Fis-Fiv

Dona Fischer Band (USA): The Dona Fischer Band (No label, one-sided unreleased acetate, 1977)
Rock/Metal
Dona Fischer
Only one copy is known of this unreleased acetate, which features four songs clearly recorded in a high quality studio and presumably intended for release on a major label. The band’s style is AOR with strong hard rock tinges, fronted by a vocalist who often resembles Ann Wilson; sometimes this sounds rather like Heart without the folk/rock and prog leanings. Some sources suggest that another acetate exists for the other side of the abandoned LP, but I have not been able to confirm this. GRADE: C+.

Veronika Fischer & Band (East Germany): Veronika Fischer Und Band (Amiga 8 55 459, 1975)
Pop/Rock
Veronika Fischer (principal vocals)
The Panta Rhei vocalist’s first album with her own band is nothing like her former group: this is slick pop, covering various strands of mid-seventies music with a high level of professionalism but a low level of inspiration. GRADE: C.
Veronika Fischer & Band (East Germany): Veronika Fischer Und Band (Amiga 8 55 459, 1975)
Pop/Rock
Veronika Fischer (principal vocals)
In the mid-to-late seventies, the former Panta Rhei vocalist was one of East Germany’s biggest pop stars: this album alone generated three top ten singles; two of them, including the number one ‘In Jener Nacht’, were (unusually) co-written by Fischer herself. That says more about the lack of competition in a communist country than her music here, however: this is a competent but uninspired trawl through mid-seventies pop styles, from singer/songwriter-style ballads to light rockers. At its best, the music here could probably be compared to a very poor man’s Véronique Sanson, though the melodies are nowhere near as good. GRADE: C.
Veronika Fischer & Band (East Germany): Veronika Fischer Und Band (Amiga 8 55 514, 1977)
Pop/Rock
Veronika Fischer (principal vocals)
This isn’t exactly thrilling, but its procession of orchestrated ballads and soulful, mildly funky pop songs is a marked improvement. The best moments are at the end – the baroque, spacy ‘Sie Sassen Auf Dem Standesamt’ and ‘Klar, Werd Ich Warten’ and the closing piano solo ‘Nachspiel’, all of which add a progressive edge to the proceedings. GRADE: C+.
Veronika Fischer & Band (East Germany): Aufstehn (Amiga 8 55 592, 1978)
Pop/Rock
Veronika Fischer (lead vocals)
The departure of Fischer’s keyboardist and principal composer Franz Bartsch hasn’t changed her sound significantly. This is pleasant mid-seventies pop – somewhere between Olivia Newton-John and Lynsey de Paul – that’s well composed, arranged, played and produced, and it even has some pleasingly quirky touches. I just can’t imagine it figuring among anyone’s all-time favourites, even if they love Olivia Newton-John and Lynsey de Paul. GRADE: C+.

