The Fontana Years" is like a See's Candy sample box of chocolate, but set in a specific era and place.  

The Herd sound is not original, but the way they mix it up is fascinating.  They would sound like The Small Faces if they had The Walker Brothers as vocalists, and with a touch of Procol Harum's love of classical melodies.  Gary Taylor only sings lead on a few songs by the band, but he has a rich baritone voice that yells out Scott Walker.  And when he sings the chorus or a bridge of a song, it brings out a 'wow' moment for the listener.   The Herd is very much a band that used and performed the songs by Howard Blaikley, but they also wrote their own material.   There is this duality in their vision, but their eye on the prize was a massive sound.  They can be a cool Mod-orientated Booker T, jazz band, to an obtuse baroque pop band.  And when you hear all their music on this two-disc collection (most of their work was released as singles), it doesn't seem odd that they made strange directional moves, in the context of their pop leanings. 

Peter Frampton (yes that Peter) and Andy Bown wrote half of their material, and they never settled for one sound or aesthetic.   I don't know if there is a Herd "sound," because they pretty much compile all their influences/sounds from their era.   What's surprising is that their technique, either planned or by fault, works.  All four had contributed to the package.  Andrew Steele, their drummer, even sings lead and wrote a song, and it's good.  For anyone who has even the slightest interest in the British music scene of the late 60s I heartily recommend The Herd.  Although they don't sound like The Move, I think they are equally as important as that band.  No foolin'. 

The Herd - "Lookin Thru You" Vinyl, Album, U.S., 1968 (Fontana)

The Herd is a very typical band of their era, as well as unusual.   The truth is, the 1960s were an extraordinary decade when it came to a lot of things, but for me, the music defined its eccentricity, and there is nothing ordinary about The Herd, in that sense.   Peter Frampton, a pin-up rock god of the 1970s, was also the pin-up teen pop star of the late 1960s.  Still, I was surprised to hear The Herd, and hearing not only Frampton's voice, but also The Walker Brothers, a touch of Procol Harum, very early David Bowie, and a pinch of ska, with respect to its rhythms.  Baroque in style, but the closest thing I can also think of is Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich in its ridiculous manner of over-the-top pop.   They also share the songwriting talents of Alan Blaikley and Ken Howard, better to known to us record label readers as "Howard Blaikley."  I first discovered the duo through Joe Meeks' 1964 band The Honeycombs, who had the enormous hit "Have I The Right."

I know very little about the history of The Herd, except that all of them were teenagers when they were in the band.   They had three hit songs in England and Europe, and they made one album in the U.K. and this album, "Lookin' Thru You" is their only American release.  Basically a bastard version of their British album "Paradise Lost" and a load of other singles.   When I was a young boy in the 1960s, I remember having a mass paperback of the upcoming bands from the UK, and among many, The Herd was in that pile.   They stood out because of their photo.  Their perfect haircuts seduced me. It took almost 50 years until I purchase their album.  Time waits for no one.  Except hearing The Herd.  It doesn't take me back to my youth, or the love of their haircuts, but the fact that they made pop music that is insane and beautifully accurate for their time. Listening to it in 2018 I'm struck by the imaginative use of orchestration and horns.  And the voices are entirely from the Scott Walker method of attacking and embracing a melody.  

Without a doubt their masterpiece is "From The Underworld" is mythical as well as a teenage pop narrative.  It's fascinating that pop songwriters like Blaikley and Howard can slip in something magnificent in the lyrics and sell it as teenage angst.  That's the brilliance of pop, in the hands of crafty and brilliant songwriters.   The other classic is "Paradise Lost" which starts off as a stripper's theme song, and then goes into this dark classical mode, which is similar to "From The Underworld." The transition from one place to another is breathtakingly beautiful.  

Besides the two veteran songwriters, Frampton and Andy Bown co-wrote a lot of songs as well, which sounds a lot like The Small Faces.  Which ironically (or not) enough, Frampton went off with Steve Marriott to form Humble Pie.  The secret weapon in The Herd is their bassist who can sing like Scott Walker.  Gary Taylor also writes for The Herd as well, and his voice is just magnificent.  The Herd has a lot of strength, and why they didn't make it in a huge way is a mystery to me.  Sometimes the cards are not in favor of its players, and The Herd left us some incredible music.  

Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich : "Time To Take Off" Vinyl, LP, Album, U.S., 1968 (Imperial)

Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich is the worst name for a band ever made.  Beyond that, I have a fondness for DDDBM&T.  As one can gather, if you read this blog on a regular basis, I have an odd collection of their recordings.  Why I collect them I can't possibly give you an answer.  The truth is I have an obsession with Joe Meeks' The Honeycombs, whose first album I adore to bits. All their songs on that album are written by Ken Howard and Alan Blaikley, who go by their name "Howard Blaikley."  The material they wrote for DDDBM&T is very different from The Honeycombs' songs.  For one, the scope of their subject matter is huge for DDDBM&T.

"Time To Take Off" is DDDBM&T's 1968 album, which means for a British pop band they had to get serious or make a statement of some sort on their album.  In other words, the sound on this album is huge and clearly advanced to another level, compared to their early works.  Of course, the early recordings are superior to anything on this album.  Still, they had two hit singles off this album, the wacky "The Legend Of Xanadu" and the bizarre "Zabadak."  The rest of the album is crap, but it's 1968 type of crap, and that makes this album listenable, even enjoyable in a bad taste manner.  Their version of "If I Were a Carpenter" written by Tim Hardin is probably the strangest version of that classic song yet.   It sounds out with respect to the rest of the songs on "Time To Take Off."   Also, note that this album in the U.K. is called "If No-One Sang."

Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich - "Greatest Hits" Vinyl, LP, Compilation, 1984 (Philips)

The annoying thing about this band from the British Invasion 1960s is their name: Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich (future reference for this piece DD-DBMT).  God knows what happens if one dropped out of the band, but reading the liner notes on this specific album, all their names are fake.  So in theory, the musicians can be replaceable, because anyone can be Tich.  The other problem I have is due to my memory, I can't recall the name of their band if I didn't have a piece of paper in front of me with their name on it.  I can remember up to Dave Dee, and I know there's a Mick somewhere there, but beyond that, memory failure.    On the other hand, they're one of my favorite 'pop' bands of that period.   Their music lacks any authentic feelings, and in fact is pure pop wallpaper music.  Which is often bad, but somehow DD-DBMT is brilliant at it. 

Their key element is that all their songs are written by Ken Howard and Alan Blaikley, sometimes known as Howard Blaikley on liner notes or label credits.  They are also responsible for The Honeycombs (Joe Meek band), one of my favorite all time bands.   On one level, they're hack songwriters, but like DD-DBMT, they have a particularly brilliant zeal to their work.  And interesting enough, their songs for DD-DBMT are entirely different from The Honeycombs. I wouldn't think they were the same songwriters.  The Honeycombs are theatrical mood pieces, set to a pop medium, but DD-DBMT is almost goofy and clearly in their later years very much over-the-top productions.  

I first heard DD-DBMT watching an early performance piece on video by Gilbert and George.  They did a great dance to "Bend It," one of DD-DBMT's greatest songs.   It may have been a minor hit on American airwaves as well, but my memory (like remembering this band's name) is cloudy, but for sure the song made a huge impression on me through the talents of Gilbert & George.  I have three separate greatest hits collections by them.  Two are on vinyl, one on CD, and I also on my computer have their original albums issued in Japan about ten years ago.   The early DD-DBMT material was very straight ahead mod-like pop.  But very commercial with incredibly strong choruses.  Catchy as hell!  In a nutshell, superb 45 rpm singles. 

What's interesting about the compilation album I'm writing about now, are the songs on side two.  All are made later in their careers and very ambitious in sound and scope.  Still, entirely in the pop medium, but kind of koo-koo in theory and sound wise.  "Zabadak" and "Legend of Xanadu" are ridiculous.  Which is a big aspect of their appeal or specialness.  Fake exotica with a crazed production, it's a hard piece of work to avoid or ignore.  One of their greatest songs is "Last Night in Soho," one of the best, if not THE most fantastic song regarding that part of London, and its nightlife.   My advice is to track down the greatest hits albums (I think there are many editions throughout the world) and swing with the songs.  Pure ear candy. 

