Customer Reviews

Mike Flowers - A Groovy Place

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4 star:		(2)
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A friend of mine brought this album back after spending a year in Europe in 1995. We played it every day at work that summer (to the delight or chagrin of our coworkers) and I never once got sick of it. Finally, last fall, I broke down and special-ordered my own copy. I am so glad I did. I generally go for classical music and operatic selections, but Mike Flowers makes a refreshing diversion (one can't have the "Ring" cycle every time out). The arrangements are bright, shiny, and light as a bubble, and Mike must have a really wry sense of humor to pull off such selections as "Wonderwall" and a "Velvet Underground Medley." If you're looking for something to brighten up your day, this will definitely do the trick.

Mike was terribly famous during my first year in Britain, 1995-96. His wonderful loungecore version of Oasis's "Wonderwall" was #2 on the Billboard Charts, second only to "King of Pop" Michael Jackson - so somebody was listening! It proves that loungecore can be mainstream and very pleasing to lots of people. And that's what this album is. Full of humour and fun, he takes a musically masterful stab at the seriousness of Bjork, Noel & Liam Gallagher, Jim Morrison and Lou Reed. He makes these songs delightful and great for parties! Alas, his popularity and novelty has sort of faded in Britain since this album's release, just as the loungecore swing revival has hit full throttle here in the States. I wish more Americans knew about Mike. I'm sure they would enjoy this groovy guy and the groovy place he can take them to.

This is a classic album that should be in your record collection, mainly as an antidote to the REST of what you listen to. In a way, it should more properly be filed under Comedy than Lounge (or maybe both) as it is similar in style to Weird Al Yankovic's "Polkas on 45" shtick, or the "2 Live Jews- As Kosher as They Wanna Be" album. What sets it apart from those is the sheer musicianship involved on the record- the backing orchestra runs through every figurative musical riff in the history of "big-band kind" and the "Sounds Best Singers" will flash you back to Benny Hill's "Ladybird Singers" and their renditions of 60's favorites. The record scratches on "Wonderwall" seriously had me wondering who ripped off who when I first heard it! Secondly, everybody seems to be having fun...and you will, too. There should be a VH1 special on the making of this album- I'm sure there's a story in there. Beware- this record will seductively pervert your sense of music and even your very life! And you didn't even know you liked Engelbert Humperdinck- oh, but you will- you're gonna LOVE IT!!!

If you don't like cheesy albums, then please do not buy this. When you open the case for the first time, the smell of fresh stilton wafts out and fills the room. Most of the tracks really could not get any more laid back, making this the perfect record for those lazy days of summer. If you don't buy this record for the music (which sounds like the offspring of Burt Kaempfert, and David Hasselhoff - Delicate and airy, but full of raw power), then just buy it to keep Mike Flowers in wigs and lounge suits.

Mike Flowers voice is that of a silky-smoothed would-be crooner with a penchant for danceable lounge music. The music on "A Groovy Place" is so laid-back but moving and fun...it has a sense of humor but is still serious about the level of musicianship which is very good and comes off sounding authentically 60's...I like the choices of the songs also and its great to hear Bjork and the Doors at the pace and arrangement they are given, not to mention the best off the album "Wonderwall"...thankfully Oasis exsisted if not only to give Mike a great song to remaster and record.
All in all..great music, great sound...get a hold of the Mike Flowers Pops and let them get a hold on you.

For some reason easy listening went out of fashion in the seventies, but here it is again, a bit tounge-in-cheek, with excellent Bacharach-like arrangements of the most unlikely source material (Velvet Underground, Bjork, The Doors) plus some easy listening classics and some new songs written by Mike Flowers himself. Great fun and very nice to listen to. Too bad the Mike Flowers Pops collection consists only of this CD plus a handful of singles and EPs.

First heard this CD around 1998 and fell in love with it. Everything is perfectly done without anything weighing the album down. As good for going to the beach as spacing out at work. In fact, the monologue at the middle of "1999" is probably worth the price of admission alone.

Just buy the album.