Veronika Fischer & Band (East Germany): Goldene Brücken (Amiga 8 55 731, 1980)
Pop/Rock/Progressive
Veronika Fischer (principal vocals)
The opening ‘Ouvertüre’ makes you think Fischer’s gone prog, and progressive motifs recur through the album courtesy of the returning Franz Bartsch – notably on the seven-minute ‘Niemals Mehr’ and the closing instrumental ‘Nachspiel’. It all adds up to probably her best post-Panta-Rhei album to date; it was also the first to be released in West Germany (Pool 6.24368, with a completely different sleeve) to which she defected shortly afterwards, though she never attained the same commercial heights again. GRADE: C+.
Veronika Fischer (East Germany): Staunen (WEA 58391, with inner, 1981)
Pop/Rock
Veronika Fischer (lead vocals)
Fischer’s first solo album and post-defection recording doesn’t represent much of a step forward, mainly because Franz Bartsch writes and composes almost everything. It’s perhaps a touch slicker and a mite less pop-oriented, mixing soft rock and AOR with some relatively heavy riffs. It’s all very professionally done, with hooks in all the right places, but with Fischer herself writing nothing this isn’t an album with a strong identity. GRADE: C+.
Veronika Fischer (East Germany): Unendlich Weit (WEA 24 0120-1, with inner, 1983)
Pop/Rock
Veronika Fischer (lead vocals)
She’s changed her songwriting and production team, but this is still pretty similar to Staunen, though a little less rock-oriented, a little more eighties in the production, a little slighter – and ultimately not quite as good. GRADE: C+.
Veronika Fischer (East Germany): Sehnsucht Nach Wärme (WEA 240 377-1, with insert, 1984)
Pop/Rock
Veronika Fischer (lead vocals)
Musically, this is a slight step up, though her eighties albums are very much of a piece. Conceptually, it’s mildly different: most of the songs are again by producers Achim Oppermann and Thomas Woitkewitsch, but she also writes one herself and offers German-language covers of Carly Simon’s ‘You Know What To Do’, Joy Division’s ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ and a Bryan Adams song I can’t identify. That all these numbers blend seamlessly with the rest of the material certainly says something about the album, but whether it’s complimentary or detrimental is harder to say. GRADE: C+.
Veronika Fischer (East Germany): Spiegelbilder (WEA 242 197-2, CD, 1987)
Pop/Rock
Veronika Fischer (lead vocals)
This isn’t hugely different from her last few albums, but with its funky basslines, synthesisers and occasional programmed drums it is more quintessentially eighties. For that alone, it deserves a downgrade to a C – and it only escaped for the fine singing and professional arrangements, not because the songs are anything to write home about. She’s also getting a bit too whimsical for her own good here and there, though the self-penned ‘Fremde’ is a decent lightweight hard-rocker in a sub-Pat Benatar way – or at least it would have been with real drums GRADE: C.
Veronika Fischer (East Germany): Veronika Fischer (WEA 242 964-2, CD, 1987)
Pop/Rock
Veronika Fischer (lead vocals)
This is even more quintessentially eighties than its predecessor, but on the plus side the songs are a bit stronger. I can’t imagine this – or indeed any of her solo work – figuring among anyone’s all-time favourites, but as eighties pop goes it’s decent enough. GRADE: C+.

Veronika Fischer (Germany): Was Ist Dabei (Polydor 517 978-2, CD, 1993)
Pop/Rock
Veronika Fischer (lead vocals)
This is notably softer than her last few albums, though otherwise there aren’t any significant changes. She doesn’t bring much to her German-language cover of ‘Son Of A Preacher Man’, but the original songs are nice enough. GRADE: C+.

Veronika Fischer (Germany): Träumer (Polydor 527 235-2, CD, 1995)
Pop/Rock
Veronika Fischer (lead vocals)
According to the credits, half the songs were recorded with one producer and team of musicians and the other half with another, but you’d never guess this from listening. If a single word sums up Fischer’s output – both from song to song and album to album – it’s homogeneity: a steady stream of mellow rockers and delicate ballads that are uniformly well crafted, beautifully sung and superbly produced, whilst lacking much in the way of p-personality. GRADE: C+.
Veronika Fischer (Germany): Das Kind Und Der Kater (Polydor 533 480-2, CD, 1997)
Pop/Rock
Veronika Fischer (joint lead vocals)
From the artwork and liner notes, this was clearly the soundtrack to a musical for children, so it’s not just another Veronika Fischer album. On the plus side, it’s nowhere near as arch or irritating as such a project could have been, but it’s still intermittently arch and irritating – if the occasional jaunty moments and children’s choir don’t get on your nerves, you still have reams of German narration to get through. GRADE: C.

Veronika Fischer (Germany): Mehr In Sicht (Polydor 539 219-2, CD, Germany, 1997)
Pop/Rock
Veronika Fischer (lead vocals)
Fischer’s albums are very much of a piece, but that isn’t to say they’re all equal. This one is a touch weaker than most – the level of craft is high as per normal (as is the level of anonymity), but she’s a little too whimsical in parts and brings very little to her German-language cover of ‘Killing Me Softly’. GRADE: C.
Veronika Fischer (Germany): Tief In Sommer (BuschFunk 00182, CD, Germany, 2001)
Pop
Veronika Fischer (lead vocals)
This is a little softer than her previous work, and a bit more keyboard-based for the most part. It’s also slightly better than Mehr In Sicht, but it’s still pretty short on good hooks – and for music this unambitious, hooks are pretty crucial. GRADE: C.
See also Panta Rhei

