Jokers in the pack.  Cherry Red Records take a detailed reappraisal of Manchester’s madcap maniacs – Freddie And The Dreamers – and reach a mixed verdict…

JOKERS IN THE PACK

St Etienne’s Bob Stanley summarises it perfectly in the intro and conclusion to his detailed sleevenote to this extensive compilation:

“Freddie And The Dreamers were the jokers in the pack of the British Beat Boom, or what America knew as the British Invasion. They were a great visual act and, especially, a conduit for children who may have loved the Beatles too but wanted someone of their own. TV shows like Crackerjack and Blue Peter were happy to invite them on, and gave them a ready-made audience. The Monkees may have been tagged the Pre –Fab Four, but there’s little doubt some of their zaniness sprung from the on-stage antics of Freddie Garrity and the group’s candy beat, proto-bubblegum music.”

And:

“…the records they left behind occupy a unique spot in British beat group history, whether you love them or hate them. And, frankly, who could really hate Oliver In The Overworld.”

Younger readers will, no doubt, find the reference to Oliver In The Overworld somewhat baffling, but I’ll come to that in due course.  I suppose the thing about Freddie And The Dreamers is that you really had to have been there to appreciate that they were in any way significant.  Because, significant they were.  In their brief heyday, Freddie and the Dreamers were huge, both here in the UK and across the pond in the USA. 

NOT BLESSED WITH GOOD LOOKS...

Formed in 1959 as The Kingfishers, in the Manchester suburb of Didsbury, Freddie And The Dreamers were: Roy Crewdson (guitar), Derek Quinn (guitar & harmonica), Peter Birrell (bass), Bernie Dwyer (drums) and elastic-limbed frontman, the elf-like Freddie Garrity.  Like many of their contemporaries, Freddie And The Dreamers emerged from the late 50s/ early 60s skiffle boom, before making their transition to rhythm and blues.

But, unlike many of their contemporaries, none of the band were blessed with what would be recognized as ‘pop star good looks.’  Guitarist Crewdson was already stating to lose his hair, even before the band had made a record, the rest of The Dreamers resembled gangsters and Freddie himself had curly black hair and thick glasses.  So, Freddie And The Dreamers decided that, right from the word go, they would include a generous dose of humour into their act.

QUICKFIRE SUCCESS

Success came fairly quickly.  Debut single – a cover of US R&B singer James Ray’s If You Gotta Make A Fool Of Somebody reached the heady heights of #3 in the UK singles chart in the summer of 1963 and Freddie and the Dreamers were up and running.  That success was followed rapidly by a second single, I’m Telling You Now – a #2 hit just a few weeks after their debut and then, in November, by a third hit, You Were Made For Me.  It could be argued that, by the end of 1963, Freddie And The Dreamers were second only to The Beatles in the nation’s affections.

The traditions of the day demanded that such quickfire success should be followed by a film, a panto appearance and an album – striking whilst the iron was hot, as they say.  Freddie And The Dreamers duly obliged on all three fronts.  The band’s eponymous debut album was released in time to grace the 1963 Christmas market and it’s actually quite an interesting document.  Passable covers of such R&B standards as I’m a Hog For You, Money (That’s What I Want), Kansas City and Some Other Guy sit, somewhat incongruously, alongside contemporary ballads like Roy Orbison’s Crying and The Wedding (soon to be a weepie hit for Julie Rogers) and an execrable version of the Disney standard, Zip A Dee Doo Dah.

AMERICA TAKES NOTICE

As 1963 morphed into 1964, time was already starting to run out for Freddie And The Dreamers, at least on this side of the pond.  A string of singles, Over You, a cover of Paul Anka’s I Love You Baby and a summer release, Just For You performed progressively poorly and salvation came only at the year’s end, when chart respectability was restored with The Dreamers’ version of The G-Clefs’ I Understand took the band back to the Top 5.

