Five's Company - The Ballad Of Fred The Pixie (Reissue, Remastered) (1969/2008)

..Although each track can stand alone, the songs togetner tell the story of an individual's life. This "individual" deliberately has no definite identity; sometimes the songs are written in the first person, sometimes from the point of view of an observer and sometimes in the form of a general comment on one stage of life common to all.

The songs on this album therefore have a wide appeal, ranging from soulful ballads to driving gospel type ravers. Within this range may also be found a truly charming children's song, entitled "The Ballad of Fred the Pixie", a gentle "follow-up" to the Beatles' "When I'm 64", entitled - of course - "Now I'm 64"; a song based on a William Blake poem, "The Schoolboy", and an interesting performance in 6/8 time called "Happy To Be Here". There is a strong sense of fun which pervades all of the songs; listen particularly to the words of "Darling, I've Got Something To Tell You", "I'm a Big Boy Now" and the tongue-in-cheek "Time To Pop Off".

Now a little about the group. Fives Company came into existence some four years ago when its members met at a London College. The leader of the group is Eddie St. John, who wrote and arranged all the songs on the album. Eddie also plays organ and piano, and sings lead on all the tracks, and he was responsible for the total concept of the album. He is ably assisted vocally on most tracks by Colin Jordan, who in addition plays guitar on all tracks. Bass guitar is played by Bob Brunning, who also may be heard vocally on a few performances. These three musicians are helped out on the L.P. by some of their friends, who contribute occasional extra voices and rhythm instruments. Just listen to the fade out of "Time To Pop Off", and you'll hear the beautiful tones of a...well, just wait and see!

Here, then, is an album of sophisticated pop music - music which, whilst retaining its essential drive and simplicity, manages to say just a little more than usual. To be too serious about the content of this L.P. would be missing the point: the songs are powerful, driving and essentially entertaining - the fact that they tell a meaningful story is incidental!