This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio # 893

I became a fan of The Flamin' Groovies when I was in college in the late '70s. But my fandom really manifested in the late '80s, when...I dunno, something clicked. I had just begun freelancing for Goldmine magazine, just moved back to Syracuse after failing at life in Buffalo, and I was buying stuff from Goldmine advertiser Midnight Records. Among these Midnight treasures were issues of Flamin' Groovies Quarterly and the Bucketfull Of Groovies special put out by Bucketfull Of Brains magazine. I started fixating on the Groovies to an extent I never had before, not even when I was 19 and decided "Shake Some Action" was The Greatest Record Ever Made, and when I listened to the Flamin' Groovies Now LP track "Don't Put Me On" obsessively each day after work. The Groovies were big for me then, in '79; the Groovies became even bigger for me in '87.

In the '70s, my first Groovies record was Flamin' Groovies Now, followed by a cutout copy of Shake Some Action. I didn't acquire another one until Jumpin' In The Night, well after the fact, like eight years after its release. But 1987 was my tipping point, Ground Zero for my realization that The Flamin' Groovies weren't just another great rock 'n' roll band that I happened to love; The Flamin' Groovies were suddenly among my all-time favorites. They have remained so ever since.

I interviewed the Groovies' Cyril Jordan for Goldmine in 1992. Over time, I amassed a decent collection of the Groovies' music, and we play 'em pretty regularly on This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio. The recent release of Fantastic Plastic, a new 2017 album by the legendary Flamin' Groovies, prompted us to finally shine our dim widdle spotlight on this act we've known for all this years. We played a swell cross-section of Groovies recordings, from their 1968 debut Sneakers through Supersnazz, Flamingo, "Get A Shot Of Rhythm & Blues," "Slow Death," Shake Some Action, Flamin' Groovies Now, Jumpin' In The Night, "So Much In Love," Step Up, Rock Juice, and the new one, Fantastic Plastic. We wished we had time for more. Red-hot. Groovy!

(And if you wanna go back and read about my introductions to both The Flamin' Groovies and Flash Gordon, you'll find that story here: https://carlcafarelli.blogspot.com/2016/09/the-everlasting-first-part-6-my-first.html ) This is what rock 'n' roll radio sounded like on a shake-some-action Sunday night in Syracuse this week.)

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl, Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air on WSPJ Spark Syracuse 93.7 and 103.3, and on the web at www.westcottradio.org

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Our new compilation CD This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 4 is now available from Kool Kat Musik! 29 tracks of irresistible rockin' pop, starring Pop Co-Op, Ray Paul, Circe Link & Christian Nesmith, Vegas With Randolph Featuring Lannie Flowers, The Slapbacks, P. Hux, Irene Peña, Michael Oliver & the Sacred Band Featuring Dave Merritt, The Rubinoos, Stepford Knives, The Grip Weeds, Popdudes, Ronnie Dark, The Flashcubes,Chris von Sneidern, The Bottle Kids, 1.4.5., The Smithereens, Paul Collins' Beat, The Hit Squad, The Rulers, The Legal Matters, Maura & the Bright Lights, Lisa Mychols, and Mr. Encrypto & the Cyphers. You gotta have it, so order it here.

