Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich - Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich

Advantages: Great vocals, good musicianship
Disadvantages: Didn't receive their due rewards

...OK, here's an easy target: a sixties pop band with a silly name, a bit of froth, a bit of fun, a five-minute wonder, pop puppets dangling on a string, a bass player called DOZY? Oh dear of dear, here's another load of crap not worth the paper it's printed on. Right? Actually, ye who sneer and carp, wrong. Let's have a bit of history. As Dave Dee and the Bostons, this band had already built up a reputation for crystal-clear vocals and tackle-threatening harmonies long before they had a sniff at a contract. Like the Beatles, they did that thing in Germany, and were already old hands on the circuit before Ken Howard and Alan Blaikley saw something extra there and, basically, took over. In those days, bands did not expect to have one no. 5 single and then be allowed to embarrass themselves and the audience on the main stage... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Full of entertaining shows...
Disadvantages: ...full of repeats

...Of course, it's the wonderful 'Dave'...the artist formerly known as UKTV G2. Not exactly the most exciting of sounding television channels, so they glamourised it...by called it 'Dave'...because everyone knows a Dave. The concept of the channel is simply a station airing predominantly repeats of entertainment and comedy shows. It doesn't air 24-hours a day, instead it tends to broadcast until approximately 3am each night, and then restarts at 7am, with a bit of mind-boggling Teleshopping thrown in there for good measure. But what does it show? Well during the day it plays repeats of entertainment shows such as Top Gear, Ray Mear's Extreme Survival, Trawlermen, Traffic Cops and Fifth Gear; all seemingly quite 'manly' shows aimed at blokes called 'Dave' presumably... As the day's schedule moves on it tends to focus... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Inventive, ambitious, some fantastic ideas and characters.
Disadvantages: Difficult writing style to get into, loses its way badly towards the end.

...Wot if vair wuz a buk? A buk vat wuz ritten bi a cabbi driva, bout ow ees pisstoff cuz iz boy azbin taken offim, and ow ees pistoff wiv allavem Mums wots makin life difficult fer gud, onist Dads like im! What if this book had been made out of metal to ensure it outlived its author? If, five hundred years later, with catastrophic floods having submerged all but Britain?s highest points, the book were rediscovered? And what if (the last one, I promise!) the words of the Book of Dave were taken as gospel, and life on the small island of Ham organised according to its decrees? Will Self?s 2006 novel looks at what happens when (in the author?s own words) ?people follow something just because it is written in an old book?. In this post-flood world, the residents of Ham (?Hamsters?) abide strictly by the wishes of Dave ? or at least, what... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful