Mention the song Any Way You Want It and most people think of Journey's smash hit. Not I; it's
the Dave Clark Five's different song of the same name.
Yes, for me, the DC5 was the signature band of the British Invasion of th mid-1960s. The Beatles? Nah, everyone else loved 'em, and besides, the Beatles just wanted to hold your hand. The Stones? Hadn't yet gotten into them, and they really wanted satisfaction.
The DC5? They were just glad all over, and they sounded great REAL LOUD! Loved playing them on WCWM-FM in my 'later' years! But of course, they had a 'dark' side: they would do it any way you wanted it (a precursor to Foreigner's Urgent).
I think I liked them so much because they had a saxophonist, Denny Payton, who played tenor and baritone in addition to some harmonica and guitar. In those days I played alto sax and learned the parts for many of their hits.
What brought all this back was listening to XM6 the other day and hearing Any Way You Want It, my favorite DC5 tune. Usually the oldies stations play their signature hit, Glad All Over (a favorite at sock hops - we'd drive the nuns crazy by stomping along with the DC5) or maybe the softer Because.
Here is video from the 1960s TV show Shindig, showing Dave Clark on the drum kit, front and center, unlike most other groups. Yeah, Dave was The Boss. Mike Smith on keyboards is the lead singer, Lenny Davidson played guitar, Rick Huxley bass, and the aforementioned Payton on sax. Yeah, these guys played some hard rock!
The DC5 had a bunch of hits in the 1960s - they hit the Billboard Top 40 17 times, but started fading around 1967 and disbanded in 1970. They were inducted in to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008.
Way to go, lads! Now, check out these 'deep' lyrics:
Any way you want it
You can call me any day - ay, hey, hey
Any way you want it
You can always hear me say - ay, hey, hey
It's alright (x 8)
Any way you want it
That's the way it will be
You don't want money
You don't want a diamond ring - ay, hey, hey
You say you want my lovin'
More than any other thing - ay, hey, hey
It's alright (x 8)
Any way you want it
That's the way it will be
-Any Way You Want It, by Dave Clark
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