The Freshies

The Freshies are an English punk rock band, formed in Manchester in 1978. The band was founded by singer-songwriter and comedian Chris Sievey, whose best-known creation – comedy character Frank Sidebottom – originated as a mascot for the group.

The Freshies
OriginManchester, England
GenresPunk rock, power pop, new wave[1]
Years active1978–1982, 2010, 2012, 2019–present
LabelsRazz, MCA, Stiff
MembersBarry Spencer
Rick Sarko
Paul Taylor
Chris Connolly
Past membersChris Sievey
Martin Jackson
Billy Duffy
Eddie Carter
Bob Dixon
Mike Doherty
Lyn Oakey
Steve Hopkins
Paul Whittall
Paul Burgess
Rick Maunder
Barbara O'Donovan
Harry Sievey

Over a four-year period between their formation and break-up in 1982, the Freshies released several singles, as well as three studio albums.

Since Sievey's death in 2010, the Freshies reformed for sporadic appearances at tribute events to their founder; these occasionally included his son Harry Sievey on lead vocals and guitar, until his passing in 2017.

Original members Barry Spencer and Rick Sarko reformed the band permanently in 2019, following the release of the documentary Being Frank: The Chris Sievey Story. This lineup of the Freshies includes Paul Taylor (guitar) and Chris Connolly (drums). In 2020, the band announced plans to release their first new material since 1982.

Career

Chris Sievey had recorded since the early 1970s, and released two cassettes under his own name before starting the Bees Knees in 1972 with bass guitarist Paul Burke which they renamed the Freshies in 1974. According to Sievey, when the band were looking for a guitarist, a fourteen-year-old Johnny Marr appeared at his house wanting to join the band but was told that he was too young.[2] The Freshies EP was released in 1978 on Sievey's own Razz record label, and was followed later that year by the hopefully titled Straight In at No. 2 EP.[3] Others who played with Sievey included, in the early lineup, Martin Jackson (later with Magazine and Swing Out Sister) and Billy Duffy (later with the Cult). In 1978, the band included Barry Spencer (guitar), Eddie Carter (guitar), and Bob Dixon (drums).[3] By 1979, the band was Sievey, Spencer, Rick Sarko (bass, ex-the Nosebleeds) and Mike Doherty (drums, ex-the Smirks).[3] Others who played in the band include Lyn Oakey (guitar), Steve Hopkins (keyboards), Paul Whittall(keyboards), Paul Burgess (drums), and Rick Maunder (bass).[4]

The band's biggest selling single and best known song is 1980's "I'm in Love with the Girl on the Manchester Virgin Megastore Check-out Desk" renamed as "I'm in Love with the Girl on a Certain Manchester Megastore Check-out Desk" on request from Radio 1 (a version with "Virgin" bleeped out to allow it to be played on the radio without being considered advertising was also released), which reached number 54 on the UK Singles Chart in February 1981 after being picked up by MCA, eventually selling over 40,000 copies.[5][6] At the time, the girl who was the subject of the song was frequently asked by fans to autograph copies of the single. The single's success prompted Richard Branson to undertake a search for the former checkout girl in question in 2006, wishing to invite her to the opening of the new Virgin Megastore in Manchester, in recognition of the role she played in the history of the original store.[6]

Sievey pre-dated the self-financing ethic of punk when he created his own record label Razz in 1974. Razz went on to release over sixty titles, including much of the Freshies material. They also produced the first multi-media single by including The Biz, a Sinclair Spectrum game, on the tape version of one of their singles, something which Sievey later did himself as a solo artist with his 45 RPM single "Camouflage"[3] (which included the Spectrum game Flying Train).[7]

The Freshies split up in February 1982.[4] Sievey continued with the Freshies name for a while, working as a duo with Barbara O'Donovan, and released the "Fasten Your Seatbelts" single (as the Freshies) in September 1982 and "Camouflage" (under his own name) in 1983. Sievey later found fame as Frank Sidebottom.

