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Contrary to popular belief, this isn't a rewrite of "Train Kept a-Rollin'," as done by the Yardbirds the year before; Count Five (previously "Count V") had undoubtedly heard British takes on American blues, but their sound, guitar pyrotechnics and all, is pure American garage. Formed in San Jose, the band managed to get turned down by several Bay Area labels, including Fantasy, before eventually landing a contract with the small Double Shot label ("Every Shot Counts") in Los Angeles. "Psychotic Reaction," the fourth single ever on Double Shot, resounded with the public, that opening riff and thumping drum commanding attention from the start, and an album (DSM-1001, also in bogus stereo) was quickly issued. Label bosses Joe Hooven and Hal Winn, determined to get maximum value from the hit, had other Double Shot acts, including the funk-soul band Señor Soul and R&B singer Brenton Wood, record the song; Wood's version (on the original Oogum Boogum LP) is actually recorded over the Count Five instrumental track. The Five got out one more single — "Peace of Mind" — which Bubbled Under the Hot 100 before vanishing; the group disbanded shortly thereafter, and its members eventually went back to college, though their music had enough of an impact on legendary critic Lester Bangs to lead him to create a spurious but inspiring follow-on history for the band in Creem in 1971, called "Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung: A Tale of These Times." Carburetor Dung, said Bangs, was the second album by the Five, buried by record-company incompetence, featuring such wondrous "gully-bottom rock 'n' roll" tunes as "The Hermit's Prayer." A darn shame it never actually existed. What Bangs didn't envision, though, was the birth of a band called The Count, featuring original Five members Roy Chaney and John Byrne, who issued an indie CD (Can't Sleep) in 2002.
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Where can I get this on CD?
The British Big Beat label issued the original Psychotic Reaction album, plus bonus tracks, on Psychotic Revelation: The Ultimate Count Five (CDWIKD230) in 2003; it's apparently out of print. The single has been licensed all over the place; the original 11 LP tracks are on iTunes.
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Copyright © 2008 by Charles G. Hill
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