Customer Reviews

The Freakbeat Scene

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There are two or three clunkers on this CD, but on the whole it's another great addition to Deram's excellent "Scene" series. Even the cover versions are fine, and original stuff like Fire, The Human Instinct, The Syn and particularly the Paul Ritchie track are really strong, as are most of the other tracks.

Problem is, the music between 1965 and '68 was hard to comparmentalise (and who would REALLY want to) so there is a certain band/style/personnel overlap with the other CDs, and many of the tracks would equally have been at home there. Check out the R & B, Beat, Mod, Psychedelic or even the Northern Soul CDs in the series to see what I mean.

In all, an excellent CD and a superb series for making those 60's themed compilation tapes/minidiscs for summer grooving (ahem!)

There are some duds on here, but they're far outweighed by the large number of overlooked gems. The biggest surprise was the Birds track. I'd been hearing about them for ages, and now I see their reputation is justified. Other excellent tracks are Fire, Marc Bolan, and The Fairytale. The Small Faces track included here is very good, but it's a little jarring to hear something that is so familiar in the middle of a group of unfamiliar material. The liner notes and photos of the groups are excellent, too. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because of the duds, such as covers of old chestnuts like Stepping Stone and Taxman.

Some really good obscure tracks on here - I only bought it after hearing the Marc Bolan track on Radio 2's Sound of the Sixties show - and found that this compilation is filled with excellent tracks with only a couple of fillers. Hearing something as mainstream as the Small Faces in the middle of it does catch you off guard, but don't let that put you off. If you listen to a lot of `popular' music of this era & genre, this album is a refreshing must have!

These are an excellent collection of releases from the Decca vaults with Freakbeat being one of the best, with some very, very interesting tracks, like the version of "Please please me" by The Score - where else would you find that?

It was a revelation to hear how innovative mid sixties psychedelic music was. It was great to hear obscure bands such as Warrington's own
Fairy Tale.

Some are awful, some are just listenable, and there a couple real winners. But the production quality is very high, of course, and everyone can play their instruments very well. On the other hand, much of this is slick rubbish that Decca cranked out in a hit-or-miss fashion to try and score a bit hit. These are the ones that didn't make it. And for good reason, by and large. They're are uninspired, unoriginal and forgettable. This CD is really only for real die hard fans of the genre.

This album gives a good introduction to many popular bands, and one of the strongest songs is without doubt Fire's "Father's Name is Dad". THE MAGIC SHOEMAKER LIVE (available here on Amazon) includes a great new live version.

If it's compilations you're after then the new Apple artists CD "Treacle Toffee World" is another one to watch out for.

Yep, as you may know: No-one beats the Who if it's about being the freakiest Beat band, but this meaty compilation gets pretty close to it !
Well, there's odd, unconventional beat sounds, much audible enthussiasm and some raw energy served by the artists collected on this sampler. 'just heard it two times and I must admit: Yeah, this baby gives you the vibes and grooves you'd expect from a collection like this one. Mid- and late-sixties psycho-laden beat sounds, punchy with ( sometimes ) progressive touch.
All in all: best value and well mastered sound work for little money !
So, go and get it !

This compilation is a must for all fans of freakbeat. With songs by the Poets, the Mark Four and Shel Naylor, this album is buzzing with energy. I can't fault a single song on this album, it is now a firm favourite of mine! Try the other "scene" albums, too....the R&B scene is another brilliant compilation.

I found the CD i wanted quickly, no hassle, arrived when it said it would, very efficient, great service, no problems at all! Loved the CD, all in all, splendid!