FREEDOM NORTH s/t Canada '70 heavy FUZZ acid psych LP
$
104
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Description
QUITE RARE original self-titled LP by Canadian band Freedom North, from 1970 on the Aquarius label. Only released in Canada, although they did release a single from the LP in the US and UK under the name "Freedom of Choice". A tough album to pigeonhole, since the band goes through styles like Paris Hilton goes through dogs, although the high points here are worthy examples of heavy acid psych. And thankfully, the band likes fuzz guitar as much as we do, and lace each song liberally with the stuff. Like the AMAZING "Dr. Tom" (the aforementioned US and UK single), which features lethal waspy FUZZ double-tracked in both channels so it sounds like a nest of hornets coming at you from all directions. The song rides along on a distorted piano riff that sounds very much like the piano melody in Ringo's "Don't Pass Me By", and the lush male and female harmony vocals bring back memories of 2400 Fulton Street and the early Jefferson Airplane, or even It's a Beautiful Day. In fact, in that parallel universe of musical justice, you'd be humming "Dr. Tom" just as often as "White Bird", but sadly Freedom North's single didn't take off in the universe we find ourselves in now. "Lonely Man" is one of the few songs with that title that actually manages to recreate the feeling musically - this is truly desolate, lonely, mysterious psychedelia. The echoey piano riff sounds sad and suicidal, and it also sounds like David Bowie lifted it for "We Are the Dead" too. Echoed-out female vocals cry mournfully, while the metronome percussion counts down the time, and as this tragic tale ends, the echo FX get louder and louder until it sounds like it's being played in a deep well of despair. Harrowing stuff. On the other side, the behemoth acid psych of "Losing You" is like vintage Blue Cheer - a total glass-breaking mastodon of heavy acid rock. When the vocalist isn't shrieking and screaming, the acid guitar fills in with some shrieking of its own, and there's also some cool liquidy guitar riffs that sound like the effects Jimi Hendrix was working on with "Electric Ladyland". A chuggin' slab o' Blue Cheer heavy psych madness! Even on the more "country" influenced tracks here, like "Hey Carmen", the band trip 'em out eventually, and what seemed like a straight country song at 1 minute in ends in a barrage of psychedelic fuzz guitar. If people say this album is schizophrenic, well then, so were the 60s and so still was the San Francisco West Coast sound, which this album does its best to capture a couple years later and a national border away. I guess it took that long for the music to reach Vancouver. Unreissued too, so the only way to hear it is to find an original pressing. This original pressing is from 1970 on the Canadian Aquarius label. Cover's in VG+ shape with some normal ringwear and seam wear. Vinyl plays VG+ too with some crackle and pops in places, still very enjoyable. Winning bidder pays $3.00 media mail shipping in the US, $6 air mail for a return trip back to Canada, and $12 air mail everywhere else. Paypal, Bidpay, cash, checks and money orders accepted. Please check out my other auctions for more pop, psych and garage obscurities and SAVE ON SHIPPING!
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