Customer Reviews

Shake Some Action

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

I found the vinyl version of "Shake Some Action" in a bargain bin at a Moscow, Idaho, department store nearly 20 years ago, not knowing who the hell these guys were, and that album still gets plenty of play. It's so good that I'm reluctant to buy anything else by the Groovies for fear it will taint my feelings for this release. Absolutely great album/CD. Buy it.

An absolutely perfect record. Cheap Trick may have picked up the fallen Beatles banner; but the Groovies tapped right into their DNA with this one. And, they've mixed in more than a little Brian Jones for good measure. This disc is a mod monster. It's aliiiiiiive!

I first got into the Flamin' Groovies in the late 60's, when I heard their first album "Supersnazz". Guitarist Cyril Jordan and singer/writer Roy Loney seemed to compliment each other perfectly, which was the drive behind this excellent rock band. Despite putting out 3 quality albums ("Flamingo" and "Teenage Head" being the other two), sales were poor and the band received little recognition in the U.S., although they were pretty popular in Europe. Following "Teenage Head", Loney left the band over differences with Jordan and Jordan subsequently moved the band to Europe, where they lingered in obscurity for several years.
After hooking up with Dave Edmunds, the band released "Shake Some Action" in 1976. Complete with ringing guitars and Edmund's bass-heavy production, the quality of this album is simply superb. From start to finish there is not a bad song on this album. Amazingly, nearly every song sounds like it must have been a hit record during the British Invasion era. It was a complete anachronism in the mid-70's, but it sounded fresh and lively and it worked.

I know Roy Loney fans will disagree with me (pointing to "Teenage Head" as the Groovies' finest album), but I considor this to be the band's best album. The Groovies were, at the time, a complete anachronism. Few bands were as unabashedly old fashioned in sound as them. While other bands were making "rock" albums with overloads of synthesizers and production, the Groovies were making albums that sound like they could've come out during the British Invasion. However, this wasn't a bad thing, far from it. The group showed how great classic rock 'n' roll was, rejecting the pretenses that plauged the lame arena rock bands that were popular at the time. Their albums after this were good but inconsistent. Those albums had moments of brilliance, but also had a good amount of filler and uninspired covers. This album, however, is great from start to finish. Not to mention the fact that the title track is, as many people have noted, one of power pop's finest moments. As I stated above, this album was a complete anachronism when it was released. However, they were one of the first bands to do this, paving the way for many subsequent power pop bands and becoming one of America's greatest cult bands. An overlooked masterpeice, this is the best starting place (along with "Groovies Greatest Grooves") to get acquainted with one of America's greatest bands.

I find the seeming obscurity of this album difficult to understand based upon the strength of the title track alone, which is - to put it mildly - brilliant. Shake Some Action (the song) is a pulse-pounding power-pop / proto-punk anthem in the grandest sense; the rest of the album, however, is a bit of a curious anachronism. The Groovies find themselves shying away from the grittier, more raw (often almost sleazy) Stones-esque sound they created on Teenage Head in favor of a more melodic 'Beatles circa 1966' sound - but in 1976! Put side by side with original British Invasion era hits, these songs stand up for themselves, unfortunately they were released ten years too late (and, as such, found primarily only a cult following). One could argue, however, that these songs too were ahead of their time (for everything, particularly musicals fads, work in cycles). Was it not the music of the British Invasion 9as well as American Garage) that was the primary influence on the then burgeoning (in 1976 that is) punk movement? And it would be only a few more years hence that power-pop would make its greatest maks on the music charts with the likes of The Romantics, The Knack, and others doing what The Flamin' Groovies had already done to perfection.

The Groovies are one of THE BEST never-heard-of-em power-pop groups out there, and this release was both their best effort and one of the finest examples of power-pop-ery you'll ever find.

IF YOU LOVE BIG STAR, CHEAP TRICK OR TEENAGE FANCLUB [AND HAVE NEVER HEARD OF THESE GUYS], TRUST ME AND THE OTHER GUYS HERE. IT'S A GUARANTEED, NO-DISAPPOINT BUY THAT WON'T LEAVE YOUR PLAYER FOR SOME TIME.

This jingly-jangly gem has long been overdue for a proper remastering. I'm glad to say they did it well. The sound is crisp and clean, the way it should be, and it jumps out of the speakers with a solid pressence that did not come across in the original CD release on the Aim label. The extensive liner notes give a detailed account of what was going on with the band at that particular point in their history and puts the music in perspective. Sadly, there are no bonus tracks; however this one is well worth the rather high price. I am most thankful. Anybody want to buy my old copy? Thought not! Note: I originally gave this 4 stars. I must have been feeling ungenerous that day. Upon re-listening yesterday, I wanted to give it 6.

Ah, the exquisite agony of unrequited love!

Does such a thing exist anymore? If we were to believe nearly everything that comes out of Hollywood, the answer would be "no." It seems that everyone gets who they want in the end, from the starriest-eyed First Love to the most jaded veteran trapped in a marriage of convenience.

So the emotions expressed in this recording may be beyond the experience of most people. But others will find the rich, vintage British Invasion guitar work and layered vocals like so much chocolate sauce and whipped cream rubbed into a raw wound.

It is to them that I say: you will find this pain delightful.

When San Francisco's Flamin Groovies went to London to reinvent themselves as neo-mods in the early 70s they teamed up with Dave Edmunds to create one of my all-time and forever top-ten favorite albums. Driving rhythm and classic tunes abound here but the at core of the disc (for me) are the exquisite three-guitar arrangements. Subtle and dense at the same time. Listen to the guitars on "Don't You Lie to Me" or "Shake Some Action." Brilliant. Kudos to both Groovie Cyril Jordan and producer Edmunds. The San Francisco Groovies were cool; greasy and rockin, and the later London Groovie albums have their moments but this one is a masterpiece. Put five plus marks behind my five stars!