Category Archives: Penns Grove

The Friedles

The Friedles in 1968
The Friedles in 1968

Fried Brothers (Friedles) Scope 45 I Lost HerThe Friedles were the four Fried brothers from Penns Grove in southwestern New Jersey: Mike and Herman Fried on guitars, Simon Fried on bass and Milton Fried (just 14 years old at the time of their first record!) on drums.They went across the river to Ken-Del Studio in Wilmington, Delaware to make their first record “I Lost Her” / “I’m So Glad” with Milt singing lead vocals. Released as the Fried Brothers on Scope, it was mastered louder and issued again on the Hanna label. The sound may come off as somewhat crude, but there’s no denying the energy and spirit in the brothers’ delivery. “I Lost Her” was written by Mike and Milt, “I’m So Glad” by Herm and Milt.

The Fried Brothers (Friedles) Ken-Del demo 45 rpm I Do Love Her
The Fried Brothers (Friedles) Ken-Del demo 45 rpm I Do Love Her
“I Lost Her” entered Wilmington, DE station WAMS Top 30 survey the week of September 11, 1965 at #30. In the following weeks it rose to #24, #17, #13 (this time listed with it’s flip side, “I’m So Glad”), #11 and finally reached #10, its highest point, on October 23.

Friedles at #30 WAMS Top 30 survey, September 11, 1965

Two other songs from their early sessions at Ken Del went unissued, “I Do Love Her”, with lead vocals by Si Fried, and “The Joke’s on You”, which I haven’t heard. Both of these were written by the Fried brothers, as were the two songs on their next record.

Fried Brothers (Friedles) and Norris Austin Bat 45 Don't Tell Me What to DoIssued in a cool bat-themed sleeve for some reason, “She Can Go” is kind of a cross between the Searchers’ “Needles and Pins” and the Zombies’ “Tell Her No”. “Don’t Tell Me What to Do” on the flip sounds more natural, with fine punk attitude and great harmonies. The song opens with a great bass line, and Mike and Herm Fried’s guitar playing is excellent throughout. This record credits Norris Austin on organ, and the drumming by Milt is excellent.

The Fried Brothers (Friedles) Ken-Del demo 45 rpm The Jokes On You
The Fried Brothers (Friedles) Ken-Del demo 45 rpm The Jokes On You

Fried Brothers (Friedles) South Jersey Recording Service demo 45

Fried Brothers (Friedles) South Jersey Recording Service demo 45 When Love
Fried Brothers (Friedles) South Jersey Recording Service demo 45 When Love

By 1968 their sound had become psychedelic, even as their image stayed fairly conservative. The band went to Jim Hanna’s South Jersey Recording Service in Woodstown, NJ to cut a couple songs that weren’t issued at the time. Bassist Si Fried sings “When Love”. One of the great unissued songs of the ’60s, it didn’t see the light of day until 1984, when it was released on the classic and long out-of-print Attack of the Jersey Teens compilation, which I also have to thank for the photo of the band.

The other song from this session is also excellent, “Love the Way You Love Me”, sung by Milt.

Charlie Bum South Jersey Recording Service demo 45 When Love
Charlie Bum South Jersey Recording Service demo 45 When Love

The band seems to have dissolved soon after. Milton Fried started referring to himself as Charlie, or Charlie Bumm. He and Mike Fried went back to South Jersey in 1971 to cut Mike’s song “Early in the Morning”. With the band credited as ‘Charlie Bum’, Mike plays guitar and takes the first lead vocal, Charlie played drums and sings the second lead (with the high-pitched wails), and Tom Fanty played bass. Two other songs recorded at South Jersey in ’71 feature Charlie playing all instruments and vocals: a slower version of their ’65 song “I Do Love Her” and a cover of the Marmalade’s “Reflections of My Life”. For some reason, these songs are in mono on the acetates.

Simon Fried passed away in 1999. Thank you to Charlie Fried for sending me additional songs, information about the sessions and photocopies of the acetate label scans.

Thanks also to Joe Mullin for the scan of his Scope 45.

Update: Mike Fried passed away on March 15, 2013.

Charlie Bum South Jersey Recording Service demo 45 I Do Love Her
Charlie Bum South Jersey Recording Service demo 45 I Do Love Her
Fried Brothers (Friedles) Ken-Del demo 45 rpm I'm So Glad
Fried Brothers (Friedles) Ken-Del demo 45 rpm I’m So Glad
Milton Fried notes on the Friedles Charlie Bum 1
Milton Fried’s notes on the songs of the Friedles and Charlie Bum 1
Milton Fried notes on the Friedles Charlie Bum 2
Milton Fried’s notes on the songs of the Friedles and Charlie Bum 2
Milton Fried notes on the Friedles Charlie Bum 3
Milton Fried’s notes on the songs of the Friedles and Charlie Bum 3
Milton Fried notes on the Friedles Charlie Bum 4
Milton Fried’s notes on the songs of the Friedles and Charlie Bum 4