Phil Dirt - Reverb Central - PO Box 1609, Felton, CA 95018-1609 USA
The Five - For Five Nights Onlydotdotdotdot
artworkThis release rocks! The Five are from Brisbane, Australia. They play a blend of surf and biker fuzz, with edge and style and power. Garage, surf, and grit!

Covering every format base, this release includes a seven inch single, one side 33-1/3 RPM with three tracks, one side 45 RPM with two tracks, a 10 track CD, and several website-only 192k downloads associated with the release and linked in the sleeve art. I also added reviews of another 9 tracks from their website.
Picks: The Barefoot Radler, (Mustn't) Grumble, No Sauce, Theme From Burger Force (The Suffering Bastard), Miseri Loves Company, The Barefoot Radler, No Sauce, (Mustn't) Grumble, Stingray, Big Bird, Theme From Burger Force (The Suffering Bastard), Miseri Loves Company, Our Favourite Martian, 2000 Lb Bee Pt. 2, Midnite At Charlie, Switchblade, Rumble, Cheese Sauce, No Pickles, The Suffering Bastard, Rob's Big Bird, Stingray, Our favorite Martian, The Young World, Scotch On The Socks, The Shape Of Things To Come, Switchblade

Track by Track Review


The Barefoot Radler dotdotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

Tribal drums and a very cool bass line rhythmically drive "The Barefoot Radler." This is infectious and fun, and the melody is a combination of double picked and open notes. The textures are relatively light, which suit the melody and arrangement very well. Cool song.

(Mustn't) Grumble dotdotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

Big Link Wray inspiration on "(Mustn't) Grumble," with long fuzzy chords, a relentless beat, and giant growling sound. This is a very cool track, with superb tone and grit. Some verses are more metallic than the Linkster, which gives it unique character.

No Sauce dotdotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

With touches of spaghetti western and surf, "No Sauce" has a gentle, almost shimmering sound. tremolo, round twang, and an inviting melody combine for a relaxed journey. There are some lovely tremolo chords and plenty of changes.

Theme From Burger Force (The Suffering Bastard) dotdotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

Big fuzzy sustain creates tension against a muted melody line. The contrast between the two, and the garage creativity of the echo reminds me of The Wangs at times. There's a bit of spy, a taste of detective, and a wash of biker danger. The combination is psychedelic. Very inventive and powerful.

Miseri Loves Company dotdotdotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

Well, this is refreshing! "Miseri Loves Company" is a reinvented "Miserlou" with intense double picking verses following a gentle rendering similar to the glory of Tiki Tiki Bamboooos' version. There are other verses where the melody is more open. Mods to the melody line also make it sound original. It's really nice to see The Five do such an original arrangement.

The Barefoot Radler dotdotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

Tribal drums and a very cool bass line rhythmically drive "The Barefoot Radler." This is infectious and fun, and the melody is a combination of double picked and open notes. The textures are relatively light, which suit the melody and arrangement very well. Cool song. The mastering is a little different on this presentation.

No Sauce dotdotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

With touches of spaghetti western and surf, "No Sauce" has a gentle, almost shimmering sound. tremolo, round twang, and an inviting melody combine for a relaxed journey. There are some lovely tremolo chords and plenty of changes. The mastering is slightly different from the vinyl version.

(Mustn't) Grumble dotdotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

Big Link Wray inspiration on "(Mustn't) Grumble," with long fuzzy chords, a relentless beat, and giant growling sound. This is a very cool track, with superb tone and grit. Some verses are more metallic than the Linkster, which gives it unique character. Slight differences in mastering from the vinyl.

Stingray dotdotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

Fuzzed baritone guitar rides atop clean chords and cool bass line. Great drums complete this simple song's chemistry. "Stingray" has a decidedly British feel to it, but the energy and textures are more Australian/Austin sounding. Quite nice.

Big Bird dotdotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

Spatial and fluid, "Big Bird" moves slowly in an atmospheric expanse where the long guitar notes can float. The bass line is on the psychedelic side, and the pace and beat also suggest that genre at times. Desert vision and soaring clear-sky imagery. This is very compelling.

