The Freeborne

About

Psychedelic pop rock band formed in Boston, Massachusetts (USA) in 1966, from the remnants of two local frat rock groups, the Indigos and the Missing Links. The band name was inspired by the film Born Free (James Hill 1966). Associated with the Bosstown Sound. Line-up: Bob Margolin (lead guitar) Dave Codd (bass guitar, vocals) Nick Carstoiu (lead singer, rhythm guitar, keyboards) Lew Lipson (drums) Mike Spiros (keyboards, trumpet). The Indigos and the Missing Links performed covers of Top 40 radio hits, but key players sought to move on from both bands in hopes of penning original material. 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 3 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. The band did open for the Velvet Underground and the Left Banke at a venue called the Boston Tea Party. They also opened 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 2 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 notable success in music after the Freeborne, performing with Muddy Waters in the 1970s.