The Dave Clark Five

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's Class of 2007 was announced yesterday, and missing from the list was the Dave Clark Five. What's the matter? They didn't meet the criteria? Let's see . . . .

Their first single, Glad All Over, was released in the US in 1964, 43 years and six days ago. The Hall says an artist is eligible 25 years after their first record. I'd say they pass that test!

As far as "the artist's contributions to the development and perpetuation of rock and roll," fifteen consecutive Top 20 records between 1964 and 1966 sounds like a decent contribution. This is a record that none of the current inductees from that period, with the exception of the Beatles, can put on their resume.

Even though the DC5 hung together and made good music until 1970, the band's heyday was that two year period beginning in 1964. The Beatles get credit, and deservedly so, for opening the door to British bands in America. Once here, however, the bands had to prove themselves. The DC5 did that. Was all of this lost on the Hall of Fame voters?

Perhaps there is some bias against the bands that came over in the first wave of the British Invasion? Sure, the Beatles, Stones, Animals, Yardbirds, Kinks, and the Who are in. But what about the Dave Clark Five? They made mincemeat out of every one of these bands in terms of popularity, again, save for the Beatles.

It looks like the DC5 are getting lumped in with Gerry and the Pacemakers, BJ Kramer and the Dakotas, Freddy and the Dreamers, and Herman's Hermits. There's nothing wrong with these bands, by the way, but they can't hold a candle to the DC5.

Critics have sung the praises of the songwriting evolution of Lennon-McCartney, Jagger-Richards, Ray Davies, and Pete Townshend in the early years of their careers. Dave Clark's songwriting may not have evolved to the same degree as his peers, but he was no slouch.

Clark and the band, Mike Smith, vocals and keyboards, Denis Payton, sax, harmonica, guitar, and vocals, Rick Huxley, bass guitar and vocals, and Lenny Davidson, lead guitar and vocals, made a sound that rocked as hard as any of the British Invasion bands, thanks to Clark's pounding drums. Those drums took hold of songs like Bits and Pieces, Glad All Over, and Over and Over and created a two minute (or less) frenzy unmatched by the serious work of the Beatles et al.

I'm not trying to build the DC5's case at the expense of the other bands in the first wave of British Invasion acts. As far as I'm concerned, every one of them should be in the Hall. That's right, even Herman's Hermits and the other more pop oriented groups. Those bands all had something that the American teenager wanted, and they bought their records up faster than they could be produced.

If you've never given the Dave Clark Five a serious listen, I recommend The History of the Dave Clark Five, 50 tunes on two cds. You'll get the big hits, some of the lesser known hits, and some of the quality music they made right up to the end.

Shame on the voting members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for not giving the Dave Clark Five their due by electing them into this year's class. The world could've gone one more year without Van Halen in the Hall. Meanwhile, a group of British pioneers are shut out from their rightful place alongside the Beatles, Stones, Kinks, Animals, and the Who. With Denis Payton's recent passing and Mike Smith in a wheelchair and still hospitalized from a 2003 accident, making this band wait is a tragedy.

Get this band into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And then, let's re-evaluate these 1,000 voters. It would appear that many need their voting privileges revoked.