Please react to the album, Brian Wilson presents SMiLE. It is an Album that should’ve been released in 1967 following Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts club band, which would’ve dethroned it as the greatest album ever. Unfortunately, it was scrapped because Brian Wilson’s mental abuse kicked in as well as the cancer known as Mike Love. It was finally released in 2004 when a band (I forgot the name) who loved Wilson’s music contacted him about finishing SMiLE and performing it. The studio version of Brian Wilson presents SMiLE is what I request for you to listen to, for it is the definitive version of the album. (Not to be confused with the SMiLE Sessions or Smiley Smile). Anyways, I really hope you see this Jamal, because I know how much you loved Pet Sounds, and this album, is not only better than Pet Sounds, but better than any album of music ever. And if it was released in 1967, and Brian Wilson stayed healthy, music today would be so much different. Peace Brother 🙏 -Christopher
Your comment about billboards brings to mind the line from 3 Dog Night's "Family of Man": "Billboard horizon, as black as it seem..." If you liked this, another hit by Five Man Electrical Band was "Money Back Guarantee." Check it out.
I always absolutely loved this song. The 70's had a lot of socially conscious songs but none as brave or brutally honest as this one. It's a banger, too.
The song came out as a protest to the exclusion of everyone who wasn't rich, privileged and somewhat powerful (the business owner for example). It points out the inequity of the changing times. Everything was still what I would call pinstripped.
I still sing this song when I see signs everywhere telling us where to go, what to do, when why how 😅🤦🏼♀️. Great message then and now. The world has changed, but then on the other hand, it hasn't . Thanks Wes and Jamel 👏👏🤘
"The sign said you got to have a membership card to get inside." What a great line. Always loved the vibe of this song, and you definitely don't hear it very often anymore.
Keith Emerson was the British keyboardist for Emerson Lake & Palmer. Les Emmerson was the vocalist and guitarist for the Canadian 5 Man Electrical Band (formerly known as The Staccatos).
@@djhrecordhound4391 Half Past Midnight is a great song, along with the rocker Money Back Guarantee. The Staccatos did one side of an album "A Wild Pair" with The Guess Who doing the other side. You could get it if you sent in so many Coca-Cola bottle caps and some cash.
@@jethro1963 I'm still looking for a copy of A Wild Pair. Surprised that Nimbus 9 didn't sign both Guess Who and Staccatos/5MEB, but I can guess that LP was Jack Richardson's public test of both bands.
Believe it or not, to this day when I'm at a party and I'm asked to pick up a guitar, that's the tune I always play. Message seems to transcend the era it came from. Still a totally 70's sounding song, however. JUST as good as Signs.
The band is 5 guys from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Les Emmerson isn't the ELP one.....that's Keith Emerson. Thanks for reacting to a band that was quite big here in the '70's. This brought back fun memories for me Jamel!
Ottawa is a beautiful city! I was there in the 90's for a conference. I was amazed at the network of canals that I was told become frozen in the winter for ice skating. I felt so comfortable walking around the city. I've always wanted to return.
@@xXPyrophorusXx I stayed at The Chateau Laurier which gave me a great view of the city. The Parliament Building was close by and the Rideau Canal was right next to the hotel. The club I went to had a jazz band that night. Can't remember the name of the club. It was about a 20 minute walk from the hotel. What a wonderful city. I've recommended it to many people since then.
One of the 70s best one hit wonders. The song was originally released in 1970 as a B side. The A side flopped. The Canadian band re-released the song as a A side in 1971. The song made it to #3
In Canada, "Signs" reached #4, "Absolutely Right" reached #3, and "I'm A Stranger Here" reached #2. "I'm a Stranger Here" is a cool song about aliens looking down onto this mess of a planet we call Earth ... check it out.
@@AlexGVid Great one to follow "I'm A Stranger Here" is "Orbit" by Thundermug from London, Ontario. Ortbit is an alien sent away from his home planet, and searching for good people.
They also had fame previously as the Staccatos, even sharing an album with The Guess Who. Along with the other tunes mentioned they had hits with Half Past Midnight and Money Back Guarantee, hardly one hit wonders.
I remember this song from when I was little. We used to sing it really loud. As I grew up, I still love it. But I understand it now. 😊 sending 🫂out to you Wes.
WOW! I've never been so happy to be Number Two in my life. Thank you, Jamal, for this '70s gem from a Canadian one-hit wonder. Tesla's cover wasn't bad but I've always preferred the original.
@@Spinspiel It seems they did have another single to crack the top 40 of the US Hot 100 chart with "Absolutely Right", but I have to confess that I never heard it. "Signs" always got regular, if not frequent, play on Detroit AOR stations but their other efforts? Not so much. Still, they can fairly be called a two-hit wonder. Either way, it's more hits than *I'll* ever have.
@@grievouserror Here's a few of their other Canadian hits if interested... Half Past Midnight (as The Staccatos) Absolutely Right I'm A Stranger Here Werewolf
I haven't heard this song in forever! When I first heard it, back in the 70's, I thought they were so right about signs being everywhere. Thanks for reacting to it!
A great band with a number of hits here in Canada, and around the world. And they are from my hometown: Ottawa, Ontario! It's Canada's Captial City, by the way...
Thank you Wes for suggesting a song from when I started high school, at the tail end of the hippie era! A lot of great music from that time. Thanks Jamal for Reacting to it!
First heard this in school of all places in the mid 70's. The whole class was about this song and it's meaning. Good stuff. Didn't know the band was from Canada.
Thank you .....one of my favorite song EVER .... Always makes my heart feel right again and back on track ....so much truth in the lyrics ...... Blessings♥️
Love this group. They were originally called The Staccatos in the 60's & had a hit called "Half Past Midnight". As the 5 Man Electrical Band they actually had at least 3 hits. "Signs", "Absolutely Right" & "I'm a Stranger Here". Good memories.
