...But the Beat Farmers were too busy having a good time and playing great music to worry much about career timing, and their 1985 debut, Tales of the New West, is a casual masterpiece, a great little record that delivers a fistful of killer tunes and a few laughs with plenty of sweat and not much fuss. Before recording their debut, the Beat Farmers honed their chops playing countless bar gigs around San Diego, and the live work shows -- this is a ferociously tight band, with Jerry Raney and Buddy Blue trading off some superb guitar byplay, while bassist Rolle Dexter and drummer Country Dick Montana hold down the beat with muscle and a near flawless sense of rhythm. The band was capable of coming up with great songs on occasion, and they knew where to turn when their muse was busy elsewhere -- "Bigger Stones" and "Where Do They Go" are impassioned and even poignant without getting sappy, "Lost Weekend" and "California Kid" get laughs but never undercut the music (the latter also gave Country Dick his first chance to show off his outsize persona in public), and the covers of Bruce Springsteen's "Reason to Believe." Lou Reed's "There She Goes Again," and John Stewart's "Never Goin' Back" put a sharp and individual spin on familiar material. Steve Berlin (of Los Lobos) and Mark Linett produced Tales of the New West on a shoestring budget, and the small bankroll may have helped -- the performance sound live and wiry, without a lot of polish getting in the way, and the straightforward treatment gets their mixture of snark and sincere on tape in all its glory. And once you've heard Country Dick sing "Happy Boy," be assured you'll never forget it. A left-field triumph, and the best and most satisfying album this fine band would ever release. - AllMusic Review by Mark Deming
trax:01 Bigger Stones 02 There She Goes Again 03 Reason to Believe 04 Lost Weekend 05 California Kid 06 Never Goin' Back 07 Goldmine 08 Showbiz 09 Lonesome Hound 10 Where do They go? 11 Selfish Heart 12 Happy Boy
...Well, you definitely need this one. It focuses on the years after original wildman singer Roy Loney left the group and before the legendary Shake Some Action LP was released (October 1971 to July 1973, to be precise). The first six songs are self-recorded demos from 1971 and have been released a few times before, most notably as Grease on the Dog Meat label, but this is the first issue authorized by the band. In fact, guitarist and main Groovie Cyril Jordan contributes some amazing liner notes, which trace his Zelig-like adventures through the history of rock. From shopping for threads with Cornell Gunther, singer of the Coasters, to scoring acid for Jimi Hendrix, to hanging out for a couple of days at Brian Wilson's pad in the late '70s, Jordan had quite a blast. The first six tracks are quite a blast too -- lo-fi, angry, and raw: the epic "Slow Death" with Chris Wilson's howling vocals, the headlong dash through "Jumping Jack Flash," and the stick-in-your-ear sentiment of "Let Me Rock." The Groovies are the very definition of proto-punk. Plus, the sound is much improved from any other release. Next up is a murky but energetic romp through "Roll Over Beethoven" from a French TV appearance in 1972, followed by two demos recorded in Los Angeles in 1973. "Shake Some Action" is the Groovies' finest moment, and this version of the song is Cyril Jordan's favorite thing the band ever did. It is very similar to the version released on the Shake Some Action record, but features more acoustic guitars, an incredibly impassioned Chris Wilson vocal, and a rawer feel. "When I Heard Your Name" is a real hidden gem. It stands next to any of the Groovies' best songs; the soaring mellotron and Wilson's aching vocal lend it a real emotion punch. The disc finishes with a stomping take on Freddy Cannon's "Tallahassie Lassie," recorded in 1972 at Rockfield Studios with Dave Edmunds behind the board. It is a shame Norton didn't include the other tracks recorded at that session, but you can't have everything. The Flamin' Groovies aren't ever going to get into the Rock & Roll Hame of Fame, but they were a good, sometimes great, band and this release is a vital piece of their history that should be sought out by Groovies fans and anyone who likes their rock & roll loud, heartfelt, and powerful.