Veronika Fischer (Germany): Das Jubiläumskonzert – Live In Berlin (BuschFunk 11922, double CD, 2002)
Pop/Rock
Veronika Fischer (principal vocals)
This is a solid enough live set, with guest appearances from Holger Biege (whoever he is), pop/rock band Silly and Fischer’s former collaborator Franz Bartsch. However, over the course of an hour and three quarters the lack of variety and daring in her material becomes obvious, and the two instrumentals and the Biege-sung number simply sound like filler. GRADE: C.
Veronika Fischer (Germany): Dünnes Eis (SPV SPV 085-70082, CD, 2004)
Pop/Folk/Rock
Veronika Fischer (lead vocals)
I never imagined using the words ‘Veronika Fischer’ and ‘change of direction’ in the same sentence, but there you go: this marks a move towards a much more spare semi-acoustic style. At heart it’s still melodic pop, but the shift in emphasis away from the AOR and mildly soulful stylings of her earlier albums suits her, really allowing her lovely voice room to breathe. GRADE: C+.
Veronika Fischer (Germany): Unterwegs Zu Mir (DA 827064-2, CD, 2008)
Pop/Rock
Veronika Fischer (lead vocals)
This marks a return to a more AOR-oriented style, but it’s a classy album, hinting towards recent Véronique Sanson. The closing ‘Blues’, on which she’s accompanied solely by electric guitar, represents a complete diversion from anything she’s done before, and the experiment works extremely well. GRADE: C+.

Veronika Fischer (Germany): Woher Wohin (TELAMO 405380431100, CD, 2018)

Pop/Rock

Veronika Fischer (lead vocals)

Fischer’s most recent album (there was also a 2011 release, Zeitreise, that I haven’t heard, consisting of re-recordings of old numbers) doesn’t take her music anywhere she hasn’t been before. This collection of folky melodic rock songs with ample hooks isn’t going to change anyone’s life, or probably figure among anyone’s all-time favourites – but it’s undeniably classy, and rather lovely too. GRADE: C+.

Fishbaugh, Fishbaugh & Zorn (USA): Fishbaugh, Fishbaugh And Zorn (CBS 64783, UK, 1972)
Singer/Songwriter/Folk/Rock
Paula Fishbaugh (joint lead vocals, piano, percussion)
Although this trio (a husband-and-wife pair of singer/songwriters, plus a multi-instrumentalist friend) were American, their album was recorded in London with British musicians, and – so far as I know – not released back home. It’s a pleasant and unassuming set, ranging from upbeat progressive pop to relaxed folk/rock. Pete Zorn went on to become a prolific session player before recently joining Steeleye Span. GRADE: C+.

Fishheads (UK): Songs From The Fishheads (Fruits De Mer crustacean 95, blue 7” plus CD, with minisleeve and air freshener, 2021)
Psychedelic/Pop/Progressive
Jacqueline Bourne (occasional vocals), Holly Bowler (occasional vocals)
This single features rather good versions of ‘Pleasant Valley Sunday’ and ‘Let’s Get Together’ performed by members of the extended Honey Pot family. The bonus CD, meanwhile, features the two songs from the single, an alternate mix of ‘Pleasant Valley Sunday’ and the 40-minute ‘We All Get Together In A Pleasant Valley Somewhere’, which is not, as I had expected, some kind of megamix but an electronic near-instrumental by Marc Swordfish of Astralasia borrowing a few elements from the songs. An alternate version of the release comprised a lathe-cut clear single with mono mixes of the two songs, a CD single with the same contents, and a bonus CD EP The Fishhead Ancestors, running for around 25 minutes, which I have not heard. GRADE: C+.

See also Crystal Jacqueline, Hobbit House Collective, Honey Pot

Fit & Limo (West Germany): Hände Hoch (Servil, cassette, 1982)
Pop
Petra Lienemann (joint lead vocals, keyboards, percussion, drum programmes, melodica, violin)
Before adopting the Incredible String Band-influenced style for which they are known, the husband-and-wife duo of Stefan ‘Limo’ and Petra ‘Fit’ Lienemann issued several cassettes, of which this was the first. Essentially this is casiopop, with a lo-fi style, wide-ranging instrumentation and a scrappy bric-à-brac style recalling French experimentalists such as Toupidek Limonade. Lightweight and throwaway, yet fun and engaging, it’s an enjoyable if uncharacteristic debut. GRADE: C+.
Fit & Limo (West Germany): Golden Trash (Servil, cassette, 1984)

Garage/Psychedelic

Petra Lienemann

Album number three (I haven’t heard 1982’s Internazionale) sees them moving in the direction of low budget, Velvet Underground-influenced garage rock. Mainly recorded with electric guitars, a primitive rhythm box and what sounds like occasional backing vocals from a couple of children, this an enjoyably lo-fi set with punky edges; a cover of the Velvet Underground’s ‘Sunday Morning’ works well too. GRADE: C+

