Freakbeat

Freakbeat is a term sometimes used by record enthusiasts to describe the music of certain harder-driving British rock bands, often those with a mod following during the Swinging London period of the mid to late 1960s.[1][2][3] Though it is most often used to describe many lesser known British bands of the era, such as The Creation and The Action, it can also apply to some of the more famous acts, such as The Who or Small Faces.[4] It is sometimes seen as the British counterpart to the garage and psychedelic rock of American groups, such as The Seeds.[5] Freakbeat music was typically created by four and five piece bands. Elements of the freakbeat style include strong direct drum beats, loud and frenzied guitar riffs, and effects such as fuzztone.[6] The term is also sometimes used to refer to bands from Continental Europe during the era.

CD cover artwork for Nuggets II: Original Artyfacts from the British Empire and Beyond, 1964-1969, a compilation featuring many examples of 60s freakbeat rock

The term was coined in the 1980s by the music journalist Phil Smee to retroactively describe the music style which has been described as a missing link between the early-to-mid-1960s R&B scene and the psychedelic rock and progressive rock genres that emerged in the late 1960s with bands such as Pink Floyd.[4] Some of the best-known examples include "Take a Heart" by The Sorrows, "Making Time" by The Creation, "Atmospheres" by Wimple Winch and arguably "I Can Hear the Grass Grow" by The Move.[4] Much of the material collected on Rhino Records's 2001 box-set compilation Nuggets II: Original Artyfacts from the British Empire and Beyond, 1964-1969 can be classified as freakbeat.[7]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Freakbeat, The Garage Rock Era". Ministryofrock.co.uk. 2012-09-25. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
  2. ↑ Richie Unterberger (2007-04-03). "Joe Meek's Freakbeat: 30 Freakbeat, Mod and R&B Nuggets - Joe Meek | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
  3. ↑ Richie Unterberger (2011-11-29). "Looking Back: 80 Mod, Freakbeat & Swinging London Nuggets - Various Artists | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
  4. 1 2 3 "phil smee's freakbeat top 50 | Steve Hoffman Music Forums". Forums.stevehoffman.tv. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
  5. ↑ "Freakbeat, The Garage Rock Era". Ministryofrock.co.uk. 2012-09-25. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
  6. ↑ "Freakbeat, The Garage Rock Era". Ministryofrock.co.uk. 2012-09-25. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
  7. ↑ D. Thompson (2002). The Music Lover's Guide to Record Collecting. San Francisco: Backbeat Books. p. 47. ISBN 978-0879307134.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, November 29, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.