Dave Dee Dies...

[Peter Elliott]

Sad news just in from the BBC...

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7820435.stm

Dave Dee dies of cancer aged just 65.

One cannot deny that Dave Dee, Dozy Beaky Mick and Tich made some superb pop singles and were always entertaining on TV. Thankfully we do have plenty of TV appearances to enjoy, but many remain missing like almost all their TOTP appearances though remarkably we do have three of those and one Dave Dee solo.

He will be missed. He always knew that pop music should be FUN... and always had a gleam in his eye and always slipped in a little wink on his TV appearances.

[Eric Lawton]

This is VERY sad, DDDBMT were legends. I saw them in Blackpool last year, the original line up, they were SUPERB. When the opening bars of HOLD TIGHT were played, with the drum and the bass, the hairs on your neck stood up, and then, of course, the whip came out for XANADU. They toured last year with Gerry and The Pacemakers, Swinging Blue Jeans and Dave Berry.
WHAT A SHOW !!
Inbetween Christmas and New Year, I was watching a very special compilation of DDDBMTs hits and promos that I got hold of. That was music as good as it gets you know !!

R.I.P Dave.........Thanks for the wonderful memories.

Eric.

[Peter Elliott]

Yes, as surviving live clips from the mid 60s prove, they were a great live band. I missed out on that Blackpool show last year thanks to family problems and I regret not seeing it. It is great DDDBMT eventually reformed in their original line up when it was possible - not many 60s bands left who could claim all the original members. Heartening too last years compilation sold well enough to enter the album charts.

Let's face it, pop doesn't get more memorable than "Xanadu"! Amazing single back in 68 and still sounds superb 41 years on. They will never be forgotten!

[Stephen Doran]

Thats very sad was it today i only bought a LP off ebay few weeks back missed his show at Westcliff too in 07

[Peter Elliott]

Jan 9, 2009 15:42:07 GMT Stephen Doran said:

Thats very sad was it today i only bought a LP off ebay few weeks back missed his show at Westcliff too in 07

Yes... he died this morning.

[James C]

What an amazing voice and talent! Now he's in Xanadu! We'll miss you Dave, R.I.P.

[Andy Howells]

So sad to hear this, I was lucky enough to catch Dave with some other 60s legends when they visited Newport Riverfront just under two years ago. He'd just had a bout of laryngitus but still turned out a great performance.

I'm glad we have some performances of Dave's to remember him by, be they Blue Peter or TOTP, he always looked like he enjoyed himself and I think that came across in his music.

Lets hope some more music clips from this era are recovered before too long and particularly some more DDBMT!

[Alan Turrell]

i'd like to add my condolences to dave dee's family i wholeheartily agree with everything said on the forum he was a great talent with the rest of his group .when i watch the blue peter clip of hold tight and here those opening bars it's brilliant i'll miss you dave but i'll still play your records and watch as much footage of you as i can goodbye great man.

[Peter Elliott]

Jan 9, 2009 19:15:57 GMT Andy Howells said:

I'm glad we have some performances of Dave's to remember him by, be they Blue Peter or TOTP, he always looked like he enjoyed himself and I think that came across in his music.

Lets hope some more music clips from this era are recovered before too long and particularly some more DDBMT!

Absolutely! That was what made DDDBMT such good fun to watch and listen. They did do some moodier things on B'sides and album tracks but the singles were pure fun and indeed they come across on the recordings. Very well recorded too for their time - still sound powerful today. They certainly livened things up so Dee's passing is all the sadder for that since he made a great many people smile. And his legacy on film, TV and audio will continue to raise a smile which is ultimately his best tribute.

[David Saunders]

Jan 9, 2009 14:28:44 GMT Peter Elliott said:

Sad news just in from the BBC...

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7820435.stm

Dave Dee dies of cancer aged just 65.

One cannot deny that Dave Dee, Dozy Beaky Mick and Tich made some superb pop singles and were always entertaining on TV. Thankfully we do have plenty of TV appearances to enjoy, but many remain missing like almost all their TOTP appearances though remarkably we do have three of those and one Dave Dee solo.