Fit & Limo (West Germany): Im Blickpunkt (IRRE, cassette, 1984)
Pop/Garage
Petra Lieneman
This is certainly the least significant entry in Fit & Limo’s discography: the first side is given over to a different outfit (Stratis, a sort of low-budget Kraftwerk), whilst the Fit & Limo side features tinny electronic backing, dreadful sound quality and at least one song available elsewhere. GRADE: C.
Fit & Limo (West Germany): Put On The Flipside (Servil, cassette, 1985)

Garage/Psychedelic

Petra Lienemann (joint lead vocals, bass, organ, violin, autoharp, harmonica, jew’s harp)

Recorded with a real drummer and a wider range of instruments, their fifth album (following on from the split cassette Im Blickpunkt) has a heavier and trippier sound but is even more lo-fi in parts. As song titles like ‘Daddy’s Stroboscope’, ‘Tripping Mind’ and ‘Dear Monster Tentacles’ make clear, this is a classic slice of eighties garage psych, and thoroughly enjoyable. GRADE: C+.
Fit & Limo (West Germany): Revisited (Bouncing Corporation BOUNCING HEAD 10, 1989)
Garage/Psychedelic/Avant-Garde
Petra Lienemann (joint lead vocals, guitar, bass, organ, glockenspiel, strings, flute, jew’s harp)
Fit & Limo’s first vinyl LP is a touch more sophisticated than their cassettes, incorporating stronger influences from folk and the avant-garde (inevitably the weirder end of the Velvet Underground) into their sound. Side one has six short tracks covering a wide range of territory, whilst side two is given over to the twenty-two-minute ‘Bed Peace Revisited’. Like many long jams, it meanders occasionally, but it’s frequently superb, incorporating strong influences from modern jazz and some touches of Indian music. GRADE: C+.
Fit & Limo (Germany): That Totally Tore My Head Off (Hurdy Gurdy Beat HGB 21015, CD, 1991)
Psychedelic
Petra Lienemann (principal vocals, bass, organ, percussion, strings, autoharp, jew’s harp, kazoo)
This is easily their best album to date, offering some trippy and sometimes quite weird psychedelia and culminating in a powerful live version of ‘Bed Peace Revisited’. Although not everything works well, when the LP is good it is really excellent, at times recalling everyone from early Pink Floyd to Ash Ra Tempel. GRADE: B–.
Fit & Limo (Germany): Angel Gopher (Kick-Side KS 03, coloured vinyl, with insert, 1993)
Folk/Psychedelic
Petra Lienemann (joint lead vocals, bass, organ, percussion, violin, melodica, recorder, jew’s harp, kazoo)
At some point in the early nineties, Fit & Limo must have discovered the Incredible String Band, as their influence is all over this LP. Totally different from any of their previous work, this abandons Velvet Underground-influenced garage rock and borderline Krautrock in favour of whimsical, slightly eerie psychedelic folk with wide-ranging acoustic instrumentation, including lots of sitar. Like the ISB, it can be a bit fragmentary, with seventeen short tracks including several instrumentals, but for the most part this is superb, atmospheric stuff. The same year, they actually issued an EP of ISB covers (This Moment – Fit & Limo Play Incredible String Band, Ruhra Pente RP 001). GRADE: B–.
Fit & Limo (Germany): Folly Is An Endless Maze (Strange Ways LC 7147/WAY 107, double CD, 1995)
Folk/Psychedelic
Petra Lienemann (joint lead vocals, bass, keyboards, percussion, strings, melodica, autoharp, kazoo)
This rather odd release couples Angel Gopher and This Moment on the first disc, with a complete new album Autre Monde on the second. The new LP is in the same vein as its predecessor, though a bit patchier, with some of the songs being a touch arch. Nonetheless it contains some excellent moments, with the instrumentals ‘Old Hob’ and ‘Introducing The Colours’ being quite delightful. GRADE: B–.
Fit & Limo (Germany): The Serpent Unrolled (September Gurls SGCD 20, CD, 1998)
Folk/Psychedelic
Petra Lienemann (joint lead vocals, bass, keyboards, percussion, autoharp, violin, gopichand, whistle, jew’s harp, kazoo)
Easily their best release so far, this continues their trippy ISB-influenced style but has a spacier, eerier feel recalling the seventies Krautfolk underground. In particular, their beautiful and unexpected cover of the Grateful Dead’s ‘Dark Star’ works remarkably well, but this is stunning stuff throughout. GRADE: B.
Fit & Limo (Germany): As Above So Below (September Gurls SGCD26, CD, 2000)
Folk/Psychedelic/Progressive
Petra Lienemann (joint lead vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards, percussion, mandolin, autoharp, banjo, violin, dulcimer, sitar, bouzouki, recorder, shenai, whistle, jew’s harp, kazoo, effects)
Like its predecessor, this draws as much from Krautfolk as the Incredible String Band and the results are very inventive and superbly trippy. The thirteen-minute opener ‘Owsley Blues’ is certainly the key cut, but the ten-minute ‘Glockenspiel’ isn’t far behind, and most of the shorter pieces are very impressive too. GRADE: B.
Fit & Limo (Germany): Ginnistan (September Gurls SGCD 28, CD, 2002)
Folk/Psychedelic/Progressive
Petra Lienemann (joint lead vocals, keyboards, percussion, autoharp, violin, recorder, melodica, gopichand, whistle, jew’s harp, effects)
Following a slightly different format, Ginnistan features fourteen relatively short pieces before culminating in the twenty-one-minute ‘Upper And Lower Ginnistan’. The shorter songs and instrumentals are somewhat disjointed, with a more English sound than the last couple of albums, though they can be cosmic and spacy too (the aptly titled ‘Der Kosmische Pfad’). Finally, the long piece is partly a folky free-jazz improvisation that’s quite different from the duo’s usual work. Overall this is a patchy record and a significant step down from their last two, but it is interesting and creative, and they’re still breaking new ground. GRADE: B–.
Fit & Limo (Germany): Terra Incognita (September Gurls SGCD 31, CD, 2004)
Folk/Psychedelic
Petra Lienemann (joint lead vocals, keyboards, percussion, accordion, autoharp, jew’s harp, effects)
The guest list is intriguing, to say the least: Miriam Goldberg and Jeffrey Alexander from Black Forest/Black Sea, Bernd Witthüser from Witthüser & Westrupp and Timothy Renner from Stone Breath. Musically, this is rather more cosmic than its predecessor and both very varied and very accomplished, whilst not quite equalling the duo’s very best work. GRADE: B–.

