DAVE DEE, DOZY BEAKY MICK AND TICH – "The Legend Of Xanadu"

DDDBMT made virtually no impression here, though I do recall “Zabadak” and “Bend It.” Gimmicks? Indeed. I don’t think I ever figured out where to place them musically–but their clothes were really, really FAB.

If in doubt, buy a whip.

I think he was Rosie! That story almost made it into the write-up but I couldn’t fit it really.

In another version of the Eddie Cochran story, Dave Dee (then plain Dave Harmon) pulled Cochran’s Gretsch guitar out of the wreck and took it home for safe keeping before returning it to his family. Which makes a strange pub-quiz link to Marc Bolan, whose first brush with fame was being allowed to carry Eddie Cochran’s guitar from the Hackney Empire to the waiting limo just a few days earlier.

Well, this finally explains that bit on the Beatles Anthology where George Harrison says “Y’all will have heard that Dave Dee is no longer with us…but Mickey and Tich and I have decided to carry on…” or whatever.

I think you will find that the current line-up is not the original as Mick(Wilson) left in the early 70’s to become a driving instructor in Salisbury and the ‘Mick’ playing now is a different one. Interestingly enough, another sixties drummer, Freddie Marsden of Gerry and the Pacemakers, also became a driving instructor, in Southport. Maybe thats what drummers do when they have had enough.

This song was not even the best they made. I preferred Last Night In Soho.

Oh the memories! Xanadu was probably my all time favourite song of theirs, but does anyone remember DD,D,B,M&T singing ‘If I were a Carpenter’ on Top of The Pops? It would have been about 1969.Jimmy Saville was nearly crushed to death by the girls rushing to the stage, and when Dave D sang the question “Would you have my baby?” half of the girls just about died trying to convince him that, yes they would!!! By the way FT’swoody2shoes,thanks for letting us know that Mick Wilson is still playing and looking good.

He had already been crushed by someone called Shirley with a 62 inch chest, so it is possible.

Speaking of JS, I was leafing through the BBC TV Audience Research Reports for 1964 the other day, and a consistent theme started to emerge…

From VR/64/11 Top of the Pops 1/1/64:-

“But the greatest number of objections was aimed at Jimmy Savile, mainly because of his appearance. ‘What an odd looking individual’ said a Solicitor; and others expanded this to call him ‘a cross between a Beatle and an Aldwych farce curate’, ‘like a Presbyterian minister’, ‘like something from Dr. Who’, ‘mutton dressed as lamb’, ‘Really horrific. It ought to have an X certificate. And there was Mr. Savile presiding over the orgy like a Puritan clergyman resurrected from his own churchyard’ (Retired Naval Officer).”

From VR/64/63 Top of the Pops 29/1/64:-

“It is clear, too, that many found Jimmy Savile’s manner and appearance (in introducing the programme) disconcerting to a degree. ‘Is this Jimmy Savile sane? I must say his most peculiar appearance and manner suggest otherwise. I couldn’t understand a word of his “gabble’, either.’, ‘a real nit’, ‘a proper twerp’, ‘a big idiotic nothing’.”

From VR/64/661 Top of the Pops 10/12/64:-

“Jimmy Savile, who introduced the programme on this occasion, was obviously disliked by a large number of the sample audience. Many indicated their aversion to this artist by remarking that anything they had to say about him would be ‘quite unprintable’, whilst comment by those who freely expressed their feelings was liberally larded with such terms as ‘this nutcase’; ‘this obnoxious “thing”‘; and ‘this revolting spectacle’. True, a small number admired and liked him – ‘Of course he is utterly zany but he puts life and laughter into the programme and he is clearly “with it” as regards pop music’ – but even some of those considered his hair style ‘a bit too much’. ‘As a disc jockey he is great but I think he ought to get his hair cut because as it is it looks ridiculous’. Many more, however, clearly found him ‘an abomination’ in every respect.”

