Tapestry Of Delights:
Freddie Garrity worked as a milkman and had played in a series of local Manchester skiffle groups - The Red Sox, the John Norman Four and finally The Kingfishers - before the latter evolved into Freddie and The Dreamers in 1959. They appeared on BBC's 'Let's Go' and also on the 'Beat Show' radio programme in October of 1961. Then they followed this with a series of live appearances in the north of England and residencies at Margate's Dreamland and Hamburg, Germany's Top Ten Club. They were signed by EMI's Columbia label in the wake of The Beatles as record companies spread their antennae to root out other undiscovered talent. However, Freddie and The Dreamers were never in the same class. Their appeal was to the weenyboppers of the early and mid-sixties and their offbeat, slightly comic stage act made them the darlings of TV companies and parents everywhere. It was notable for Freddie's ungamely kicks and jumps around the stage.
In 1964 they enjoyed further hits with Over You, a cover of Paul Anka's I Love You Baby and a revival of the G. Clefs I Understand, which was to be their final Top Ten hit. An earlier release, Just For You, had already missed the Top 20.
1965 saw them break the lucrative US market, appearing on 'Hullaballoo' and 'Shindig' and seeing I'm Telling You Now (which had been reissued by Tower in the wake of the tour) top the US Charts for two weeks. Their stage act caused quite a stir and Do The Freddie was specially recorded for US release and fashioned a teen dance based on his stage movements. It gave them a Top 20 US hit. They enjoyed a couple of further UK hits with A Little You and Thou Shalt Not Steal and appeared in the low budget musical film 'Everyday's A Holiday' (it was titled 'Seaside Swingers' in the US) as singing chefs at a holiday camp.
None of their releases have subsequently excited collectors much. Some of their later releases were more overtly humorous as they moved increasingly into cabaret. In 1966 they recorded a whole album's worth of Disney film songs and their final album release Oliver In The Underworld was really a kiddies album. When they finally bowed out with Graham Gouldman's Susan Tuba in 1970 Freddie starred in the successful ITV children's series 'Little Big Time'.
In 1976 Garrity put the band back on the road with a new line-up. It was short-lived, but they did oldies tours here, in the US and in Australia. Twelve years later he got his first serious acting role in a production of 'The Tempest'.
In the final analysis the band owed more to the variety show tradition than rock'n'roll and are better remembered for Garrity's showmanship than their contribution to rock history.
Stereo: 15. If You Gotta Make A Fool Of Somebody 2:06
16. Some Other Guy 1:58
17. Somebody Else's Girl 2:31
18. Yes I Do 1:54
19. Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah 3:22
20. Drink This Up It'll Make You Sleep 2:31
21. I Understand 2:36
22. Sally Anne 2:04
23. I'm A Hog For You 2:16
24. The Wedding 2:38
25. Money (That's What I Want) 2:12
26. Crying 3:10
27. He Got What He Wanted (But He Lost What He Had) 2:16
28. Kansas City 2:22
PETE BIRRELL bs
ROY CREWSDON gtr
BERNIE DWYER drms
FREDDIE GARRITY vcls
DEREK QUINN lead gtr
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