Flamin' Groovies, Shake Some Action, LP, Sire '76, GREAT power pop, SASD-7521

$

50

Flamin Groovies

Shake Some Action

Sire SASD 7521

1976 LP

Produced by Dave Edmunds

Original Issue

Shake Some Action is the fifth album by San Francisco rock band the Flamin' Groovies, released in 1976. It reached no. 142 in the Billboard charts.

The Seattle band Shake Some Action! was named after this album's title song.[3

"Shake Some Action"                                                                                            4:34

"Sometimes"  Gene Thomasson                                                                          2:21

"Yes, It's True"                                                                                                         2:29

"St. Louis Blues"  W.C. Handy                                                                             2:39

"You Tore Me Down"                                                                                             2:50

"Please Please Girl"                                                                                               2:04

"Let the Boy Rock 'n' Roll"  Joe Butler, John Sebastian                                  2:18

"Don't You Lie to Me"  Chuck Berry                                                                    2:27

"She Said Yeah"  Roddy Jackson, Sonny Christy                                           1:38

"I'll Cry Alone"                                                                                                         2:15

"Misery"  John Lennon, Paul McCartney                                                           1:39

"I Saw Her"  Hunter, Jordan                                                                                  2:41

"Teenage Confidential"                                                                                         2:45

"I Can't Hide                                                                                                             3:10

A lot had happened with the Flamin' Groovies in the nearly five years that separated the epochal Teenage Head album and their return to American record racks with Shake Some Action. The Groovies lost their record deal with Buddah, lead singer Roy Loney had quit the band leaving Cyril Jordan as uncontested leader, and they had spent a lot of time in Europe, building a significant following in the United Kingdom. As a result, the Flamin' Groovies on Shake Some Action almost sound like a different band, albeit one driven by a similar obsession with the utter coolness of pre-hippie rock & roll. (The fact that Jordan and bassist George Alexander were the only holdovers from the Teenage Head lineup probably had a lot to do with the different approach as well.) The rawer blues and rockabilly accents were gone from The Groovies' sound, with the guitar-fueled cool of the British Invasion era taking their place. While this version of the Flamin' Groovies didn't rock out with the same manic fervor as they did on Flamingo or Teenage Head, they could indeed rock when they felt so inclined, as demonstrated by the glorious "Please Please Girl," "I Can't Hide," and "Let the Boy Rock and Roll," while the Brit-flavored take on "St. Louis Blues" showed that some shades of the old band were still visible. And the title cut was a stunner -- a brilliant evocation of the adventurous side of British rock circa 1966, "Shake Some Action" was tough, moody, wounded, and gloriously melodic all at once, and by its lonesome served as a superb justification for The Groovies' new creative direction. If Shake Some Action was the first salvo from the new and improved Flamin' Groovies, it also demonstrated that this edition of the band had as much promise as the Loney-fronted group.

I have heard the song "Shake Some Action" some 5,000 times since 1977, and from the opening notes, and from the moment those first, dark, pulsing notes ring out, the same thing happens: The world stands still, reality drops away, and I am enveloped in a total shivering, dark, throbbing universe of thrill, memory and obsession. Not only is this song one of the greatest pop recordings ever, it is one of the most striking works of art ever created. Absolute perfection. Nothing else on the album is quite as good as the song "Shake Some Action" (whose first five seconds alone are towering, monumental), but very little in all of human creative endeavor quite matches it.

One of the greatest albums of the early british punk -pop era, every song is great. Great guitars and vocals. Though band is from SF Bay area, has great UK sound. Dave Edmunds production is right on. If you like this check out early Nick Lowe or Rockpile albums. I still have original vinyl LP and it still smokes!

These guys seem to show up quite often on compilations showcasing 70s power pop. More specifically, the title track is frequently almost on ALL of them, from the Poptopia series to the DIY Rhino collections.

But this album is definitely good fun all around, and worth a listen if you're curious about the evolution of power pop. Oh, and based on the album cover, they were quite snappy dressers. Certainly no garish 70s flared pastel pants or butterfly collars anywhere in si

"Yes It's True" is absolutely mindblowing. My entire body turned to fire when I first heard it, it was literally like lightning struck me. I'm listening to it now, my cheeks are burning.

"Shake Some Action" is incandescent. Huge.

"You Tore Me Down", the summation of all nostalgia.

The guitar sound, the production of this album, the songwriting...all superlative, not some dead idea of perfection but superhuman. Beatleseque but with more sentimentality, more power, more spaciousness, MORE SOUND, and its still so lightfooted that it'll just kill you. Every moment kills me. Where did this come from?????

Condition

Cover:  Slight spine wear, no bends, no tape, no writing

Vinyl:  VG+, slight scuffs and scratches that do not affect play

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