Sadly, the back catalog of the greatest rock band of the ‘70s, the Flamin’ Groovies, is seriously FUBAR, with essential titles flying in-and-out of print with disturbing regularity. This year’s model of the band’s incredible second album doesn’t include any much-coveted Groovies bonus material, but it is available, so whatcha gripin’ about?
Flamingo is a joyous romp through the record collections of Cyril Jordan and the soon-departed Roy Loney, a spirited collection of rootsy garage-rock, proto-punk, R&B, electric blues, Elvis, Gene Vincent, and Brit Invasion pop-rock. Recorded in glorious lo-fi, the Groovies manage to cut through the production muck nonetheless with crazed, inspired performances.
The album’s lone cover – a manic reading of Little Richard’s "Keep a Knockin’" – will jump right from the speakers and grab you by the ears! Get it now before it’s gone again… (American Beat Records, reissue released 2008)
It's July and summer is in full-swing, and while many labels have pulled new LPs from their heavy-hitters until the fall, when things may have calmed down a bit, that doesn't mean that there isn't a bunch of groovy tunes coming our way this month. There are new albums from Americana legends Ray Wylie Hubbard (recorded with friends like Joe Walsh and Larkin Poe) and the Jayhawks, 1980s rock icons the Pretenders and the Psychedelic Furs; as well as prog-rock from Steve Howe, hip-hop from The Streets, and post-punk from Gang of Four, to name but a few. The archival releases are hopping, too, with R&B classics from James Booker and Irma Thomas, a long-overdue compilation album from Bill Kirchen, a long overdue reissue of the too-cool-for-school Flamin' Groovies album Now, and much more!
Release dates are probably gonna change and nobody tells me when they do. If
you’re interesting in buying an album, just hit the ‘Buy!’ link to
get it from Amazon.com...it’s just that damn easy! Your purchase puts
valuable ‘store credit’ in the Reverend’s pocket that he’ll use to buy
more music to write about in a never-ending loop of rock ‘n’ roll
ecstasy! If you're boycotting Amazon and don't have an indie record store close by, may we suggest shopping with our friends at Grimey's Music
in Nashville? They have a great selection of vinyl available by mail
order, offer quick service, and if you don't see what you want on their
website, check out their Discogs shop!
JULY 10
The Beths - Jump Rope Gazers BUY!
The Flamin' Groovies - Now BUY!
Glass Animals - Dreamland BUY!
Grateful Dead - Workingman's Dead: 50th Anniversary Edition [3-CD box] BUY!
Ray Wylie Hubbard - Co-Starring BUY!
The Jayhawks - XOXO BUY!
The Streets - None of Us Are Getting Out of This Life Alive BUY!
Rufus Wainwright - Unfollow the Rules BUY!
JULY 17
Gang of Four - Anti Hero BUY!
Laraaji - Sun Piano BUY!
The Pretenders - Hate For Sale BUY!
The Shaggs - Shaggs' Own Thing [vinyl reissue] BUY!
JULY 24
Jon Hassell - Seeing Through Sound (Pentimento Volume Two)BUY!
Bill Kirchen - The Proper Years [two-disc retrospective] BUY!
JULY 31
James Booker - Classified [vinyl reissue] BUY!
The Coronas - True Love Waits BUY!
Fontaines D.C. - A Hero's Death BUY!
Steve Howe - Love Is BUY!
The Psychedelic Furs - Made of Rain BUY!
Irma Thomas - After the Rain [vinyl reissue] BUY!
Album of the Month: Hands down, I gotta go with the long-overdue CD reissue of the Flamin' Groovies' Now! The band's 1978 follow-up to the transcendent Shake Some Action, it found the Groovies hitting the reset button with new guitarist Mike Wilhelm (The Charlatans) on a set comprised largely of covers of songs from the Beatles, Paul Revere and the Raiders, the Rolling Stones, and Cliff Richard. There are a few new original tunes by bandleader Cyril Jordan, but overall it felt like the band was trying to find its footing again after delivering a trio of classic rock 'n' roll discs in the early-to-mid-70s.
Still, Now has been out-of-print on CD for roughly 15 years, so it's good to get it back. Plus, next month our friends at MVD will be reissuing the Groovies' 1979 LP, Jumpin' In the Night. Now, if only some archival label would get around to reissuing those late '70s Roy Loney & the Phantom Strangers albums, all would be good with the world...
