The Flamin' Groovies: "Jumpin' In The Night" (1979/2025) Vinyl Review

I had such a great time listening to The Flamin' Groovies concert album Let It Rock: Live From The San Francisco Civic Center 1980, which was released late last year (the vinyl edition came out on Black Friday, the CD version shortly thereafter), and was eager to hear more from this fantastic and somehow still underrated group. Well, recently the band's 1979 record Jumpin' In The Night was reissued, and on purple vinyl! What could be cooler? I'll answer that for you: Nothing. Now, when the album originally came out, there were a couple of versions, one released in the U.S., one in the U.K., each with its own ordering of the songs, and each with a couple of different songs. What we have here is the U.S. version. Yet the liner notes on the inside jacket contain song notes for the U.K. version. Strange, but totally in keeping with that garage and punk sense of things. Those notes, by the way, were written by Chris Wilson.

Side A

The album gets off to a great start with its title track "Jumpin' In The Night," an original song written by Cyril Jordan and Chris Wilson. "Every time now that I go out/I look around/I want to jump and shout." Oh yes! There is a spectacular energy that lives somewhere between rock and punk, that natural territory where the real action was in the late 1970s and very early 1980s. The band had already been around more than a decade at that point, but was still sounding fresh and lively. "Keep on jumpin' in the night," they urge us, promising, "It's gonna be all right." That's followed by "Next One Crying," another original number written by Cyril Jordan and Chris Wilson. This is a somewhat slower tune that certainly owes some of its inspiration to John Lennon's early 1970s output, heard especially in the vocal work. This is a very cool song.

"First Plane Home" is also an original song. There is always something appealing about going home in songs, and here they find themselves in New Orleans and ready to get back home after encountering some mean women. "First plane home, first plane home/Gotta get the first plane home." This track has a 1960s rock thing happening, a Rolling Stones vibe, but also a sweeter aspect too, a hint of Byrds. It is, for me, one of the record's highlights. At the end they sing, "I won't be happy 'til my feet are on the ground," a line I'm sure my girlfriend would appreciate. Then "In The U.S.A." is a straight-ahead rock and roll number. It mentions some of those early greats, like Chuck Berry, Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis, to whom it owes a good deal of its inspiration. When you talk about possible candidates for King of Rock 'N' Roll, Chuck Berry, Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis should all be mentioned before giving any consideration to Elvis Presley. Seriously.

"Down Down Down" is a fun song, written by Trevor Burton and first recorded by Dave Edmunds, who included it on his 1972 record Rockpile. This is the first cover on the album, at least on the U.S. version of the record (the U.K. version opens with "Please Please Me"). This track has a lot of energy, and even includes one of those great rock and roll screams. What could be better? The first side of the record concludes with "Yes I Am," an original composition by Cyril Jordan and Chris Wilson. This one too seems inspired by both the Stones and the Byrds, probably more Stones than Byrds. It features some really good stuff on guitar. We need music like this today, music to cut loose to.

Side B

The second side opens with a cover of Warren Zevon's "Werewolves Of London," a song not included on the U.K. version. It was a fairly new song at this point, Zevon's own version having been released just the year before on Excitable Boy, one of his best albums. The band is clearly having a fun time with this song, and it contains more good stuff on guitar. In this rendition, Jim is not in danger of having his lungs ripped out, but his nose ripped off. One thing that's interesting is there is a bit of a Byrds sound to their rendition. And speaking of The Byrds, that's followed by a cover of their "It Won't Be Wrong," from the Turn! Turn Turn! record. It's the first of three Byrds songs on this side of the record. This is the other song that is not on the U.K. version, and so this record's liner notes have no mention of it. "Please let me love you/And it won't be wrong."

Then we get the cover of "Please Please Me," which opens the U.K. version of the album. It is interesting that this song plays a part in the differences between the two versions, since this song was the title track of the first Beatles U.K. record, but not the first U.S. Beatles release. Anyway, they deliver a good, fairly faithful rendition. It's followed by "Tell Me Again," an original song written by Jordan and Wilson. "I tried to keep my head/But instead I lost my mind." There is something of a Rolling Stones flavor to this one. By the way, speaking of the Stones, one of the songs included on the U.K. version but not the U.S. version is a cover of "19th Nervous Breakdown." The Flamin' Groovies also give us a cover of Bob Dylan's "Absolutely Sweet Marie," a song Dylan included on Blonde On Blonde. This version has a great rock energy. I suppose they can't help but sound a bit like Dylan in the vocal delivery, due at least partly to the inherent rhythm of the vocal line. This version is shorter than the original Dyan recording, in part because they leave off the final verse.

The record's final two tracks are also covers, both of them Byrds songs. The first is "5D," a song written by Roger McGuinn and used as the title track to the band's 1966 album. These guys do an excellent rendition of it, giving it a fantastic energy. This track is another of the album's highlights. Roger McGuinn certainly wrote some good songs. The Flamin' Groovies wrap up the album with "Lady Friend," this one written by David Crosby and released by The Byrds as a single in 1967. I was fortunate enough to get a chance to go backstage and meet David Crosby once. There were no rock star trappings then. It was a very mellow, quiet scene, and he was really nice. This song is certainly not mellow. There is a strong energy to this one too. It's clear this band love The Byrds.

Record Track List

Side A

1. Jumpin' In The Night
2. Next One Crying
3. First Plane Home
4. In The U.S.A.
5. Down Down down
6. Yes I Am

Side B

1. Werewolves Of London
2. It Won't Be Wrong
3. Please Please Me
4. Tell Me Again
5. Absolutely Sweet Marie
6. 5D
7. Lady Friend

This special vinyl reissue of Jumpin' In The Night was released on March 21, 2025 through Liberation Hall.