Canada’s Five Man Electrical Band didn’t seem to owe their homeland for their sound. In fact, this best-of set, which draws from their post-’60s output, shows a band in love with the sound of California’s west coast. As players, it’s obvious they had mastered the arts of songcraft and harmonizing. Beyond the anthemic counterculture smash “Signs,” there’s excitable folk-psych (“The Man with the Horse and Wagon”), poppy blues (“Moonshine [Friend of Mine]”), country novelty (“Werewolf”), road-parched rock (“We Play Rock ’n’ Roll”), harmony-rich radio pop (“Hello Melinda, Goodbye”), and even glammy pop (“Absolutely Right”). This band should’ve been huge.
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