Three members of the Freshies in a 2019 documentary commemorating Sievey's work

Sievey died on 21 June 2010 in Hale, Greater Manchester, at the age of 54. He had been suffering from cancer.[8]

Discography

Albums

Year Title Label Notes
1978 All Sleeps Secrets Razz Records
Manchester Plays Stick It in Your Ear! Promo album
1979 The Freshies Sing the Girls from Banana Island Who's Stupid Ideas Never Caught On in the Western World as We Know It Razz Records
1980 Rough 'N' Ready
1981 London Plays Promo album
1985 The Johnny Radar Story 11:37
Studio Out-Takes Outtakes collection
Compilations
Year Title Label Notes
1982 In Love With... Razz
1985 Early Razz 11:37 With Chris Sievey
2005 The Very Very Best Of... Some Long and Short Titles Cherry Red
2013 Early Singles 1977 Box set of six 7 inches

EPs

Year Title Label Note
1978 Washed Up / Moon Midsummer Razz Split 7" with Chris Sievey
1979 Straight In at No. 2
The Men from Banana Island Whos Stupid Ideas Never Caught On in the Western World as We Know It
1980 Wrap Up the Rockets
1984 Untitled Virgin With Chris Sievey

Singles

Year Title Label Note
1980 "My Tape's Gone / Moonmid Summer" Razz
"We're Like You / Hey" Split 7" with Chris Sievey
"Yellow Spot / If Its News"
"Oh Girl / No Money"
"I'm in Love with the Girl on the Manchester Virgin Megastore Checkout Desk" MCA
1981 "I'm in Love with the Girl on a Certain Manchester Megastore Checkout Desk" Charted at 54 on the UK Singles Chart, 14 February 1981
"Wrap Up the Rockets"
"I Can't Get "Bouncing Babies" by the Teardrop Explodes / Tell Her I'm Ill"
"Dancin' Doctors / One to One" Razz
1982 "If You Really Love Me, Buy Me a Shirt / I Am the Walrus" CV
"Fasten Your Seat Belts / Best We Can Do" Stiff

VHS

  • Razzvizz 2 (1981), Razz

Lineup

On the Freshies' first release, 1977's All Sleep's Secrets, Sievey was the only credited artist.[9] The earliest known line up of the band beyond just Sievey also consists of Barry Spencer on vocals and guitar, Paul Whittle on keyboards, Richard Maunder on bass, and Bob Dixon on drums. This is the lineup featured on the 1978 promo cassette Manchester Plays.[10] The 1979 Banana Island album credits a similar line-up, minus Paul Whittle who is replaced by Sievey on keyboards.[11] In 1980, Bob Dixon was replaced by Neil Tomkinson on drums for the "Yellow Spot"[12] and "My Tape's Gone" singles,[13] before himself being replaced by Mike Doherty for the Rough N Ready mini-album. Also replaced for the mini-album was Richard Maunder on bass guitar, who was replaced with Rick Sarko.[14] This line up would play on two 1981 singles; "Dancin' Doctors"[15] and "If You Really Love Me, Buy Me a Shirt",[16] before breaking up. In 1982, Sievey would release a single with Barbara O'Donovan under the name the Freshies, titled "Fasten Your Seatbelts". In 1984, he released an untitled solo EP as the Freshies, and in 1985 would release The Johnny Radar Story, as the Freshies.

References

  1. "Freshies | Biography & History". AllMusic.
  2. Robb, John (2009) The North Will Rise Again: Manchester Music City (1977-1996), Aurum, ISBN 978-1-84513-534-8, p. 69
  3. Strong, Martin C. (2003) The Great Indie Discography, Canongate, ISBN 1-84195-335-0, p. 72
  4. Gimarc, George (2005) Punk Diary, Backbeat Books, ISBN 0-87930-848-6, p. 212, 243, 579
  5. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 215. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  6. Keegan, Mike (2006) "Branson Hunts Mystery Girl", Manchester Evening News, 18 November 2006
  7. Bunder, Leslie B. (April 1985). "Sieving Through The Biz". Crash. Newsfield Publications Ltd (15). ISSN 0954-8661.
  8. "The Dead Rock Stars Club January to June 2010". Thedeadrockstarsclub.com.
  9. The Freshies - All Sleeps Secerets Credits - Razz Records, 1977
  10. The Freshies - Manchester Plays Credits - Stick It In Your Ear Tapes!, 1982
  11. The Freshies - Sing The Girls From Banana Island Who's Stupid Ideas Never Caught On In The Western World As We Know It Credits - Razz Records, 1979
  12. The Freshies – Yellow Spot Credits - Razz Records, 1980
  13. The Freshies – My Tape's Gone Contributors - Razz Records, 1980
  14. The Freshies – Rough 'N' Ready Credits - Razz Records, 1980
  15. The Freshies – Dancin' Doctors Credits - Razz Records 1981
  16. Chris Sievey And The Freshies – If You Really Love Me, Buy Me A Shirt Credits - 1977 Records, 2002
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