This iteration of the band followed up with a couple more like-minded releases, perhaps a bit broader stylistically (with more throwbacks to the original band's Stones/R&B inclinations as well as Edmunds' rockabilly grooves, a bit more reliant on covers), though this one was tough to beat. And the production by revivalist Dave Edmunds serves the music well. There are a few covers (including the Beatles' "Misery"), but it's the originals that stand up as particularly impressive. "Yes It's True" will have you checking the liner notes to confirm it came from the pen of Lennon/McCartney, but, nope, it's an original, as are "Please Please Girl" and "I Can't Hide," any of which would have been among the best songs on any pre- Rubber Soul Beatles album. Every bit as great is the ridiculously infectious "You Tore Me Down," with its wondrous riffs and delirious harmonies (later given a loving rendition by Yo La Tengo).
The title track, of course, makes the short-list of songs one might point to as defining the power pop genre it's a simply perfect slice of jangly guitars and killer hooks. After a few years and a couple singles, the new iteration of the band released its first long-player in 1976, and it holds up as one of the definitive examples of chiming, Beatles-inspired power pop.Īs seen in the cover photo, the band went all-in with its British Invasion revivalism, but what might have come across as mere stylistic gimmickry is elevated by the band's supply of wonderfully catchy tunes.
The San Francisco-based Flamin' Groovies started out in the late 60s as an eclectic band blending early Stones-styled rock with 50s oldies and garage-band proto-punk, perhaps best encapsulated in legendary early single "Teenage Head." When founder and frontman Roy Loney left in the early 70s, guitarist Cyril Jordan replaced him with a young singer-guitarist named Chris Wilson, who took the band in a much more pop-oriented direction.
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