8/24/06: Barry McGuire: “Eve of Destruction” (1965)
                     The Spokesmen “Dawn of Correction” (1965)

P.F. Sloan is back, and we won’t be the only ‘60s obsessive enjoying tonight’s NYC show as part of his very first U.S. tour. To normal people, though, Sloan is best known as the composer of only two major hits. One of them—co-written with his usual partner Steve Barri—is the definitive supercool Cold War anthem. The other is “Eve of Destruction.”

This faux-Dylan moaner was a chart topper for Barry McGuire in 1965. The former New Christy Minstrel was looking for a hit when he noticed that Sloan was more depressed than the other songwriters laboring at the Dunhill label. That should’ve been the first warning that “Eve of Destruction” was destined to be good news and bad news.

The fatalistic protest song became a rallying cry for draft-age youth seeking to lower the voting age. The tune also received plenty of flack from its intended audience. Certain parties knew that “Eve of Destruction” exposed the nihilistic nonsense that lurked behind the flower power. Sloan perfectly captured the moralistic vacuum that would suck us down the path to Altamont and the Manson Family:

        Yeah, my blood’s so mad, feels like coagulatin’,
        I’m sittin’ here just contemplatin’.
        I can’t twist the truth, it knows no regulation,
        Handful of senators don’t pass legislation,
        An’ marches alone can’t bring integration
        When human respect is disintegratin’,
        This whole crazy world is just too frustratin’…

We recently interviewed Sloan, and he nicely summed up the bipartisan fall-out: “I must have been doing something right.” If that sounds older and wiser, it’s because Sloan had to survive the ’60s himself. The success of “Eve” convinced the songwriter to pursue a folksy recording career. Feeling confined by his pop roots, he’d eventually give up all rights to any songwriting royalties just to be released from his Dunhill contract.

Sloan ended up going through a few decades of emotional turmoil. Things probably weren’t helped by The Spokesmen coming out with “Dawn of Correction.” This answer song was released as “Eve” was becoming a #1 hit, and it’s another classic of bipartisan bafflement.

Okay, so maybe it wasn’t so delusional back when The Spokesmen bragged of “the work of the United Nations.” “Dawn” is still too chipper when the gloomy protesters are told to “be thankful our country allows demonstrations/Instead of condemnin’, make some recommendations.”

We'd have been better off with Sloan’s vision of depressed deadbeats. Still, all’s pretty much forgiven just for the openin’—we mean, opening—lines of “Dawn”:

        The western world has a common dedication
        To keep free people from Red domination
        And maybe you can’t vote, boy, but man your battle stations
        Or there’ll be no need for votin' in future generations

That’s some timeless truth. We asked Sloan what he thought about The Spokesmen. After a long pause, Sloan was diplomatic: “I don’t know whether they were as sincere as I was in their reply. If they were sincere, fine.” That’s fair enough. The Spokesmen are pretty much forgotten, and—as noted—P.F. Sloan is back. He’s got the last laugh, too, since “Eve” opens with “The Eastern world, it is explodin’.” Also, Sloan wrote one of  Herman’s Hermits’ best songs. That has to count for something.

Make it your own: The original Barry McGuire album is okay, but Sloan always did “Eve” better. There’s a brand new version of the song on his fine new Sailover album. You’ll have to track down the pricey 60’s Rule!: Chapter 1 compilation to get The Spokesmen on CD—but it’s almost worth the price to get the song on the same disc as Marcia Strassman’s “The Flower Children.”

 

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