Who would have thought that, after 38 years, the Flamin’ Groovies would see a reunion of original band member Cyril Jordan and longtime singer/guitarist Chris Wilson to write and record a new album? Well, fellow travelers, the word is true and Fantastic Plastic is the result of this holy matrimony of teenage kicks and cheap thrills. The first Groovies’ flapjack since 1979’s criminally-underrated Jumpin’ In The Night, the new platter was produced by Jordan and guitarist Joel Jaffe and features ten red-hot new tunes penned by the team of Jordan and Wilson as well as a pair of too-cool-for-school covers in NRBQ’s “I Want You Bad” and the Beau Brummels’ “Don’t Talk To Strangers.”
The Flamin’ Groovies were formed in San Francisco in1965 by guitarist Jordan and singer/guitarist Roy Loney. The independent release of a seven-song 10” EP called Sneakers led to a CBS Records contract, the label releasing the Groovies’ 1969 debut LP Supersnazz. The band’s fast-burning, high-octane blend of ‘50s-inspired and ‘60s-wired power-pop, punk, and garage-rock was easily a decade or three ahead of its time, and CBS dropped the Groovies after poor sales. This forced the band to play major label bingo over the next few years, timeless albums like1970’s Flamingo and 1971’s Teenage Head released by Kama Sutra, later albums released by Sire Records. Loney jumped ship in the mid-‘70s, replaced by Wilson for 1976’s classic Shake Some Action album. The band broke up in 1980 after releasing a couple more rockin’ records that were ignored by a music-buying hoi polloi mesmerized by Top 40 hit radio.
Flamin’ Groovies’ Fantastic Plastic
In spite of their tragic obscurity during the rough ‘n’ tumble decade of the ‘70s, the Groovies’ handful of albums have since become considered important signposts along the pop/rock highway, influencing artists like NRBQ, the dB’s, and the Plimsouls, among many, many others. Listening to Fantastic Plastic, I’m not going to tell you that it’s a “return to form” or that it “sounds as good as the old stuff,” although the long-admirable musical chemistry between Jordan and Wilson couldn’t be re-created in a laboratory with any currently-known scientific equipment. I will tell you, however, that Fantastic Plastic rocks from stem to stern, a dozen sizzling tracks to bend your brain and cause rhythmic spasms in your metatarsus.
Forty minutes of musical bliss rolls out slowly with “What The Hell’s Goin’ On,” a low-slung raunch ‘n’ roll groove asking a question for the ages with a grinding rhythm, greasy fretwork, and drawled vocals that sound drenched in 90-proof whiskey. The whirling energy of “End of the World” harkens back to the band’s psychedelic SF roots, with an understated riff sounding like Blue Oyster Cult on a peyote bender while melodic crescendos of sound wash over your ears. The Groovies’ hit full stride with “Don’t Talk To Strangers,” an obscure Beau Brummels single they give a full 1965 makeover, the band capturing the original’s throwback vibe with Byrdsian jangle and shards of hallucinogenic-drenched guitar.
Just Like A Hurricane
The band original “Let Me Rock” is equally invigorating, solid rhythm guitar and explosive percussion creating a cacophonic backdrop for Wilson’s soulful vocals and the band’s backing harmonies. Squealing guitar licks and dense production create an exhilarating listening experience while the “save our music” lyrics are delightfully retro. The Groovies’ influence on their contemporaries NRBQ flows both ways, and the band’s cover of the Q’s “I Want You Bad” is every bit as heartbreakingly yearning as the original. With a wall of sound blanketing the performance, ‘60s-styled guitars break free to create a vibe while the wistful vox are spot on. The rockabilly-fueled “Crazy Macy” is the unusual misstep here, the crack in the windshield that you’ll stare at for hours, wondering when it’s going to break loose.
Although a technically perfect pastiche of rockabilly sound with manic guitars and machine-gun rhythms, “Crazy Macy” falls short of the high standard set by the other material on Fantastic Plastic. Much better is the British Invasion-tinged “Just Like A Hurricane,” a roller-coaster ride of echoed vocals and claustrophobic rhythms with piercing git licks (anybody else here remember Speedy Keen?). The shimmering instrumental “I’d Rather Spend My Time With You” features noted producer and rock ‘n’ roll archivist Alec Palao on bass and Tubes/Todd Rundgren drummer Prairie Prince for a surf-rock inspired rave-up that reminds of Dick Dale’s classic romps. Fantastic Plastic closes with “Cryin’ Shame,” the Byrds/Roger McGuinn-styled guitar intro evolving into a lovely mid-tempo rocker with gang harmonies and sparkling fretwork balanced atop a steady rhythmic framework.
The Reverend’s Bottom Line
There’s some mad genius level insanity going on in the grooves of Fantastic Plastic, the Flamin’ Groovies delivering a much better album than one would expect after nearly four decades of creative separation for songwriters Cyril Jordan and Chris Wilson. It’s like they dug a beloved old hot rod out of the garage from behind the stacks of old newspapers and worn-out tires and found that, with a little polish and some fresh gas, the monster cranks right up like it’s 1980 all over again.
