The Freeborne | |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Boston, Massachusetts, United States |
| Genres | Psychedelic rock |
| Years active | 1966–1968 |
| Labels | Monitor |
| Past members |
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The Freeborne was an American psychedelic rock band formed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1966. The band was one of the numerous groups associated with the "Bosstown Sound", and is noted for releasing one eclectic album, Peak Impressions, in 1967, which exemplified the young members' versatility embedded in psychedelia.
The Freeborne was organized from the remnants of two local frat rock groups, the Indigos and the Missing Links. The two groups performed covers of Top 40 radio hits, but key players sought to move on from both bands in hopes of writing original material. [1] From the two bands, the lineup of the Freeborne, a name inspired by the film Born Free , consisted of Bob Margolin (lead guitar), Dave Codd (bass guitar, vocals) Nick Carstoiu (lead singer, rhythm guitar, keyboards), Lew Lipson (drums), and Mike Spiros (keyboards, trumpet), who was not a member of either the Indigos or the Missing Links, but was added for his versatility. [2] In early 1967, the band began playing at music clubs and fraternities before attracting the interest of Barry Richards, a blues musician who, through his connections with the New York-based Monitor Records, had the Freeborne signed to a recording contract. [3]
The album that resulted was titled Peak Impressions. They recorded three of their debut album's songs at ESP studios, and the rest at CBS studios, in New York City. Despite the Freeborne's age range—between ages 17 and 19—the group featured three capable multi-instrumentalists, who played a wide variety of orchestral instruments including piano, harpsichord, cello, trumpet, flute, and recorder. [4] Coupled with the band's highly psychedelic theme is traces of blues, which Margolin picked up from watching a Remains concert prior to the Boston act's tour with the Beatles. [1]
The album was released in mid-1967 to moderate success on the East coast. However, Peak Impressions suffered from being associated with the "Bosstown Sound", a commercial campaign that advertised groups such as Ultimate Spinach, Beacon Street Union, and Orpheus with the intention of competing with the San Francisco Sound. It began with moderate commercial success. A factor that lead to the album's commercial disappointment was the Freeborne's lack of touring, due to the fact that three members were high school students. However, the band opened up for the Velvet Underground and the Left Banke at a venue called the Boston Tea Party. They also opened up for Tim Hardin and Canned Heat at a venue called the Psychedelic Supermarket. After firing their manager, the group lost their contract with Monitor Records, and the prospect of recording two more albums. In late 1968, the Freeborne disbanded though variations of the band continued to perform well into the 1970s. [1]
Margolin was the only member of the band to achieve considerable success after the Freeborne, performing with Muddy Waters in the 1970s. [5] In 2014, Arf! Arf! Records reissued Peak Impressions with bonus tracks. The album is now considered one of the better psychedelic pieces to emerge from Boston during the "Bosstown Sound" movement. [6]
The Music Machine was an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1966. Fronted by chief songwriter and lead vocalist Sean Bonniwell, the band cultivated a characteristically dark and rebellious image reflected in an untamed musical approach. Sometimes it made use of distorted guitar lines and hallucinogenic organ parts, punctuated by Bonniwell's distinctively throaty vocals. Although they managed to attain national chart success only briefly with two singles, the Music Machine is today considered by many critics to be one of the groundbreaking acts of the 1960s. Their style is now recognized as a pioneering force in proto-punk; yet within a relatively short period of time, they began to employ more complex lyrical and instrumental arrangements that went beyond the typical garage band format.
"Dance to the Music" is a 1967 hit single by soul/funk/rock band Sly and the Family Stone for the Epic/CBS Records label. It was the first single by the band to reach the Billboard Pop Singles Top 10, peaking at #8 and the first to popularize the band's sound, which would be emulated throughout the black music industry and dubbed "psychedelic soul". It was later ranked #223 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
The Litter was an American psychedelic and garage rock band, formed in 1966 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. They are best remembered for their 1967 debut single, "Action Woman". The group recorded three albums in the late 1960s before disbanding, but they re-united in 1990, 1992, and again in 1998, when they recorded a new studio album consisting of both old and new material. All of their Minneapolis recorded material was produced by Warren Kendrick, who owned the Scotty and Warick and Hexagon labels.
Earth Opera was an American psychedelic rock group, active between 1967 and 1969 and featuring Peter Rowan and David Grisman.
Ultimate Spinach was a short-lived American psychedelic rock band from Boston, Massachusetts which was formed in 1967. In terms of style and national recognition, the band was one of the most prominent musical acts to emerge from the "Bosstown Sound", which was a marketing campaign posing as a regional attempt to compete with the San Francisco Sound. During the group's existence, they released three albums, with their self-titled debut the most commercially successful.
Bob Margolin is an American electric blues guitarist. His nickname is Steady Rollin'.
