Recorded - July 8, 1963
Originally Released - August, 1963 (UK), October 7, 1963 (US).
Re-Released - March, 1965 (US only)
#1 for weeks of April 10 and 17, 1965.
By 1965, there were quite a few early British Invasion bands who had made a dent in the American charts. Some of these bands have certainly stood the test of time, others not so much. I'd personally rank bands like The Beatles, The Who, The Rolling Stones, and The Kinks as the Top 4 of the tier. Next is bands like The Zombies, The Animals, and The Yardbirds, all of whom were also quite great. Following this, there's The Hollies, The Dave Clark Five, and Manfred Mann, all bands who had a great catalog but often had quite a bit of filler. Lastly, there's the rest of the early British bands. This would include The Searchers, Herman's Hermits, Gerry and The Pacemakers, and finally, Freddie And The Dreamers.
Now don't get me wrong, none of those bands listed "Last" are weak bands, they all just have one thing in common: They mostly stayed with one sound their entire career and made little to no attempt at changing with the times. In the case of Freddie And The Dreamers, they really did some baffling career moves. This includes releasing a dance-specific song called "Do The Freddie" as late as 1965, (Great music, poor lyrics). There was also an album of Disney songs they released in 1966, a year that also brought us more artistic endeavors such as Revolver. The band actually lasted through early 1970 whereupon lead singer Freddie Garrity became a cast member of a children's TV show.
"I'm Telling You Now" was originally recorded and released in 1963. So in case you were wondering why the song sounds like an early Merseybeat pop record, that's why. Freddie And The Dreamers' UK success had all but dried up by 1964. However, they were still keen to tap into the American market so in 1965, "I'm Telling You Now" was re-released and somehow, rose up to #1 on the charts for two weeks. Did the song deserve this much success? Well, let's find out.
First of all, one major plus I have about the band is the fact that they did not take themselves too seriously. Look up the music video for "I'm Telling You Now" and you'll see all of the guitar players and Freddie flailing their legs while "Playing" guitar. It's silly, but I find it rather funny in a charming way. Freddie Garrity, who unfortunately passed away in 2006, comes across as a more likable and down to earth guy than some of the other bands and artists I have reviewed so far.
Musically and lyrically, this song is certainly one of the lighter and poppier British beat numbers out there. The guitars have that signature Liverpool twang, and there's even a guitar solo midway through the piece, (Although it's nothing to get too excited about). The lyrics are a bit bubblegummy and the song is a bit too sweet in spots, but Freddie had a good singing voice so at least this slightly too sweet song is sung well.
So did this song deserve to be #1? Well, I personally don't consider it to be one of the best British Invasion songs, as it's musically and lyrically rather simple. However, Freddie And The Dreamers were a very easygoing and non-pretentious band so at least I can say that perhaps these underdogs deserved this one big hit.
Final Verdict - "I'm Telling You Now" is quite a poppy early British Invasion song. It hasn't aged as well as other songs by similar artists and I'm sure some people might be adverse to its occasional sugar-factor. Me? I kinda like it, I don't know why but I do, maybe you will too.
Coming Up Next - "Game Of Love" by Wayne Fontana And The Mindbenders.
Until Next Time - I'm Dr. Rock and I'll be staying for many-a-day.
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