The Capitols Dance The Cool Jerk / We Got A Thing That's In The Groove

2 LPs on 1 CD: DANCE THE COOL JERK (1966)/WE GOT A THING THAT'S IN THE GROOVE (1966).

Liner Note Author: Bob Rolontz.

Recording information: United Sound, Detroit, MI.

Arranger: Andrew "Mike" Terry.

The Capitols were a middling soul group who got very lucky with "Cool Jerk." A listen to the Collectables two-fer pairing their 1966 albums Dance the Cool Jerk and We Got a Thing That's in the Groove shows a group with more enthusiasm than talent. Dance the Cool Jerk contains "Cool Jerk," a bunch of self-penned attempts to re-create the sound and feel of "Cool Jerk," and remakes of soul classics like "Good Lovin'," "My Girl," "Please Please Please," and "Love Makes the World Go Round." Their versions of these songs are pretty pointless; much better are the originals like "Zig Zaggin'" and "Tired of Running From You." While the vocals, especially Donald Norman Storballs' leads, are ragged and not very tuneful, at least these songs have some spark of life. We Got a Thing That's in the Groove is almost all covers. The only track they wrote themselves is the title track, a peppy attempt to redo "Cool Jerk" that was a flop. The covers range from the silly ("Wild Thing") to facile ("Knock on Wood," "Hold On, I'm Comin'") to misguided ("When a Man Loves a Woman") to pointless ("Working in a Coal Mine"), leading one to believe that the Capitols weren't much of a group at all. Collectables probably should have left these two albums sealed in the vault. ~ Tim Sendra