Ultimate Spinach is the 1968 self-titled debut studio album by the American psychedelic rock band Ultimate Spinach, and was released on the MGM Records label (E/SE-4518) simultaneously with the debut LP of two other Boston-area bands, Beacon Street Union and Orpheus. Both albums were heavily promoted by the label as being representative of the "Bosstown Sound". The commercial ploy was heavily driven in psychedelic music that attempted to replicate the San Francisco Sound.
Listening was an American psychedelic rock band formed in Boston, Massachusetts in the late 1960s.
The Morning Dew was an American garage rock band formed in Topeka, Kansas, and active between 1966 and 1971. In the group's existence, they became a popular attraction, spearheading the growth of psychedelic music in the region. They produced one now sought after studio album that exemplifies their experimental transition into psychedelic rock.
Apple Pie Motherhood Band was an American psychedelic rock band formed in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1967. One of the several groups involved in the "Bosstown Sound", a commercial ploy designed to compete with the San Francisco Sound, the band developed a blend of psychedelia, blues rock, and hard rock, which was exemplified and expanded upon on their two albums. The group went through several line-up changes before disbanding in 1970.
A Full Spoon of Seedy Blues is the fourth album by the American garage rock band, the Seeds, credited to the Sky Saxon Blues Band, and released on GNP Crescendo in November 1967. The album saw the group take a completely different and controversial direction from the psychedelia featured on their previous effort, Future, towards a style rooted in blues. However, the results of the venture were ill-received, both commercially and within their loyal fanbase.
The Fallen Angels were an American psychedelic rock band formed in Washington D.C., in 1966. Spearheaded by the group's lead vocalist and bassist, Jack Bryant, the band originally released two albums and several singles, which were marked by lyrical and instrumental experimentation. Despite never breaking through on a national scale, the Fallen Angels were popular in the American music underground, and their music has been revived over the years.
The Bare Facts were an American garage rock band formed in Portsmouth, Ohio, United States, in 1966. Immensely popular in Ohio, the group earned a regional hit with their catchy blue-eyed soul-influenced tune "Georgiana", and the equally popular B-side "Bad Part of Town". The single the songs were featured on briefly entered the Billboard Hot 100. Though the Bare Facts could not replicate their success, the band's recordings have appeared on several compilation albums, preserving interest in the group's music.
The Lost was an American garage rock and psychedelic band from Plainfield, Vermont who were active in the Boston rock scene 1960s. They were initially an interracial rock band, one of the few at the time, and, along with the Remains and the Rockin' Ramrods, later became one of the most popular live acts in Boston, landing a contract with Capitol Records. In spite of having a regional hit with their first record, they were unable to find greater commercial success and broke up in 1967. In the intervening years their work has come to the attention of garage rock collectors and enthusiasts with the release of the anthology, Early Recordings and Lost Tapes, on Arf! Arf! Records.
The Psychedelic Supermarket was an underground music venue in Boston, Massachusetts, that was open in the 1960s, and became one of the core establishments of the city's psychedelic rock scene. It stood at 590 Commonwealth Avenue inside a parking garage that was converted into a club by promoter George Papadopoulos in 1967. The Psychedelic Supermarket was active for two years, before its closing.
Behold & See is the second studio album by the American psychedelic rock band Ultimate Spinach, and was released on MGM Records in August 1968.
Yesterday's Children was an American psychedelic rock band formed in Cheshire-Prospect, Connecticut, outside of New Haven, in 1966. The group's earliest release was "To Be or Not to Be". Initially a garage band, they transitioned into a psychedelic proto-heavy metal outfit and released one cult classic self-titled album before disbanding in 1970.
The Bosstown Sound was the catchphrase of a marketing campaign to promote psychedelic rock and psychedelic pop bands in Boston, Massachusetts, in the late 1960s. The concept was conceived by the record producer Alan Lorber as a marketing strategy intended to establish several underground musical artists native to the city on the national charts and compete with the popular San Francisco Sound. Lorber chose Boston for his plan because of the several bands developing in the city, the abundance of music venues, and the proximity of MGM Records, which had signed the core groups.
Chamaeleon Church was a short-lived American psychedelic rock band formed in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1967. It was founded by singer-songwriter Ted Myers after the disbandment of the Lost. Chamaeleon Church recorded one self-titled album in 1968. Similar to other psychedelic groups native to Boston, the band is remembered for its relation to the Bosstown Sound. In addition, the band had future actor and comedian Chevy Chase as a member.
The Tangerine Zoo was an American psychedelic rock band formed in Swansea, Massachusetts, in 1966. Encompassed in Boston's psychedelic scene and considered a part of the Bosstown Sound, the band became popular regionally, and released two albums on Mainstream Records during their recording career. The Tangerine Zoo had an opportunity to achieve national recognition at the Woodstock Festival, but was forced to decline the invitation. Nonetheless, the group's material has been reinstated into the public conscious after 1960s psychedelic music collectors have discovered the Tangerine Zoo's work years after their disbandment.
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