The year was 1967: the great year of the Psychedelic era in popular music. LPs now housed the major art form, overshadowing the singles market. The Beatles led the way with Sgt. Peppers, and many other new bands appeared on the scene. But what of the original British Invasion contemporaries? Many had already faded from the scene. Others, like the Stones and the Animals, tried to adapt with new sounds, but with varying degrees of success. The Yardbirds made a major single with "Happenning Ten Years Time Ago". Even Hermans Hermits produced their best, and unfortunately last LP, "Blaze". In this regard, it seemed natural that the DC5 would follow suit. Their final USA LP was: "Everybody Knows"
From a musical standpoint, the DC5 had continued to progress nicely. Their previous few LPs were in keeping with the times. Most of "Try Too Hard", "Satisfied With You", and especially "5X5" were great, if a bit too short. And now, "Everybody Knows", named for their enormous British hit single, would compile some previous singles with five new songs.
As the DC5's popularity declined, so did Epic's weak promotional department. The novel "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby" was chosen as the sequel to the similiar and successful "You Got What It Takes". But this was a poor choice of material. The song isn't really all that bad, and the DC5 did perform musical magic in it, but hey, it was the wrong song for 1967. It did chart in the top fourty, but it also mis-defined the band as old-hat to many listeners. The flip side is actually very interesting, Denny Payton's "Man In the Pin-Stripped Suit". It should have been included on this album. The next single release was "A Little Bit Now", and it deserved better than its #67 chart peak. . This was definitely the right direction for Mike Smith's vocals: R&B/Soul in nature. Along with "Concentration Baby", a b-side, these two certainly fit the bill of the DC5: progressive, but without leaving their roots. Great tracks! I'd give the nod to "Concentration Baby". What a thick sound! The A-side of Concentration Baby was "Red And Blue": a slight ballad with a nice melody. A harmless song yes, but an A-side? Flip it over. It just wasn't a hit, and it died at #89. Perhaps Dave Clark agrees in retrospect, as he included Concentration Baby, not Red And Blue, on the History CD. The next single was "Everybody Knows". Number two in England, but no such luck on these shores. The track features Lenny's fine vocals, it's a fair ballad, and has excellent production. Subsequent singles would be more of the same. Never one of my favorites (DC5 meets Englebert), it's hard to deny its charm. On the flipside of this is "Inside And Out". Ahhh yes, great progress! Definitely one of my faves, and a rare DC5 run at social commentary. We're told it was a candidate song for a "Romeo And Juliet" movie. Also, great psyche guitar! (For more of this style, check out Maze of Love and 5X5). Again, flip this single and make Inside And Out the A-side!
The rest of the LP is comprised of new cuts that are for the most part, just great. "At the Place" - This one updates the typical DC5 ballad formula with nice production touches and harmonies. "Good Love Is So Hard to Find"- rooted in blues, it rocks! A steady groove, sounding like the 5X5 material. "Lost In His Dreams"- like Inside And Out, slightly trippy, with neat lyrics and backing vocals. "Hold On Tight" - some tight playing and vocals, although it does sound dated amongst the other tracks. Would have been a standout on an earlier LP. "I'll Do the Best I Can" - last but not least, this is one of the classiest DC5 songs of all time. It's "Mike Smith meets Phil Spector" with excellent results. Mike's vocals are just perfect here: smooth with the perfect display of emotion. What a way to end an album!
Overall, the albums flows very well, especially considering it's mostly a compilation of previous singles. As the new songs were excellent, I would have preferred more of them over the recycled 45s. Evenso, the album is highly enjoyable, and hints at some of the new music to come, at least in the UK, where Dave Clark would release four more long-players. - Mark Stewart
(To chat with Mark about his review of this album: cst@bellatlantic.net )..