Fit & Limo (Germany): Indian Moon Worm (Hand/Eye h/e-moon13, 3" CDR, with digipak and insert, USA, 2006)
Folk/Psychedelic
Petra Lieneman (joint lead vocals, keyboards, glockenspiel, violin, whistle)
This intriguing mini-album – which offers three songs totalling just over 20 minutes – sees Fit & Limo at their most tripped-out and cosmic. It’s truly wonderful stuff, casting them as the spiritual successors to Krautfolk giants like Bröselmaschine, Emtidi and Hölderlin. GRADE: B.
Fit & Limo (Germany): Astralis (September Gurls SGCD33, CD, 2007)
Folk/Psychedelic
Petra Lienemann (joint lead vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards, drums, percussion, mandolin, sitar, clarinet, recorder, whistle, melodica, bouzouki, dulcimer, autoharp, kazoo, gopichand, music box)
Slightly different from their earlier recordings, their final studio LP blends traditional English folk into their usual ISB-meets-Hölderlin sound. The three traditional songs work especially well, with a genuinely eerie flavour, but this is another excellent and highly accomplished album throughout. GRADE: B.
Fit & Limo (Germany): A Garland Of Flowers/A Bunch Of Herbs (September Gurls SGLP37/SGLP37, LP plus CD, with insert and book minisleeve, 2006, recorded 1992-2006)
Folk/Psychedelic
Petra Lienemann (joint lead vocals, bass, keyboards, percussion, autoharp, violin, flute, recorder, melodica, gopichand, whistle, jew’s harp, kazoo, effects)
Limited to 318 copies, this unusual release combines two separate compilations: the LP A Garland Of Flowers features previously released mid-nineties songs from This Moment, Angel Gopher and Autre Monde, whilst the CD A Bunch Of Herbs blends material from singles and compilations with one alternate mix, one alternate take and five new songs. Featuring some of the duo’s most beatific material, it’s a lovely set. GRADE: B.

Primordial Undermind & Fit & Limo (USA/Austria/Germany): Loss Of Affect Redux EP (No label, download, 2013, recorded 2006)
Psychedelic

Petra Lienemann
This odd addendum to Fit & Limo’s discography has a curious backstory: when Primordial Undermind recorded their album Loss Of Affect, their label suggested that the material should be overdubbed by Fit & Limo for the vinyl version. However, the band rejected the final recordings, eventually releasing this EP of the most significantly altered tracks seven years later. The resulting instrumental jams, complete with ethnic embellishments by Fit & Limo, are lively and enjoyable, making one wish they’d chosen to release the entire project. GRADE: C+.

Five Fifteen (Finland): Progressive Hardrock Beyond The Mainstream (Bluelight BLR 3319 CD, CD, with poster booklet, 1994)
Rock/Metal
Marika Liuski (occasional vocals, percussion)
As the title suggests, this is a loving and fairly accurate pastiche of early seventies hard rock, complete with lots of Hammond organ. The songwriting isn’t especially outstanding and there are no particular highpoints, but as retro-rock goes this is a thoroughly enjoyable set. GRADE: C+.
Five Fifteen (Finland): Armageddon Jam Session Number Four (Bluelight BLR 3324 2, CD, 1995)
Rock
Marika Liuski (joint lead vocals, percussion)
Despite the title, this certainly isn’t apocalyptic jamming heavy rock; in fact, it’s lighter than their debut, with slight jazzy and proggy edges. Otherwise, it’s pretty much business as usual, with Marika Liuski taking a much higher vocal and songwriting profile this time around. GRADE: C+.
Five Fifteen (Finland): Psychedelic Singalongs For Stadiums (Blastic Heaven BHR 3343-2, CD, with poster booklet, 1997)
Rock/Metal/Progressive
Marika Liuski (joint lead vocals, guitar, piano, percussion)
Again belying its title, this is only occasionally psychedelic (on the sitar-laden ‘Emotional Playground’ and the middle section of ‘Wayward Children, Cannonballs And Skydogs’). It is, however, a bit of a step forward for the band, being more progressive than their first two albums and adding in influences from everything from the Beatles to folk music. In fact, the disc is consistently excellent, but it’s also consistently derivative, with each cut sounding like a pastiche of a different sixties or seventies band. GRADE: B–.
Five Fifteen (Finland): Six Dimensions Of The Electric Camembert (Record Heaven RHCD 015, CD, 1998)
Rock/Metal
Marika Liuski
Why the Gong allusion in the title, I have no idea; this isn’t jazzy or psychedelic in any way, offering a mixture of Who-like hard rockers and gentle folky ballads. With high quality songwriting, it’s a good album throughout, but a definite step down from its more eclectic predecessor. A long bonus suite entitled ‘Destination Las Vegas’ consists of dull folky and jazzy noodling around, seemingly intended to be humorous. GRADE: C+.

Five Fifteen (Finland): No Sleep ’Til Blue Room (Bluelight/Blastic Heaven BHR 3354 0, CD, 1998)
Rock/Metal
Marika Liuski
This live album, packaged as a bonus with the first run of Six Dimensions…, is vastly better than the studio set. Anybody enjoying high-octane hard rock is likely to enjoy this from start to finish, and the setlist spans the band’s own highlights and covers of the Beatles and the Who. GRADE: B–.
Five Fifteen (Finland): Death Of A Clown (Record Heaven RHCD49, CD, 2001)
Rock
Hanna Wendelin (occasional vocals), Marika Liuski (backing vocals)
Recorded with a new female singer (although Marika Liuski is credited as a guest on most tracks), this is slightly better than Six Dimensions…. All the usual sonic elements are in play, but this sounds a little more Scandinavian than usual (sometimes recalling Ruphus’s first album) and has quite a few Beatles touches. With a little more variety and a couple of killer cuts, this would have rivalled Psychedelic Singalongs… for their best album. GRADE: C+.
Five Fifteen (Finland): The Sensational Five Fifteen (Sweden Rock SRR-010, CD, Sweden, 2003)
Rock/Metal
Saana Koskinen (occasional vocals, flute)
Among their heavier LPs, this offers their usual effective early seventies rock. As the title suggests, the cover parodies that for The Sensational Alex Harvey Band. GRADE: C+.
Five Fifteen (Finland): Alcohol (Sweden Rock SW2, CD, Sweden, 2007)
Rock
Marika Liuski (occasional vocals)
With Marika Liuski returning (though she needn’t have bothered, since she barely does anything), Five Fifteen’s final album is folkier than most. Several tracks are acoustic, but mostly they offer the usual retro pastiches, peaking on the excellent atmospheric rocker ‘Old Hairy Dogs Almost Dead’. GRADE: C+.
See also Rekku Rechardt & Snakecharm

