Contrary to what some have said, the Flamin' Groovies were a lot more than just a pleasant second-division group in the history of rock'n'roll. No: the outfit, born under the Californian sun in 1965 is essential, and a lot more than a footnote. The Groovies lived twice, with two different line-ups, and two quite distinct hobby horses: the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. In 1971, when they recorded and released Teenage Head, the two hemispheres of their brain were called Cyril Jordan and Roy Loney. Here, the duo signed off on a third album that was more stonesesque than ever before. Stonesesque in the sense of Sticky Fingers, which Mick Jagger and Keith Richards released in precisely the same month as Teenage Head! The Groovies released a power and an energy that were boosted by an impeccable production job from Richard Robinson. It was a violent sound (you'd swear it was the Cramps on Evil Hearted Ada!) and it winked at blues as much as it did the rock pioneers. But while the spirit of the Stones was in the air (and not just the air), the Californians were putting out grandiose songs that were all their own… Thinking of Teenage Head, it's impossible not to be reminded of the very well-founded comment by Miriam Linna, the founder of Norton Records, who said that the Roy Loney period of the Groovies was like what the Stones could have been if they'd gone with the sound and style of Sun Records instead of Chess Records… After Teenage Head, Loney would jump ship, leaving Jordan on his own. With a new (Chris Wilson), the Flamin’ Groovies would turn towards other adventures like Shake Some Action, a fourth work released in 1976, amidst the punk explosion… © Marc Zisman/Qobuz