Track of the Week: Flamin' Groovies "Headin' For the Texas Border"

In the last two months I think I have written fewer posts than I ever have in my long and distinguished blogging career. This is a reflection of just how overburdened and stressed I am right now. I went from work 10-11 hour days while commuting to the city two days a week to working 10-11 hour days every day of the week. My commute is chewing up my work and sleep time and I am feeling the effects.

Today in fact I was working furiously to complete my narrative reports for the last term. I managed to do it by playing some songs on repeat. One of them was "Headin' For the Texas Border" by the Flamin' Groovies. We just got some old glorious tower stereo speakers from my wife's parents and this song sounded absolutely glorious when I cranked it on the new system.

The Groovies are one of those bands that should have made it big, in the same category as Big Star. I first heard their power pop tunes like "Shake Some Action" and loved it, but I might actually prefer their early, bluesy stuff. The best of that early 70s era sounds like the Stones refracted through the spirit of the Stooges with a dollop of pop sugar added in. 

"Texas Border" is just an absolutely ripping riff, one of the few variations on "Louie, Louie" that actually manages to equal the original. It was the kind of thing countless bands (like the Kingsmen themselves) were doing back in the mid-60s. There were armadas of groups coming out of the garage wanting to imitate the Stones and Beatles and making up for their ineptitude with attitude and noise. The Groovies had better chops, though. The band is tighter than a cheapskate's fist and it just flat out races like a souped up Camaro street racing on a Saturday night. 

I promise to write more. Soon will come summer and the ability to think again.