Freakbeat Scene / Various

7" singles from 60s Decca compiled beautifully. Great to see a good old Kiwi band (Human Instinct) get a look in as well. Early Marc Bolan is a treat. Some of these bands were never heard from again but others went on to the stratosphere but altogether not a dud track. Worth the entrance fee.

good stuff.

A reveleation. Stuff most of us in the States never heard, almost all of it great. Another in the wonderful Deram "Scene" series.

"Freakbeat" is a label applied retroactively to music created in the transition from the pill-fueled mod years of the early-to-mid-60s to the psychedelic sounds that flourished by decade's end. Freakbeat stretched the straight ahead dance beats with heavier bass and reverb, fuzz boxes and phase units that created a more elastic sound. These weren't acid-flushed hippie-jams, but you could feel the drugs starting to take hold. Freakbeat mixed British beat harmonies, garage rock snarl, and strident, aggressive guitar playing with overt studio craft. Its brilliance lay in the combination of catchy beat-era melodies and concise structures with the developing musical freedoms of psychedelia.Superstar acts like the Yardbirds and Pretty Things created music that was termed freakbeat, but it was the lesser-known acts that were the center of the '80s retro-obsession during which the genre was christened. This collection (one in a series of "Scene" releases) cherry-picks from Decca's vaults, balancing titles from widely known acts such as the Small Faces and Marc Bolan, with stellar sides from obscure bands who released only a few singles. The Score's opening cover of The Beatles' "Please Please Me" is a perfect freakbeat example - melodic as a Beatles song, but with charging drums, the sort of bass playing McCartney started on Revolver, and an in-your-face vocal that wouldn't have gone over well on Ed Sullivan.Other covers include a heavy blues reconstruction of "I'm Not Your Steppin' Stone" that likewise would have had parents changing the station on The Monkees, and a punchy, twanging, reverb laden take on "Hey Gyp (Dig the Slowness)" that's more reminiscent of The Animals and Soul Survivors' covers than Donovan's original. The originals are just as good, including the wicked organ-and-guitar garage groove of Paul Ritchie's "Come on Back," the Zombies/Hollies-styled harmonies and frenetic guitar solo of The Majority's "One Third," The Mark Four's garage blues "I'm Leaving," The Beatstalkers distorted soul "You Better Get a Better," and the Fire's Who/Yardbirds styled "Father's Name is Dad."The track list's exclusive focus on the Decca vault leaves out many of Freakbeat's most revered acts (e.g., The Action, John's Children, The Pretty Things), but as an introduction to the sound, and as a collection of superb tracks, this is a winner. [©2007 hyperbolium dot com]

If you like the British Mod/60's music genre and want to dig a little deeper into the bands that didn't make it big (okay the Small Faces have a track as does Marc Bolan) but were around at the time and producing less mainstream sounds then I would absolutely recommend this album.

An excellent collection and well worth investigating for anyone interested in music from the 1960s. You'll discover a whole new world and just dig those bass rhythms...!

