Texas bands in the late sixties began to change their sound from more of a frat rock sound to a more psychedelic sound. This evolution began with the Elevators; The Clique is no different, with their Elevators cover of “Splash 1.” Lacking a jug, however, still encompassing the new psychedelic sound, this track helped push this sound into Houston, Texas. The Clique formed after the demise of three bands: The Lavender Hour, The Roustabouts and The Sandpipers. The original band members were: John Kanesaw on drums, Bruce Tinch on bass guitar, Cooper Hawthorne on lead guitar, David Dunham on saxophone and Larry Lawson on piano. This single (Splash 1 and Stay by Me) was recorded in the summer of 1967 in Andrus Studios in Houston, Texas. Splash 1 gave the group some fame in Texas staying on the Houston charts for a number of weeks. The single also achieved the number 113 spot on the national charts. Later that year and the year following, the group opened for many larger groups including: The Dave Clark Five, The Association, Sam and Dave and George Carlin.
The fact remains that on “Splash 1,” the Clique managed to do the Elevators justice, where everyone else’s attempts fell short. The song was released on the local Cinema (shown in scan) and then Wand labels, followed by a national release on Scepter – none of which garnered much attention. Later their tunes rose to a broader audience backed by record producer/songwriter Gary Zekley. Singles like “I’ll Hold Out My Hand” and “Sugar on Sunday” gave this little band from Houston fame, not to mention one of their tracks “Superman,” was covered by REM in 1986.
