Count Five was an American

garage rock Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock and roll that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The sty ...

band, formed in San Jose, California in 1964, known for their

hit single A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single or simply a hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record' ...

Psychotic Reaction "Psychotic Reaction" is a song by the American garage rock band Count Five, released in June 1966 on their Psychotic Reaction (album), debut studio album of the same name. Background "Psychotic Reaction" was born out of an instrumental that Count ...

Background

The band was founded in 1964 by lead guitarist John "Mouse" Michalski (born 1948, Cleveland, Ohio) and

bassist A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a Bass (instrument), bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), synthbass, keyboar ...

Roy Chaney (born 1948,

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

, Indiana). The two were high school friends who had previously played in several short-lived bands, most notably a

surf rock Surf music (or surf rock, surf pop, or surf guitar) is a Music genre, genre of rock music associated with surf culture, particularly as found in Southern California. It was especially popular from 1958 to 1964 in two major forms. The first is in ...

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 In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass guitar ...

and performed

lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...

; Kenn Ellner played tambourine and

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica inclu ...

, while sharing lead vocals; and Craig "Butch" Atkinson (1947–1998, born San Jose, California) played

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

. The Count Five were recognizable for their habit of wearing Count Dracula-style capes when playing live. "Psychotic Reaction", an acknowledged cornerstone of garage rock, 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. 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. The band enjoyed limited success for a short time, dropping out of view altogether when their only hit had fallen from public memory. Another setback to a potential career in the music business was the decision of four of the five members (who at that time were between the ages of 17 and 22) to pursue college degrees. Several months before the retirement of the band, David Eugene McDowell, the youngest player at 17, hooked up with the group as a guitar player for their last several months as a band. He went on to join up with Billy Nix and the Ideals as their bass player. By 1969, the Count Five had broken up, but their memory was immortalized in a 1971 essay by rock journalist Lester Bangs, entitled "

Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung ''Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung: The Work of a Legendary Critic: Rock 'n' Roll as Literature and Literature as Rock 'n' Roll'' is a collection of essays written by famous rock music critic Lester Bangs. Named for a 1971 article of the ...

." In the essay, Bangs credited the band for having released several later albums (after ''

''): ''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 actually existed except in Bangs' own imagination. The Count Five reunited only once, when they performed a concert on April 11, 1987, at a club in Santa Clara, California called "One Step Beyond". This performance has been released as ''Psychotic Reunion LIVE!''. The song "Psychotic Reaction" can be heard playing on the jukebox in an early scene in

Wim Wenders Ernst Wilhelm "Wim" Wenders (; born 14 August 1945) is a German filmmaker, playwright, author, and photographer. He is a major figure in New German Cinema. Among many honors, he has received three nominations for the Academy Award for Best Docum ...

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

'' Alice in the Cities'' (1974) and in the party scene in ''

The Sense of an Ending ''The Sense of an Ending'' is a 2011 novel written by British author Julian Barnes. The book is Barnes's eleventh novel written under his own name (he has also written crime fiction under the pseudonym Dan Kavanagh) and was released on 4 Augus ...

'' (2017). It can also be heard on the season one finale of the

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

drama series '' Vinyl''. Craig Atkinson died on Tuesday, October 13, 1998. John Byrne died on Monday, December 15, 2008, at 61 from cirrhosis of the liver. Roy Chaney formed a new band in the 1990s called The Count, with Byrne and drummer Rocco Astrella (March 20, 1951 – March 1, 2014), who played in the last version of the original group. The Count released their debut CD, ''Can't Sleep'', in 2002. In 2006, Count Five was among the first bands inaugurated into the San Jose Rock Hall of Fame.

Members

* John "Sean" Byrne – lead vocals, rhythm guitar (died 2008) * Kenn Ellner – backing and lead vocals, tambourine, harmonica * John "Mouse" Michalski – lead guitar * Roy Chaney – bass guitar * Craig "Butch" Atkinson – drums (died 1998) * David "Dave" Eugene McDowell lead guitar; last and youngest member (born 1952)

Discography

Studio album

* ''

'' (1966) US # 122

Compilations

* ''Dynamite Incidents'' (1983) * ''Psychotic Reaction'' (1987) * ''Rarities: The Double Shot Years'' (2014)

Live album

* ''Psychotic Reunion LIVE!'' (1987)Internet Archive
Audio Archive: Psychotic Reunion LIVE! (1987)

Singles

* "

" / "They're Gonna Get You" (1966) US # 5 * "Peace of Mind" / "The Morning After" (1966) US # 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)

References

External links

Official Website

* {{Authority control Acid rock music groups Apex Records artists Garage rock groups from California Musical groups established in 1964 Musical groups from San Jose, California Psychedelic rock music groups from California