Flamin Groovies – United Artists Records – 1972

Slow Death / Tallahassee Lassie

Married Woman / Get A Shot Of Rythm And Blues

Originating during the U.S summer of love in 1965 (took the U.K several years to catch on) Flamin Groovies from San Francisco had already seen it, done it, worn the T-Shirt etc by the time of this release in 1972. The bands back to basic rock ‘n’ roll seemed to appeal to UK bands more so than over the pond in the U.S. Lots of influence to bands like the mighty Mott The Hoople and a little afterwards Dr Feelgood, Count Bishops and 101ers. These bands in turn influenced the slighty younger hopefuls into created high energy rock ‘n’ roll bands with a spin, or should that read, high energy rock ‘n’ roll bands with a safety pin!

Text below stolen with intent to use right here from allmusic.com.

One of America’s greatest, most influential, and legendary cult bands, the Flamin’ Groovies came out of the San Francisco area in 1965 playing greasy, bluesy, rock & roll dashed with a liberal sprinkling of British Invasion panache, in an era soon to be dominated by hippie culture and hyperextended raga-rock freakouts. Caught in a double bind of playing the wrong kind of music at the wrong time (as well as not looking the part), the Groovies were almost completely forgotten as the Fillmore/Avalon Ballroom scenes, dominated by the Dead, the Jefferson Airplane, et al., rendered them anachronistic. The plain truth, however, was that despite not being in tune with the zeitgeist, the Groovies made great music, and managed to sustain a career that lasted for over two decades.

What made the Groovies such a formidable band was the double dynamite supplied by guitarist Cyril Jordan and singer/wildman Roy A. Loney. Together they formed an uneasy partnership that guided the band through its most fertile period, from 1968-1971. In 1968, for next to nothing, the band recorded a seven-song EP entitled ‘Sneakers’. This little bit of DIY ingenuity resulted in a contract with Epic and the huge sum of 80,000 dollars (1968 dollars, mind you) to be spent on their debut recording, ‘Supersnazz’. It was a great album that didn’t sell, but did get them dropped from Epic. Quickly signing with Kama Sutra, the Groovies closed the ’60s and started the ’70s with two terrific records ‘Flamingo’ and ‘Teenage Head’, but public apathy and the increasingly tempestuous relationship between Jordan and Loney led to the latter’s departure for a solo career in 1971. Jordan, now free to run the band as a “benevolent” dictator and indulge his passion for a more folk-rock (read: Byrds) focus, hired guitarist/vocalist Chris Wilson, curiously added the apostrophe to their first name, and in 1972 moved the band to England.

Oddly enough, the Groovies had a larger, more enthusiastic following in Europe (especially in England and Germany) than they did in the States, and it seemed perfectly reasonable to assume that if great rewards were to be reaped, it would happen in Europe first. Hooking up with Dave Edmunds, who was keen to produce them, Jordan and company recorded a handful of songs as early as 1972. However, this seemingly natural collaboration yielded little until 1976, when the Groovies released their finest post-Loney effort, ‘Shake Some Action’. Loaded with ringing guitars, great covers, and Edmunds’ spongy, bass-heavy production, ‘Shake Some Action’ became a well-received album in punk-era Britain, as was the fine follow-up, ‘Flamin’ Groovies Now’. This new notoriety brought renewed interest in the Groovies in America.

Happy birthday to Sam who pleasantly did not have a ‘slow death’ and is still very much with us. An ex Heretic and regular commentator on this KYPP site. Hoping your day over the pond was pleasant. I have no idea if Flamin Groovies would have been your thing, but I know you rate Dr Feelgood so not a million miles apart.

Many happy returns again from all here at KYPP online, and here’s to many more to come.