Almost Hits: The Spokesmen - The Dawn Of Correction (1965)
The unlikely hit was written by highly regarded, 60s songwriter, P. F. Sloan
who normally wrote lighter fare for artists like Herman's Hermits ("A Must to
Avoid") and The Turtles ("You Baby"). He also composed "Secret Agent Man," a
big hit for Johhny Rivers that was the theme song of a popular TV series at
the time.
1965 was the year folk-rock began its reign as an influential sub-genre. It was the year
The Byrds released "Mr. Tambourine Man" and Simon and Garfunkel debuted with
"Sounds of Silence." If you were paying attention to the news during the
mid-60s you'll understand the impact "Eve of Destruction" had in the music
world. The record was far removed from the singles artists like The Beach Boys
were still placing on the charts. If you're old enough to remember,
"California Girls" was blasting out of little transistor radios everywhere
that same summer McGuire enjoyed his brief fifteen minutes of fame.
"Eve of Destruction" discussed racial strife in Selma, Alabama, the fear of
nuclear war, Red China, the space race, and more. As you can see here, the
song wasn't exactly uplifting, but it did make listeners think deeply beginning
with the first verse.
It's rare that a hit song leads to the creation of another one but
that's what happened when a Philadelphia based trio named The
Spokesmen wrote and recorded a positive rebuttal, "The Dawn of
Correction," to McGuire's and Sloan's folk-rock hit.
"'The eastern
world, it is explodin',
violence flarin', bullets
loadin'.
You're old enough
to kill but not for votin'.
You don't believe
in war, but what's that gun you're totin',
The #1 record ends with these thoughtful but depressing words.
"Hate your next door neighbor but don't forget to say grace.
And you tell me over and over and over and over again my
friend
You don't believe we're on the eve of destruction."
In Philadelphia, The Spokesmen's most famous member was Ray Gilmore. At
the time he was a popular disc jockey for WIBG, 99AM, (affectionately
known as Wibbage) the city's lone top 40 radio station and the only one
that played rock music in 1965. Gilmore was a big reason "Dawn of
Correction" received heavy airplay on Wibbage.
John Madara worked with Danny and the Juniors who hit the big time in
the 1950s with "At the Hop," a song he co-wrote with David White. Together, they also co-wrote
"1-2-3" for Len Barry and "You Don't Own Me," a hit for Lesley
Gore.
White, the third member of The Spokesmen, was the founder of Danny and
the Juniors. He also composed "Rock and Roll is Here to Stay" for the
group.
"The Dawn of Correction" went to #36 on the Hot 100. It's also the title track of the
album pictured above. The song sounds very similar to its predecessor in
style, arrangement and melody. The lead singer even had McGuire's
gravelly voice. The song is so close to "Eve of Destruction" that it
makes me wonder if Sloan could have filed a lawsuit for copyright
infringement. He did not receive a composing credit.
"You missed all the good in your evaluation,
What about the things that deserve commendation?
Where there once was no cure, there's vaccination,
Where there once was a desert, there's vegetation.
Self-governments replacing colonization.
What about the Peace Corp. organization?
Don't forget the work of the United Nations."
Almost Hits is an occasional exploration into songs that failed to reach the top #20 on the American Billboard Hot 100. Many have become classics despite what their chart position would indicate.
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