Genre: pop
Rating: *** (3 stars)
Title: The Clique
Company: White Whale
Catalog: WW 7126
Year: 1969
Country/State: Houston, Texas
Grade (cover/record): VG / VG
Comments: --
Available: 1
GEMM Catalog ID: not yet listed
Price: $30.00
Following the collapse of Houston's The Lavender
Hour, drummer Jerry Cope, bassist Tommy Pena and
guitarist Sid Templeton continued their collaboration as The Clique.
A 1967 single on the small Cinema label 'Splash 1' b/w 'Stay
By Me' failed to sell, but attracted the attention
of Scepter Records which promptly
reissued the single nationally (Scepter catalog number SCE-12022). Backed by Scepter's distribution system the
single just missed the top-100. A 1968 follow-up 'Love Ain't Easy'
b/w 'Gotta Get Away' (Scepter catalog number SCE-12212), didn't fare as well; Scepter subsequently
dropping the band from its recording roster.
Picked by White Whale (then hot with The Turtles), 1969's "The
Clique" teamed the band with producer Gary Zekley.
Zekley was also credited with co-writing the majority of the eleven songs. Musically the album
offered up an engaging set of radio-ready pop-rock with occasional psych
touches. While the liner notes
didn't show much in the way of performance credits, material such as 'My
Darkest Hour' and 'I'll Hold Out My Hand'
found a nice balance between lightweight psych, blue-eyed soul and top-40
pop. Bet Felix Cavaliere and The Young Rascals would have liked
to have had a shot at recording something like 'Hallelujah'. Best of
the lot was the strange 'Superman" (and you thought Michael Stipe and
company wrote it). No the set wasn't perfect. A cover of The Bee Gee's 'Holiday'
and the bland ballad 'I'll Hold Out My Hand' were unnecessary.
Certainly not the year's most original offering, but a cool period piece
that's still fun to listen to. Elsewhere,
White Whale tapped the album for three singles:
- 1969's 'Superman' b/w 'Shadow Of Your Love' (White Whale catalog number WW-312)
- 1969's 'Sugar On Sunday' b/w 'Superman' (White Whale catalog number WW-323)
- 1969's 'I'll Hold Out My Hands' b/w 'Soul Mates' (White Whale catalog number WW-333)
A
minor chart success, the album hit # 177. (Nice to see White Whale spending
so much on album design.)
"The Clique" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) Sugar On Sunday (Tommy James - M. Vale) - 2:59
2.) My Darkest Hour (Gary Zekley - M. Bottler) - 2:40
3.) Holiday (Barry Gibb - Robin Gibb) - 3:15
4.) Hallelujah (Gary Zekley - M. Bottler - Twain) - 2:16
5.) I'll Hold Out My Hand (Chip Taylor - Al Gogagnil) - 2:17
(side 2)
1.) Little Miss Lucy (Gary Zekley - M. Bottler) - 3:18
2.) Judy, Judy, Judy (Gary Zekley - M. Bottler) - 2:36
3.) Soul Mates (S. Roberds - S. Weatherly) - 2:13
4.) (There Ain't) No Such Thing As Love (Gary Zekley - M. Bottler - Twain) -
2:27
5.) Superman (Gary Zekley - M. Bottler) - 2:27
Two more non-LP singles and the band were history:
- 1970's 'Sparkle and Shine' b/w ''I'm Alive (White Whale catalog WW-338)
- 1970's 'Memphis' b/w 'Southbound Wind' '(White Whale catalog number WW-361)
11.) Shadow of Your Love (G. Colby) - 2:35