Five-Storey Ensemble (Belarus): Not That City (Altrock ALT-033, CD, Italy, 2013)
Classical/Rock/Avant-Garde
Olga Podhaiskaja (joint lead vocals, keyboards), Anastasia Popova (violin), Olga Polakova (flute), Natalja Malashkova (oboe)
This excellent chamber-rock band’s influences clearly run from Julverne and Flairck to Univers Zéro, with most ot their material being at the more melodic end of the spectrum. Nonetheless, they play with an intensity that means their compositions are never too dainty, and whilst rock elements are used sparingly they also add a welcome edginess to the proceedings. Overall, this is an impressive addition to the RIO and neoclassical canon. GRADE: B–.
Five-Storey Ensemble (Belarus): Night En Face (Altrock ALT-053, CD, Italy, 2017)
Classical
Olga Podhaiskaja (piano), Anastasiya Mosse (violin), Olga Polakova (flute), Ilona Ies (cello)
The band has slimmed down from an eleven-piece to a sextet, and they’ve slimmed down their musical ambitions too – the vocals are gone, as are the rock edges, leaving about 39 minutes of dainty, austere, delicate instrumentals. Whilst this is undoubtedly good chamber music, it’s also undeniably good background music, with relatively little to draw attention. GRADE: B–.

Fivepenny Piece (UK): The Fivepenny Piece (EMI Columbia EMC 3077, 1972)
Folk/Pop
Lynda Meeks (joint lead vocals)
This prolific band’s albums are mainstays of bargain bins in every second-hand record shop; I’d be surprised if anyone has ever shelled out more than a fiver for one of their LPs. That’s partly because the covers tend to make them look like a novelty cabaret act; in fact, side one features rather MOR but also rather lovely folk/pop numbers, with beautiful vocals from Lynda Meeks, sometimes recalling Faraway Folk circa Time And Tide. Side two showcases the male singers and ups the novelty quotient with pronounced Lancashire accents; this material is not so good, but not as bad as the description suggests. Every song is self-penned, and the band are more than competent writers, so whilst I can’t imagine this figuring among anyone’s all-time favourite albums, it’s musically more enjoyable than several LPs that fetch a hundred times its price. GRADE: C.
Fivepenny Piece (UK): Makin’ Tracks (EMI Columbia SCX 6536, 1973)
Folk/Pop
Lynda Meeks (joint lead vocals)
Song titles like ‘Land Of The Musical Telephone’ and ‘The Journeys Of My Mind’ might make you expect popsike, but this is business as usual. This time round, they reduce the Northern humour considerably, resulting in a sweet and mellow folk/pop LP containing some delightful melodies and excellent singing. However, two consecutive tracks on side two, ‘A Gradely Prayer’ and ‘The Passing Of Today’, indicate why their albums have never been taken seriously by collectors: the former is a ridiculous schmaltzy novelty, and the latter a stunningly beautiful piece of folk/rock that shouldn’t have to share vinyl with it. GRADE: C.
Fivepenny Piece (UK): Songs We Like To Sing (EMI Columbia SCX 6554, 1973)
Folk/Pop
Lynda Meeks (occasional vocals)
They may like singing them, but you almost certainly won’t enjoy listening to them. For no apparent reason, the excellent Lynda Meeks has a low profile here, and the male members sing, as usual, with exaggerated Northern accents, presumably for comic effect. In fact, it’s not until the tenth track, ‘He Came To Me’, that Meeks gets a lead vocal – and, infuriatingly, the song is lovely. A truly dreadful album that isn’t even worth the fifty pence it would cost you to obtain a copy. GRADE: E+.
Fivepenny Piece (UK): On Stage (One Up 2050, 1974)
Folk/Pop
Lynda Meeks (joint lead vocals)
Rather strangely, this live album duplicates no material whatever from their studio LPs, and consists mainly of new original songs. As usual, the band can’t decide whether they’re musicians or comedians, and the LP includes a couple of monologues, plus the usual Lancashire-themed novelty songs and lots of between-numbers banter. But their warmth shines through, and a couple of tracks are pretty good (the haunting ‘Brown Photographs’ and a pleasant cover of ‘If I Were A Carpenter’). GRADE: C.