Theme From Burger Force (The Suffering Bastard) dotdotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

Big fuzzy sustain creates tension against a muted melody line. The contrast between the two, and the garage creativity of the echo reminds me of The Wangs at times. There's a bit of spy, a taste of detective, and a wash of biker danger. The combination is psychedelic. Very inventive and powerful. Subtle mastering differences from the vinyl.

Miseri Loves Company dotdotdotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

Well, this is refreshing! "Miseri Loves Company" is a reinvented "Miserlou" with intense double picking verses following a gentle rendering similar to the glory of Tiki Tiki Bamboooos' version. There are other verses where the melody is more open. Mods to the melody line also make it sound original. It's really nice to see The Five do such an original arrangement. Subtle mastering differences.

Our Favourite Martian dotdotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

Reverb crashes open this cover of Bobby Fuller and the Fanatics' "Our Favorite Martian." It's a bit gentler, but it has all the reverb charm and seductive flow. Tremolo adds an original edge, but it's the perfect composition and reverent arrangement that keep the spirit alive. It's just different enough to be fresh, yet there's no mistaking from whence it came. I really like this!

2000 Lb Bee Pt. 2 dotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

This is a fuzzy and reverent cover of The Ventures' "2000 Lb. Bee." Solid drums and bass, and two angular, fuzzy, very dirty guitars. Rock on.

Midnite At Charlie dotdotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

"Midnite At Charlie" is a slow number with a seductive bass line and really good drums. The tremolo guitar shimmers and trembles, and the long sustain guitar in the distance creates a foggy danger. Excellent!

Switchblade dotdotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

Link Wray and his Raymen's "Switchblade" is superb! Dark, lumbering, heavy, gritty, and all the Linkisms you need, plus some really cool whammy action. Drag that pick slide into frantic dementia!

Rumble dotdotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

Lumbering, dangerous, and superb! Tremolo throb the way it's meant to be! Two guitars give Link Wray and his Raymen's "Rumble" an even darker edge!

Cheese Sauce, No Pickles dotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

With touches of spaghetti western and surf, this track has tremolo, twang, and a cool melody combine for a relaxed journey, though its sound is gritty and immediate. "Cheese Sauce, No Pickles" became "No Sauce."

The Suffering Bastard dotdotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

"The Suffering Bastard" became "Theme From Burger Force." It's big and fuzzy. The sustain creates tension against a muted melody line. Most of the arrangement ended up being recorded is here. Very inventive and powerful.

Rob's Big Bird dotdotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

Spatial and fluid, "Rob's Big Bird" moves slowly with long guitar notes floating. The bass line is on the psychedelic side, and the pace and beat also suggest that genre at times. Desert vision and soaring clear-sky imagery. This is very compelling.

Stingray dotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

Fuzzed baritone guitar rides atop clean chords and cool bass line. Great drums complete this simple song's chemistry. "Stingray" has a decidedly British feel to it, but the energy and textures are more Australian/Austin sounding. Quite nice.

Our favorite Martian dotdotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

Bobby Fuller and the Fanatics' "Our Favorite Martian" is a bit moodier, and it uses tremolo to add intrigue. excellent.

The Young World dotdotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

All the requisite fuzz of Davie Allan and the Arrows' "The Young World" is here. A tuff and dangerous biker anthem with an intense delivery.

Scotch On The Socks dotdotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

The Shadows' "Scotch On The Socks" is very cool with big drums and a funky bass line. The slightly angular melody line is drawn out with distortion and sustain. The drums are what really make this work!

The Shape Of Things To Come dotdotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

This is a tasteful. suitably angular version of "The Shape Of Things To Come." The keys add a sixties garage psych edge. Very garagy, and that whirling organ is very charming.

Switchblade dotdotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

Link Wray and his Raymen's "Switchblade" is dark, lumbering, heavy, and gritty - drag that pick slide!