TIRnRR # 893: 10/15/17

THE RAMONES: Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio? (Rhino, End Of The Century)
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THE FLAMIN' GROOVIES: Let Me Rock (Sonic Kicks, Fantastic Plastic)
SAVOY BROWN: Train To Nowhere (Polydor, 20th Century Masters)
CHRIS VON SNEIDERN: Insomniac Summer (Kool Kat Musik, VA: This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 4)
THE BEACH BOYS: Darlin' (Capitol, Wild Honey)
THE ISLEY BROTHERS: Summer Breeze (Sony, VA: A Tribute To Bleck Entertainers)
THE WHO: I Can't Explain [from Shindig!] (MCA, The Kids Are Alright)
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RICHARD TURGEON: Bigfoot's An Alien (Kool Kat Musik, In Between The Spaces)
THE VELVET UNDERGROUND: Sunday Morning (Polydor, Peel Slowly And See)
THE FLAMIN' GROOVIES: Get A Shot Of Rhythm & Blues (United Artists, single)
TODD RUNDGREN: Couldn't I Just Tell You (Rhino, Something/Anything)
THE DOUGHBOYS: Sink Or Swim (Ram, Front Street Rebels)
TODD RUNDGREN: Hello It's Me (Rhino, Something/Anything?)
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THE FLAMIN' GROOVIES: First Plane Home (Rhino, At Full Speed)
THE FLASHCUBES: Do Anything You Wanna Do (Northside, Flashcubes Forever)
STRANGE FRUIT: All Over The World (London, VA: Still Crazy OST)
TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS: American Girl (MCA, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers)
THE FLAMIN' GROOVIES: Don't Talk To Strangers (Sonic Kicks, Fantastic Plastic)
ELVIS COSTELLO & THE ATTRACTIONS: Radio Radio (Rykodisc, This Year's Model)
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TRIP WIRE: Growing Old (Kool Kat Musik, Cold Gas Giants)
THE NERVES: Walking Out On Love (Alive, One Way Ticket)
THE FLAMIN GROOVIES: Golden Clouds (Sundazed, Supersneakers)
THE EXPLODING HEARTS: (Making) Teenage Faces (Dirtnap, Shattered)
PAUL McCARTNEY: Not Such A Bad Boy (Capitol, Give My Regards To Broad Street)
COCKEYED GHOST: I Hate Rock 'n' Roll (Big Deal, The Scapegoat Factory)
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THE FLAMIN' GROOVIES: Way Over My Head (National, Rock Juice)
CAN: Moonshake (Spoon, The Singles)
THE HOLLYWOOD STARS: All The Kids On The Street (Arista, The Hollywood Stars)
THE BANGLES: Want You (Omnivore, Ladies And Gentlemen...The Bangles!)
THE FLAMIN' GROOVIES: Step Up (Aim, Step Up)
COTTON MATHER: My Before And After (Copper, Kontiki)
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THE RAMONES: Sheena Is A Punk Rocker (Rhino, Rocket To Russia)
THE BOOBYTRAPS: Sha Lala (Off The Hip, The Boobytraps)
THE FLAMIN' GROOVIES: Yes It's True (Rhino, At Full Speed)
THE CHORDS: Maybe Tomorrow (Polydor, So Far Away)
PAUL REVERE & THE RAIDERS: Sometimes (Sundazd, Mojo Workout!)
THE CRICKLE: Place In My Heart (ROIR, VA: Garage Sale!)
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THE FLAMIN GROOVIES: Second Cousin (Buddha, Flamingo)
THE DROWNERS: While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Jealousy, VA: He Was Fab)
THE FLAMIN' GROOVIES: So Much In Love (Carrere, single)
QUINT: Good Morning London (n/a, Sharnado 5 OST)
THE FLAMIN GROOVIES: Love Have Mercy (Sundazed, Supersnazz)
HINDU LOVE GODS: Raspberry Beret (Rhino, WARREN ZEVON: Genius)
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THE FLAMIN' GROOVIES: Slow Death (Sire, Groovies' Greatest Grooves)
THE HIT SQUAD: Best Of Me (Kool Kat Musik, VA: This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 4)
THE FLAMIN GROOVIES: Teenage Head (Buddha, Teenage Head)
MR. ENCRYPTO & THE CYPHERS: Home On The Radio (Kool Kat Musik, VA: This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 4)
THE FLAMIN' GROOVIES: Don't Put Me On (Rhino, At Full Speed)
THE SLAPBACKS: Make Something Happen (Kool Kat Musik, VA: This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 4)
THE FLAMIN' GROOVIES: You're My Wonderful One (Rhino, At Full Speed)
IRENE PEÑA: Must've Been Good (Kool Kat Musik, VA: This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 4)
THE FLAMIN' GROOVIES: Shake Some Action (Rhino, At Full Speed)
PAUL COLLINS' BEAT: She Doesn't Want To Hang Around With You (Kool Kat Musik, VA: This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 4)
THE FLAMIN GROOVIES: Happy For Your Face (Norton, California Born And Bred)