Before discotheques became discos, when they were still the dim caverns in which a cultural revolution was brewing, every British male between the age of 12 and 25 was in a group, or intended to be. After the Beatles broke through, every producer wanted to sign a group. The Beatles, Stones, The Kinks and one or two others made this wave; a host of others rode it. Somewhere in the wake was a geeky, diminutive, lovable Mancunian called Freddie. In a less group-obsessed age he and his Dreamers might have remained dreamers, but the time was right for any group that could rattle out a catchy tune.
On their first release, 1963's If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody, Freddie affects a Buddy Holly type twang, rather than showcasing his northern English accent, which most other northern groups did. Fortunately, this did not last beyond the first record and on their next, the breakthrough hit I'm Telling You Now, he found his true voice. This song was a big hit in the US, where Freddie's frantic stage moves caused a real stir. He explained he was 'doing the Freddie'. They loved it, and he later released a US-only record called Do The Freddie, and 'The Freddy' (they changed the spelling) became a minor dance craze, or crazelet.
Success continued in the UK for just a few years and in 1968 the group disbanded. Freddie formed other Dreamers lineups and continued doing cabaret right through to the late 90s, when illness stopped his career. I'm writing this review a week after his death which, I'm pleased to note, was widely reported in the American media. Alas, only two of the original Dreamers remain.
This compilation is very well done and is great value. In addition to all the singles, you get notable album tracks and a couple of hilarious oddities like Short Shorts. At times the band tackled standards and other somewhat more serious stuff, with mixed success. Fans of Roy Orbison's "Crying" will be doing just that over Freddie's rendition of the song.
At live performances, it became obvious that Freddie had a great personality but no voice. On these recordings, multiple takes, overdubbing, echo and other technical wizardry (plus session musicians) produce a listenable sound. No, this is not great music. But it's good-hearted fun for 60s nostalgics, today's pre-teeny-boppers and anyone prepared to let loose once in a while. So, shake your left arm and leg, then the right. Move your head from side to side, take an occasional leap in the air and sing along. You are now Doing The Freddie. Go on, try it. It'll do you good.