Search - Various Artists, That Driving Beat :: Vol. 1-That Driving Beat

Great driving beat; not too freaky

P. Pennington | Dallas, TX USA | 04/18/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have heard a number of cd's and records with the term "freakbeat" in the title or on the jacket. Generally, this refers to "beat" music with some freaky element, which points to the psychedelic music which was soon to follow. This is retrospective terminology basically intended to put certain mid-60's european rock music into a genre for marketing purposes. Presumably nobody in the 60's would have said "hey we're a freakbeat band." What we have here is a phenomenal compilation of '60's Euro-garage. More "beat" then "freakbeat." Why make these assertions, you ask? Well, I wonder sometimes why people don't just dig on "beat" for it's own sakes! This is beat, baby, and it's driving. Hell, I'm listening to it right now and I wanna get up and do a frug. Cut a rug. Shake a tailfeather, you know? There is nothing trippy about this cd, and that's OK! It's freaking great! But it ain't too freaky. So what you have here is a bunch of tunes that most of us working folks could never afford if we had to buy all the records. For that matter no mere human could ever find all these records in one lifetime unless you had some serious inside information, or you were there when it all went down, which I most surely was not. Some of these tunes are R&B influenced, and some are ravers. I just got it, so I cannot speak too definitively on the contents, except to say that I do like it a bunch. It is rock music. Sounds like mostly small ensembles, bass, drums, guitars, vocals. Some keyboards, maybe but not too much. Fans of the Yardbirds, Animals, Them, early Rolling Stones, etc. looking for something a little bit different might like this. Fans of prog and psych might want to look elsewhere, cuz this ain't that! But fans who are thinking of what came before psychedelics took over, and who just want to rock out will be well served to get this while they can. I hear some good lead guitar coming out of the speakers as I type. Sounds like garage rock to me. I think I better stop typing and turn it up!"

DEFECTIVE COPIES BUY AT YOUR OWN RISK

Syd | Chicago | 12/06/2009

(1 out of 5 stars)

"I have had this problem before with Rhino. Go read my review of Nuggetts 1+2. I have in the past vowed not to buy anymore boxes unless they are major label, or Rhino, or direct from Amazon, as they will send another right away so you can swap out the bad disks for good ones. You may even have trouble with that with this box. Rhino will provide replacement disks. At least Rhino, cheap pressings and jackets they put out, answered my email. I wrote 3 times to Psychic Circle about their defect problem and they did not write back. I asked them for a replacement copy and told them Rhino does this. I also urged them to stop putting out this great material in these boxes and issue them on single disks because of the risk involved. I would imagine they issue this kind of box because it allows Psychic Circle to cut corners on the cheap and issue disks that stick and skip. I ordered my first one and 2 disks skipped. (actually 2 songs out of 149, by the way the box says 152 songs, but there are 3 mistakes on the jackets). I ordered another one and mananged to get a copy with only one skip (and gratefully that was on a 'lesser song'.) So, this was my choice. What a shame to mess up the beauty of an entire box, such incredible material, by putting a bad taste in your mouth ( bad taste? it's a rip off over one or two skipping songs. There should not be ANY, period.) This is great material, some of the best, and it origially comes from major labels like Parlophne, Decca and Fontana. I urge these labels to get this material away from Psyhic Circle and give it the treatment it deserves. Or I urge a more responsible label like Sundaze to get ahold of this material and put it out in single disks. I won't mention Rhino as they have their own problems, still. Or else Psychic Circle can reissue this now, when their 1000 defective copies run out or end up in the garbage, or else provide us with the replacement copies we all have coming. Don't let this label get away with this. Hold their feet to fire. Since they won't respond, send them back to your dealer and ask for another one. It will probably be bad, but at least you will do your part in getting this junk off the market. I am supposed to 'receive emails when customers comment.' I invite Psychic Circle to write me about getting a replacement disk."