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The Cosmic Dropouts — Groovy Things
(Apollon Records That's Entertainment THEN 035, 1989/2022, CD / DL)

by Jon Davis, Published 2023-01-10

Groovy Things Cover art

I don’t know if there was a widespread revival of garage rock in Norway in the late 80s and early 90s, or if The Cosmic Dropouts was a band on its own, but I have to say they nailed the sound. Their basic style is the kind of revved-up rock exemplified by The Seeds’ hit “Pushin’ Too Hard.” There’s even a cover of that classic on Groovy Things, and it fits right in with the other 20 tracks. This is pure mid-60s adrenaline rock, with fuzz guitars, blazing organ, aggressive bass, pounding drums, and vocals that sometimes sneer and sometimes turn a bit more melodic. No concessions are made to psychedelic effects — this is rock from before the age of LSD, wah-wah pedals, or echo machines. They know their influences well enough to pick up on the many variations of the style, from the slower groove tune (“Hurtin’ Kind”) to the hyperactive freakout (“The Way You Treat Me”) to a surf-rock nod (“Let’s Go to the Beach”) to a near-ballad (“It’s Gonna Rain”), with rhythm stops and all the different rock beats represented. You need a Yardbirds-style rave-up in the middle of a song? You got it! Throughout, they walk the line between wild enthusiasm and rehearsed tightness, and nothing you hear will break the mood of vintage rock — you’ll find not a single telltale sign that this dates from any time other than the 60s, and not a hint that the band is from Norway. This release brings together the tracks from their 1989 debut (also titled Groovy Things), a few singles from the same time frame, a live track, and a couple of remixed versions of tracks. If you’re a fan of classic garage rock, this collection from Northern Europe should hit the spot.

Filed under: Reissues, 2022 releases, 1989 recordings

Related artist(s): The Cosmic Dropouts

More info
http://thecosmicdropouts.bandcamp.com/album/groovy-things

 

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