Count Five

Biography

US band formed in 1964 in San Jose, California. Their psychedelic-punk hit, [i]Psychotic Reaction[/i], reached the US Top 5 in 1966. They first drew attention by wearing Dracula-style capes to their gigs. After recording one album, also titled [i]Psychotic Reaction[/i], they released a few more singles before disbanding in 1969.
The band’s memory was immortalized in a 1972 essay by the famous rock writer Lester Bangs called [i]Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung[/i]. In the essay Bangs credited the band for having released several albums – [i]Carburetor Dung[/i], [i]Cartesian Jetstream[/i], [i]Ancient Lace and Wrought-Iron Railings[/i] and [i]Snowflakes Falling On the International Dateline[/i]: actually, none of these albums has ever existed, except in Bangs’ own imagination.
Line-up:
– John “Sean” Byrne: vocals, guitar
– John “Mouse” Michalski: lead guitar
– Roy Chaney: bass
– Craig “Butch” Atkinson: drums
– Kenn Ellner: harmonica, vocals.