Yep, Jimmy Saville was/is a bit wierd but he did raise a lot of money for charity so we’ll let him off. David Jacobs was a bit straight laced but not too bad.What about all the ex Radio Caroline D.J.’s.like Johnny Walker, Dave Lee Travis,and Tony Blackburn.Then there was Alan Freeman and Diddy David Hamilton? Does anyone know what they’re all up to these days? I’ve lived in Australia for the last 26 years and would love an update.Back to Dave Dee and co though, didn’t Dave marry the girl off Golden Shot? Carol Drinkwater or something?!!!I probably imagined that eh?

Ah, the Golden Shot girl was Carol Dilworth, and she married Chip Hawkes Out Of The Tremeloes – *SPOILER ALERT: and is therefore the mother of a future chart-topper*…

That’s all folks. I’m off!!!

ehugcmx vwxgot svomep gpjhfvsac hymrptql qrpoxwmgv akfntvydb

So it’s farewell then, Dave Dee

I don’t know what it is about DDDBM and T’s ‘Zabadak’ and young children’s fascination with it as shown in the stories of 3 year olds and mispronunciations and teddy bears. As I was also 3 years old at the time too and i know I was fascinated with it and especially the title line.’Zabadak’ along with Hugh Montenegro’s ‘The Good, The Bad and the Ugly’, and possibly ‘Albatross’ are probably the first records I knowingly remember hearing at the time they were hits. And then strangely ‘Revolution’ by the Beatles, strangely as it wasn’t even a single and even if it had been you’d hardly think memorable for a toddler…

I remember clearly DDDBMT doing this on Top Of The Pops. The band were miming along to a backing track, as was usual at the time, while Dave Dee did the vocals live. And tried to crack an actual whip at the appropriate places …. and tried … and tried. But all he was able to get was a quiet and very tame-sounding “zwhooo”. Even swishing a cane or something would have been more dramatic.

Dave Dee’s real name was Harman, that’s probably common knowledge. His first wife and mother of twin son’s was ‘Sale of the Century’ girl (Canasta) Carol (or Carole) Dunning, that was her name when living in Gloucester Terrace, London W2 in 1970. I believe she married Dave Dee in 73/74 but not sure of that bit, the boys were born in April 1975 (fact). She’s seems to have dropped out of circulation when the boys were quite young. As far as I know she’s still alive and I hope well. I think she was only 24 when the boys were born. Making her 61 years of age now. She was 10 years younger than Dave Harman. I remember the boys well and their songs were pretty memorable. I thought Xanadu was brilliant being a 14/15 year old, and Carole looked stunning in Hot Pants even though she was on 5ft 5 or 6″, I was in my late teens so I always noticed her on S of the C! My brothers had the same hair cuts as Dave Dee and I followed suit.

As it happens, I hadn’t heard it – pleasant slice of late sixties clouding-over-the-sunshine pop which I see has quite a reputation in NZ, but for me lacks DDDBMT (and Howard and Blaikley)’s essential madness.

And further evidence of the superficially evident truth that number ones seldom represent an artist’s best work and an artist’s sole number one is almost always always a lesser piece. Cf Chuck Berry, Stevie Wonder, Small Faces and others that populista will no doubt be able to name.

There are honourable exceptions of course.

However, it’s good that this entry gives us an opportunity to remember DDDBM&T and things like Zabadak that might otherwise be lost amongst the dust and cobwebs of classic pop that never quite made it to the nostalgia canon.

@punctum, 38. There are pretty slim pickings for Kiwi pop in the ’60s (indeed, until Split Enz really), and The Fourmyula’s ‘Nature’ has the distinction of being (I believe) the first local #1 written by a local talent. Thus, there’s every reason to believe that it’s probably over-rated down under at this point (I confess that I do love it tho’).

I just put up one of The Fourmyula’s other pretty good songs (one of their final, unsuccessful singles) on youtube here if anyone’s interested.

John Rowles was a kiwi who got to no.3 with If I Only Had Time in 1968, the biggest NZ hit single in Britain I’d guess – it entered the Top 40 the week Legend of Xanadu got to no.1. I love a bit of Popular synchronicity.

Thanks Swan, I’d never heard that gorgeous Fourmyula single.

And it’s farewell Trevor Ward-Davies, aka Dozy.

Peaky?

Original Beaky is still going strong with Mick 2 who’s been with the band for over 30 years…. They tour as DBM&T. Beaky is my Dad xx