Customer Reviews

Psychotic Reaction: Very Best of

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Known for "Psychotic Reaction", one of the finest examples of garage punk the sixties had to offer, the Count Five have been tabbed as one hit wonders. And their recorded legacy ain't exactly deep. But you get it all here in one nice little package and there's more to recommend it than the title hit.

The first eleven tracks are all from the original Psychotic Reaction LP. Several are slower-paced, semi-punky tunes, like "They're Gonna Get You", "The Morning After" and "Pretty Big Mouth". There are also some good, faster numbers that'll win you over, such as "Double Decker Bus" and, perhaps the most underrated song on the original album, "Can't Get Your Lovin'". In all, nine of the songs on the album were penned by the band, with two Who covers thrown in.

The real find are the non-LP singles that make up the balance of the CD. These were recorded subsequent to the release of the album and show quite a bit of musical growth. For example, "Merry-Go-Round" and "Revelation In Slow Motion" both dabble in psychedelia with fine results. Unfortunately, further chart success eluded them.

Somehow, I think it's a misnomer that these guys had limited musical talent. Not only could they play but they also wrote the bulk of what's here. Anyone even remotely interested in 60's garage rock should check this out to discover the Count Five were more than their one hit.

This San Jose, CA band could be the poster act for "one hit wonders," given that anything beyond their seminal single, "Psychotic Reaction," is probably unknown beyond garage/psych aficionados and those who knew the band from live appearances. But like so many acts whose art only intersects popular acclaim for an instant, there was a great deal more to their catalog than one chart hit.

The Count Five were spawned by the same South Bay scene that produced The Syndicate of Sound, and, eventually, The Chocolate Watchband. They were a bona fide band of high school and college students who'd been gigging steadily by the time they landed a record contract with Double Shot. Even more importantly, the original song that would become their defining three minutes had been their calling card for countless label auditions; by the time they laid down the version that sparked national acclaim, the song had been allowed to marinate in numerous improvements. Even after they laid it down it was tweaked for AM radio with a razor blade laid to recording tape.

This 17-track collection from the Collectables label is bettered by Big Beat's 24-track compilation of 2003 (titled "Psychotic Revelation"). The latter pulls together the entire history of the band, from the original, unedited version of "Psychotic Reaction" and its reworked hit-single, through hastily recorded album tracks, and post-LP singles. Big Beat's Alec Palao provides extensive liner notes that include generous interviews with original band members and their management/production team. Of particular interest are the details of how regional radio play was parlayed (station-by-station!) into the critical mass of national chart success; a fascinating peek into the pre-consultant world of locally-controlled AM radio.

What comes through on both versions of this disc is that the Count Five was an excellent garage band whose emphasis on Yardbirds' styled rock could spark up covers of British Invasion material (or, in the case of "You Must Believe Me," British interpretations of American soul songs) and fine originals. It's no wonder they were a favorite at area teen clubs, high school dances and mall openings!

Collectables: 4-stars. Big Beat: 5-stars.

The Count Five have caught an amazing amount of flack for their musicality (or lack thereof). But, c'mon...what we have here is a good-sized slice of garage rock. It's not terrifically different or better than stuff from the Sonics or the Remains. But, hey, not every band can be great through and through...we should be grateful that most of them have a fervently beating heart disturbingly absent from today's idea of rock and roll. You will buy this for the title track and from there you will discover that there are quite a few songs on here that will nicely fill gaps in your head. Seeing as this will probably not convince you, check out Lester Bangs' imaginary article on the Count Five in his book...there, now you have no excuse...

So, do it for Rock and Roll's sake.

...BEFORE THE STOOGES AND THE VELVET UNDERGROUND AND NICO AND BEFORE THE DOORS AND SABBATH, THERE WAS AN ANGRY GARAGE BAND CALLED THE COUNT FIVE.......THIS BAND WAS SO IN THE KNOW THAT THEY DID A COVER OF THE WHO'S MY GENERATION AND ITS ALMOST AS GOOD AS THE WHO'S ! NOT QUITE !...THIS IS REALLY THE BAND THAT MADE ME WANNA ROCK...IN 1983, I HAD THEIR ALBUM AND I LOVED IT...WAY BETTER THAN STRAWBERRY ALARMCLOCK ..AS GOOD AS THE CHOCOLATE WATCHBAND...ANGRIER THAN THE WHO ; IT AIN'T ALL PERFECT HERE..AND IT EVEN HAS SOME R N B GARAGE JUNK YOU MIGHT DO WITHOUT...OR MAYBE NOT ..BUY IT NOW !!!!!!!!!!

This CD collects all 18 tracks recorded by Count Five. The first 11 tracks, comprising their only LP, all sound very good except "Psychotic Reaction" and its flip, "They're Gonna Get You," which have distorted introductions. There is just no excuse for this. But you will hear a clear version of "Peace of Mind," the group's quirky follow-up single, which charted at #125 for all of one week.

