Count Five in 1966 From left to right: Ron Chaney (bass), Mouse Michalski (lead guitar), Sean Byrne (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Butch Atkinson (drums), Kenn Ellner (vocals, harmonica)
The band was founded in 1964 by lead guitarist John "Mouse" Michalski (born 1948, Cleveland, Ohio) and bassist Roy Chaney (born 1948, Indianapolis, Indiana). The two were friends at Pioneer High School, who had previously played in several short-lived bands, most notably a surf rock group named The Citations. As the British Invasion's influence took effect, the band changed in musical direction. After going by the name The Squires for a short time, along with several line-up changes, the Count Five was born. John "Sean" Byrne (1947–2008, born Dublin, Ireland) played rhythm guitar and performed lead vocals; Kenn Ellner played tambourine and harmonica, while sharing lead vocals; and Craig "Butch" Atkinson (1947–1998, born San Jose, California) played drums. The Count Five were recognizable for their habit of wearing Count Dracula-style capes when playing live.[2]
"Psychotic Reaction", an acknowledged cornerstone of garage rock,[3] was initially devised by Byrne, with the group refining it and turning it into the highlight of their live sets. The song was influenced by the style of contemporary musicians such as The Standells and The Yardbirds.[4] The band was rejected by several record labels before they got signed to the Los Angeles-based Double Shot Records. "Psychotic Reaction" was released as a single, peaking at number five in the U.S. charts in late 1966,[5] and it became the title track to their only studio album in 1966. The band enjoyed limited success afterwards before breaking up in 1969.
Count Five reunited in April 1987 when they performed a concert at One Step Beyond nightclub in Santa Clara, California. This was released as Psychotic Reunion LIVE!.[6]
The band was immortalized in a 1971 essay by rock journalist Lester Bangs, entitled "Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung." In the essay, Bangs credited the band for having released several albums after Psychotic Reaction: Carburetor Dung, Cartesian Jetstream, Ancient Lace and Wrought-Iron Railings, and Snowflakes Falling On the International Dateline—each displaying an increasing sense of artistry and refinement. However, none of these subsequent albums existed except in Bangs' own imagination.[9]
"Psychotic Reaction" can be heard playing on the jukebox in an early scene in Wim Wenders' film Alice in the Cities (1974) and in the party scene in The Sense of an Ending (2017). It can also be heard on the season one finale of the HBO drama series Vinyl.[10]
count, five, american, garage, rock, band, formed, jose, california, 1964, best, known, their, single, psychotic, reaction, 1966, from, left, right, chaney, bass, mouse, michalski, lead, guitar, sean, byrne, lead, vocals, rhythm, guitar, butch, atkinson, drums. Count Five was an American garage rock band formed in San Jose California in 1964 best known for their hit single Psychotic Reaction 1 Count FiveCount Five in 1966 From left to right Ron Chaney bass Mouse Michalski lead guitar Sean Byrne lead vocals rhythm guitar Butch Atkinson drums Kenn Ellner vocals harmonica Background informationOriginSan Jose California U S GenresGarage rock 1 psychedelic rock 1 Years active1964 1964 1969 1969 LabelsDouble ShotPast membersCraig Butch AtkinsonJohn Sean ByrneRoy ChaneyKenn EllnerJohn Mouse Michalski Contents 1 History 2 Legacy 3 Members 4 Discography 4 1 Studio album 4 2 Compilations 4 3 Live album 4 4 Singles 5 References 6 External linksHistory editThe band was founded in 1964 by lead guitarist John Mouse Michalski born 1948 Cleveland Ohio and bassist Roy Chaney born 1948 Indianapolis Indiana The two were friends at Pioneer High School who had previously played in several short lived bands most notably a surf rock group named The Citations As the British Invasion s influence took effect the band changed in musical direction After going by the name The Squires for a short time along with several line up changes the Count Five was born John Sean Byrne 1947 2008 born Dublin Ireland played rhythm guitar and performed lead vocals Kenn Ellner played tambourine and harmonica while sharing lead vocals and Craig Butch Atkinson 1947 1998 born San Jose California played drums The Count Five were recognizable for their