In what has to be a new precedent for the UMR, I first discovered this band via a 45 single. When I first heard 'Doctor Tom', by a band called Freedom of Choice, it was such a perfect fit for my Post Psych, Proto Prog with Female Vocals list, it could practically be the sound sample for the entire genre. So I promptly purchased the 45 (not expensive and from a local friend no less) and looked forward to promoting it here. And then... after a bit more research - discovered that Freedom of Choice was in fact the same band as Freedom North. And taking it even further than that, the 'Doctor Tom' cut was released simply under the name of Freedom. What? Discogs has it messed up - wrongly attributing Freedom of Choice as an alias verse an ANV (Alternate Name Variation). RYM has it listed under both names as well. Best guess here is the band was named Freedom and changed it Freedom North to avoid confusion with the more established English band at the time. In the US, the Wand label probably thought Freedom North was too "Canadian sounding" and went with Freedom of Choice. OK, once that all was sorted out, I found out that the Freedom of North album had been reissued on CD just recently - and with bonus cuts. Cool!
So here we are, and not all is lost on my 45 investment, as the 'Doctor Tom' is a slight variation on the LP version. The better news is the album itself is excellent. Right from the horn rockin' opener 'Ordinary Man' through to the psychedelic closer 'Vancouver' (the band were from Montreal incidentally), the album is filled with inventive tunes and excellent instrumentation. Freedom North are sailing way under the radar, and it's high time for them to get noticed.
Ownership: CD: 2018 Unidisc. Comes in a mini-LP sleeve. Unfortunately Unidisc is like a Canadian Wounded Bird, and no other information is offered (which is needed here). It does feature 4 bonus tracks, though only 2 are noted on the back of the sleeve (the hype sticker has all 4 however). The first 2 tracks are from 45s, and the last 2 have no provenance.
Also own SP: 1970 Wand (Freedom of Choice - Doctor Tom / Fat Man)
6/1/20 (first listen / review / new entry)
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