Fifth Avenue Radio

One of the better acts debuted by Immediate Records, Fifth Avenue was a folk-rock duo comprised of Denver Gerrard, later of the Warm Sounds, and Kenny Rowe, who was subsequently a member of Tony Rivers & the Castaways. The significance of their name, whatever it might have been (other than a New York reference?), has been lost to the mists and ravages of time, but their sound was a lively electric brand of folk-based rock. As with many of the early Immediate acts, their recorded sound was heavily influenced by their producer, in this case Jimmy Page, whose jangly guitar is the glistening ornamentation on the duo's nicely harmonized version of "The Bells of Rhymney,," which kicks the tempo up a notch and a half over the Byrds' version. Released in August of 1965, it never charted, even in England, despite its being a punchier rock take on folk-rock. Page also authored the B-side, "Just Like Anyone Would Do," which nearly overcomes its relative tunelessness with some neat guitar hooks and a chiming piano accompaniment. The duo didn't make it past 1966, and their only single release surfaced in 2000 on Sequel Records' The Immediate Singles Collection. Gerrard later had a solo recording and performing career as Denny Gerrard. ~ Bruce Eder