Selling My Books on the Streets of Brooklyn 4/9 - Acumen

Last night PBS in NYC ran another fascinating music documentary. When I first landed at the station while channel surfing, I noted that it was a two-hour slot. I thought: How the heck do they have enough on the Dave Clark 5 to fill all that time? I figured the band had cut three, maybe four albums. They made 15, two of them greatest hits compilations. The group did many covers of songs popular in the swinging 60's. It had 17 records in the Top 40 of the US Billboard chart and 12 Top 40 hits in their native UK between 1964 and 1967. Over And Over went to number one in the US on the Billboard Hot 100 on Christmas Day 1965. The DC 5 played to sell-out crowds on tours of the U.S.. It was the first band of the British Invasion to tour America, and it made 18 appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, the most of any B.I. group. After the success of the Beatles' A Hard Day's Night in 1964, the band released its own film, Catch Us If You Can, directed by John Boorman (Point Blank, Deliverance, Excalibur), in 1965. It was released in the United States as Having a Wild Weekend. After their initial success, which included the movie and a television special, the major hits dried up in the US after 1967's You Got What It Takes, although the band had several substantial hits in the UK in the 1967–1970 period. The DC5 disbanded in 1970, having placed three singles on the UK chart that year, two of which reached the Top Ten.
The most interesting aspect of the doc was Clark's business acumen. He managed the band himself and served as executive producer. Remarkably, the members got along well. They did not suffer the sordidness associated with the rock n roll lifestyle. Clark secured the rights to the songs, which was unheard of at the time. Celebrity comments were seen throughout the doc, and Paul McCartney said that even he wasn't able to get the rights to his music. Between 1978 and 1993, none of the DC 5's music was available to be purchased in any commercial format, as Clark declined to license the band's recordings. After a 1989 deal with the Disney Channel to rebroadcast the 1960's ITV show Ready, Steady, Go! (which Clark owned), he made a deal with Disney-owned Hollywood Records to issue in 1993 a double CD History of the Dave Clark Five. The deal also included getting DC5 songs into Disney movies and creating a DC5-themed cafe at the United Kingdom Pavilion of Disney World's Epcot Center. Additionally, Clark was executive producer and listed as co-writer for the 1986 London stage performance of TIME - The Musical, which featured the last living performance of Sir Laurence Olivier. The production received critical acclaim and featured unique electronic and mechanical theater stage craft. A two disc vinyl album was released in conjunction with the stage production, featuring music recorded by Julian Lennon, Freddie Mercury, Stevie Wonder, Cliff Richard, Ashford & Simpson and Olivier's selected dialogue. Lead singer and keyboardist Mike Smith, 65, died in February 2008 from a spinal injury sustained after scaling a fence at his home in Spain. Sax player Denis Payton, 63, died in December 2006 after a long battle with cancer. Bassist Rick Huxley, 72, died in February 2013 from emphysema. Lead guitarist Lenny Davidson and Clark, who wrote the songs with the other members, survive. The band's main style was attack, although its most enduring song is likely to be the beautiful ballad Because. Everyone I knew, especially my buddy Dom, tried to bang out, using our hands on any surface, the distinctive drumming opening of Bits and Pieces. The only disappointing aspect of the film was that all the performances were lip-synched. Supposedly, the DC5 was great live. The group was inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame in 2008. Well done, lads. Thank you. (Large chunks from Wiki, edited by yours truly)

RIP Ultimate Warrior, 54, who only Saturday was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. His actual name was James Hellwig. Thanks for the entertainment, sir.

I do not have the entrepreneurial shrewdness of Dave Clark or the WWE's Vince McMahon, but I had another good day on the street thanks to folks just returned from Florida. An elderly gentleman purchased seven books in Russian, and Sheila and her husband bought Killing. My thanks, and to the others who patronized the floating book shop today.
Vic's 4th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/bszwlxh
Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
Vic's Website: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/
Vic's Short Story Collection (Print or Kindle): http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/6b86st6
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tiny.cc/94t5h
Vic's Horror Screenplay on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3
Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp
Vic’s Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx