Freakbeat

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Freakbeat is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music developed mainly by harder-driving British mod groups during the British Invasion and Swinging London period of the mid-to late 1960s. The genre bridges R&B, beat and early psychedelia. [1] [2]

Contents

Etymology

During the mid-to late 1960s, British music publications used the term "freak-out music" to describe a subset of psychedelic rock bands. In the United Kingdom, some mod groups would be referred to as "freak-out music" such as the Creation. [3] [4] The term was originally coined in the United States by Frank Zappa's the Mothers of Invention on their debut album Freak Out! which was based on the L.A freak scene. The term was also used interchangeably with "psychedelic freakout" guitar solos. In drug slang, "freak-out" referred to having a "bad trip". [5] In December 1966, Beat Instrumental wrote a piece on freak-out music, stating: [4]

This “freak-out” music takes a bit of explaining. Count Five, with their hit “Psychotic Reaction,” have already made it onto the charts in both America and Britain. The Fingers, Kim Fowley, the Yardbirds, John’s Children, and the Monkees are also part of this growing movement making an impact on the charts. But the Mothers of Invention are regarded as the most way-out of them all.

The writer also stated the Creation "denied categorically that they're anything to do with the freak-out scene". [4] By the end of the decade the term fell out of prominence. In 1986, English music journalist Phil Smee would coin "freakbeat" when compiling the Rubble series of compilations to retrospectively define mid-1960s British "freak-out" music. [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] AllMusic writes that "freakbeat" is loosely defined, but generally describes the more obscure but hard-edged artists of the British Invasion era. [2] [11] [12]

Compilations

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. [13]

The English Freakbeat series is a group of five compilation albums, released in the late 1980s, that were issued by AIP Records. The LPs featured recordings that were released in the mid-1960s by English rock bands in R&B and beat genres. The series served as a follow-up to the Pebbles, Volume 6 LP, itself subtitled The Roots of Mod, which was the only album in the Pebbles series that was devoted to English music. When the English Freakbeat series was reissued as CDs in the 1990s, the Pebbles, Volume 6 LP was adapted into the English Freakbeat, Volume 6 CD.[ citation needed ] [14] [15] [16]

"Free Form Freak-Out" would originally be used by American psychedelic band Red Krayola on their 1967 debut album The Parable of Arable Land, and later as a term by several publications. [17] [18] [19] [20]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Looking Back: 80 Mod, Freakbeat & Swinging London Nuggets – Various Artists | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic . Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  2. 1 2 "Freakbeat Music Genre Overview | AllMusic". AllMusic . Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  3. ↑ "New Musical Express 1966" (PDF). NME. 4 November 1966. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 "Beat Instrumental" (PDF). Beat Instrumental. December 1966. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
  5. ↑ Assembly, California Legislature (1969). Drug Abuse for Junior and Senior High School: Science Portion of District Curriculum Guide, San Jose Unified School District.
  6. ↑ Norris, Richard (11 March 2012). "20 best: UK psych records ever made". Factmag .
  7. ↑ Kendall, Jo (27 February 2020). "Designer, historian and writer Phil Smee shows us his record collection". Prog .
  8. ↑ Barron, Michael (15 February 2023). "Eddie Piller Presents British Mod Sounds Volume 2: The Freakbeat & Psych Years". www.xsnoize.com. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  9. ↑ "NEWS: British Mod Sounds of The 1960's Volume 2: The Freakbeat & Psych Years". Gigslutz. 9 November 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  10. ↑ Breznikar, Klemen (23 March 2022). "Freakbeat | Wild/Psychy Mod | Evolution of Genré". It's Psychedelic Baby Magazine. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  11. ↑ Torabi, Arash (28 September 2016). "New Releases From State Records: '60s Freakbeat Fans Read On". Louder Than War. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  12. ↑ "A Kaleidoscope Of Sounds: Psychedelic And Freakbeat Masterpieces - Record Collector Magazine" . Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  13. ↑ Thompson, Dave (2002). The Music Lover's Guide to Record Collecting. San Francisco: Backbeat Books. p. 47. ISBN   978-0879307134.
  14. ↑ Interviews, Clash Magazine Music News, Reviews &; Murray, Robin (27 February 2017). "60s Freakbeat Legends The Creation Celebrated On New Box Set". Clash Magazine Music News, Reviews & Interviews. Retrieved 8 July 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  15. ↑ "GET READY FOR THE COUNTDOWN | Mod, Brit Soul, R&B & Freakbeat Nuggets 3CD coming soon…". www.cherryred.co.uk. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  16. ↑ "Announcing - Various Artists - Richard Norris Presents - Weird Scenes From The Hangout (Psychedelic & Freakbeat Dancefloor Anthems 1967-1982)". www.republicofmusic.net. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  17. ↑ Pitchfork. "Acid Mothers Temple: The New Geocentric World of..." Pitchfork. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  18. ↑ Wilcox, Tyler (16 June 2015). "Invisible Hits: Decades of the Dead II - Outer Limits in '74". Pitchfork. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  19. ↑ Leitko, Aaron. "The Black Angels: Phosphene Dream". Pitchfork. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  20. ↑ Leitko, Aaron. "Psychic Ills: Hazed Dream". Pitchfork. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
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