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It's just me having fun with my 45's and whatever random record I pull out of the boxes. I will try to give both sides of the 45 unless one side is unbearable. I hope you enjoy. (Gyro1966)
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This third volume in Relic's doo wop series digs deeply into the vaults of New York's Apollo Records and comes up with some amazing obscurities. This volume starts in 1955, the dawn of classic New York R&B vocal-group harmony. On board are tracks from the Vocaltones, the Keynotes, the Inspirations, Lillian leach and the Mellows, the Sparks of Rhythm, the Casanovas, and the Claremonts. Like the other volumes in this excellent series, there are rarities, unreleased sides, and singles that now command high dollars as collectibles; all of it is top-notch vocal-group work.(Cub Koda, Allmusic)
In 1986, the Feelies were at their creative peak. After falling into total obscurity after their debut record, "Crazy Rhythms" in 1980, the band roared to life with the release of this record, an EP, a role in the film, "Something Wild" and a spot opening for R.E.M. on its Pageantry tour.
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…Crediting only Jordan and charter bassist George Alexander (while thanking the guitarist and drummer who played with them on One Night Stand), Rock Juice is perfectly pleasant Byrds-Beatles power pop. The bulk of the songs are new Jordan lost-love originals. "Hold on Me" is a sparkling keeper; "I'm Only What You Want Me to Be" layers on the stylistic dust for a convincing time-warp to early-'60s sap balladry; the Lennon tribute, "Thanks John," is sweet in spite of its obviousness. To round things off and provide some vintage variety, the Groovies dig through the record collection to cover Bryan Hyland's "Sealed With a Kiss," the Modern Folk Quartet's Phil Spector-penned "This Could Be the Night" and Billy Riley's "Flyin' Saucers Rock'n'Roll." [Ira Robbins, Trouser Press]Although many assumed the Flamin' Groovies broke up in 1979 after their last Sire album, they merely went into a prolonged hibernation, followed by an on-again, off-again career at a much more underground level. Their releases during the '80s were all repackages and live albums, making 1992's Rock Juice the group's first studio album of new material in 13 years. (Honestly, it's more of a duo album than a full band effort; Cyril Jordan and George Alexander are the only credited musicians.) The production is terrific; unlike the often too-slick Sire albums, singer/songwriter Jordan's self-production wisely avoids trying to gloss up his unashamedly retro tunes. However, as always with a Groovies album, the tunes are a pretty mixed bag. Jordan has always had a way with the tropes of the British Invasion, and he's got a knack for power poppy guitar hooks, but he's a very hit-or-miss songwriter, and only about half of these 11 original songs feature a particularly memorable melody or catchy chorus. The opening, "Way Over My Head," is definitely the highlight, with the jangly "Little Girl" close behind. The covers this time out include just-okay versions of "Sealed With a Kiss," "Flying Saucers Rock and Roll," and an excellent version of the classic "This Could Be the Night," the Phil Spector/Harry Nilsson collaboration that the Modern Folk Quartet sang in the opening montage of The Big TNT Show. Rock Juice is strictly for fans, but fans will appreciate it. (Allmusic)
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It's just me having fun with my 45's and whatever random record I pull out of the boxes. I will try to give both sides of the 45 unless one side is unbearable. I hope you enjoy. (Gyro1966)
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…This is a fantastic package. Bill Hurley is is a gritty passionate Rock'n'Roll singer fronting a rip roaring band. If you like Dr. Feelgood or Ducks Deluxe these guys are for you. Silverio is a studio album with crisp production and great new songs and a few cover songs as well. The guitar playing is clean and rockin'. - amazon
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...The Flamin' Groovies are on a mission from God and play with a soul and passion directly from their collective heart..."Although a modest return by any measure, Cyril, bassist George Alexander and two new bandmates (P. Zahl , drums was involved in the Readymades, Tuxedomoon, SVT, The Cowboys, The Yanks & J. Johnson: guitar, vocals was in SVT, The Yanks, Roky Erikson band) did record a new album in 1986: 'One Night Stand', which was done in one night (two, if you count mixdown) in an Australian studio, sounds live and contains shaggy roadhouse renditions of classic originals ("Shake Some Action," "Slow Death," "Teenage Head") as well as Paul Revere and the Raiders' "Kicks," the Who's "Call Me Lightning" and other covers. If not quite a record to cherish, a reassuring audible reminder that the band lives on — and that Jordan's heart is still in it. Trouser Press
