The Freeborne: Peak Impressions 1968 (Remastered 2014)

 

This is a lost Psychedelic jewel 0f 1968 brought back in life by the Arf! Arf! Records in 2014. 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 infamous "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 penning original material. From the two bands, the lineup of the

THE INDIGOS

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.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.
                                                   

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. 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.
                                                          

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.
                                                                

Margolin was the only member of the band to achieve considerable success after the Freeborne, performing with Muddy Waters in the 1970s. 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.
                                        

The Freeborne – Peak Impressions 2014
Label: Arf! Arf! – AA-103
Format:    CD, Album, Reissue, Remastered, Stereo,
Country: US
Released: 1968
Genre: Rock
Style: Psychedelic Rock

TRACKS

                                          

01. Images
(Lead Vocals, Written-By – Nick Carstoiu/Written-By – Mickey Spiros)  3:36
02. Land Of Diana
(Lead Vocals, Written-By – Nick Carstoiu/Written-By – Mickey Spiros)  2:53
03. Visions Of My Own
(Written-By – Barry Greenglass, Mickey Spiros/Written-By, Lead Vocals – Nick Carstoiu)  4:06
04. Sadly Acknowledged
(Written-By – Joan Babbitt, Mickey Spiros)  1:26
05. Peak Impressions & Thoughts
(Written-By – Dave Codd/Written-By, Lead Vocals – Nick Carstoiu)  6:40
06. Yellow Sky
(Written-By – Dave Codd, Joan Babbitt, Mickey Spiros/Written-By, Lead Vocals – Nick Carstoiu)  2:18
07. Hurtin' Kind Of Woman
(Lead Vocals – Nick Carstoiu, Written-By – Bob Margolin)  4:15
08. Inside People  
(Written-By, Lead Vocals – Dave Codd)  2:43
09. A New Song For Orestes
(Written-By, Lead Vocals – Dave Codd)  3:30
10. But I Must Return To Frenzy
(Written-By – Mickey Spiros/Written-By, Lead Vocals – Nick Carstoiu)  8:46

Bonus Alternate Mono Mixes (1968)
    
11. Images
(Lead Vocals, Written-By – Nick Carstoiu/Written-By – Mickey Spiros)  3:39
12. Land of Diana [with coda]
(Written-By – Mickey Spiros/Written-By, Lead Vocals – Nick Carstoiu)  3:11
13. Visions Of My Own
(Written-By – Barry Greenglass, Mickey Spiros/Written-By, Lead Vocals – Nick Carstoiu)  4:07
14. Sadly Acknowledged [extended mix without sound effects]
(Written-By – Joan Babbitt, Mickey Spiros)  1:16
15. Yellow Sky
(Written-By – Dave Codd, Joan Babbitt, Mickey Spiros/Written-By, Lead Vocals – Nick Carstoiu)  2:18
16. But I Must Return To Frenzy
(Written-By – Mickey Spiros/Written-By, Lead Vocals – Nick Carstoiu)  8:44

Freeborne/Reborne (2010)
    
17. This Is It
(Written-By, Lead Vocals – Dave Codd, Nick Carstoiu)  4:19
18. Take a Lick  
(Written-By, Lead Vocals – Dave Codd)  3:08
19. Lew's Blues  
(Written-By, Lead Vocals – Bob Margolin, Dave Codd, Nick Carstoiu)  7:05

Credits

                                                     

Lew Lipson: Drums, Percussion  
Bob Margolin: Lead Guitar
Nick Carstoiu: Lead Vocals, Vocals, Guitar, Recorder, Cello, Piano  
Dave Codd: Lead Vocals, Vocals, Recorder, Harpsichord, Percussion, Bass
Mickey Spiros: Organ, Piano, Chimes, Bell Tree, Trumpet, Percussion
Recorded By – Don Puluse (tracks: 1 to 16), Lou Waxman (tracks: 1 to 16)
Reissue Producer – Erik Lindgren 

MP3 @ 320 Size: 184 MB
Flac  Size: 489 MB

NOTES

Albums Reupload in Flac
Television Personalities: The Could Have been Bigger Than The Beatles 1982
Tuxedomoon:  Desire:  1981
Tom Waits: Rain Dogs 1985
The Pop Group: For How Much Longer Do We Tolerate Mass Murder?  1980
Medium Medium: The Glitterhouse  1981
Gang Of Four: Entertainment  1979
Au Pairs: Playing With A Different Sex  1981
Art Bears: Winter Songs  1979 

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