Galveston, Texas, was the domain of the Countdown 5, who released several singles for a various labels. Although the band never made it on a national scale, they were popular locally and all their discs, most which have been reissued onto compilation albums, were quite good.
Owing a debt to the festive blue-eyed soul of Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels, crossed with strands of “Land Of 1000 Dances” (Cannibal and the Headhunters) and “Mony Mony” (Tommy James and the Shondells), “Shaka Shaka Na Na” (Cobblestone Records) is a top division floor-groover. Dripping with perspiration and stuffed, puffed and fluffed with infectiously lively harmonies, the jumpy rouser lets loose a bright and beaming beat that’s hard to resist.
Tucked on the backside of this foot-stomping rocker is “Money Man,” which stands to be a whole different kettle of tea. Brandishing an introduction highly similar to that of “Monterey” by Eric Burdon and the Animals, a moody psychedelic exterior spills forth, aided by progressively intricate instrumentation. Buzzing with cool and breezy acid-flecked riffs, the haunting tune carries a socially-slanted theme. Ah, the power of the mighty dollar …
Punching in as the Countdown 5’s final effort, “Shaka Shaka Na Na/Money Man” captured the band going out with a bang!
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