After more than a decade out of print, the Dave Clark Five's catalog looks set to return to circulation in the wake of the band's recent induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. ( Reuters )
Drummer/producer Clark owns the British Invasion band's master recordings and publishing. After the occasional greatest-hits package in the '70s, Clark waited until 1993 before unleashing the band's catalog on CD. In the United States, Hollywood's double-disc set "The History of the Dave Clark Five" went on to scan 120,000 units, according to Nielsen SoundScan; internationally, EMI issued the two-disc "Glad All Over."
Since those deals ended in 1996, the band's catalog has been out of print worldwide.
But in anticipation of the Hall of Fame induction in early March, Clark partnered with iTunes for the 28-track "The Hits," which has sold 7,000 units in the States. Songs from the album have accumulated more than 48,000 downloads, led by "Because" with more than 9,000.
Now, Clark is looking at how to get the band's catalog albums back into retail stores as well. "I will get a package out by the fall," he says. "I have been approached by three of the majors and a few retailers."
Would those retailers be Best Buy, Target and Wal-Mart, and are they looking to sell the albums exclusively? "No comment," Clark replies.
Clark says he will lead the relaunch with "The History Of . . .," then move to a single-disc hits album and a spread of studio catalog releases, which number 23 albums in all. That was supposed to be the plan with Hollywood, but Clark says he became disillusioned with the Disney-owned label.
In coming to market this time, Clark has remixed everything into "pristine" condition for the digital format. The albums might have been in stores sooner, but when Clark looked at the state of the U.S. marketplace, he hesitated, "rethinking the decision," he says.
But the quick digital success, in tandem with the Hall of Fame induction, has been music to Clark's ears.
"Good things are worth waiting for," Clark says. "I wish Mike (Smith) and Dennis (Payton) were around when it happened, but at least Mike knew it was going to happen." Singer/keyboardist Smith died two weeks before the induction; saxophonist Payton died in December 2006.