5 By 5 (American Version)

REVIEW BY ART HENDERSON -

This was the band's twelfth album (including the two HITS packages) within 36 months, but it was poorly timed. Put together around the "Nineteen Days" single, it did not appear until four months after that record had dropped from the charts. Another single "I've Got the Have a Reason / Good Time Woman" had been in and out of the Hot 100 within those four months, yet strangely, neither made it to this album.

The band was pre-occupied with a change of direction, in their efforts to regain lost ground at home, and so little time or effort went into this album. The mediocrity of the material leaves us with only two stand-out tracks, "Nineteen Days" and "You Don't Want My Loving", both Denis Payton songs. The former was Payton's second A-side of 1966 (the first being "Satisfied With You") indicating a burgeoning of his writing skills. This straight-ahead rock track is laced with lashings of fuzz guitar. The falsetto highlight was a rare device for the Five, but it would surface again in "Reason" and "GTWoman". Meanwhile, "You Don't Want My Loving" is a unique doom-laden, dirge with a Gregorian chant-like vocal background, swollen organ, and heavy, leaden drums. The dark and brooding atmosphere is only lifted when the instrumental section breaks into 2/4 time with its manic harmonica and organ workout.

The remaining eight tracks are at best mediocre, at worst apalling. Both "Bernedette" and "How Can I Tell You" have strong melodies, but yearn for a production to match. "Something I've Always Wanted" and "Pick Up Your Phone" are third-rate, first-take demos that should never have escaped from Landsdowne. Justifiably, neither has been issued in the UK. A Lovin' Spoonful influence is obvious on "Sitting Here Baby", a track notable only for its bass solo. This good-times, sing-along style did not sit well with the DC5, though they were to continue with it during the DC&Friends years . The 1966 single "Satisfied With You" is cloned for the superflous "Picture of You". In a band that could use at least five lead instruments (guitar, piano, organ, sax and harmonica), it's curious to see the harmonica chosen to carry six of the ten tracks.

Had this album never seen the light of day, little would have been lost. Canadian Capitol must have thought so too, the album not appearing in Canada in any form. - Art Henderson (arthurh@ihug.co.nz)

EDITORS NOTE - (Art Henderson is a knowledgable fan from New Zealand. He's currently writing an extensive book about the DC5)

EDITORS NOTE - I sadly agree with this rare negative review. I remember rushing home with this record as a high-school kid, anxious be treated to a barage of energy and artistry as I'd been spoiled with on all of the previous precious albums. But as the final "Pick Up Your Phone" faded off, I concluded that "the spirit has gone out of this band". Fortunately, the new direction found in the horn-laded hits "You Got What It Takes", "Tabitha Twitchit", "Beautiful Baby", and "A Little Bit Now" provided the necessary revival. Things got lots better.

(Back to DC5 Albums) (Back to DC5 Main Page) (to Boltons Front Page)

Album review - Coming soon from Tom Truszkowski.