Of the three records the Flamin’ Groovies made upon regrouping in the second half of the 1970s, Flamin’ Groovies Now isn’t the most celebrated, but it does deliver a covers-heavy good time from start to finish. Released in 1977 and produced by Dave Edmunds, the disc’s 14 songs offer sturdy, inspired guitar-pop classicism that still sounds fresh 45 years later. It’s reissue on vinyl and compact disc arrives on March 4 through Liberation Hall Records.
These days the Flamin’ Groovies’ best-known album is probably Shake Some Action, the band’s first record without founding member Roy Loney, with guitarist Cyril Jordan stepping up as leader after a hiatus. As Flamin’ Groovies Now’s immediate predecessor, Shake Some Action attained its stature in no small part due to its opening title track, the song sitting amongst the band’s most beloved, alongside “Teenage Head” (the title cut to their 1971 album) and “Slow Death” (a non-LP 45 from ’72).
There is classicism and there is the revivalist impulse, and even at their best, the Flamin’ Groovies walked the fine line in between. This is in fact part of their appeal, a state of being consistently out-of-step with what was contemporarily popular that solidified them as one of the foundational bands of cult fandom and an enduring proto-punk act.
Cover songs are a constant in the Groovies discography but really entered the equation during the Cyril Jordan-era, alternately called their Sire Records period, as Shake Some Action, Flamin’ Groovies Now, and 1979’s Jumpin’ in the Night were all issued by Seymore Stein’s punk-affiliated label prior to another longer run of inactivity (there wasn’t another “new” Groovies album until 1987’s One Night Stand, which is a dive into covers and previously recorded originals cut live in the studio).
Although Now features four songs co-penned by Jordan and guitarist Chris Wilson, plus two more co-written by the pair with Edmunds, covers are dominant on the album, a reality amplified by their superb rendition of The Byrds’ eternal gem “I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better,” which opens side one. There’s also a strong version of Paul Revere & the Raiders’ Stones-swaggering “Ups and Downs” that bookends with two actual Rolling Stones covers on side two, “Blue Turns to Grey” and “Paint it Black,” the former nicely done and the latter okay but paling next to subsequent versions by The Avengers and The Feelies.
“Move It,” written by Ian Samwell but noted as Cliff Richard’s first hit, “Reminiscing,” credited to King Curtis, but the story goes, actually written by Buddy Holly, and “House of Blue Lights,” an oft-covered pre-R&R chestnut written by Don Raye and Freddie Slack, underscore the breadth of the Groovies’ retro approach, which is more than a little similar to another cult cornerstone in NRBQ (interestingly, both bands released their debut albums in 1969).
That the originals sound like covers on Now is a multifaceted compliment, specifically in terms of general high quality and depth of songwriting, which is sharp enough that surely a few listeners over the years have assumed them to be versions of obscurities rather than compositions by the band. The originals also harken back to a sweet spot that’s post-British Invasion but pre-psychedelia, which mingles well with those Stones covers and a closing take of The Beatles’ “There’s a Place,” its power-pop energies really the closest Now gets to contempo sensibilities circa 1977.
There are also clear ties to mid-’60s West Coast guitar pop (that Byrds cover, natch), and Jordan’s mellotron is a keen addition. But if not a perfect record, Flamin’ Groovies Now still feels like an essential one in terms of the band’s discography, its blend of originals and covers reminiscent of Yo La Tengo’s Fakebook, which is high praise.
GRADED ON A CURVE:
A-