Album #2, the slightly confusingly titled You Were Mad For Me, had appeared in the spring of 1964 and, again, the fare on offer was a mix of the new and the familiar, with covers of rock & roll standards like See You Later Alligator, Johnny B Goode and Cut Across Shorty giving listeners a feel for the band’s live sound.  Despite the album’s title, the hit single You Were Made For Me wasn’t included in the track listing.

But, as 1964 progressed, bands like The Rolling Stones, The Animals and The Kinks had made their appearance and the sheen had started to tarnish on the career of Freddie and the Dreamers.  Then, just as it seemed like Freddie And The Dreamers were turning into yesterday’s news, they were discovered by America!  A reissue of the early single, I’m Telling You Now took The Dreamers to the top of the Billboard chart and America took to Freddie’s athletic on-stage antics like an elephant takes to currant buns.  Success followed success and, at one stage in 1965, Freddie And The Dreamers had no less than four singles in the American Top 100.

SINGALONGS AND DISNEY MOMENTS

But, back in the old country, things were going from bad to worse for Freddie And The Dreamers and the band hit what many consider to be their nadir with their 1965 Sing-Along Party album.  Featuring a collection of medleys, featuring such music hall treats as She’s A Lassie From Lancashire, Tiptoe Through The Tulips, By The Light Of The Silvery Moon and I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles, the album dissolved any rock & roll credibility that Freddie And The Dreamers may have retained.  As a period piece, however, it possesses a curious charm.

The daftness continued in 1966 with the band’s In Disneyland album, featuring such gems as The Ugly Bug Ball, When I See An Elephant Fly, The Unbirthday Song and The Siamese Cat Song.  Still, it was all harmless fun and, in a strange kind of way, the choice of songs actually suited Freddie’s voice quite well.

In the words of Bob Stanley,“Freddie And The Dreamers just weren’t designed for the technicolor world of 1967.”  Whilst The Beatles were donning their bandsmen’s outfits and Pink Floyd were piping at the Gates of Dawn, Freddie And The Dreamers were dressing as boy scouts, driving scoutmasters John Le Mesurier and Kenneth Connor to distraction and catching would-be bank robbers Victor Maddern and Arthur Mullard in the film Cuckoo Patrol.  They did find time to make music as well, though, and their 1967 album, King Freddie And His Dreaming Knights is generally regarded as the best album that the band made.

OLIVER IN THE OVERWORLD

Arguably, Freddie found his true vocation at last in 1968, when he and Dreamers’ bassist Pete Birrell took starring roles in the Southern TV children’s programme, Little Big Time.  The programme included a feature called Oliver In The Overworld in which various Dreamers performed various acting roles and performed a whole new set of songs, written by Albert Hammond and Mike Hazlewood.  Several of the songs were salvaged for a 1970 album, also titled Oliver In The Overworld, and it’s an album that allows Freddie and the Dreamers to sign off their musical careers with an element of dignity.  Engineered by Alan Parsons (no less) the album has been described as “A minor classic.”

Freddie and the Dreamers released their final single, Get Around Downtown Girl, in 1969.  There were occasional flurries of activity after that, but Freddie focused his attention upon his blossoming acting career.  Drummer Bernie Dwyer died of lung cancer in 2002; Freddie followed him in 2006 and guitarist Derek Quinn died from COVID in 2020.  Say what you like but I’m in no doubt – life would have been a lot less fun if Freddie And The Dreamers hadn’t been around to brighten things up.

CHERRY RED HALLMARKS

Cherry Red have collected the band’s complete recordings in this five-disc compilation.  The singles, the albums, the EPs; they’re all here – for better or for worse.  It’s a package that has been assembled with the love and respect that are Cherry Red hallmarks and special thanks are due to Bob Stanley for his work in compiling the collection and in producing an excellent, informative commentary on the life and times of an often overlooked, almost forgotten group.

Relive the gentle absurdity of a Freddie And The Dreamers performance. Watch their 1965 appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show below:

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