Of the later single releases, tracks 12-15 sound very good, but 16 and 17 are presented in fake (electronic) stereo, and the fade on track 18 breaks up. (There is no known stereo Count Five recording, by the way.) The fake stereo on tracks 16 and 17 is not as annoying as some "reprocessed" stereo, but the songs sound better on the original 45 in mono. "Declaration of Independence" is a standout track, in the vein of "Psychotic Reaction," and "Relevation in Slow Motion" (another odd choice for an A-side) is also good.

Fans of '60s punk/psych will enjoy this CD, despite its deficiencies. The group had a lot more going for it than its one-hit-wonder status would suggest. Had their later A-sides been chosen more carefully, Lester Bangs might not have had to just imagine subsequent Count Five LPs.

As the author of the Jefferson Airplane book "Take Me To A Circus Tent" and a former radio disc-jockey, I am often asked to write and or discuss various music supplies and recordings from the 60's and 70's.

If you are deciding to have lunch with the Count, make sure you don't get cheated. The July, 2003 CD release on Big Beat ("Psychotic Revelation: The Ultimate Count Five") supersedes all previous versions of "Psychotic Reaction: The Very Best of Count Five."

The tracks increase from 18 to 24 with mono and stereo mixes of certain tunes. Although the running order is not exactly the same, the additional material outweighs any minor inconvenience. You still are able to possess the original LP in good quality.

Excluding the timeless "Psychotic Reaction", San Jose's- Count Five were never applauded with the same accolades as many of the other mid-sixties garage bands. The track wasn't the standard three minute rock and roll number. The fuzz tone of the guitar and the catchy beat held listeners clamoring for more. What they got was some darn good sounds and covers but the inability to stay on the psychotic and psychedelic plateaus.

They dared to take on two Who tracks (Pete Townshend) "My Generation" and "Out In The Streets" with respectable results. The versions were rough and raw and in your face. "Peace Of Mind" a tune the band did pen is the most underrated composition on the recording. The groups career could have taken a different turn with one or two more originals the strength of "Psychotic Reaction" and "Peace Of Mind."

A curious cover was the terrific Curtis Mayfield tune "You Must Believe Me." The Count Five wanted to take two directions during the song and it would have been better to follow one path. They attempted to cross the rhythm and blues style of Mayfield with a bit of Psychotic Rock but the end result doesn't deliver with the same gusto as the two Who covers.

This is an easy listen if you have enjoyed the garage rock sound previously. The first time around you'll be able to pick your favorites quickly and nothing will turn you off. An average Count Five song will still intrigue you enough to stay the course.






Enjoy the music and be well,
Craig Fenton
Author of the Jefferson Airplane book "Take Me To A Circus Tent"

What is with this MISLEADING title?The 'best of'?Count Five had JUST one album out,PEOPLE!Get it right.Nonetheless,this most complete(there's an import pressing of this title out with fourteen tracks)as this U.S. release has a total of eighteen is a pretty nice reissue,I thought.I've spoken with a few fans of '60's psych and those who had bought a copy of the original vinyl(years ago)before CD's came along mentioned that "Psychotic Reaction" was the only good song on the entire lp.NOT TRUE!I really enjoyed getting my own copy of this short lived(1965 - 67)garage/psych San Jose's five piece sole effort.Most of the tunes here are well written and produced,like the title track,the previously mentioned "Psychotic Reaction","Double-Decker Bus",The Who cover "My Generation", "They're Gonna Get You", "Can't Get Your Lovin'", "Out In The Street" Curtis Mayfield's "You Must Believe Me" and "Merry Go Round".Includes an informative six-page fold-out front insert,packed with liner notes.Very nice.Recommended.

What a terrible shame that these guys were only college kids messing around. They ROCK! This is so Pre-Punk psychedelic Rock,, I love it so much. It says they were offered a record deal and turned it down so they could stay in college. Bad move you guys! I rank them right there with the Herman Hermits if not better.

Garage rock in this form was the start of what would later be called hard rock and it's later formats. But in 1966 this was hard garage band stuff and was very similiar to the yardbirds of the period. It's got the snotty attitude of punk in a way even. but true hard rock was around yet, but the classic song 'psychotic reaction' is pure rave up jam , the type that would infjuence two genres punk and hard rock. The other songs are pretty good too, songs like 'pretty big mouth' and scuh are good enough to be on a yardbirds cd. ANd that's saying alot. This is great stuff and although this band was only around for a little while they made a killer record in 1966 terms. ANd even today the music sounds fun to rockin to typical midsixties more aggressive music. A little bit of the who , yardbirds and other bands influence and such. It's good stuff if you love the midsixites rock scene. ALthough the title track is so smokin that it's almost protometal , the rest isn't but it's good.

Most of the songs on this cd sound like generic pop songs, however there are some songs like the recognised masterpiece Psycotic Reaction that make this cd worth checking into. The songs near the end tend to be better than the rest.