For a taste of the Groovies, order ‘Shake’

Spencer Patterson

Friday, July 22, 2005 | 8:27 a.m.

The Flamin' Groovies were perhaps the strangest of the many strange bands born in the psychedelic haze of late-1960s San Francisco.

Not because they were odd, but because they distinctly weren't.

While the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane and Santana jammed, the Groovies stripped rock music to its core, cranking out poppy tunes far more reminiscent of the British Invasion.

That anachronistic approach went largely unnoticed by the mainstream, but helped the band establish a deserved cult following for years to come, both in America and overseas.

The Flamin' Groovies were initially conceived as a joint venture for vocalist Roy Loney and Cyril Jordan, the duo behind the band's acclaimed early '70s LPs "Flamingo" and "Teenage Head."

Where those records are solid, however, 1976's "Shake Some Action" -- recorded after Loney's depature from the band -- is essential.

To hear it, you'll have to track down a copy of Aim Records' CD reissue, which seems to fade in and out of print depending on the season.

The hunt is well worth it, however, if only to add the indispensable title cut to your collection.

That sprightly tune, which leads off the album, ranks alongside any power-pop song recorded before or since, bar none. Try listening to it just once without hitting the repeat button on your CD or mp3 player. It's just not possible.

Though none of the disc's other 13 tracks measure up, they make for a pleasant listening experience nonetheless. Most straddle the line between pop, blues and rockabilly, sounding as if they would have fit nicely onto an early Beatles record, a (mach one) Fleetwood Mac BBC session or a UK garage-rock compilation.

Sadly, the Aim Records edition isn't only scarce, it's also badly in need of a tune-up, sounding as murky as anything released in the first days of compact discs.

Even so, "Shake Some Action" comes highly recommended, hiss and all. Pick it up now, and hopefully, you'll have the chance to buy it again someday when it receives the deluxe remaster treatment it so richly deserves.

Artist: The Flamin' Groovies.

Title: "Shake Some Action."

Year of release: 1976 (Aim Records).

Tracklisting: "Shake Some Action," "Sometimes," Yes It's True," "St. Louis Blues," "You Tore Me Down," "Please Please Girl," "Let the Boy Rock N' Roll," "Don't You Like to Me," "She Said Yeah," "I'll Cry Alone," "Misery," "I Saw Her," "Teenage Confidential," "I Can't Hide."