The Flamin’ Groovies’ first album of the 21st century is by no means a classic on the level of Shake Some Action, but it ain’t chopped liver, either. The Groovies shake off the ring rust to deliver one of the most consistent – and consistently entertaining – recordings of a career that now spans seven decades. Fantastic Plastic promises old school rock ‘n’ roll in a manner unlike just about any other band spinning its wheels these days, the Flamin’ Groovies proudly carrying the torch for an era that refuses to die. Grade: B+ (Sonic Kicks Records, released September 22, 2017)
Talk about a wealth of choices, the month of September has it all – blues-rock (Walter Trout, Tommy Castro), indie rock (Mogwai, Ted Leo), hard rock (Living Colour, Foo Fighters), and classic reissues (Bash & Pop, Chris Bell, Frank Zappa & the Mothers) – as well as a fitting goodbye to an old friend with Gregg Allman's final album, and much, more more! There are five Fridays in September, meaning more new releases, so no matter your taste in music, there's something for you here. If we wrote about it, there'll be a link to it in the album title, if you want an album, hit the 'Buy!' link to get it from Amazon.com...it's just that damn easy! Your purchase puts money in the Reverend's pocket that he'll use to buy more music to write about in a never-ending loop of rock 'n' roll ecstasy!
SEPTEMBER 22 Black Country Communion - BCCIVBUY! Michael Bloomfield - Live at McCabe's Guitar WorkshopBUY! Flamin' Groovies - Fantastic PlasticBUY! The Killers - Wonderful WonderfulBUY! Lee 'Scratch' Perry & Subatomic Sound System - Super Ape Returns to ConquerBUY! Roadcase Royale - First Things First (w/Nancy Wilson of Heart) BUY! Leon Russell - On A Distant ShoreBUY! Brian Wilson - Playback: The Brian Wilson AnthologyBUY!
Album of the Month: Gregg Allman's Southern Blood, the final album from the rock 'n' blues legend. Produced by Don Was in historic Muscle Shoals, Alabama this is Allman's first studio album since 2011's award-winning Low Country Blues. The acclaimed vocalist chose to record some of his favorite songs for Southern Blood, including material by blues giant Willie Dixon, Lowell George (Little Feat), Jackson Browne, Jerry Garcia & Robert Hunter (Grateful Dead), and the legendary songwriting team of Spooner Oldham and Dan Penn. We hate to see him go, but Allman left us a great gift in the form of one more album to cap off almost 50 years of great music!
News just doesn’t get better than this…after almost 38 years, rock ‘n’ roll legends the Flamin’ Groovies are returning with a brand new album! Titled Fantastic Plastic, the album will be released on September 22, 2017 on the band’s own Sonic Kicks Records label in association with Severn Records. The release will be the first Groovies’ studio album since 1979’s Jumpin’ In the Night and represents the reunion of original band member Cyril Jordan and longtime guitarist Chris Wilson.
Produced by Cyril Jordan and Joel Jaffe (who also contributes guitar) and largely recorded at Studio D in Sausalito, Fantastic Plastic features ten new original tunes penned by Jordan and Wilson as well as covers of the Beau Brummels’ “Don’t Talk To Strangers” and NRBQ’s “I Want You Bad.”
Formed in 1965 by guitarist Jordan and singer/guitarist Roy Loney, the Flamin’ Groovies quickly found an audience in their hometown of San Francisco. The release of a 10” seven-song EP titled Sneakers earned the band a contract with CBS, which released the Groovies’ subsequent 1969 debut album, Supersnazz. Audiences weren’t ready for the Groovies’ 1950s-inspired, ‘60s-oriented hybrid of power pop, punk, and garage rock and poor sales led to the label dropping the band shortly after the LP’s release.
Undaunted, the Groovies were signed by Kama Sutra Records, which released a pair of bona fide classic rock ‘n’ roll LPs in 1970’s Flamingo and 1971’s Teenage Head. Once again, audiences weren’t keeping up with the band’s evolution in sound. Going on a five-year hiatus that saw the departure of lead vocalist Loney (who later formed his Phantom Movers band), the Flamin’ Groovies roared back with new singer and guitarist Chris Wilson to record what would become the band’s ‘magnum opus’, 1976’s classic Shake Some Action, released by Sire Records.
