Customer Reviews

Flamingo

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Flamingo," the second album from the Flamin' Groovies, was recorded in 1970 and released that same year, to nearly universal uninterest. Today the Flamin (or Flamin') Groovies command a certain following, not unlike that enjoyed by another revisionist rock band of the early '70s, Big Star. Yet the Groovies never quite settled on a style; their first album, which I think is their best, was rock and roll revivalism with a quick nod goodbye to the '60s. "Teenage Head" saw the band becoming a more or less standard rock group, although the title track is a classic. "Flamingo," which has been remastered and festooned with extra tracks (none essential, unless you're the kind of person who gets excited about mediocre covers of Rufus Thomas songs), contains some real classics: "Comin' After You" and "Second Cousin" among them. Yet there is something second-hand and stillborn about the Flamin' Groovies even at their best. In the context of the godawful early '70s they seem pretty good, but they are the prototype for every critic's band that would follow. Just because a group hews to the rock and roll guidelines and remains unpretentious does not mean they should be canonized. Nonetheless I listen to "Flamingo" a good bit, and the Flamin' Groovies were certainly a skillful band. Now if some label would just do consumers a favor and release "Supersnazz" and "Flamingo" on one CD, and then do the same with "Teenage Head" and "Shake Some Action," all of which could be complemented with the best from other albums like "Now." That way we could get the whole picture and save some money to boot.

Flamingo is one of the greatest rock n roll records released ever! No question about it. Ranks at the top with Pet Sounds, Super Session (look it up, yuppie morons), Who's Next, Kind of Blue and Love it to Death as some of the best music released ever. The Flamin' Groovies are truly, along with The Dictators, unsung heroes of Rock and Roll. If you can appreciate great music, buy it!

I got a 2nd hand copy of this on vinyl in the early 80s. It kept me sane, along with the Replacements and REM (before they went all Glen Campbell) in the midst of bad poodle-metal and synth-pop. Headin' For the Texas Border is phenomenal - powerhouse rock with a blues sensibility and more intensity than you can sleep with and, speaking of which, Second Cousin is mad, bad and kick-arse to know. Roadhouse fulfils its rock'n'roll mission. The sample of their version of something Else leaves Sid Vicious for dead (funny that) and is possibly better than Eddie's original. The version of Rumble sounds like it suffers from a few too many bourbons but hat's life when your this good. I saw them in the mid 80s with the Hoodoo Gurus at the Club in Collingwood (Melbourne/Australia) and had a magnificent time.

I just realized I made a mistake in my review of "Flamingo." There is no cover of Rufus Thomas' "Walkin' The Dog" on this new version of the 1970 album. The Big Beat import, which appeared ten years ago, does contain the Rufus Thomas song. Also, as the author of a review of the "Best Of" compilation I must point out another error: the song on the "Flamingo" album is "Comin' After You," not "Comin' After Me." May the bearers of buzzsaws and meathooks, those rock and rolling State Troopers, grant me leniency.

Another example of the artists being ripped off by the record companies. BMG released this in 1999 and hasn't paid a single dime in mechanicals/royalties to Jordan or Loney as of 2004. Buy "Groovies Greatest Grooves" or Norton's "Slow Death" instead.

This is a masterpiece. Get this and "Teenage Head" and see what the Stones could have been if they hadn't gotten so full of themselves....

"Flamingo" was the only Flamin' Groovies album I had and this is the only CD of theirs I have. I used to play only Side 1 of the LP which is tracks 1 thru 6 of the CD.(But what a GRRRRREAT six tracks!)The CD bonus tracks are way better than the original Side 2 of the LP, track 7 thru 10.

"Flamingo" was the Groovies entry into 1970's revival of '50s style Rock N Roll. Sha Na Na had made a big splash six months earlier at Woodstock and the subsequent 1970 movie "Woodstock" gave a major push to the '50s rock revival. The liner notes state that the Flamin' Groovies were extremely influenced by seeing MC5 in Detroit during MC5's "Back In The USA" phase and that's highly evident on these cuts. High energy old fashioned Rock N Roll to the MAX!

Man, "Flamingo" is Flamin' with HOT, HOT, HOT rock riffs! Here is your Rock & Roll primer! I can play tracks 1 thru 6 again and again. "Gonna Rock Tonite" is straight forward Rock and Roll incorporating almost all the great riffs plus a great Bass and then Drum solo section."Comin' After Me" spoofs '50s horror flicks (think "Night of the Living Dead") "Ten headhunters with a buzzsaw, 8 state troopers with a meathook, four headhunters with a mace can and they was Comin' After Me" "Headin for the Texas Border" is driving rock n roll. Try to stay still! "Sweet Roll Me On Down The Line" is rock-a-billy DooWop. "Keep A Knockin" is a Groovies' jackhammer on your front door. "Second Cousin" is a spoof on Jerry Lee Lewis' music and Life-style. " She's my second cousin on my good ol' pappy's side. An' they say that lovin' her is out of line. But I'm gonna make my second cousin my first bride"

Side two of the LP which is tracks 7 thru 10 on the CD sounds almost like a different band. Definitely a different style. "Jailbait" and "Roadhouse" are good, with blistering lead guitar on "Roadhouse" But the bonus tracks on the CD are more Great good ol' Rock N Roll. These cuts should have been the LP's Side 2.Great covers of "Walkin The Dog", Louie Louie" and "Rockin Pnuemonia" THIS REVIEW REFERS TO THE BIG BEAT VERSION OF THIS CD

This little ole band from San Franciso played straight, no nonsense rock and roll while all the other bands in the late 60's were either in to long jamming or that phychedelic thang. They didn't fit in, and they didn't care. The Groovies, who were heavily influenced by the Stones and Chuck Berry, decided here to just go for it, and open up and unleash some no holes barred rock and roll. Even though this isn't very original music, it is entertaining. And the Groovies perform with a lot of energy on here. Some of the standout songs on here are the opener "Gonna Rock Tonight", "Comin' After Me", that's got a little bit of a blues groove to it, and features Commander Cody on piano, "Second Cousin", and it's got some good bonus tracks with "My Girl Josephine", and "Rockin' Pneumonia", which was a single that charted for about 5 minutes for the Groovies. After this album, and the one that followed, "Teenage Head", these guys pretty much went the pop music way. I like this earlier Groovie music better. "Flamingo" is just good mindlees fun, and it's good to have a few albums like this in the cd collection.

The Flamin' Groovies are one of the most overrated bands on the planet. They had a few good songs, but none of them were great, and their albums, like this one, are mostly dutiful, functional rock'n'roll. Lester Bangs and other rock critics in the pre-punk 70s loved the Flamin' Groovies because they were alienated by prog-rock and art-rock. The Groovies sound pretty mundane and uninspired nowadays, but I guess in the 70s people who weren't into pomp-rock were searching for anything that sounded halfway decent. And that pretty much sums up the Flamin' Groovies; halfway decent. If you lived your entire life without hearing the Flamin' Groovies, you wouldn't really miss anything important.

I found it interesting that another reviewer compared this band with Big Star. Regardless of the fact that Alex Chilton never did anything good besides Big Star, Big Star were a great band and put out three terrific pop-rock albums, all of which were more inspired and interesting than anything the Flamin' Groovies ever did.