Graham Dee - The Thirteenth Man

  by Malcolm Carter

published: 11 / 5 / 2014

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One of the things that has made this particular writer smile over the last couple of decades is the way that certain people have been labeled as mod icons and even as a Modfather. It’s been said that Mod wasn’t just about fashion or music but a way of life…there’s obviously a lot of fakes about then; clever fakes admittedly but not the real thing at all. A name that is always missing when these so-called Mods are sprouting off about their all so obvious influences is that of Graham Dee. Dee has just turned 71; take a look at the sleeve of his latest single, ‘Duckin’ n Divin’ released on 10” vinyl for Record Store Day (and included on this album) if you can track down a copy, the clothes, that stance, the hair even, and yet we dare give the accolade The Modfather to a whippersnapper in his mid-fifties?! Dee has achieved so much in his life. Although an accomplished guitar player who was often compared to Page and Clapton, he wrote and/or produced for the likes of Sharon Tandy, the Fleur De Lys, the Applejacks and Barbara Lewis and it was this side of his work that he became known for. Dee did, though, play live with acts as diverse as Steve Marriott’s Moments, the Walker Brothers and Them, and even filled in with the early Pink Floyd in 1967 when Syd Barrett couldn’t make it for some reason… Yet it took a compilation of his work, which was lovingly put together by the Acid Jazz label in 2011 (The Graham Dee Connection), to really get his name noticed. A man, who from the mid-Sixties until the early Seventies was chosen as in -house producer at Polydor/Atlantic Records, before taking on session work in the USA and writing with Philip Mitchell at the renowned Muscles Shoals Studios in Alabama, finally left the music business to work in forestry; what a loss to the music industry. And still there were few mentions, if any, of the major contribution Dee had made to music while lesser talents were praised. Maybe inspired by the attention the Acid Jazz release quite rightly attracted Dee started playing guitar and writing again. ‘The Thirteenth Man’, released on the Tin-Kan label, is the result; ten Dee co-writes that show Dee has lost none of his passion during the half-century he’s been involved in music and none of his producing skills either (Dee co-produced with Martin Smith). The sound that Dee creates here is very contemporary while never losing sight of his roots. Dee has produced the album that you just can’t help feel many of the new breed have been trying to make for years. Dee, who takes lead vocals and also plays guitar, has made an astute choice in selecting the small band of musicians that accompany him on the album. Godfrey Wang on keyboards, Callum Gibson on both guitar and bass and Errol Flynn playing the drums are a tight unit. It’s unclear just how long these guys have been playing music together but they create a warm, laid-back groove that prevails throughout the album. Therein lies the only fault with ‘The Thirteenth Man’; over the course of ten songs it does all begin to sound a little too similar. At times the listener is begging for a little of the beat/soul that informed his previous work, some of that expected Dee punchiness to liven things up a little. Then again, along comes the only song on the album totally written by Dee, ‘Dark Night’, and that previous statement is made redundant. There’s still the chilled-out groove that’s gone before but the song has more swing to it, more soul is displayed and Dee’s distinctive vocals really hit home on this particular track. Dee’s choice of female backing singers is also inspired, Michelle John and Pricilla Jones add so much to these songs. At times his world-weary vocals need a little lift occasionally, and the soulful injections provided by both Michelle and Pricilla are the perfect foil to Dee’s mellow vocal style. Its would be fair to say that their vocals play a major part in shaping the overall sound of the album. While ‘The Thirteenth Man’ is certainly Dee’s project, the backing vocalists almost deserve equal billing. It’s rare to hear an album where you’re listening to the backing singers contribution as much as the lead singers. I’ve just had to check again as, although I’m more than aware that Dee has been making music since the early Sixties (those times I was ridiculed for actually reading the small print, limited as it was, on my 45s did actually help in the end), I can’t believe that Dee is 71 years young. He’s looking better than a man of his age has any right to, and certainly puts the rest of us to shame. He still has it musically in every department, and has really shown the young pretenders how to do the job properly. ‘The Thirteenth Man’ is a wonderful musical experience. It captures the essence of the mod/beat era perfectly while not for one second sounding the least bit dated, Dee has successfully updated a sound he can lay some claim to creating fifty years ago, has added a few jazz touches here and there, lost not one iota of the soul that always dominated his recordings and shows that he can still hold the listener's attention with his vocals alone. Graham Dee then; still an inspiration to those who like their music real and from the soul and still looking the sharpest dresser around town.

Track Listing:-

1 My Philophosy
2 Duckin n Divin
3 Emily Nuthin
4 Distracted
5 Dark Knight
6 It's Ok
7 Cheatin on Love
8 Diminished Resposibilty
9 Notice Me, Notice You
10 (All I Wanna Say Is) What About Me

Band Links:-

https://twitter.com/grahamdeemusic
http://www.graham-dee.com/
https://www.facebook.com/MusicianGrahamDee

Label Links:-

http://tinkanrecords.com/
https://twitter.com/GrahamDeeMusic
https://www.facebook.com/MusicianGrahamDee

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