The nine titles in this 'Decca Originals' CD Series (listed below) are each worth an essay alone - 'On The Scene' compilations pitched as I recall at less than a fiver and in some cases a mere four quid - representing amazing value for money in any man's language (then and now).Originally released in late 1998 and early 1999 in the UK, each generously proportioned genre-themed CD gives unsuspecting punters a 25-track access to ultra-rare music that would cost a Euro Sceptic's bar tab to acquire the originals on 60ts vinyl. Each is aimed at the discerning collector for sure, but there is also a clever commercialism at work here – the ludicrously well-informed compiler JOHN REED having lined up the goodies to please the ear of the old hand and newbee alike.These listens are fun and brilliantly informative too – pointing the musical finger to the hybrid forms of Rock to come in 1969 and 1970. Dig the New Breed indeed. Let's get freaky with the dorky details...UK released September 1998 - "The Freakbeat Scene" by VARIOUS ARTISTS on Deram 844 879-2 (Barcode 042284487924) is a 25-Track CD compilation of 'Decca Originals-On The Scene' Remasters (all British released 7" singles) that plays out as follows (64:09 minutes):1. Please Please Me - THE SCORE (November 1966 UK 7" single on Decca F.12527, A-side - Beatles cover)2. Come On Back - PAUL and RITCHIE and THE CRYIN' SHAMES (September 1966 UK 7" single on Decca F.12843, B-side of "September In The Rain")3. Anymore Than I Do - THE ATTACK (March 1967 UK 7" single on Decca F.12578, B-side of "Hi-Ho Silver Lining")4. One Third - THE MAJORITY (July 1966 UK 7" single on Decca F.12453, B-side of "Simplified")5. One Fine Day - SHEL NAYLOR (March 1964 UK 7" single on Decca F.11856, A-side)6. Unto Us - THE NEW BREED (November 1965 UK 7" single on Decca F.12295, B-side of "Friends And Lovers Forever")7. Grounded - THE SYN (June 1967 UK 7" single on Deram DM 130, B-side of "Created By Clive")8. Father's Name Is Dad - THE FIRE (March 1968 UK 7" single on Decca F.12753, A-side)9. Understanding - SMALL FACES (August 1966 UK 7" single on Decca F.12470, B-side of "All Or Nothing")10. No Good Without You Baby - THE BIRDS (October 1965 UK 7" single on Decca F.12257, A-side)11. The Third Degree - MARC BOLAN (June 1966 UK 7" single on Decca F.12413, A-side)12. I'm Not Your Stepping Stone - THE FLIES (December 1966 UK 7" single on Decca F.12533, A-side)13. Hey GYP (Dig The Slowness) - KEITH SHIELDS (February 1967 UK 7" single on Decca F.12572, A-side)14. I'm Leaving - THE MARK FOUR (August 1965 UK 7" single on Decca F.12204, B-side of "Hurt Me If You Will")15. Sorry She's Mine - JIMMY WINSTON And His REFLECTIONS (June 1966 UK 7" single on Decca F.12410, A-side)16. Wooden Spoon - THE POETS (February 1967 UK 7" single on Decca F.12569, A-side)17. Help Me Please - THE OUTER LIMITS (April 1967 UK 7" single on Deram DM 125, B-side of "Just One More Chance")18. I Am Nearly There - DENIS COULDRY (February 1968 UK 7" single on Decca F.12734, B-side of "James And The Basement")19. I Can Take It - THE BLUE STARS (December 1965 UK 7" single on Decca F.12030, B-side of "Please Be A Little Kind")20. Poor Little Heartbreaker - TIMEBOX (March 1969 UK 7" single on Deram DM 246, B-side of "Baked Jam Roll In Your Eye")21. Run And Hide - THE FAIRYTALE (August 1967 UK 7" single on Decca F.12644, B-side of "Guess I Was Dreaming")22. Tax Man - LOOSE ENDS (August 1966 UK 7" single on Decca F.12476, A-side)23. Thanks A Lot - THE SEA-DERS (March 1967 UK 7" single on Decca F.22576, A-side)24. Pink Dawn - THE HUMAN INSTINCT (February 1968 UK 7" single on Deram DM 177, B-side of "Renaissance Fair")25. You Better Get A Better Hold On - THE BEATSTALKERS (March 1966 UK 7" single on Decca F.12352, B-side of "Left Right Left")Notes:Track 1 - Beatles cover - the B-side of "Please Please Me" is on "The Mod Scene" CD compilationTrack 2 - Paul and Ritchie are Paul Crane and Ritchie RouthledgeTrack 8 - Members of The Fire would later play with Paul Brett's Sage and The StrawbsTrack 10 - Ron Wood of The Birds would later join Faces and The Rolling StonesTrack 11 - Marc Bolan would later form Tyrannosaurus Rex with Mickey Finn, which became T.RexTrack 12 - A Monkees cover versionTrack 13 - A Donovan cover - Keith Shields was one of The Wildcats, Marty Wilde's backing groupTrack 14 - The Mark Four A-side "Hurt Me If You Will" is on 'The Beat Scene' CD compilationTrack 15 - Jimmy Winston was the Organist in Small Faces - the B-side "It's Not What You Do" in on 'The Mod Scene' compilationTrack 22 - Beatles coverThe pleasingly nice-looking 12-page colour booklet has JOHN REED extend an informed paragraph to each artist – the Israeli Sea-Ders and New Zealand's Human Instinct - while West London's Birds spawned Ron Wood who would of course join Rodders and Ronnie Lane in the Faces and then hop on board The Stones in 1976. There are no mastering credits, but it does state on the see-through spine 'digitally remastered from the original master tapes' for all of these sets and I’ve found that to be uniformly true. Take the 'waters of my mind' of Denis Couldry's brilliant "I Am Nearly There" – wickedly good audio whether he's smooching or rocking out (he does both in great tune). The attacking guitar in The Blue Stars "I Can Take It" is the same, clear and in yer face.Freakbeat fans love their hidden nuggets which is why you will notice that a huge 14 of these tracks are flips - the band/artist in question able to whig out a tad on the B-side and get away from the schmaltz that would invariably be given pride of commercial place on the A-side. The Beatles get two clever re-workings – their 1963 debut "Please Please Me" by The Score and Loose Ends giving it some Revolver with their stab at George Harrison's withering "Taxman". And how unsurprising is it to hear T. Rex's Marc Bolan (even then) have that sprinkle of magic dust on him with his fabulous groover "The Third Degree". "...Their closing in on me..." moan The New Breed on their fantastic chugger "Unto Us" as cops and sheriffs chase down our heroes. Barnstormers come in the shape of supernatural intellect with Fire giving us "Father's Name Is Dad" - while wild fuzzed-up guitar gives The Flies an aggressive edge as they take on that angry Monkees hit "I'm Not Your Stepping Stone". But my fave-rave has to be "Poor Little Heartbreaker" by Timebox - a sexy guitar-jangle akin to The Byrds as they have a melodic dancing moment. Dig the New Breed indeed .Dig in and enjoy...Titles in Deram's 'Decca Originals/On The Scene' UK CD Series, Originally Released in 1998 and 1999:1. The Beat Scene (released December 1998 on Deram 844 799-2 - Barcode 042284479929)2. The Blues Scene (released February 1999 on Deram 844 801-2 - Barcode 042284480123)3. The Freakbeat Scene (released September 1998 on Deram 844 879-2 – Barcode 042284487924)4. The Girls Scene (released February 1999 on Deram 844 897-2 - Barcode 042284489720)5. The Mod Scene (released September 1998 on Deram 844 549-2 - Barcode 042284454926)6. The Northern Soul Scene (released December 1998 on Deram 844 805-2 - Barcode 042284480529)7. The Psychedelic Scene (released September 1998 on Deram 844 797-2 - Barcode 042284479721)8. The R&B Scene (released September 1998 on Deram 844 798-2 - Barcode 042284479820)9. The Rock 'n' Roll Scene (released March 1999 on Deram 844 892-2 - Barcode 042284489225)Please note that some of these titles were reissued August 2007 on the budget label 'Spectrum'

