GROUP5

Group 5 never rose above marginal status among British beat-era ensembles, yet this London quartet succeeded in recording a full-length LP for the French Barclay imprint at the height of the 1960s beat boom, thereby occupying the same peculiar niche as those UK combos whose only studio opportunities arose in America solely on the strength of their nationality, among them the act known as “The You Know Who Group.”

Anthony Stephen Judd (born January 30, 1943, guitar and keyboards), Tony Atkins (born June 8, 1947, guitar), Brian Norman (born September 9, 1941, drums), and Colin John Fortey (born June 19, 1942, guitar) demonstrated solid command of rock ’n’ roll and blues on that lone album. Their slightly loose attack echoed the Beatles’ approach to Motown material such as “Please Mr. Postman” and “You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me,” while also intersecting with the early Moody Blues on “Bye Bye Bird” and delivering a potent Bo Diddley groove on “What’s That.” In overall caliber they stood roughly even with the Nashville Teens, though without matching that band’s precision. Producer Bobbie Graham may well have been the same musician who drummed for the Outlaws behind Mike Berry and supported Big Jim Sullivan on select Dave Berry sessions; whatever his identity, the sessions yielded an effective recorded sound. French response to the release remains undocumented, and apart from the possible later activities of Tony Atkins, none of the four appear to have resurfaced in music. Decades afterward, Barclay gained the rights to reissue the Rolling Stones’ classic 1960s catalog in fresh packaging and artwork throughout the late 1970s.