Five Man Electrical Band--Signs (1971)

     The Five Man Electrical Band began their existence as The Staccatos in 1963. The Ottawa, Canada-based band began charting in their home country by 1965. They were frequently in the Canadian top 20 over the next few years except for 1967's, "Half Past Midnight" which crept into the top 10. There was never a hit followup, and by the end of 1968 the group was seeking a new direction musically. With that change to a more rock sound, came a new name. the Five Man Electrical Band.
     Even with a new name, the band continued their struggles and in early 1970 they left Capitol records and signed with MGM. Nothing much of not initially happened there either until the release of the single, "Hello Melinda, Goodbye". The A side did nothing, however, some DJ's in Canada and the US began to play the B side, "Signs". It immediately caught fire and before long became the #2 hit in the US. It's follow up, "Absolutely Right" cracked the top 40 here and did even better than "Signs" in their home country.
     There some minor chart action here in the states, but their success continued until running out of steam in 1975....

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