Flamin' Groovies 86:
It's just me having fun with my 45's and whatever random record I pull out of the boxes. I will try to give both sides of the 45 unless one side is unbearable. I hope you enjoy. (Gyro1966)
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This 1986 release finds the legendary trumpeter / singer at the end of his career. However, his inimitable style remains lucid and expressive. On this date, Baker plays a varied program, including uptempo Baker favorites "But Not for Me" and "If I Should Lose You." Baker was also one of the great balladeers of his generation, and even here, at the end of his life, his trumpet playing is unmistakably lyrical and "cool" on the soft-spoken and plaintive version of "You Can't Go Home Again." His mournful phrasing on the bossa nova-tinged "Arboway," highlights the trumpeter's fondness for breathy playing in the lower register of the instrument. A funky version of Cole Porter's "Love for Sale" is a unique feature on this album, but even more exceptional is Baker's version of "Send in the Clowns," featuring Van Morrison on vocals. Finally, it should be noted that pianist, Michel Grailler, and bassist, Riccardo Del Fra, glue each tune together with impressive musical acumen. - AllMusic Review
...Indeed, this is one phenomenal compilation, opening with the contents of the stunted-yet-glorious Gold Star Tapes EP in all of its unpretentious magnificence -- Phil Spector songs cut by a crunchy proto-punk (or is it trans-punk?) outfit with a mix of raw energy and beguiling flourishes that make the Ramones' efforts in this direction seem slight; "Do I Love You" and "River Deep Mountain High" cut any other band version to shame, even the Easybeats' rendition of the latter. And that's followed by the late '70s Skydog versions of "Sweet Little Rock & Roller" and "Slow Death" in all of their slashing glory, sounding like the mid-'60s Rolling Stones on a really good night; Stones connections abound on this collection, even in the underscoring, and on "Let Me Rock" with its use of the bass figure from "Street Fighting Man." And speaking of Mick Jagger and company, "Jumpin' Jack Flash" from 1973 is a reminder that even at that relatively early date, the Groovies were putting more energy and heart into the Stones' repertory than the Stones themselves were. The Groovies' execution of "Blues for Phyllis" is a little crude compared to their usual sound, but they make up for it with a lot of energy and some powerful guitar work that steals the spotlight from the vocals. Their version of "I Can't Explain" threatens to turn into the Kinks' "Till the End of the Day" before it gets out of the starting gate, but it gets where it's going pretty directly, and maybe even a little too quickly. "Little Queenie" catches the band reaching back past the Stones to the Chuck Berry original for a raw and raunchy version that somehow even captures the authentic Chess Records sound. The rest is made up of choice outtakes, of Gene Clark and Jagger/Richards material, and it closes with the Groovies' own enduring anthem, "Shake Some Action." The sound glitters and the notes, if sketchy, are informative as far as they go. (Bruce Eder, Allmusic)
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It's just me having fun with my 45's and whatever random record I pull out of the boxes. I will try to give both sides of the 45 unless one side is unbearable. I hope you enjoy. (Gyro1966)
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...Buffalo Bop CDs usually have 30 tracks of rockabilly and rock 'n' roll from the 50s and early 60s - often very rare sides. Many of the issues have a subject or stylistic theme (juvenile delinquents, hot rods, trains, women singers, instrumentals, etc.). The tracks are mostly mastered from 45s and the sound quality is generally excellent - particularly on the later issues. Each CD comes with a booklet with a cover painting evocative of the music within and artist photos and label shots inside. With so many reissues available there are inevitably some duplications with other reissues but nevertheless there is a ton of great music available on these CDs not available elsewhere.