He will be missed. He always knew that pop music should be FUN... and always had a gleam in his eye and always slipped in a little wink on his TV appearances.

I agree.

It's very sad news to hear that Dave Dee had cancer and that he eventually lost his fight against the disease.

He is very much missed, but made a very positive and big impact on the Sixties music scene, whose memorable music will never be forgotten.

Contrary to what I first thought, although very little exists from Top of the Pops, there's a fair amount of the group's performances for other songs on different shows, including an alternative performance from a mystery programme of The Legend of Xanadu and a promo film.

Are the three Top of the Pops performances you're referring to the following?:

Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich-Zabadak! KB
19/10/67 (Jimmy Savile, Tony Blackburn), b/w: Repeat Performance - Insert
Exists on the video tape Rock 'n' Roll Years
This tinted performance exists in Germany and is different from the 26/12/67 performance that the BBC has in their archives

www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwoGoPo1K_M
Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich-Zabadak! KB
26/12/67 (Jimmy Savile, Alan Freeman, Pete Murray), b/w: Performance
A different performance from the 19/10/67 recording

What are the distinguishing differences between the 19/10/67 and 26/12/67 performances? I can't find a copy of the early performance online

tw.youtube.com/watch?v=xuJ4GIXB5Uc -
Jimmy Savile intro;
Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich-The Legend of Xanadu
15/02/68 (Jimmy Savile, Dave Cash), b/w: Performance
"Esta es la Leyenda de Xanadu" (This is the Legend of Xanadu)

tw.youtube.com/watch?v=Df4q07-jQKU -
Dave Lee Travis intro;
Zabadak!
1968 (Date unknown), b/w: Performance
Beat Club recording

tw.youtube.com/watch?v=Ie0z5kToO94&feature=related -
The Legend of Xanadu
2005 (Date unknown): Live Performance in Basildon, Essex

Here are links to several of their other songs:

tw.youtube.com/watch?v=kD02PU28NNw -
Glimpse of Valerie Singleton;
Hold Tight
1965 (Date unknown), b/w: Performance
Broadcast on "Blue Peter";
Top of the Pops - Jimmy Savile outro to Jonathan King-Everyone's Gone to the Moon - 29/07/65, b/w: Performance

tw.youtube.com/watch?v=CP3xF2ElyUA - Hold Tight
As above

tw.youtube.com/watch?v=VwODy5xSrcc - Hold Tight
1966 (Date unknown), b/w: Live Performance

tw.youtube.com/watch?v=WmmDgWZtiL4 - Hold Tight
2005 (Date unknown): Live Performance in Basildon, Essex

tw.youtube.com/watch?v=xYddqc9xuVk - Hold Tight
? (Date unknown): Live Performance in Antwerp, Belgium

tw.youtube.com/watch?v=MvgA8GFImJg -
Jimmy Savile intro;
You Make It Move: Live Performance;
Hold Tight: Live Performance
1966 (Date unknown), b/w
NME concert

tw.youtube.com/watch?v=XDgq10Rsb-0 - Bend It
1966 (Date unknown): Performance - In colour
British Pathe recording

tw.youtube.com/watch?v=hTR06YItGVo - Bend It
1967 (Date unknown), b/w: Performance

tw.youtube.com/watch?v=F6K6NSGw_GI - Bend It
? (Date unknown): Live Performance in Antwerp, Belgium

tw.youtube.com/watch?v=897NsBd6SoE&feature=related - It's So Hard to Love You
1966 (Date unknown), b/w: Performance
I'd never heard this one before tonight

tw.youtube.com/watch?v=0CFfFL6Gm3k&feature=related - Save Me (Promo Film)
1966 (Date unknown), b/w

tw.youtube.com/watch?v=_g9X6HUei0s&feature=related - Save Me
? (Date unknown): Live Performance

tw.youtube.com/watch?v=GdxfPuuuUO8&feature=related -
Touch Me Touch Me
1968 (Date unknown), b/w: Performance
Beat Club recording

tw.youtube.com/watch?v=LauY9qXcOoE - Last Night in Soho
1968 (Date unknown), b/w: Performance

tw.youtube.com/watch?v=un6dZdpzGac&feature=related - Don Juan
1969 (Date unknown), b/w: Performance
Beat Club appearance

