Flamin' Groovies: Gonna Rock Tonite! The Complete Recordings 1969-1971" ( 3CD Box Set) + Sneakers 1969 + Rockfield Sessions 1989

 

Flamin' Groovies is an American rock band that formed in San Francisco in 1965, originally co-led by Roy Loney and Cyril Jordan. After the Groovies released three albums, on Epic (Supersnazz) and Kama Sutra (Flamingo and Teenage Head), Loney left the band in 1971. He was replaced as co-leader by

Chris Wilson, and the band's emphasis shifted more toward British Invasion power pop. 1968's Sneakers, was recorded on 4-track and mixed in about eight hours total and featured Jordan (guitar, vocals), Loney (vocals, guitar), Alexander (bass, harmonica, vocals), Lynch (guitar, harmonica, vocals) and Mihm (drums). As a result of its success, they were signed to a contract by Epic Records; at about the same time, their manager leased The Fillmore from Bill Graham, and they became managers of the venue, which introduced them to a much wider variety of music, including The Stooges and Alice Cooper.
                          

During this period, they released 1969's Supersnazz. In Loney's words, the album was "all over the

map" and "kinda grasping at every possible straw"; it contained both re-creations of 1950s rock and roll and more melodic songs that anticipated the power pop movement of the 1970s—a genre to which the Flamin' Groovies would eventually contribute significant work. However, the album's low sales led to their release by Epic. They then started doing national tours, and their further exposure to Detroit's musical scene "hardened up our sound a whole lot", in Loney's words.
                   

At the instigation of Richard Robinson (a journalist and the Groovies' future producer), the Groovies

then signed to Kama Sutra Records for their next two albums, 1970's Flamingo and 1971's Teenage Head. Jordan was unhappy with the sound quality of Flamingo." Teenage Head is listed in the 2006 book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, and Mick Jagger reportedly compared the album favorably to the Rolling Stones' contemporaneous Sticky Fingers.
                 

Finally in 1975, Greg Shaw from Bomp! became the Flamin' Groovies' manager and arranged for them to sign to the new (but poorly distributed) label Sire Records, headed by Seymour Stein. Due to that,

the Groovies returned to the UK and recorded and released (in 1976) Shake Some Action, again produced by Edmunds, which included the same recordings of two songs ("Shake Some Action" and "You Tore Me Down") that United Artists had passed on in 1972 but Stein loved. The album received rave critical reviews, similar to Teenage Head. The Groovies continued to tour continually and were supported by the Ramones and The Stranglers at the Roundhouse in London on July 4, 1976 (which was coincidentally the US's bicentennial) in the latter band's first ever appearance in the UK. This concert has been widely noted as a seminal moment in the development of punk rock.
                  

The Flamin' Groovies were one of the great unknown and unappreciated bands of the 1970s, but their

influence was undeniable and their albums have a way of coming back into print every decade or so. Grapefruit's Gonna Rock Tonite! pulls together the band's first three albums along with a bunch of bonus tracks taken from live-in-the-studio sessions done in 1971. 1969's Supersnazz finds them exuberantly tripping through rock & roll's back pages with revved-up covers of Eddie Cochran, Huey "Piano" Smith, and Little Richard songs and delivering originals that show just how well the group had learned their lessons.
                   

Powered by Roy Loney's happily insane lead vocals, Cyril Jordan and Tim Lynch's powerful guitar attack, and the rock-solid bass/drums partnership of George Alexander and Danny Mihm, the band

were equally adept at cranking out good-time rockers ("Love Have Mercy"), barrelhouse blues ("The First One's Free"), baroque pop ("A Part from That"), and breezy surf jams ("Around the Corner"). After bouncing to a new label and playing shows with the Stooges and MC5, the band returned on 1970's Flamingo with a stripped-down, grungy sound and supercharged tunes that had none of the polish of those on their debut. Loney sounds manic, Jordan and Lynch rip off jagged solos, and the band punch like heavyweight fighters.
                      

                   
Tracks like "Comin' After Me" and "Second Cousin" are unhinged rockers, "Headin' for the Texas

Border" is riff heavy and pounds like a migraine, their take on Little Richard's "Keep a Knockin'" gives their Detroit counterparts a run for their money, and "Roadhouse" ends the album with a jolt of punk energy and noise. The album is uneven and weighed down by the corny country weeper "Childhood’s End" and the sappy ballad "She's Falling Apart." That's not an issue with 1971's Teenage Head, an album that truly deserves its classic status.
                     

