Having a Wild Weekend

AMG Review of Having a Wild Weekend

Richie Unterberger
All Music Guide

Like the movie which spawned this soundtrack, this isn't all that bad, but neither is it a lost classic. "Catch Us If You Can," a big hit, is the obvious highlight, and the raucous '50s-styled "Having a Wild Weekend" is OK. "Don't Be Taken In," a fine downbeat Beatlesque midtempo tune that is strongly reminiscent of the "No Reply" kind of material on Beatles for Sale, is a genuinely overlooked gem, but it appears on the History compilation. There are a couple of kinda neat surf-drag-spy-movie type instrumentals with dirty sax, and probably no group harmonized with as much exuberance on album filler as the Five did...Note how they try to tap into a Walker Brothers vibe on "Don't You Realize."