''Afreaka!'' was the first album released by the English rock band
Demon Fuzz
Demon Fuzz was an English rock band which was formed in 1968 and broke up in 1972. Its members had all immigrated to Britain from Commonwealth countries. The band's name means "devil's children or bad policemen". The band's music has generally b ...
. It was initially issued in 1970 by
Dawn Records, to which the group was signed. The following year, a U.S. pressing was made by
Janus Records
Janus Records was a record label owned by GRT Records, also known as General Recorded Tape. The label was in operation from 1969 to 1979.
History
Janus was founded in July 1969 as a joint venture of GRT and British label Pye Records. In its ...
(catalog number JLS 3028).
It was a ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' "4-STAR" selection in June 1971. In the 21st century, another pressing on vinyl was made by Janus under the same catalog number as the 1971 edition.
Three CD reissues were produced, all of which include as bonus tracks 'Message To Mankind', 'Fuzz Oriental Blues' and the band's cover of
Screamin' Jay Hawkins
Jalacy J. "Screamin' Jay" Hawkins (July 18, 1929 – February 12, 2000) was an American singer-songwriter, musician, actor, film producer, and boxer. Famed chiefly for his powerful, operatic vocal delivery and wildly theatrical performances of ...
' '
I Put A Spell On You
"I Put a Spell on You" is a 1956 song written and composed by Jalacy "Screamin' Jay" Hawkins, whose own recording of it was selected as one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. It was also included in Rober ...
', all from the group's 1970
maxi-single
A maxi single or maxi-single (sometimes abbreviated to MCD or CDM) is a music single release with more than the usual two tracks of an A-side song and a B-side song.
The first maxi singles
Mungo Jerry's first single, " In the Summertime" was th ...
. In Japan, a two-CD (12-cm and 8-cm) set in a
gatefold
A gatefold cover or gatefold LP is a form of packaging for LP records that became popular in the mid-1960s. A gatefold cover, when folded, is the same size as a standard LP cover (i.e., a 12½ inch, or 32.7 centimetre square). The larger gatef ...
paper sleeve was made by Arcàngelo in 2004.
Castle Music released a CD (catalog number CMRCD 1197) in 2005.
Esoteric Recordings in the UK issued a CD in 2009 (catalog number ECLEC2111).
The musical style has predominantly been described as
progressive rock
Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...
,
soul
In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being".
Etymology
The Modern English noun '':wikt:soul, soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The ea ...
[ and funk,] as well as acid rock
Acid rock is a loosely defined type of rock music that evolved out of the mid-1960s garage punk movement and helped launch the psychedelic subculture. Named after lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), the style is generally defined by heavy, di ...
, jazz fusion
Jazz fusion (also known as fusion and progressive jazz) is a music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric guitars, amplifiers, and key ...
[ and ]jazz rock
Jazz fusion (also known as fusion and progressive jazz) is a music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric guitars, amplifiers, and key ...
. The recording is sometimes sampled by latter-day DJs.[
]
Track listing
Credits
*Sleepy Jack Joseph - bass
*Ayinde Folarin - congas
*Paddy Corea - congas, flute, sax, arrangements
*Steven John - drums
*W. Raphael Joseph - guitar
*Ray Rhoden - piano, organ
*Barry Murray - production
*Clarance Brooms Crosdale - trombone
*Smokey Adams - vocals
References
{{Authority control
Dawn Records albums
1970 debut albums
Progressive rock albums by English artists
Soul albums by English artists
Funk albums by English artists
Acid rock albums
Jazz fusion albums by English artists