The title track is a timeless shot of punk attitude, metallic guitar crunch, and rock & roll fire, "High

Flying Baby" sounds like Captain Beefheart high on nitrous oxide, "Yesterday’s Numbers" is heart-felt folk-rock, and "Whisky Woman" is the kind of late-night ballad the Stones were writing at the time. Add the echoing rockabilly gem "Evil Hearted Ada," the laid-back and countrified "City Lights" (which has one of Loney's best vocals), and a high-energy cover of Randy Newman's "Have You Seen My Baby?" that really should have been a hit single to the mix, and it's pretty much a perfect album.
                  

UK released 22 February 2019 (1 March 2019 in the USA) - "Gonna Rock Tonite! The Complete

Recordings 1969-71" by FLAMIN GROOVIES on Grapefruit CRSEGBOX051 (Barcode 5013929185104) offers their second, third and fourth albums Remastered onto 3CDs in a Clamshell Box Set with Seventeen Bonus Tracks (Singles and Outtakes)
                    

FLAMIN' GROOVIES - GONNA ROCK TONITE!

             

Flamin Groovies – Gonna Rock Tonite! (The Complete Recordings 1969-71)
Label: Grapefruit Records – CRSEGBOX051, Grapefruit USA – CRSEGBOX051
Format: CD, Album, Reissue, Remastered, Box Set, Compilation
Country: Europe
Released: 2019
Genre: Rock, Blues
Style: Garage Rock, Rock & Roll, Blues Rock, Rhythm & Blues

                  

FLAMIN' GROOVIES - SUPERNAZZ 1969       

                        

  
01. Love Have Mercy   4:28
Written-By – Loney
02. The Girl Can’t Help It   3:30
Written-By – Troup
03. Laurie Did It   3:50
Written-By – Loney
04. A Part From That   1:58
Written-By – Jordan, Loney
05. Rockin’ Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu   2:42
Written-By – Smith
06. The First One’s Free   3:40
Written-By – Loney
07. Pagan Rachel   1:54
Written-By – Loney
08. Somethin’ Else / Pistol Packin’ Mama    (3:44)
08.1.  Somethin’ Else
Written-By – Cochran, Sheeley
08.2. Pistol Packin’ Mama
Written-By – Dexter
09. Brushfire   3:15
Written-By – Jordan, Loney
10. Bam Balam   1:49
Written-By – Jordan, Loney
11. Around The Corner   4:08
Written-By – Jordan, Loney
       

BONUS TRACKS   

12. Rockin’ Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu (Single Version)   2:36
Written-By – Smith
13. The First One’s Free (Single Version)   3:36
Written-By – Loney
14. Somethin’ Else (Single Version)   2:06
Written-By – Cochran, Sheeley
15. Laurie Did It (Single Version)   3:49
Written-By – Loney

LINE - UP

CYRIL JORDAN - Lead Guitar, Vocals and Acoustic Guitar
TIM LYNCH - Lead Guitar, Cello, Vocals and Harmonica
MIKE LANG - Keyboards
GEORGE ALEXANDER - Bass, Vocals and Harmonica
DAVID MIMH - Drums and Percussion

MP3 @ 320 Size: 110 MB
Flac  Size: 264 MB
    
FLAMIN' GROOVIES - FLAMINGO 1970

                 

  
01. Gonna Rock Tonite   4:49
Written-By – Loney
02. Comin' After You   3:26
Written-By – Jordan, Loney
03. Headin' For The Texas Border   5:10
Written-By – Jordan, Loney
04. Sweet Roll Me On Down   2:13
Written-By – Jordan, Loney
05. Keep A Knockin'   2:16
Written-By – Penniman
06. Second Cousin   3:21
Written-By – Loney
07. Childhood's End   2:26
Written-By – Loney
08. Jailbait   4:14
Written-By – Jordan, Loney
09. She's Falling Apart   4:32
Written-By – Loney
10. Road House    5:38  
Written-By – Jordan, Loney

Bonus Tracks (Recorded Live in Studio A 13/1/71)

    
11. Shakin' All Over   5:38
Written-By – Heath
12. That'll Be The Day   2:24
Written-By – Holly, Allison, Petty
13. Louie Louie   6:50
Written-By – Berry
14. My Girl Josephine   2:11
Written-By – Domino & Bartholomew
15. Around And Around   3:06
Written-By – Berry
16. Rockin' Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie 'Flu    3:02  
Written-By – Smith
17. Going Out (Version 1)   3:11
Written-By – Loney

MP3 @ 320 Size: 153 MB
Flac  Size: 428 MB
       
FLAMIN' GROOVIES - TEEENAGE HEAD 1971   

                    

