Miriam Linna once opined that the
Roy Loney-era lineup of
the Flamin' Groovies suggested what
the Rolling Stones would have sounded like if they'd sworn their allegiance to the sound and style of
Sun Records instead of
Chess Records. If one wants to buy this theory (and it sounds reasonable to me), then
Teenage Head was
the Groovies' alternate-universe version of
Sticky Fingers, an album that delivered their toughest
rock & roll beside their most introspective
blues workouts. (In his liner notes to
Buddha's 1999 CD reissue of
Teenage Head,
Andy Kotowicz writes that
Mick Jagger noticed the similarities between the two albums and thought
the Groovies did the better job.) While
the Flamin' Groovies didn't dip into the
blues often, they always did right by 'em, and
"City Lights" and
"Yesterday's Numbers" find them embracing the mournful soul of the
blues to superb effect, while their covers of
"Doctor Boogie" and
"32-20" honor the originals while adding a energy and attitude that was all their own. And the rockers are among the best stuff this band ever put to tape, especially
"High Flying Baby," "Have You Seen My Baby?," and the brilliant title track. And unlike
Flamingo,
Teenage Head sounds just as good as it deserves to;
Richard Robinson's production is clean, sharp, and gets the details onto tape with a clarity that never gets in the way of the band's sweaty raunch. While
Flamingo rocks a bit harder,
Teenage Head is ultimately the best album
the Flamin' Groovies would ever make, and after
Roy Loney left the band within a few months of its release, they'd never sound like this again. [
Buddha reissued the album in 1999, adding quite a few bonus tracks in the process.] ~ Mark Deming
![Supersnazz [Remastered] [Limited Edition]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0850703003026_p0_v1_s90x140.jpg "Supersnazz [Remastered] [Limited Edition]")
![Loaded [2015 Remaster]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0081227952426_p0_v2_s90x140.jpg "Loaded [2015 Remaster]")
