Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich followed up their self-titled debut LP with the tongue-in-cheek
If Music Be the Food of Love...Then Prepare for Indigestion (1968). The quintet of Dave "Dee" Harman (guitar/vocals), Trevor "Dozy" Davies (bass), John "Beaky" Diamond (rhythm guitar), Michael "Mick" Wilson (drums), and Ian "Tich" Amey (lead guitar) return with another batch of strong Brit-pop compositions, including a pair of their most prolific sides, "Bend It" and "Hideaway." While all but unknown stateside, the combo became hugely popular throughout Europe -- which may well account for the distinctly conspicuous Mediterranean flavor on the former. Their left-of-center sense of humor surfaces on the
Noel Coward-esque potty platter "Loos of England." Matching their obvious wit was an equally sharp musicality, effortlessly transcending concurrent pop music styles. Their range at once incorporated the full-throttled backbeat of "Bang" and the decidedly hip "Hideaway" and "Hands Off!" "Shame" is an edgier tune, with a mod progressive slant that would not be out of place from the likes of
the Yardbirds. This is contrasted by the emotive "All I Want" or the cover of Robert "Bumps" Blackwell's "Hair on My Chinny-Chin-Chin," which is perhaps best known via the Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs version. While the prospect might sound odd, it seems no more out of place than
the Who's reading of "Heat Wave," for instance. Interested parties should note that the 2003 reissue of
If Music Be the Food of Love... contains 14 supplementary mono and stereo bonus track mixes, including "Touch Me, Touch Me," "Zabadak," the proto-punk "He's a Raver," and others. ~ Lindsay Planer