habit of wearing Count Dracula style capes when playing live 2 Psychotic Reaction an acknowledged cornerstone of garage rock 3 was initially devised by Byrne with the group refining it and turning it into the highlight of their live sets The song was influenced by the style of contemporary musicians such as The Standells and The Yardbirds 4 The band was rejected by several record labels before they got signed to the Los Angeles based Double Shot Records Psychotic Reaction was released as a single peaking at number five in the U S charts in late 1966 5 and it became the title track to their only studio album in 1966 The band enjoyed limited success afterwards before breaking up in 1969 Count Five reunited in April 1987 when they performed a concert at One Step Beyond nightclub in Santa Clara California This was released as Psychotic Reunion LIVE 6 Legacy edit Psychotic Reaction was included on the 1972 compilation album Nuggets Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era 1965 1968 7 This inclusion was noted as bringing the single and the band to a whole new generation of listeners 8 The band was immortalized in a 1971 essay by rock journalist Lester Bangs entitled Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung In the essay Bangs credited the band for having released several albums after Psychotic Reaction Carburetor Dung Cartesian Jetstream Ancient Lace and Wrought Iron Railings and Snowflakes Falling On the International Dateline each displaying an increasing sense of artistry and refinement However none of these subsequent albums existed except in Bangs own imagination 9 Psychotic Reaction can be heard playing on the jukebox in an early scene in Wim Wenders film Alice in the Cities 1974 and in the party scene in The Sense of an Ending 2017 It can also be heard on the season one finale of the HBO drama series Vinyl 10 The song was covered by Mouse and the Traps in a 1966 single The Radiators From Space in a 1977 single The Cramps on their 1983 live album Smell of Female by The Fuzztones on their 1987 album Live In Europe and The Vibrators in 2009 among others Members editJohn Sean Byrne lead vocals rhythm guitar Kenn Ellner backing and lead vocals tambourine harmonica John Mouse Michalski lead guitar Roy Chaney bass guitar Craig Butch Atkinson drums David Dave Eugene McDowell lead guitarDiscography editStudio album edit Psychotic Reaction 1966 US No 122 11 Compilations edit Dynamite Incidents 1983 Psychotic Reaction 1987 Rarities The Double Shot Years 2014 Live album edit Psychotic Reunion LIVE 1987 12 Singles edit Psychotic Reaction They re Gonna Get You 1966 US No 5 13 Peace of Mind The Morning After 1966 US No 125 You Must Believe Me Teeny Bopper Teeny Bopper 1967 Merry Go Round Contrast 1967 Revelation in Slow Motion Declaration of Independence 1968 Mailman Pretty Big Mouth 1969 3 References edit a b c The Count Five AllMusic Count Five Band Photo Gallery Countfive com Archived from the original on July 14 2015 Retrieved May 11 2015 a b Joynson Vernon 2007 Fuzz Acid and Flowers Revisited Glasgow United Kingdom Borderline Productions p 205 ISBN 978 1 899855 14 8 Bruce Eder The Count Five Biography AllMusic Retrieved May 11 2015 Colin Larkin ed 1997 The Virgin Encyclopedia of Sixties Music First ed Virgin Books p 129 ISBN 0 7535 0149 X Count Five Psychotic Reunion Live Discogs Retrieved August 22 2023 Various Nuggets Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era 1965 1968 Discogs The Count Five Biography by Bruce Eder AllMusic Retrieved August 22 2023 Bangs Lester 2003 Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung First ed New York Anchor pp 5 19 ISBN 0 679 72045 6 Edwards Gavin April 17 2016 Vinyl Season 1 Finale As Confused as Ever The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved April 18 2016 Whitburn Joel 2018 Top Pop Albums 1955 2016 Prometheus Global Media ISBN 978 0 89820 226 7 Internet Archive Audio Archive Psychotic Reunion LIVE 1987 Whitburn Joel 2015 The Comparison Book Billboard Cash Box Record World 1954 1982 Sheridan Books p 119 ISBN 978 0 89820 213 7 External links editOfficial website archived Count Five at AllMusic nbsp Information about Count Five Profile of Count V John Sean Byrne Obituary Count Five discography at Discogs nbsp Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Count Five amp oldid 1220805374, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
