The Clique

• Artist: The Clique
• Rating:
• Release Date: 1969
• Genre: Rock

Review

The sole album by the Clique is in reality the last full album cult hero Gary Zekley would produce. (Though the Austin-based band, also renowned in garage-psych circles for the first known cover of a Roky Erickson song, had recorded several previous singles, they did not play on the album; only singer Randy Shaw appears, with backing vocalists and musicians pulled from Zekley's usual stable of L.A. session pros.) Although the album spawned a Top 40 hit in the Tommy James-penned "Sugar on Sunday" and is best known for containing the original "Superman," an underground garage rock classic given a new commercial life when R.E.M. covered it on Lifes Rich Pageant, it's not really Zekley's best work. By 1969, Zekley's brand of sunshine pop was out of commercial favor, and too much of The Clique is taken up with blatant copies of the current AM chart favorites. "Hallelujah!" is a blatant Blood, Sweat & Tears rip-off, and "Judy Judy Judy" is pure Three Dog Night (with the "Sock it to me!" chorus shamelessly added to tie into Laugh-In star Judy Carne's popularity). For all the shameless hucksterism, though, Zekley still manages a few gems, particularly the Tommy James-like "Little Miss Lucy" and the hyper-dramatic "My Darkest Hour." (The cover of the Bee Gees' "Holiday" is nice, too, though it adds little to the original.) And, true, "Superman" deserves every bit of its acclaim; it's by far the best song on the album. The Clique is perfectly listenable and occasionally terrific, but this is not Zekley at the peak of his powers; try the Yellow Balloon's self-titled disc or the Fun and Games' Elephant Candy for that. The Varese Sarabande reissue adds seven tracks from demos and singles, including two songs produced by Tommy James and featuring the Shondells as Shaw's backing group. ~ Stewart Mason, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Sugar on Sunday	Tommy James, Mike Vale	The Clique	(3:10)
My Darkest Hour	Gary Zekley, Mitchell Bottler	The Clique	(2:45)
Holiday	Robin Gibb, Barry Gibb	The Clique	(3:09)
Hallelujah!	Roberta Twain, Gary Zekley, Mitchell Bottler	The Clique	(2:23)
I'll Hold Out My Hand	Chip Taylor, Al Gorgoni	The Clique	(2:37)
Judy, Judy, Judy	Gary Zekley, Mitchell Bottler	The Clique	(2:32)
Little Miss Lucy	Mitchell Bottler, Gary Zekley	The Clique	(3:21)
Soul Mates		The Clique	(2:14)
(There Ain't) No Such Thing as Love	Gary Zekley, Mitchell Bottler	The Clique	(2:29)
Superman	Mitchell Bottler, Brandon Chase, Elliot Bottler, Gary Zekley	The Clique	(2:33)
Shadow of Your Love		The Clique	(2:57)
Sparkle and Shine [*]	Bob King	The Clique	(2:32)
I'm Alive [*]	Peter Lucia, Tommy James	The Clique	(1:59)
Memphis [*]	Chuck Berry	The Clique	(3:34)
Southbound Wind [*]		The Clique	(2:32)
Superman [Single Version][*]	Mitchell Bottler, Brandon Chase, Elliot Bottler, Gary Zekley	The Clique	(2:36)
Shadow of Your Love [Single Version][*]		The Clique	(2:48)

Credits

Michael Caprio (Artwork), Gary Zekley (Producer), Dave (?), Tommy James (Producer), Sid (?), Bill Pitzonka (Reissue Producer), Randy Shaw (?), Dan Hersch (Digital Remastering), Bill Pitzonka (Cover Design), Gary Zekley (Producer), Cary E. Mansfield (Reissue Producer), Bill Inglot (Producer), Walter Andrus (Producer), Eric Karl (Producer)

• Formed: 1966
• Disbanded: 1967
• Genres: Rock

Biography

Australian quintet, not to be confused with any British or American bands of the same name, formed in Perth in 1966 by Joe Orifici (vocals, keyboards), Mike Carr (guitar), Lenny Hayworth (guitar), John Tucak (bass), and Ferdie Ferrante (drums). They won the western Australian division of a nationwide battle of the bands contest and were signed to the Go!! label, where they cut one single, "Love Me Girl" b/w "Stop, Look and Listen." It was too strong to find an audience, but it was a great single, with a good hard mid-1960's punk edge. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide

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