Freddie & The Dreamers – FREDDIE & THE DREAMERS***

I Understand/Money/Kansas City/Early In The Morning/It Doesn’t Matter Anymore/Sally Anne/Yes I Do/Tell Me When/Johnny B Goode/I Don’t Love You Anymore/Say It Isn’t True/If You Gotta Make A Fool Of Somebody

Freddie & The Dreamers appear to be more remembered for their zany stage antics rather than their music. However they released a string of fine singles and the group's work is best sampled on a compilation CD. This self titled release was their only major US hit album and contains the UK top ten hits If You Gotta Make A Fool Of Somebody and I Understand. (US:19)

"It was hard to take Freddie & The Dreamers seriously simply because they were pretty much the self-appointed clowns of the British Invasion, just along for the ride with no desire or pretensions of making anything other than pop music. No messages here, just fun and laughs, probably best represented by the song If You Gotta Make A Fool Of Somebody."

"More pop than rock to be sure, but then somebody needed to balance Mick Jagger and The Rolling Stones in the eyes of American parents, and Freddie and The Dreamers certainly fitted the bill in that respect. However, the best reason to pick up a Freddie & The Dreamers collection is because they are still quite representative of the Merseybeat sound that the early Beatles epitomized, and which still resonates with those of us who remember the British Invasion."

"Freddie & The Dreamers liked to have fun, yet they were competent musicians and their music stands the test of time. Their UK hits were a mix of original songs and American covers."

"Some of the selections show the group trying the more American soul/R & B staples that were covered by many other Northern England groups (Money and Johnny B.Goode etc.), and they're decent attempts, but the group's strength was in more pop oriented tracks featuring vocal harmonies, often Freddie harmonizing with himself via overdub."