...Not In Person!, which actually works as an album. The first ten tracks on this disc were taped for radio broadcast during the final week of the Fillmore West's existence, on June 30, 1971, and capture the Roy Loney lineup of the group at the peak of its form, grinding their way in high style through "Slow Death," "Shakin' All Over," "Teenage Head," "Walkin' the Dog," "Sweet Little Rock 'n Roller," and "Have You Seen My Baby," among others. There's one bit of little dropout and hints of some slight sound leakage -- overall, the audio quality is maybe two steps above that of, say, The Live Kinks album (by Muswell Hill's own precursors to the Groovies, natch) -- but the balance between the voices and the instruments is about as good as any Groovies concert recording, and for a change, the "room" ambience, as it were, works in the group's favor -- the guitars are all nicely represented. Moreover, the performance by Loney, Jordan, and company does work as an audio release -- there's nothing here that you had to be here to see. The set is rounded out by "I'm a Man" and "Headin' for the Texas Border" from a Matrix show from a year earlier. Leave it to a label run by members of the A-Bones to get out the best live classic Flamin' Groovies album ever. - AllMusic Review by Bruce Eder
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It's just me having fun with my 45's and whatever random record I pull out of the boxes. I will try to give both sides of the 45 unless one side is unbearable. I hope you enjoy. (Gyro1966)
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...While Golightly has remained a talented and engaging vocalist and songwriter, her work with the Brokeoffs hasn't always been as satisfying as her early solo albums, where her fusion of early rock & roll, barroom blues, and mid-century pop was perfectly suited to her playfully sweet-and-sour vocal style. So for many of Golightly's fans, the good news is she's cut a new solo set after a ten-year layoff, and Slowtown Now! is just what folks who loved albums like Truly She Is None Other or Painted On have been waiting for, a set of slinky, low-key retro-pop that puts the cool insouciance of Golightly's voice to ideal use. Featuring longtime associates Ed Deegan on guitar and Bruce Brand on drums, Slowtown Now! sounds a bit cleaner and tidier than Golightly's sessions with Billy Childish at the controls (Deegan also served as producer), but the mood is perfect for Holly and her songs, with a small combo giving these numbers a three-a.m. mood that blends the slinky and the gritty in just the right proportions. Considering she hasn't worked in this style in quite some time, Golightly seems confident and assured, and she's in splendid voice, low-key but witty and authoritative, and her songs, which generally find her sardonically musing on how love often gives her the fuzzy end of the lollipop, are simply first-rate. Slowtown Now! doesn't sound like a grand gesture, in which Holly Golightly declares to the world that the Julie London of Medway is back in business, but as a compact and clever reminder of a genuinely unique talent, it's a delightful return to form, and hopefully she can slip away from the Brokeoffs a bit more frequently in the future. - AllMusic Review by Mark Deming
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...Assembled with Norton Records' usual care and thoroughness, this collection of live and studio rarities from the late '60s and early '70s--when powerhouse singer Roy Loney and not British Invasion-obsessed guitarist Cyril Jordan was the group's central figure--shows that at their best, the Flamin' Groovies could shred every band in their general stylistic vicinity, including their more-lauded Bay Area compatriots Creedence Clearwater Revival.
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It's just me having fun with my 45's and whatever random record I pull out of the boxes. I will try to give both sides of the 45 unless one side is unbearable. I hope you enjoy. (Gyro1966)
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...Buffalo Bop CDs usually have 30 tracks of rockabilly and rock 'n' roll from the 50s and early 60s - often very rare sides. Many of the issues have a subject or stylistic theme (juvenile delinquents, hot rods, trains, women singers, instrumentals, etc.). The tracks are mostly mastered from 45s and the sound quality is generally excellent - particularly on the later issues. Each CD comes with a booklet with a cover painting evocative of the music within and artist photos and label shots inside. With so many reissues available there are inevitably some duplications with other reissues but nevertheless there is a ton of great music available on these CDs not available elsewhere.
