Description
The Flamin’ Groovies – Now – 180 Gram White Vinyl Record
Now finds the Flamin’ Groovies pursuing the guitar sound they had sharpened on Shake Some Action, with Dave Edmunds again producing at Rockfield Studios in Wales. Released in 1978, the album places the San Francisco group’s own songs beside music from the earlier rock and pop tradition that remained central to their identity. Cyril Jordan and Chris Wilson’s writing sits comfortably among the covers, linked by ringing guitars, clear vocal harmonies, and an affection for compact arrangements. The record captures the band during its Sire period, when those influences had become a particularly focused part of its sound.
Gene Clark’s “I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better” makes an immediate statement about that musical direction. The Byrds connection is easy to recognize, but the Groovies approach the song as working musicians who understand how its guitar figure and melody fit together. “Ups and Downs” and “Move It” draw on different branches of the same broad history, bringing pop craftsmanship and early British rock ’n’ roll into the sequence. Edmunds’ production is well suited to this material, giving the guitars definition while keeping the rhythm section firmly connected to the songs.
The originals provide more than a pause between familiar titles. “Between the Lines” and “Take Me Back” show Jordan and Wilson writing within the musical language they admire, using melody and harmony as practical building blocks. Edmunds also shares writing credit on “Good Laugh Mun” and “Yeah My Baby,” making his involvement part of the repertoire as well as the recording. With Mike Wilhelm on guitar alongside Jordan and Wilson, George Alexander on bass, and David Wright on drums, the group has the instrumental depth to fill out the arrangements without abandoning their directness.
The second side places “House of Blue Lights” near the Rolling Stones songs “Blue Turns to Grey” and “Paint It Black.” That range prevents the album’s affection for the past from being limited to one particular guitar tone or style of harmony. “All I Wanted” and “Don’t Put Me On” return to the band’s own writing before the Beatles’ “There’s a Place” closes the program. Across fourteen tracks, the record makes a persuasive connection between listening closely to older music and using those lessons to build a continuing identity of one’s own.
This Music On Vinyl edition is pressed on 180-gram white vinyl and presents the complete original album sequence. It offers a clear companion to Shake Some Action and the following Jumpin’ in the Night, preserving a period when the Groovies’ interest in British Invasion pop, American guitar music, and early rock ’n’ roll came together naturally. The familiar covers provide an accessible entry point, while the Jordan and Wilson songs keep the album rooted in the band’s own work. Now is particularly suited to listeners who enjoy guitar-driven pop with audible ties to the records that inspired it.
Brand new, never played and still sealed in the factory plastic
Track Listing
A1 I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better
A2 Between the Lines
A3 Ups and Downs
A4 Move It
A5 Take Me Back
A6 Reminiscing
A7 Good Laugh Mun
B1 Yeah My Baby
B2 House of Blue Lights
B3 Blue Turns to Grey
B4 Paint It Black
B5 All I Wanted
B6 Don't Put Me On
B7 There's a Place