01. High Flyin' Baby   3:32
Written-By – Jordan, Loney
02. City Lights   4:27
Written-By – Jordan, Loney
03. Have You Seen My Baby?   2:51
Written-By – Newman
04. Yesterday's Numbers   4:00
Written-By – Jordan, Loney
05. Teenage Head   2:52
Written-By – Jordan, Loney
06. 32-20   2:06
Written-By – Jordan, Loney
07. Evil Hearted Ada   3:22
Written-By – Loney
08. Doctor Boogie   2:32
Written-By – Jordan, Loney
09. Whisky Woman   4:48
Written-By – Jordan, Loney
       

BONUS TRACKS

    
10. Scratch My Back   4:51
Written-By – Moore
11. Carol   3:17
Written-By – Berry
12. Rumble   3:12
Written-By – Wray, Grant
13. Somethin' Else   3:02
Written-By – Cochran, Sheeley
14. Walkin' The Dog   3:24
Written-By – Thomas
15. Going Out (Version 2)   3:43
Written-By – Loney

LINE - UP for "Flamingo" and "Teenage Head" was:

 
CYRIL JORDAN - Lead Guitar, Slide Guitar, Percussion and Vocals
TIM LYNCH - Lead Guitar, Cello, Percussion and Vocals
ROY LONEY – Guitar, Lead Vocals and Percussion
GEORGE ALEXANDER – Bass and Percussion
DAVID MIMH – Drums, Percussion, Piano and Organ

Guests:

Commander Cody plays Piano on three "Flamingo" album tracks - Comin' After Me, Keep A Knockin' and Second Cousin
Jim Dickinson plays Piano on three "Teenage Head" album tracks - High Flyin' Baby, City Lights and Have You Seen My Baby?

MP3 @ 320 Size: 123 MB
Flac  Size: 352 MB  

NOTES

Tracks 1-1 to 1-11 originally released as The Flamin' Groovies - Supersnazz
Tracks 1-12 and 1-13 originally released as The Flamin' Groovies - The First One's Free / Rocking Pneumonia And Boogie Woogie Flu
Tracks 1-14 and 1-15 originally released as The Flamin' Groovies - Somethin' Else / Laurie Did It
Tracks 2-1 to 2-10 originally released as The Flamin' Groovies - Flamingo
Tracks 2-11 to 2-16 and 3-14 originall released on The Flamin' Groovies - Still Shakin
Track 2-17 and 3-12 originally released on The Flamin' Groovies - Flamingo
Tracks 3-1 to 3-9 originally released as The Flamin' Groovies - Teenage Head
Tracks 3-10, 3-11, 3-13 and 3-15 originally released on The Flamin' Groovies - Teenage Head

FLAMIN' GROOVIES - SNEAKERS 1968 & ROCKFIELD SESSIONS 1989
      

Flamin' Groovies – Sneakers & Rockfield Sessions
Label: AIM – AIM 0002 CD, AIM – Collect 1/2
Format: CD, Compilation, Reissue
Country: Australia
Released: 2000
Genre: Rock
Style: Garage Rock, Psychedelic Rock

SNEAKERS

                

  
01. Golden Clouds    2:53
02. The Slide    4:00
03. Prelude In A Flat To Afternoon Of A Pud    1:22
04. I'm Drowning    2:05
05. Babes In The Sky    1:50
06. Love Time    2:50
07. My Yada    2:10

ROCKFIELD SESSIONS       

                   

  
08. Married Woman   3:45
Mellotron – Cyril Jordan
Steel Guitar – Dave Edmunds
Written-By – Frankie Lee Sims
09. Get A Shot Of Rhythm & Blues   2:25
Backing Vocals – Dave Edmunds
Written-By – Thompson
10. Little Queenie   3:00
Piano – Dave Edmunds
Written-By – Berry
11. Slow Death   4:15
Producer – Cyril Jordan
Written-By – Jordan, Loney
12. Shake Some Action   4:30
Written-By – Wilson, Jordan
13. You Tore Me Down   2:30
Written-By – Wilson, Jordan
14. Tallahassee Lassie   2:15
Producer – Cyril Jordan
Written-By – Crewe, Slay, Picariello

LINE - UP

Bass Guitar, Vocals – George Alexander (tracks: 8 to 14)
Bass, Vocals – George Alexander (tracks: 1 to 7)
Drums – Danny Mihm (tracks: 8 to 14)
Guitar – James Ferrell (tracks: 8 to 14)
Lead Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Vocals, Effects [Rhythm Effects] – Cyril Jordan (tracks: 8 to 14)
Lead Guitar, Vocals – Cyril Jordan (tracks: 1 to 7), Tim Lynch (tracks: 1 to 7)
Lead Vocals, Guitar – Roy Loney (tracks: 1 to 7)
Percussion – Danny Mihm (tracks: 1 to 7)
Vocals – Chris Wilson (tracks: 8 to 14)

MP3 @ 320 Size: 97 MB
Flac  Size: 264 MB