M.U.5 - Rain-Dance/ Mrs. Watson

 

Label: Crystal

Year of Release: 1972

It's extremely rare to find an old record which is still accompanied by its original press release. While record company hype often means that they should be treated with a grain of salt as accurate sources - back in my old days of student journalism, I got tired of indie bands falsely claiming they'd "even managed to get in the Argentinian/Moroccan/Lebanese/Cypriot top ten with this one!!!" - they're usually at least reliable when it comes to band line-ups.

In this case, though, it's a big old slab of nothing we're offered. "M.U.5 give out with some real hypnotic sounds," the press sheet begins, "Heavy drumbeats, neat guitar chords, and chanting voices that conjure up a spooky atmosphere... Just right for you to get up and do your own thing to!

Look out discos - you could well have a new dance craze on your hands with 'Rain-Dance'".

And that's it. No band history, no line-up, nothing that's of any use to me here. All this leads me to conclude that M.U.5 were some kind of session group who were pulled together to create a possible hit.

Perhaps more interestingly, though, "Rain-Dance" is a bit of a bore it's difficult to imagine anyone dancing to. The flip-side "Mrs. Watson", on the other hand, hits that sweet spot between late sixties popsike and Northern Soul, and would surely have made for a better bet if only it had been released at least four years earlier. The anonymous lead singer rambles on about a haughty next-door neighbour who just won't give him the time of day while strings soar, rhythms pound and frustration seeps out of every rotation of this disc.

It sounds as if it may have been recorded earlier than 1972, but that's the copyright date on the label, so we can only assume M.U.5 recorded it that year and just wanted to spin on their heels to a retro sound on the flip side, for which we can all be thankful. 

If anyone has any clues about who might have been behind this one, please do leave a comment. 

And obviously, if the previews below aren't working properly, please go right to the source.