The 1960's created so many musical scene's and far too often they are ignored on compilations who churn out the same old same old time and time again, but this collection of the rawer sounds being generated is impressive and essential for any one who claims to be a Mod or even maybe a New Psychedelia sort...

good song selection - doesn't disappoint.

Love it!

ok

Freaky but good

Nothing bad

taste of the sixties, excellent disc, buy it and educate yourself

Great

Super!

ottima compilation che da un ottima visione di insieme del movimento.forse la decca poteva esaltare di piu i suoni ma nel complesso piu che positivo.ottimi i tempi di consegna e l,imballo.lo consiglierei ad un amico.

Not for the causal listener, this is for music lovers and individuals looking for something a little off beat. Nice covers versions of The Beatles "Please, Please me" and "Taxman. What peaked my interest was the cover of Boyce and Hart's "I'm not your stepping stone." The more know version sung by "The Monkees."

Eigentlich eine tolle Platte mit vielen Überraschungen (Please please me von The Score). Leider ist der Sound total daneben, die Bässe sind viel zu laut, das entspricht überhaupt nicht den damaligen Gewohnheiten, alles klingt viel zu fett. Wahrscheinlich eine Konzession an "moderne" Hörgewohnheiten, leider! Vier Sterne gibt's trotzdem, weil das Material einfach zu gut ist.

Ottima raccolta comprende alcune chicche di sicuro interesse per gli amatori del genere. Consiglio sicuramente sia ai neofiti che agli esperti.

ok