Pierre Bachelet & Hervé Roy - "Emmanuelle: The Original Sound Track" CD, Album, Reissue, Japan, 1974 (Warner Brothers)

At the age of 62, I'm the ripe customer for Emmanuelle and that whole European soft-porn era of the 1970s.  Even as a teenager I found Emmanuelle sexy.  The combination of exotic locale with a white European woman being surrounded by danger and various men, including an older gentleman - it seemed so perfect to me.  Is it correct to feel this way?  I don't know.  I keep this pretty much in my head and rarely share this information, till now, of course.

Also "Emmanuelle" is the most absurd film track album ever.  It's basically the one theme done in various music styles over and over again.   Come to think of it, "Emmanuelle" the film is just as absurd.  I want to say it's fun, but it brings up too many issues.  Racism, sexism, and probably even more "ism" then that I am aware of.  On the other hand, I love it.  I don't say this with great pride, but with a tad amount of embarrassment. 

Oddly enough I was introduced to the soundtrack by a beautiful blonde girl that I went to Junior High School with.  This was in the early 1970s, and her main music interest was in Donovan (she owned and played the Live Donovan album all the time) and Joni Mitchell's "Blue" album.  She had sophisticated taste, and on top of that, she was a beauty.   She was a strange girl in that she kept her own company pretty much all of the time.  We shared another friend of hers, and that is why we became friends.  Beyond the Joni and Donovan record, she also had the Emmanuelle soundtrack.  She played it for me, and it was at that time, the weirdest album I have ever heard, but beyond that, I was sexually attracted to my blonde friend, and her playing this album for me was almost a sexual act.  We never connected on a physical level, but many years later I found this album in Tokyo, with additional songs.   Like one needs additional songs on this album!  It's the same song over and over again - but of course, different arrangements each time. 

The other great discovery is that there is an English version of the theme song on the CD, and the lyrics were written by Howard / Blaikley, who wrote all the classic Honeycombs album as well as Dave Dee Dozy Beaky Mick & Tich's material.  What a strange discovery that was!

Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich - "Greatest Hits" Vinyl, LP, Compilation, 1967 (Fontana)

I could be wrong, but I suspect that Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich (DDDBM&T) never actually had a hit in the United States.  For one, who can remember their full name?  Two, they made brilliant ultra-pop records.  So pop that it borders on the eccentric side of that category.  There are two reasons why I'm interested in DDDBM&T.  One, I first heard "Bend It" in conjunction with the great art duo Gilbert & George, where they did a dance to this recording.  I loved the song immediately.  And two, all their hit songs were written by Howard Blaikley, who were actually two songwriters, and wrote tunes for my beloved The Honeycombs. 

I don't think there is another band like DDDBM&T.  Their sound was unique in that it had traces of exotica but done in a hyper-British production that borders on over-production.  "Bend It" is just as powerful as The Who's "My Generation."  It's a rave-up type of tune, with the melody starting off slow, and then it gets faster and faster. Based on a Greek theme motif, it even has a bouzouki on the recording that gives it that cosmopolitan air.  DDDBM&T. had no fear of sounding corny.  In fact, no fear whatsoever.   

This "Greatest Hits" collection is made for American listeners, and it only has 10 songs on the album.  There are more hits and even intriguing b-sides in the U.K., but this is obviously a contractual release of some sort. I'm not sure if there was another official release in America of their music.  In a nutshell, there are better collections out there in the European countries and even (of course) in Japan. For the hardcore fan who must have it all, I direct you there.  Still, this is a delightful album for what it is.  Great tunes here like "Bend It," "You Make It Move," and my fave "Hands Off."   I now regret that I didn't purchase the Japanese CD releases that came out a few years ago.  What I have besides this album is stuff that I downloaded from various websites over the years.