...The Maisonettes were an odd one-hit band of the early '80s, the oddness lying not so much in their hit as their combination of maverick indie label beginnings with a semi-manufactured image that some indie purists might find crass. Their hit, "Heartache Avenue," entered the U.K. charts in late 1982 and rose all the way up to number seven. Like most of the music they'd record over the next year or two, it was fairly mainstream pop/rock with period early-'80s synthesizer-abetted production and a notable (but not overwhelming) '60s soul-pop influence, with a particularly audible debt to Motown.
While it took a long and torturous five years for the Flamin' Groovies to find their way back to an American record deal with Shake Some Action, a year and a half later the band had a follow-up ready, and while 1978's Flamin' Groovies Now isn't quite as cohesive as the album that preceded it, in many respects the band sounds at once tighter and more relaxed, with some time on the road firming up the rhythm section while giving the songs a bit more room to swing (which wasn't one of the strong suits of the British Invasion bands that provided their aural template). The band lost guitarist James Ferrell during the post-Shake Some Action tour, but former Charlatans picker Mike Wilhelm proved to be a more than simpatico replacement on these sessions, and while leader Cyril Jordan didn't come up with another new song as transcendent as "Shake Some Action," "All I Wanted" comes pretty close. But it's significant that most of the songs on Flamin' Groovies Now are covers, and while all of them are played with love, enthusiasm, and the right period flair (especially the Beatles' "There's a Place," Paul Revere & the Raiders' "Ups and Downs," and "Move It," an early U.K. hit for Cliff Richard), they give the album a feeling of being padded, and just because covering the Rolling Stones rarity "Blue Turns to Grey" was a good idea didn't mean the Flamin' Groovies had any business tackling "Paint It Black." All in all, Flamin' Groovies Now is a terrific-sounding record that captures a fine band when it was in great form, but it also makes clear that the gremlins that often dogged the Groovies in the studio (namely their inability to make a 100 percent satisfying album) hadn't gone away. - Mark Deming
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It's just me having fun with my 45's and whatever random record I pull out of the boxes. I will try to give both sides of the 45 unless one side is unbearable. I hope you enjoy. (Gyro1966)
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Lou Fargo originally signed the Aquatones to a management contract in December, 1957, after hearing them perform at a talent contest at the high school attended by his son Mike and daughter Linda. After recording some demos with the group, including "You," and "She's the One for Me," Fargo found entry into the music world tough sledding. After being rejected by several record labels, he pressed it on his own label as Fargo 1001. He then traveled to Boston, Baltimore, and Philadelphia to promote the record with radio stations. Although pushing "She's the One for Me," the flip side, "You," broke as a chart climber in Philadelphia, and by the time Fargo returned to New York, he had lots of orders. He quickly made a deal with ABC-Paramount for distribution of his label. After having exposure on Dick Clark's American Bandstand, the record climbed to #21 nationally, with the group appearing twice on the show. 
…hmmm... they might be but I can't hear it! Nor do I really care! Flamin' Groovies newbies should IMO not start with this one. It IS demo and raw live recordings quality you get here. Now you know! It is - of course! - a must-have for Flamin' Groovies completists! --Toxxy
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It's just me having fun with my 45's and whatever random record I pull out of the boxes. I will try to give both sides of the 45 unless one side is unbearable. I hope you enjoy. (Gyro1966)
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...Buffalo Bop CDs usually have 30 tracks of rockabilly and rock 'n' roll from the 50s and early 60s - often very rare sides. Many of the issues have a subject or stylistic theme (juvenile delinquents, hot rods, trains, women singers, instrumentals, etc.). The tracks are mostly mastered from 45s and the sound quality is generally excellent - particularly on the later issues. Each CD comes with a booklet with a cover painting evocative of the music within and artist photos and label shots inside. With so many reissues available there are inevitably some duplications with other reissues but nevertheless there is a ton of great music available on these CDs not available elsewhere.
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