VA - English Freakbeat Vol. 01- Vol. 06 [1988-1996] (6 x CD's)

 

ENGLISH GARAGE

VA - English Freakbeat Vol. 01- Vol. 06 [1988-1996] (6 x CD's)

If you're a fan of (mostly) Adrenalin fueled English garage rock (before and during when garage rock reared it's head in the U.S.) with attitude, straight out of the 1960's, this may be your cup of tea. Compiled by Greg Shaw (of Pebbles fame) this is basically non-stop prime era freakbeat. Full of singles that went basically nowhere, there's a lot of raw excitement throughout this set. But failed or not, it wasn't for trying by these mostly little heard groups. Has anyone really heard of Glenn Athens & The Trojans' "Let Me Show You How" in all it's raw excitement? But throughout this set you'll come across names of people who would go on to greater things a bit later. As always in collections like this, there's a few tracks of lesser quality but even those sides fit into Shaw's trawl through this era of failed singles.

There's a few groups that may be familiar like The Groundhogs with a great period slice of rawness "Shake It". Or The Mickey Finn with "Garden Of My Mind". The Pete Best Four is here with "The Way I Feel About You". Also here is Billy J Kramer & The Dakotas with "Chinese Girl". Or possibly you've heard The Lancasters (with Ritchie Blackmore) doing "Earthshaker/ Satan's Holiday" (the latter tune is basically "Hall of the Mountain King"), and maybe a few others.  Each volume has some good period stuff like The Primitives' "Help Me". Steve Davies' "She Said Yeah". Or (The Animals in disguise?) The Wolf Pack's "We're Gonna Howl". Plus there's stuff like The Favorite Sons' "Walking Walking Walking". And Jason Eddie and the Centremen's "Come On Baby". Plus check out the Rhythm & Blues Inc. and their "Honey Don't". But these are just a few examples of the exciting goodies in this box set (also try the Soul Agents' instrumental "Gospel Train", or The Wheels' "Road Block") that are straight out of that prime era when garage rock/early punk-like attitude, mod, and some r&b all came together to create some pretty raw 45 RPM singles.  The mono sound is quite good overall--the remastering has cleaned up the majority of these sides.  Each disc comes in a good looking period style cardboard jacket with a groovy cover and a track list on the back cover. Everything fits into a substantial cardboard clam shell style box. All in all a good presentation of this music that many of us have probably never heard.  This is lesser known groups who issued ultimately failed but good or great singles from the 60's. And "English Freakbeat Volumes 1 To 6"  is one of the very best of this current crop. Check it out for a good adrenaline rush of period excitement.

This exclusive box set edition is testimony to not only the original kids who sweated it out on two sides of wax back in the 60's, but to Shaw himself whose affection for, and commitment to garage punk, needs no explanation. Like he said: these crazy limey teen punks sure did kick some serious ass! Crazed limey teens on a wyld sound rampage!   (Amazon)

