Rolling Stone - 5/27/71, p.50
"...the great album...the Flamin' Groovies had in them..."
Spin - 11/99, p.194
9 out of 10 - "...TEENAGE HEAD reminds us that there was once a time when Keith Richards, Kim Fowley, and Captain Beefheart fans could toke off the same spliff, and that vocalist Roy Loney's harsh cadence is one of rock's forgotten tarnished treasures..."
Entertainment Weekly - 8/6/99, p.65
"...A cornucopia of hard-edged, Stonesy rock, capped by that great, proto-punk title track....you've got all the ingredients for a Groovies kind of love." -
Rating: B+Q - 9/00, p.123
4 stars out of 5 - "...Vital, containing a furious cover of Randy Newman's 'Have You Seen My Baby?' and the killer title track....this still holds up remarkably well..."
Uncut - 8/00, p.103
4 stars out of 5 - "...Their acknowledged masterpiece..."
Alternative Press - 11/99, p.100
4 out of 5 - "...The Groovies hit full stride and were making visionary rock and roll....a true masterpiece..."
Mojo (Publisher) - 7/00, pp.128-9
"...Supposedly checked as 'better than STICKY FINGERS' by Keef himself....what comes across is how much pleasure the band are having making this daft music..."
The Flamin Groovies: Roy A. Loney, Cyril Jordan, Danny Mihm, Tim Lynch, George Alexander.
The Flame-ettes: Karin Berg, Jean-Charles Costa, R. Meltzer.
Additional personnel: Jim Dickinson (piano).
Recorded at Bell Sound Studio, New York.
Probably the best album in the Flamin' Groovies' huge catalogue, 1971's TEENAGE HEAD is a proto-power pop classic. Certainly, the title track is a stunner. With its hip-shaking rhythm and lead singer Roy Loney's brilliant performance (he sings the line "'Cause I'm angry," as if he's about to burst out laughing), "Teenage Head" is a strong contender for the title of sexiest power pop song ever.
The rest of the album is equally terrific, with "Have You Seen My Baby?" and "Whiskey Woman" showing off both Loney's love of good old-fashioned rockabilly, and guitarist Cyril Jordan's British Invasion-influenced knack for writing perfect pop songs. The handful of bonus tracks, including a handful of terrific old rock & roll covers, place the Groovies in their cultural context, showing their inspirations and the variance they always maintained against what was currently fashionable.