The label would release two more Groovies’ albums – 1978’s Flamin’ Groovies Now and 1979’s Jumpin’ In the Night – both of which displayed a harder-edged, punkier sound, before dropping the band. Wilson jumped ship in 1980 to join the Barracudas, and Jordan kept the Groovies going until he pulled the plug in 1992. Always slightly ahead of their time, none of the Groovies’ Sire releases sold particularly well, although all have since become considered as important albums that influenced both the evolution of punk rock and power-pop, and the Groovies’ sound can be heard in the music of folks like NRBQ, Matthew Sweet, the dB’s, and the Plimsouls, among many others.
Jordan and Wilson reunited in London in 2013 where Jordan was performing with Groovies co-founder Loney. One thing led to another, and the Groovies’ reformed with Jordan and Wilson and began doing live shows. Fantastic Plastic was the result of sporadic recording sessions held over a three-year period as the band met in San Francisco to rehearsals. “The second time we got together,” recalls Jordan in a press release for the new album, “I said, ‘let’s go to Sausalito, let’s do some recording. If we’re going to cut an album, let’s keep going like we were in the days with Sire, writing original material in the style that we’ve chosen.’ Every time we got together, we’d go in the studio and lay down two or three basic tracks, and then I would start overdubbing, and Chris would come down and we’d do vocals. It’s taken us almost three years to do the album – recording it that way, we had to wait until the next tour, and the guys would come into town and start up again.”
Fortunately, Jordan and Wilson quickly found their songwriting groove “It was 33 years that we hadn’t seen each other – we’re talking three decades,” says Jordan. “But when we got back together and I started showing him the musical ideas I had for [the new song] ‘End of the World,’ he immediately came up with the second verse. It was as if time and space hadn’t affected us. It was the same as it was back in 1979 when we were writing the songs for Jumpin’ In the Night. We went back and locked into that. It’s really amazing.”
Largely recorded with original band bassist George Alexander and latter-day Groovies’ drummer Victor Penalosa, Fantastic Plastic includes assistance from members of the Fabulous Thunderbirds. The instrumental song “I’d Rather Spend My Time With You” was recorded with noted producer/archivist Alec Palao on bass and Tubes/Todd Rundgren drummer Prairie Prince. The band will be on the road for a number of late-August dates on the east coast before spending most of September performing in Europe. The Groovies will return to the states in October for shows in Chicago, Cleveland, Nashville, St. Louis, and elsewhere. In the meantime, we get a cool new Flamin’ Groovies album…and that’s good news, indeed!
Archival specialists Rhino Records has announced their first ever “Rocktober” celebration, the label planning on releasing limited-edition vinyl reissue of some classic – and some not-so-classic – rock ‘n’ roll albums throughout the month of October. The party kicks off on Tuesday, October 4th, 2016 with an über-cool slate of titles that includes Deep Purple’s Machine Head and Twisted Sister’s Stay Hungry.
The celebration continues throughout the month, each Tuesday bringing a brand new batch of vinyl goodies from the likes of the Stooges, the Small Faces, Iron Butterfly, ZZ Top, and the Flamin’ Groovies, among others. These audio flapjacks will only be available at participating brick and mortar record stores, so fluff up your sleeping bag and get ready to camp out overnight to buy the cheap thrills vinyl of your choice from the handy list below.
October 4th
• Deep Purple – Machine Head (clear vinyl, limited edition of 2500 copies, $21.98 list) *
• Foreigner – 4 (red colored vinyl, limited edition of 2400 copies, $19.98 list) *
• Jet – Get Born (180gr black vinyl, $21.98 list) +
• Twisted Sister – Stay Hungry (pink & black starburst colored vinyl w/band poster, limited edition of 2500 copies, $21.98 list) *
October 11th
• Iron Butterfly – Heavy (stereo version, 180gr black vinyl, $19.98 list)
• ZZ Top – Eliminator (red colored vinyl, $19.98 list)
October 18th
• Alice Cooper – Billion Dollar Babies (green, yellow & orange marble vinyl w/one billion dollar bill insert, limited edition of 3000 copies, $24.98 list) *
• Small Faces – First Step (orange vinyl, $19.98 list)
• The Stooges – The Stooges (gold & brown colored vinyl, $19.98 list)
October 25th
• Buckcherry – 15 (10th anniversary vinyl edition, $19.98 list) *
• Heaven & Hell – The Devil You Know (two-LP set on dark orange & gold colored vinyl w/band poster and etching on side four, limited edition of 2000 copies, $27.98 list) *
• T-Rex – T-Rex (remastered vinyl & CD release, $19.98 list each) +
• The Flamin’ Groovies – Groovies Greatest Grooves (two-LP vinyl set, $27.98 list)
* Only available in the U.S.
+ Only available in North America