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Track lists

Vol. 01

01 Groundhogs Shake It 2:06

02 Johnny Neal & Starliners Walk, Baby Walk 2:32

03 In-Be-Tweens Girl, I Am Your Evil Witchman 2:22

04 Rebounds Help Me 2:18

05 Primitives Help Me 3:42

06 Primitives Let Them Tell 2:18

07 Beat Merchants Pretty Face 1:57

08 Steve Davies She Said Yeah 2:34

09 Loot Baby Come Closer 2:34

10 Miki Dallon I'll Give You Love 2:20

11 Chasers Inspiration 2:37

12 Sheffields Plenty of Love 2:21

13 Couriers Done Me Wrong 2:11

14 Rats Headin' Back 2:18

15 Wild Ones Purple Pill Eater 2:10

16 Primitives Cara-Lin 3:34

17 Primitives Forget It 2:04

18 Birds Birds Say Those Magic Words 3:15

19 Birds Birds Daddy Daddy 4:06

Vol. 02

01 Gleen Athens & the Trojans Let Me Show You 4:29

02 Sessions Let Me In 2:48

03 Mickey Finn Garden of My Mind 2:31

04 Mickey Finn Time to Start Loving You 2:44

05 Kubas; Koobas I Love Her 2:36

06 Kubas; Koobas Face 2:33

07 Beat Merchants So Fine 2:41

08 Beat Merchants Messin' With the Man 2:15

09 Wolf Pack We're Gonna Howl 1:40

10 Syndicats Howlin' for My Baby 2:49

11 Soul Agents Gospel Train 3:48

12 Soul Agents I Just Wanna Make Love to You 2:27

13 Muleskinner Back Door Man 3:49

14 Muleskinner Missed Your Lovin' 2:29

15 Wheels Don't You Know 2:49

16 Wheels Road Block 3:19

17 Blueberries Please Don't Let Me Know 2:34

18 Blueberries It's Gonna Work Out Fine 2:51

19 Blue Rondos Little Baby 2:37

20 Dakotas 7 Pounds of Potatoes 2:23

21 Limeys Cara-Lin 2:23

22 Lancasters Earthshaker 1:45

23 Lancasters Satan's Holiday 1:51

Vol. 03

01 Sons of Fred I, I, I Want Your Lovin' 1:47

02 Sons of Fred She Only Wants a Friend 2:18

03 In Crowd Why Must They Criticise 2:28

04 Thee There You Go 1:43

05 UK's Your Love is All I Want 2:05

06 Attraction She's a Girl 2:37

07 Bryan & the Brunelles Jacqueline 2:27

08 Ways & Means Breaking Up a Dream 2:29

09 Thoughts Memory of Your Love 2:09

10 Couriers Take Away 2:21

11 Mockingbirds One By One 2:24

12 Answers It's Just a Fear 3:18

13 Raving Savages Surf City 2:23

14 Svensk Getting Old 2:08

15 Ravens; Dave Davies I'm a Hog for You Baby 1:41

16 Ravens; Dave Davies I Believed You 1:58

17 Ravens; Dave Davies This I Know 2:03

18 Quakers She's All Right 2:41

19 Quakers Talk to Me 2:22

20 Talismen You Break My Heart 2:07

21 Frays Keep Me Covered 2:34

22 Favourite Sons Walking Walking Walking 2:08

23 Shakespeares Burning My Fingers 2:10

24 Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich He's a Raver 2:09

25 Talismen What Kind of Boy 2:29

Vol. 04

01 Thane Russal & Three Security 2:42

02 Cops & Robbers I've Found Out 2:25

03 Cops & Robbers You'll Never Do it Baby 2:44

04 Clique She Ain't No Good 2:19

05 In Crowd Things She Says 1:48

06 Mal Rider & the Spirits Forget It 2:02

07 Snobs Ding Dong 2:31

08 Sons of Fred Baby What You Want Me to Do 2:29

09 Sons of Fred I'll Be There 2:55

10 Sons of Fred Sweet Love 2:45

11 Soul Agents Don't Break it Up 2:55

12 Soul Agents Mean Woman Blues 2:58

13 Soul Agents I Just Wanna Make Love to You 2:26

14 Syndicats Crawdaddy Simone 3:10

15 Tony Dangerfield She's Too Way Out 2:22

16 Wheels Call My Name 2:08

17 Mickey Finn & Bluemen Reelin' & Rockin' 2:09

18 Others Oh Yeah 2:52

19 Primitives Johnny Noooooo!!! 3:12

20 Shorty & Them Dimples 5:56

21 4 Degrees Too Much Monkey Business 2:57

22 4 Degrees I've Got My Brand on You 2:57

23 Stovepipe No. 4 Pretty Thing 3:14

Vol. 05

01 Pete Best The Way I Feel 2:00

02 Darwin's Theory Daytime 2:51

03 Peeps Now is the Time 2:31

04 Pickwicks Hello Lady 2:31

05 George Bean & the Runners Why Must They Criticise? 1:59

06 Jason Eddie & the Centremen Come on Baby 2:25

07 Untamed It's Not True 2:26

08 Geoff Goddard Sky Men 2:44

09 Eggy You're Still Mine 2:48

10 New York Public Library Got to Get Away 2:52

11 Chris Sandford I Wish They Wouldn't Always Say I Sound Like the Guy From the Usa Blues 2:19

12 Cryin' Shames What's News Pussycat 2:33

13 A Wild Uncertainty Man With Money 2:05

14 Truth Baby You've Got It 2:02

15 Billy J. Kramer Chinese Girl 3:11

16 Impac Too Far Out 2:34

17 Paul Stewart Movement Too Too Good 2:52

18 Greenbeats You Must Be the One 1:58

19 Rey Anton & the Peppermint Men You Can't Judge a Book By Looking at the Cover 2:16

20 Four + One Don't Lie to Me 1:54

21 Thane Russal I Need You 2:27

Vol. 06

01 Fairies Get Yourself Home 2:27

02 Fairies I'll Dance 2:08

03 Fairies Anytime at All 2:17

04 Junco Partners Take This Hammer 2:19

05 Cheynes Respectable 1:57

06 Wild Ones Bowie Man 2:23

07 Rhythm & Blues Inc. Honey Don't 2:27

08 Erkey Grant & Earwigs I'm a Hog for You 2:08

09 David John & the Mood Bring it to Jerome 2:14

10 David John & the Mood I Love to See You Strut 2:09

11 Bill & Will Goin' to the River 2:30

12 Blues By Five Boom Boom 2:20

13 Steve Aldo Baby What You Want Me to Do 3:37

14 Jason Eddie & the Centremen Singing the Blues 2:32

15 Bo & Peep Young Love 2:40

16 Chicago Line Shimmy Shimmy Ko Ko Bop 2:51

17 Chicago Line Jump Back 3:06

18 Wranglers Little Liza Jane 1:55

19 David John & the Mood To Catch That Man 2:11

20 David John & the Mood Diggin' for Gold 2:41

21 Nix-Nomads She'll Be Sweeter Than You 2:42

22 Bo & Peep Rise of the Brighton Surf 4:22

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