Rediscovering The Dovers: A Brilliant Garage Folk-Rock Anthology
Admittedly, I might be a little bit late to the party for this particular reissue album by mid-sixties Californian garage folk-rockers the Dovers, but not so late as to forgo imparting something of the overall greatness of this anthology — scant though it may appear to be — to any modern-day listeners out there, seeing as this is still a fairly recent release, arriving as it did only a couple of months ago as a very fetching, if strictly limited-edition, 12” vinyl pressing.
As with the previous, last, officially sanctioned appearance of the Dovers on record some twenty-five years ago, ‘We’re Not Just Anybody: The Complete Singles Collection’ has once again been lovingly put together and released by Massimo del Pozzo for his Italian premiership label Misty Lane Records. It comes to us resplendent in its burnt-sierra shade of orangey-brown and white cover design and includes an accompanying in-depth sleevenote penned by renowned sixties collector Mike Markesich, plus a no less insightful interview with Dovers alumni — lead guitarist Bruce Clawson and original drummer Rick Morinini — via a 2007 interview in the pages of the label’s flagship magazine, ‘Misty Lane’, undertaken by garage historian Mike Dugo.
When, arguably, what may be thought of as the three most famous Dovers songs — ‘She’s Gone’, ‘What Am I Going to Do’, and ‘She’s Not Just Anybody’ — the first penned by Bruce Clawson, the other two by Tim (or Timmy) Granada — were initially rediscovered through their inclusion on Volumes 2 and 7, respectively, of Greg Shaw’s hugely influential ‘Pebbles’ series of albums compiled in the late 70s and early 80s, they were rightly beginning to be heralded as some of the best examples of the garage/folk-rock sub-genre. Furthermore, when the Dovers’ above-mentioned Misty Lane label retrospective first arrived in the world circa 2001 — as a beautifully formed 10” LP — minds were literally being blown; helped along by the great sound quality, the only photographic evidence of the group (then and now still) — albeit the main image being from their earlier high-school days as the Vandells — plus a nail-biting, behind-the-scenes narrative with which to try and hang at least some of the songs on. And yes, there was that somewhat anticlimactic (both then and also now) elusive non-appearance of Tim Granada, the group’s lead singer/rhythm guitarist and truly genius songwriter.
For those who care about such deceptively simple-sounding yet innovative, often introspective, and powerfully mood-orientated song creations, the mere existence of such a record as this was nothing short of astonishing. And we stood to be further amazed by the life-affirming qualities of these songs as they were now being heard all together in one place for the first time ever — notwithstanding those lucky enough to have had a compilation tape made for them by friends who, themselves, were already extraordinarily fortunate to have had access to, or to know someone who had access to, the original, majorly elusive Dovers 45s.
The canyon of emotions that spill forth from almost every sinuous note of those selfsame eight selections which the Dovers recorded in their relatively short lifespan has, you will be unsurprised to learn, not diminished one iota since hearing them for the first time all those years ago. And maybe — due in part to the remastering process or perhaps even better-quality vinyl being utilised this time around — who knows, but just maybe the overall impact on those choosing to tune in to the electrifying splendour may be even stronger than it was. It certainly sounds like there could be some added punch here and there, given that this is a brand-spankingly-new, high-definition, pristine twelve-inch variant on which there could now be sufficiently more space for the grooves to work their magic.
As already shared, there are eight Dovers songs in all — that is, both sides of the group’s four single releases recorded during 1965–66. No extras have been found during the intervening years — so no outtakes, alternate takes, early demo recordings, or inferior-quality (or otherwise) live tracks to help, hinder, or cause the complexion of the Dovers’ full sound picture to be changed or tarnished in some way. And so, relatively scant though this collection appears to be, it’s also utterly perfect in every single way. Those ringing guitars — emulating the general sound of their beloved and now somewhat more internationally renowned peers the Byrds, and which will doubtless have your spine tingling — and the singularly tremulous nature of Tim Granada’s lead vocals have long been recognised as first and foremost among the group’s alluring attributes. But the resonant bass work (Robbie Ladewig) and crisp, pounding drums (Rick Morinini, later supplanted by Randy Busby) should also be regarded as pivotal components of the Dovers’ sound. And, of course, there are the impeccably placed backing vocals of Clawson, Tony Rivas, and (later) Busby, which also cannot be ignored. The engineering of the records, involving Gold Star Studios supremo Jim Messina and the group’s manager Tony Cary (credited as producer), also plays a vital role in this young group’s legacy; the bright and crystalline-clear sound marking them out as exceptional and truly remarkable recordings.
As iconic as their ‘Pebbles’-associated tunes have turned out to be, the group’s second single — ‘I Could Be Happy’ / ‘People Ask Me Why’ — along with such peerless flipsides as ‘Your Love’ (‘The Third Eye’) and ‘About Me’ (the collection’s properly named title track ‘She’s Not Just Anybody’) just might, at least in certain respects, be the Dovers’ crowning glory. Okay, sure, it doesn’t have the proto-psych raga/freak-out experimentation that ‘The Third Eye’ (coincidentally their third shot) possesses, or the teenage naivety and giddy romance-gone-awry drama of Clawson’s magnificent ‘She’s Gone’, or the equally fatalistic swoon of ‘What Am I Going to Do’… and there’s the universally scintillating, upbeat garage appeal of ‘She’s Not Just Anybody’. But in terms of the heightened sense of mood being created, coupled with the plaintive yet thoroughly atmospheric feel and assured, confident playing conveyed across both sides, they emit more direct emotion and passion and capture a unique vulnerability rarely heard — particularly so in what was still such a tender juncture in the ‘rock group’ arena overall. I could say more, but the most important thing to note, here and now, is that if you’ve not done so already, take the plunge and dive deep into the world of the Dovers. For sheer dynamic teen-garage brilliance and bliss, you won’t find much that’s better than this.
Lenny Helsing
The Dovers – We’re Not Just Anybody: The Complete Singles Collection (Misty Lane Records, 2025)
