The Dave Clark Five

The group's sixth American album shows them in somewhat uneven form, delivering the searing "I Need Love," with its roaring punk defiance -- worthy of Eric Burdon -- in addition to the roaring title track, as good a British take on New Orleans-style R&B as there was on the charts in those days. The instrumental "Pumping" is an energetic showcase for each of the band members, and "Maybe It's You" recalls "Anyway You Want It" in beat and timbre, but with a more subtle and dramatic vocal performance, with Lenny Davidson delivering a lead guitar-part drenched in fuzz tone, and Clark's furious drumming almost hypnotic in its effect. The ballads include "That's How Long Our Love Will Last," the elegant "A Little Bit Of Love," and the extended, mournfully dramatic "I'll Be Yours My Love." Perhaps the most interesting tracks here, however, are the four mid-tempo rockers on Side Two, "Please Love Me," "Goodbye My Friends," "She's A Loving Girl," and "You Know You're Lying," on which the group finds a lyrical variant on their usual high-energy sound, keeping their solid beat, but not imposing it on the listener as much as usual. If Davidson's guitar part on "I Am On My Own" didn't owe too much to the Beatles' "Baby's in Black," the whole second side of the record would give the DC5 serious points for seeking a fresh, more advanced take on their established sound. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide