The Flamin’ Groovies are a treasure find of a band. They have songs that are power pop, grungy blues rock, and some great rock and roll. On this song we are concentrating on the rock/blues phase of the Groovies.
I first heard this band with Shake Some Action. Their music style at first was hard to pin down. They admitted they were all over the map. They are most known for the power pop song Shake Some Action but I read where a commenter said…Slow Death was the best Stones song the Stones never did.
Released the same year as the Rolling Stones’ album Sticky Fingers, Mick Jagger reportedly noticed the similarities between the Groovies Teenage Head album … and thought the Flamin’ Groovies did the better take on the theme of classic blues and rock ‘n roll revisited in a modern context.
The band started in 1965 by Roy Loney and Cyril Jordan. By the end of the sixties they clashed over where to go. Loney was more Stones and Jordon leaned toward the Beatles. Loney left in 1971 and they got an 18 year old lead singer named Chris Wilson.
The moved to London and started to work with Dave Edmunds. With Chris they did more power pop and that is when Shake Some Action came about with Wilson and Jordon writing it.
They would go on to be a great power pop band and also be know as an early proto punk band…they pretty much covered the gamut. This anti-drug song was written by Jordon and Loney before he left…Chris Wilson is singing it.
Wilson left in the early eighties but the band continued until around 1994. They regrouped in 2012 including Chris Wilson. The Flamin Groovies have released 9 studio albums and one as late as 2017.
Bass Player George Alexander:
We were the fastest band on the planet, like Ramones-fast. Once Chris got in, we decided to move on to what we considered the next level. We needed a lead singer that could carry that off, a young, good-looking guy who could Jagger-out.
With Chris we were moving into ‘Shake Some Action.’ Our last record from the punk phrase was ‘Teenage Head’ and [the first single with Wilson] ‘Slow Death,’ which was more Stones-y. We kept ‘Slow Death’ in the set but it was now time for ‘Shake Some Action’ and the power pop.
On this video…looks like they are at the Marquee Club where the Who started.
Slow Death
I called the doctor
In the morning
I had a fever
It was a warning
She said “There’s nothing I can prescribe
To keep your raunchy bag of bones alive”
I got some money left for one more shot
She said “God bless you” I said “Thanks a lot”
It’s a slow, slow death
I called the preacher
Holy, holy
I begged forgiveness
That’s when he told me
He said “There’s nothing I can prescribe
To keep your raunchy bag of bones alive”
I got some money left for one more shot
He said “God bless you” I said “Thanks a lot”
Slow Death
I’m set to mainline
A hit of morphine
It’s set to mainline
It’s like a bad dream
Slow death–eat my mind away
Slow death–turn my guts to clay
It’s a slow, slow, slow death
PowerPop... An Eclectic Collection of Pop Culture 
Garage rock as it should be. Catchy riff, cool rhythm and a good portion of dirt. Yeah, yeah!
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I want to get that cover album that you featured one day.
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Great song with really cool lyrics and definitely sounds like the Stones could have played this.
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I know their name well but next to nothing about them…so your post was informative, thanks. I didn’t even know they went back anywhere near that far. Seems like the punkish duo who ran the indie record shop I visited in 80s liked them a lot.
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They are really good…you wouldn’t know it from this song but they are great at power pop.
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Wow, I love them! I’m not familiar with their music though I remember seeing the the album Groovies Greatest Grooves at the college radio station back in the day. I think they have an original sound. I hear lot’s of glam here. I’m gonna buy me some Flamin’ Groovies tunes! Thanks for turning me onto them, Max!
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Just the name alone welcomes people in…yes I like their sound…from their power pop to this.
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That was one of the most captivating things I’ve heard in yonks! Max, I didn’t know it and thought it was great.
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I never can guess what you will like…although by this…you probably like the Stones.
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The nickname that the kids at school gave me for 30 years was Jagger!
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Well there you go….then yes you would like this!
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Flamin Groovies! Awesome!
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I know… love the name!
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Tallahassee Lassie! Brilliant. I was sold on that lol
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LOL
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Finally a garage rock band you feature I know – yeah! 🙂
I’ve even covered their debut album “Supersnazz” in April 2017. It had been triggered by a review of their third record “Teenage Head” by Hotfox63.
Flamin’ Groovies were (are?) a cool band!
BTW, I have an upcoming post that is going to feature a great tune by The Fuzztones!
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Oh man…weren’t they great? The thing that gets me is after this they played some great power pop….Shake Some Action doesn’t sound like this band!
I really like them.
Oh COOL! I loved the Fuzztones…raunchy rock and roll!
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I have a couple of their records – they hit a nice sweet spot of power pop with some grit.
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I never much about this side of them… they did it well. I’m more familiar with the power pop side.
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Never heard of them, but I like their garage rock vibe with those surf-like guitars & Jagger-esque vocals.
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I tune into the Groovies from time to time. Fox above is a big fan. Like this cut a lot.
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They are like two bands in one. A power pop and a blues rock band.
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I was late to the party but picked up a few recordings along the way. I like them.
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