Saturday, April 9, 2011

Two Guys Named Freddie


Freddie & the Dreamers.



Freddie & the Hitch- Hikers.


The top clip, from the 1965 NME awards shows just what a maniac live performer Freddie Garrity (who died in 2006) was. I never liked I'm Telling You Now, their only U.S. hit, although I do love Do The Freddie, their attempt at a dance craze, but they could liven up a TV appearence like nobody's business.
Lester Bangs once called them-- "a triumph of rock as cretinious swill", as a lover of cretinious swill I concur.
The second clip was sent in by  by reader Tom Lundin along with this article from the Denver Eye about Freddie & the Hitch-Hikers who cut the amazing Sinners b/w Mop Flop for Band Box in 1960. Great pix! Great record.
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19 comments:

  1. Jerry LeeApril 9, 2011 at 12:22 PM

    I hated Freddie and the Dreamers since the first time I saw them on the Ed Sullivan Show, still hate 'em. Cretinous swill is right. Thanks for stirring up the bile, Hound, I'm gonna go punch my noisy neighbor in the face.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Donna LethalApril 9, 2011 at 4:09 PM

    And here I am to disagree! I love me some Freddie, I'm tellin' you now! I even find him somewhat...attractive.

    ReplyDelete
  3. PterosonusApril 9, 2011 at 5:47 PM

    Freddie and the Dreamer's only purpose in life was to make Herman's Hermits sound somewhat like a rock band.

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  4. AnonymousApril 9, 2011 at 7:23 PM

    At least Herman's Hermits actually had a couple of good records and recorded a couple of PF Sloan tunes. Can't think of any redeeming qualities for Freddie and the Dreamers.

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymooseApril 9, 2011 at 9:35 PM

    Yeah, "Mrs. Brown, You've Got A Lovely Daughter" and "Henry The 8th, I Am" really rocked the house....

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousApril 10, 2011 at 3:25 AM

    What's not to love? The Moody Blues drum kit, Freddie's passionate mic licking, his Pee Wee Herman moves and laugh 30 years before...Sinners was scary and the guitarist looked even scarier.

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  7. AnonymousApril 10, 2011 at 4:06 AM

    Of course no one could love Freddie but the B side of their first (U.K) single's pretty good
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7n_c8a-jFyY
    plus they did passable versions of Money and Kansas City on their first album.

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  8. AnonymooseApril 10, 2011 at 10:00 AM

    "Passable"?? Isn't that the same as mediocre?

    So then, Freddie was the British Pat Boone? Ugh.

    Maybe they can put that on his tombstone:
    "His music was passable"

    Dude, don't EVER listen to "passable" music. I mean it.

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  9. cavorting with nudistsApril 10, 2011 at 11:17 AM

    Never realized Freddie's strong resemblance, especially in profile, to Jonathan Richman.

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  10. AnonymousApril 10, 2011 at 1:06 PM

    No, worse than Pat Boone, cos Freddie didn't discover the Phantom.
    But we've all heard passable music, so no need for the dude-ing.

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  11. JD KingApril 10, 2011 at 6:02 PM

    "...I love me some Freddie, I'm tellin' you now! I even find him somewhat...attractive."

    Sick.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Donna LethalApril 10, 2011 at 7:46 PM

    Speak for yourself, J.D. He's the epitome of geek chick!

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  13. Jerry LeeApril 10, 2011 at 8:40 PM

    "Geek chic"... isn't that an oxymoron?

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  14. Ding DongApril 10, 2011 at 11:58 PM

    I think Freddie is on drugs the way he jumps around

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  15. diskojoeApril 11, 2011 at 11:16 AM

    Hound, I'm a long-time lurker, first time commenter. I'm shocked that you put Freddie & Dreamers on TheHoundBlog. Anyway, they were rather "interesting" to watch. The Dreamers themselves looked rather thuggish & weird. Anyway, here's some more red meat in the form of a video of Freddie & the boys doing a cover of the Beatles' "Run For Your Life":

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFIFkHAhX5U

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  16. philoApril 11, 2011 at 9:59 PM

    Hey the Hounds got a "guilty pleasure" Good for you. We all have one or two songs that we hate to admit we like. Just trying to visualize Jim "doing the Freddy" in his living room. Freddy to me always seemed to be a poor man's Soupy Sales.

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  17. UnknownApril 11, 2011 at 10:58 PM

    When you are "invaded" by the British, some torture is expected and painful.

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    ReplyDelete
  19. www.guipuzcoa-3d.comOctober 7, 2011 at 1:05 AM

    So, I don't actually believe this will have effect.

    ReplyDelete