The Flamin’ Groovies’ wilderness years (1971-73)

These ten tracks help fill in the five year gap between Roy Loney’s departure from the Flamin’ Groovies in 1971 (following the release of Teenage Head) and the band’s re-emergence in a Cyril Jordan-led configuration with the Dave Edmunds-produced Shake Some Action in 1976. In between the band took on singer/guitarist Chris Wilson and released the song “Slow Death” in 1972. It turns out that they recorded several more demos, including several Jordan-Wilson originals and a cover of the Rolling Stones’ “Jumping Jack Flash,” as heard on this collection’s first six tracks. Everyone turned up their instruments to eleven and thrashed, the bass was moved forward, the drums pushed the tempos, and the guitars and cymbals created an ear-piercing wall of sound that Chris Wilson still managed to break through with his high pitched wailing. A cover of Chuck Berry’s “Roll Over Beethoven” is drawn from a 1972 live television appearance, and another pair of demos include an early version of the group’s iconic “Shake Some Action” that features layered acoustic guitar and more Byrd-like harmony vocals than the better-known album track. The disc closes with a loud and loose cover of Freddie Cannon’s “Tallahassee Lassie,” recorded at the same Rockfield Studio in which the band would later record their mid-70s classics. [©2011 hyperbolium dot com]