Hey those guys are from here, Ottawa Ontario Canada, and believe it or not my wife's brother ( aka my brother in law ) sometimes plays guitar with them as they still occasionally play small venues such as fairs and bars. Awesome to see you reacting to it. Thanks Jamel.
I just love how you get into the music. Funny thing is as old as this song is it is still relevant today. People are still trying to separate themselves from others with signs. Hope one day the signs start promoting togetherness.
Thank you, Wes, for requesting this song! It's one of my all-time favorites. I remember calling the radio station over and over to request they play it. ✌️❤️
Wes: thanks for sharing your amazing talents, and great taste in music here. I don't know loss you're facing, but may the memories of your past be a blessing to your future. ❤
I can still hear my oldest daughter (she’ be 33 this year) sitting in her car seat singing the first line of this song… Thank you for taking me back there Jamel.
Freakin great song. My first exposure to this was the version by Tesla (the 90s hair band) on their Unplugged performance called "5 man acoustical jam", and is a great example of tunes my parents said "oh yeah that's a remake." That and Black Crows Hard to Handle being an Otis Reading tune.
The Five Man Electrical Band was a Canadian band from Ottawa. They were known as the "Staccatos" until 1968. Two other great songs from them are "I'm a Stranger Here" and "Absolutely Right".
Les Emmerson who wrote this song while in the five man electrical band passed away Dec 10 2021 at age 77. Thank you for the music Mr Emmerson, rest in Peace.
I grew up hearing this version. The Tesla cover is more common on the radio nowadays, but this is the one I’ll always remember from car rides with my dad
A true classic one-hit wonder song from the early 70's. Tesla's cover is good enough, I still prefer the original. Another one-hit wonder you might try, the band is called Starbuck and the song is Moonlight Feels Right.
Five Man Electrical Band was one of the most talented Canadian bands of the 70's. Excellent albums and songwriting and outstanding musicianship all around. They were overshadowed by bands like Rush and The Guess Who, but they were definitely their equal. Some of their undiscovered tracks like "She Sure Could Sing the Blues" with the great Gloria Jones need to be heard.
I can remember when this song first came out but now every time, I see the signs plastered on every corner and in people's yards around voting time, I think of this song.
R.I.P. Les Emerson. Class Act guy. He died of Covid related complications in December 2021. He wrote this song and was lead guitarist and singer of 5 Man Electrical Band. He was 77
You can't do this without doing " ABSOUTELY RIGHT" by these fine lads! Gratitude & Appreciation for all the good vibration Jamel! Blessings to You & Everyone here! :)
Oh wow. I haven’t heard this in years. I was 15, one month away from turning 16, when this came out. I love the counter culture message of the lyrics. Most guys my age at our school thought it cool as hell. Some of the local garage bands always included this wherever they were playing in the area. Peace brothers.
Jamal, thanks for playing one of the favorite songs of my youth. And thanks to Wes for recommending it! It was very much in keeping with the time and other songs of protest.
YES. So glad you finally did this 1970 classic. You should do the 1990 live acoustic cover version by Tesla, which is also great. That's off a live acoustic album appropriately titled - with an obvious nod to this band - *Five Man Acoustical Jam.* 😊 You should also do another great 1970 classic, "Ride Captain Ride" by Blues Image. That's also a great song. None of the members of Five Man Electrical Band ever went-on to become famous. The band itself wasn't around for long, and with this song they were definitely a one-hit wonder. But what a hit - #3 in the U.S. - and a classic!!!! 👍🏻
62 year old native Texan, who loves the Green Bay Packers. Go Pack Go!! It doesn't matter where you are from, you just cheer for Your Team, for life: Win, Lose or Tie.
When I first heard this song as a teen I loved the first scenario about judging people by their appearances with how he fooled the man by hiding his long hair, "you look like a fine upstanding young man", then the joke was on the establishment when he took his hat off. The part where he put the note to God in the collection plate is very touching. Love this song.
Great song by "The Five Man Electrical Band"! I was born in 1961 and grew up listening to all 60's and 70's music, which in my opinion, was the best music! I was 10 years old when "Signs" came out in 1971! Nobody makes music like this anymore! Have you heard the crap they play on the radio now? I listen to MeTV Music, they play all the 60's and 70''s songs!
Some good Canadian kids right there . The classic rock station up her still plays this song along with their other top 5 hits " I'm a stranger here " and " Absolutely right "
Sadly there's a lot of Canadian bands that don't get much airplay outside of Canada. Here they still play this song all the time. It's actually the Five Man Electrical Band if you're looking, not Electric.
I remember this song. A movement to ban giant billboards resulted in removal of big tall billboards in Maine, and many other states. This song was a rally-call.
GREAT Canadian Band! 🇨🇦This song went to #3 in the USA and #1 here in Canada. They had many big hits here in Canada..Absolutely Right..Werewolf.. & I'm A Stranger Here..just to name three. So many more great songs as well! Fantastic Canadian Band! 🎼🎶🎵🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦
5 Man Electrical Band were an Ottawa outfit. In the 1980s, my band played some shows in Ottawa. On one trip, I got a pizza from a pizzaria in the Prescott Hotel. The shop was reputedly run by a former member of 5MEB. Don't know if that was true but it was the best pizza I ever ate!
i have always liked this song - it's a shame no one now cares about the lyrics. you can learn a lot on how to be a good human in the songs. thanks so much for playing it.
Thanks for your reaction, Jamal. I'm not sure about in the States, but here in Canada this was a huge hit in the early 70's! When you get to the end of October you will want to react to their song called "Werewolf"! Thank you hugely to Brother Wes for the suggestion!!!
