Shake Some Action

This delectable piece of power pop occupied a space between disco and punk, and was clearly influenced by '60 bands like The Beatles and The Who that Flamin' Groovies emulated. The San Francisco band Flamin' Groovies started in 1965, but didn't get much attention until they signed with Sire Records and released the Shake Some Action album, which met with critical adoration that may have been a little overblown - one reviewer said it would "trigger another rock & roll revolution, the inevitable backlash against disco for the dead." Responding to the critical reaction and addressing the Beatles influence, Groovies lead singer Cyril Jordan said: "After years of trying to achieve an instrumental sound similar to the Beatles, we finally achieved it on Shake Some Action. And whether or not it was reviewed as a great thing or not, by then it didn't even matter. We know what we're doing. We know that when we cut something it's pretty damn near close in quality and originality to what we feel the Beatles achieved."

Flamin' Groovies first recorded "Shake Some Action" in 1972, but the song was not released until their 1976 album of the same name, which was produced by Dave Edmunds, who made sure to speed up the tempo of the track and push the vocals. According to Cyril Jordan, the descending phrase he played on lead guitar was overdubbed about six times. Edmunds would also put remote microphones around the studio, to fatten up certain passages.

The Shake Some Action album and its follow-up, Flamin' Groovies Now, also produced by Edmunds, did reasonable well in England but suffered from a lack of promotion in America, as Sire Records became preoccupied with new signings Ramones and Talking Heads. For Americans who discovered the Flamin' Groovies, they remain a cult favorite.