Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & T Together CD

The least impressive of the ubiquitous quintet's original albums, Together was largely marred by the same problems that afflicted Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mich & Tich's most recent singles -- the awareness that they'd taken their original flamboyance as far as it could go, and uncertainty as to how to proceed. Certainly "Snake in the Grass" was little more than a throwaway when compared to the band's past glories, while the ambitions that would ultimately sunder the group were also beginning to bubble through. Dave Dee himself produced six of the songs on the album, and his inexperience shows in the lifelessness that afflicts such lightweight efforts as "First Time Loving," "Mountains of the Moon," and a trio of double-entendre-ridden numbers ("Below the Belt," "Love Is a Drum," and "P Teaser") that are little more than execrable exercises in smutty juvenilia. It's not all bad, of course. "Margareta Lidman," an ode to one of Beaky's ex-girlfriends, has a proto-prog drive all its own, together with a truly ear-opening Dozy solo, while "Don Juan" was an ultra-atmospheric romp through the backstreets and alleyways of Pamplona. Unfortunately, those same two songs were coupled on the band's latest single -- so, once you'd picked up that, what did you need the album for? ~ Dave Thompson
The least impressive of the ubiquitous quintet's original albums, Together was largely marred by the same problems that afflicted Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mich & Tich's most recent singles -- the awareness that they'd taken their original flamboyance as far as it could go, and uncertainty as to how to proceed. Certainly "Snake in the Grass" was little more than a throwaway when compared to the band's past glories, while the ambitions that would ultimately sunder the group were also beginning to bubble through. Dave Dee himself produced six of the songs on the album, and his inexperience shows in the lifelessness that afflicts such lightweight efforts as "First Time Loving," "Mountains of the Moon," and a trio of double-entendre-ridden numbers ("Below the Belt," "Love Is a Drum," and "P Teaser") that are little more than execrable exercises in smutty juvenilia. It's not all bad, of course. "Margareta Lidman," an ode to one of Beaky's ex-girlfriends, has a proto-prog drive all its own, together with a truly ear-opening Dozy solo, while "Don Juan" was an ultra-atmospheric romp through the backstreets and alleyways of Pamplona. Unfortunately, those same two songs were coupled on the band's latest single -- so, once you'd picked up that, what did you need the album for? [The 2006 Repertoire edition included eight bonus tracks.] ~ Dave Thompson

This limited edition of Together includes eight bonus tracks, including 'She's May Lady'; Babeigh', 'Do Wha Diddy', 'Waiting', Stay With It', 'Sure Thing', 'I'm Going Back' and 'Selppin'. Repertoire. 2006.