On this day in 2021, Chunk Archives Recordings released If 6 Was 5 by The Mal Thursday Quintet, the first album from Mal's multi-regional garage rock supergroup. It is now available as a limited edition, 180 gram vinyl LP. The album features all three chapters of The Quintet: the O.G. New England chapter with Frank Padellaro (King Radio, Scud Mountain Boys), Greg Saulmon (The Glad Machine), and Brian T. Marchese (Aloha Steamtrain, Mind Left Body); The Northwest Chapter, better known as The Reverberations, whose prime mover Dave Berkham has since added guitar to such singles as "High Flying Bird" and co-written and produced "A Smell of Honey, A Swallow of Brine!"; and the Texas Chapter, featuring all-time greats Augie Meyers (Sir Douglas Quintet, Texas Tornados, Bob Dylan, et al.), Hunt Sales (Tin Machine, Iggy Pop, Todd Rundgren, et al.), and Tjarko Jeen (Ronnie Dawson, Modern Don Juans). Mal's longtime collaborator Bob Medley (a.k.a. Robert Sherwood) appears with all three chapters, playing bass, organ, harpsichord, piano, tambourine, and backing vocals.
Produced by The Glimmer Quints. Recorded by Matt Parmenter at Ice Cream Factory Studio and Joe Carroll at Treehouse Productions, Austin, Texas; Dave Berkham at The Reverb Chamber, Portland, Oregon; Robert V. Ives at 13th Floor Music Lounge, Florence, Massachusetts; and Mark Alan Miller at Sonelab, Easthampton, Massachusetts. Mixed by Matt Parmenter at Ice Cream Factory. Mastered by Pete Weiss at Jade Cow Audio Post-Production Sevices, Somerville, Massachusetts.
Side One:1. I Gotta Be Me [R. Hirth]
2. Don't Want You Either [M. Thursday]
3. Joke's on Me (Medley-Thursday)
4. Rotting [S. Yusim]
5. O Lucky Man! [A. Price]
6. Takin' Over [M. Thursday]
7. Once Upon a Time (in Your Mind) [Medley-Thursday]
Side Two:
1. Gilligans Wake [M. Thursday]
2. The Other Side of This Life [F. Neil]
3. Hey Caffeina (feat. Tamara Mack) [Medley-Thursday]
4. Lady in a Cage [Medley-Thursday]
"If 6 Was 5 is a musical odyssey through biker-rock, psychedelia, freakbeat, and swagger-pop." -- Pete Weiss
"An instant classic!" -- Chris Horne, Tiger Bomb, The Brood
"It rocks!" -- Joe Nick Patoski, Texas Music Hour of Power
"HUGE fan. Always pure, raw, delicious." -- Flangeleena, Thee Girl Fridays
"Beyond fantastico...Dependably ginchy." -- Heather Drain
"Audaciously rocking and enormously funny." -- LP Jones
"More of the same garage rock revivalism I’ve come to expect from this
crew. They stick to the script and do what they do." -- Carolyn Keddy,
Maximum RockNRoll
"The greatest rock n' roll record of the 21st century!" -- Mal Thursday
