Rant #2,368: Bend It!

Yup, "Bend It!"

Let me explain a bit further, although the foreign readers of this Blog--I know you are out there, and I am talking about the blog's European readers specifically--know exactly what I am talking about if they are of a certain age.

Let me explain further.

My birthday just passed, and I received some nice gifts.

My parents and my wife bought me eBay gift cards, and yes, I have been using them to the max, specifically on 45s and LPs to fill in my collection.

My vow when I get such gifts is that I am only to use them on things I would never purchase using my own money.

So I have done just that ... and that leads me to "Bend It!"

Late 1966 and into 1967 was a magical time in music. So many great songs and great performers were around during that period, led by the Beatles, of course, whose music was starting to expand and change and expand our own minds on what was listenable and doable on the musical landscape.

Filling in the gap was the Monkees, who were created somewhat in the image of the Fab Four but had their own talents and personalities. Even though on the scene for a relatively short period, they took the music world by storm, and would eventually become the biggest musical act on the planet, albeit for a brief period.

But you had so many other talented performers around during this period: Otis Redding, Herman's Hermits, the Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin, Donovan, the Supremes, the Four Seasons, the Lovin' Spoonful... the list goes on and on and on some more.

Even when you have such a vast landscape of music to choose from, there are going to be some acts that fall through the cracks, and certainly one of them was Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich, the British act which had droves of hits in Europe in the mid to late 1960s but were pretty much dry in the United States.

Maybe it was because of their name--way too long and complicated for American DJs to get their mouths around--or their music--which was way quirkier than Donovan's music was, and again, he had a shorter name for DJs to say--they simply never hit over in the states, but were huge in Europe, charting numerous hits, "Bend It!" being one of them.

In the U.S., this act--led by a former British cop, Dave Dee, and featuring four other musicians who went by their first names or nicknames--was only able to chart the weird but incredible "Zabadak," which hit No. 52 in 1968.

Bur before that came "Bend It!," another great single which was banned by many American radio stations because of its lyrical content.

"Bend it, bend it just a little bit
And take it easy, show you're likin' it
And lover, you know that we're gonna hit
The heights 'cause I'm sure that we're made to fit
Together, just like pieces of a
Jigsaw puzzle, what's the hustle ... "

And that is only the first verse.

It was so blatantly obvious what this song was about--nothing implied here--that radio stations took a pass on it, and the song only reached No. 110 here, so it did get a smattering of airplay and sales, but not anything that would make it a radio hit back then.

No, back then, we were content with "Last Train to Clarksville," which on the surface was one thing, underneath was another, but that was good enough back then.

Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich had numerous other hits on the European charts--"The Legend of Xanadu," which actually reached No. 123 in 1968 stateside--but their American record company, Imperial, was a smaller organization and obviously did not know how to promote such an act in the 50 states.

So Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich were destined for the American music dumpster, but they certainly influenced other acts that were more successful here--certainly, Frankie Goes to Hollywood's "Relax" would not have been possible without "Bend It!" leading the way.

But getting back to myself, for years I have had the act's one and only original music LP released in the states--"Time To Take Off"--in my collection. Imperial actually released a "Greatest Hits" album in the U.S. with all of their British hits on it, but the one that I have is the only one that is a real LP, not a hits LP.

I also have a hits LP, the British "Attention!," and for years the two LPs have sat proudly in my collection, nothing more.

As I often do, I just decided to play them again--actually, digitize them so I could listen to them in the car--and I found that like it was 30 or more years ago when I first got these albums, yes, I really like Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich.

So when I scoured eBay for what I might like to get--under the parameters I described above--I came upon the Swiss release of "Bend It!"

Even with the cover damaged a bit, I figured it was worth a few dollars off the cards to get it, and get it I did.

And I am really happy that I did so, because yes, I really enjoy "Bend It!"

I just love how, unlike today, they couldn't use the actual direct words for what they were talking about, but they kind of worked around it anyway, creatively using words that would convey what they were trying to say.

Look, I am a writer, so I find lyrics fascinating, whether you are talking about the Beatles "The End" or yes, Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich's "Bend It!"

My suggestion: if I have piqued your fancy, please go to YouTube at https://youtu.be/MSlpK0U9dhE
and see if maybe I have brought to you something that you hadn't heard before, and maybe would like to hear more of.

Sure, and if you see the video, Dave Dee is exercising his finger in the video, but you are exercising your mind and your ears by listening to this great song.

I highly recommend it.

And to my European readers, you knew about this song a long, long time ago.

It may be time for Americans to get with this song and this act too.

Even with the long band name that doesn't roll off the tongue as easily as "Donovan" does.