[Peter Elliott]

Jan 9, 2009 21:45:01 GMT David Saunders said:

Are the three Top of the Pops performances you're referring to the following?:

Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich-Zabadak! KB
19/10/67 (Jimmy Savile, Tony Blackburn), b/w: Repeat Performance - Insert
Exists on the video tape Rock 'n' Roll Years
This tinted performance exists in Germany and is different from the 26/12/67 performance that the BBC has in their archives

www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwoGoPo1K_M
Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich-Zabadak! KB
26/12/67 (Jimmy Savile, Alan Freeman, Pete Murray), b/w: Performance
A different performance from the 19/10/67 recording

What are the distinguishing differences between the 19/10/67 and 26/12/67 performances? I can't find a copy of the early performance online

tw.youtube.com/watch?v=xuJ4GIXB5Uc -
Jimmy Savile intro;
Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich-The Legend of Xanadu
15/02/68 (Jimmy Savile, Dave Cash), b/w: Performance
"Esta es la Leyenda de Xanadu" (This is the Legend of Xanadu)

Yes, they're the clips I was referring to. The 19-10-67 performance is definitely very different to the 26-12-67 one. Been a while since I last saw it but I think it was on a similar set to the one we've all seen but different angles and everything. The tinting was rather strange and I suspect added on by the producers of the video it appeared on who were no strangers to applying various video trickery to clips they used.

The "Save Me" promo is my personal fave DDDBMT clip of them all. It's just great pure fun... silly but utterly charming. Could you imagine any bands today making a video like that? Thanks also for the more recent live clip of "Xanadu"... I really enjoyed seeing and hearing that. Nice to hear that Dee's voice was in fine shape as was his whipping!

I'm still a bit shocked and sad by Dee's passing. Always loved the music so for me, it's a big loss.

[Stephen Doran]

Save Me was from Blue Peter wasnt it?

[Peter Elliott]

Jan 10, 2009 13:18:04 GMT Stephen Doran said:

Save Me was from Blue Peter wasnt it?

No, that's "Hold Tight" with Valerie and Chris Trace joining the lads on that fairground set. Blue Peter stopped featuring pop groups shortly after that. I think the "Save Me" film probably originates from European TV... probably either Sweden or Belgium since TV producers there tended to come up with rather elaborate film shoots!

[Mick A]

RIP Dave.

Didn't he work in the office at EMI in the late '70s? There's a clip of him in the Pistols' TGRNRS film

[Alan Scott]

Jan 9, 2009 15:34:25 GMT Peter Elliott said:

Yes, as surviving live clips from the mid 60s prove, they were a great live band. I missed out on that Blackpool show last year thanks to family problems and I regret not seeing it. It is great DDDBMT eventually reformed in their original line up when it was possible - not many 60s bands left who could claim all the original members. Heartening too last years compilation sold well enough to enter the album charts.

Let's face it, pop doesn't get more memorable than "Xanadu"! Amazing single back in 68 and still sounds superb 41 years on. They will never be forgotten!

Unfortunately it wasn't the original line up. The original "Mick" left in 1973 and the original "Beaky" left in the late 80's.

As far as the possibility of 60's groups reuniting with all their original members, I can only think of a handful. The likelihood of most of the coming back together is remote:

The Walker Brothers-I'm sure John and Gary would do it. No chance of Scott though.
The Monkees-Nesmith won't even talk about them anymore.
Status Quo-Doubt if Alan Lancaster wouldn't be welcome.
The Kinks-possible but wouldn't hold my breath.
Fleetwood Mac
The Hollies-Allan Clarke has retired.
Cream-Ginger and Jack don't get on.
Crosby, Stills and Nash-The best hope I think.