“Le Freak” is probably Chic’s definitive song, driven by its insistent chorus and Nile Rodgers’ classic rhythm guitar. The chorus, of course, leads the song, instantly letting everyone know what song it is. It’s one of those songs that everyone is aware of – one of the iconic songs of the disco era. So it takes some guts to drop the chorus from the opening in your cover. And to drop basically everything else that makes the song so identifiable.
But that’s just what Australian garage rock revival act Neo-Magics do on their new cover of “Le Freak.” Supposedly birthed not long after Chic originally broke up, they performed a show and never performed again. They reformed over 30 years later to record covers from various decades as if they are all ’60s garage rock. This is their latest venture.
Instead of the “One, two…Ah, freak out!” that everyone knows, we get a classic ’60s fuzz-toned guitar for the intro and then, yes, straight into the verse. Sacrilege! There’s no sign of disco here, as the sound of ’60s garage rock is immacutely recreated. Even the bass fills in the break before the guitar solo – yup, there’s a fuzzy guitar solo – do not sound funky.
The cover is quite briefly, clocking in at under two minutes. They don’t waste any time, singing the verses and choruses, adding their brief break and solo and ending the the song before you know what happened. There’s certainly a temptation, early on, to wonder if you’re even listening to a cover of “Le Freak” (especially if, like me and so many others, you only know the chorus).
