Gilbert & George - "The Thoughts of Gilbert & George" Vinyl, LP, Album, Spoken Word, Limited Edition (MoMA)

I'm very much of a veggie-meat & potatoes type of chap, and I think of Gilbert & George the same, with respect to their stance and art.  Ever since I was a teenager, I have followed this duo in all of their work, and sudden u-turns, and their ability to remain British to the core.   I also have a deep curiosity about how artists work together or collaborate on specific art pieces.  To this day, the more time I spend with Gilbert & George, the less I know about them.  They're a complete mystery to me.  

They have lived in East London for decades, and reportedly they eat at their local caff (cafe), which I think is part of their building or right next door. Legend has it that they purchased the local restaurant, and eat there every day.   They have a work ethic going, where they are in their building/studio every day, and consistently making art.  One can presume that they are a couple or lovers, but I'm not even sure if that's the case or not.  All I know is that I love them.

This is very much a spoken word album, with a song "Underneath The Arches"  The focus of the album and Gilbert & George's obsession is this British  1930's era Depression pop song.  It's a lovely tune.  They found the recording in a second-hand shop, and bingo, it becomes an essential performance piece by the duo.   It's a beautiful song about dreaming upward when everything is pretty much hell.  Gilbert & George generally deal with oppression due to politics, sexual mores, and culture. For fifty years their theme has been consistent, although their artwork has changed or they use different mediums, they are still a unique work of art.  I say that because they treat themselves as objects and whatever they do it becomes a work of art or an art object.  

"The Thoughts of Gilbert & George" is them talking about their aesthetic, but even that itself is an art piece.  That, and their focus on "Underneath The Arches" makes this album remarkable 

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. 

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.