Search - Groop :: Groop

Catch Me If You Can

Lee Armstrong | Winterville, NC United States | 07/13/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

""The Groop" was a recording group that put an album out for Bell Records in 1969. Their sound resembles The Mamas & the Papas with the sweeping harmonies and the female alto. This disc may not be viewed, almost 40 years later, as the most original, but there is some excellent material done well. The Carole King penned "Goin' Back" was recorded by the Carole for her first solo album Writer & by the Byrds on The Notorious Byrd Brothers. The horns trumpet as the harmonies soar, "A little bit of freedom's all I lack; so catch me if you can, I'm going back." Nilsson's "Don't Leave Me" is also included for the first time with a breezy rendition, "The willow weeps & having wept, can weep no more, but still it cries for me; It cries in sympathy; It knows that you are gone." The opening track "A Famous Myth" appeared on the soundtrack to the film "Midnight Cowboy," according to the liner notes. The Groop is a good disc for those who love the pop sound of the Fifth Dimension or The Mamas & the Papas. Certainly a product of its time, it plays sweetly 40 years later. Sundazed has done a nice job restoring the sound quality. Enjoy!"

When it's this lush, who cares if it's derivative?

Rarebit Fiend | 04/03/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"First, off, Wiki be damned, this is not the Australian garage band of the same name. (Last time I checked, Wikipedia's entry for The Groop did not mention this LA vocal quartet at all.) That's odd: they landed a song in "Midnight Cowboy," and yet they're so obscure they don't even get any Wiki-luv? What does a band have to do to get some fame to stick? But we digress. I began my quest for this CD after hearing one of its songs online: "When The Weekend's Over (The Jet Song)." Yes, it sounded an awful lot like The Fifth Dimension's "Up, Up, and Away," but it was so unashamedly gorgeous I just thought of it as more of a good thing instead of a ripoff. Besides, it turns out The Fifth Dimension's drummer was involved in the proceedings, according to the liner notes, so that makes it okay, yes? You'll hear an awful lot of Mamas/Papas influence, which again is a good thing: these boys and girls can really sing, and the gorgeous harmonies were arranged by the band members themselves. They are backed by top-flight studio musicians, who are unfortunately not listed in the otherwise thorough liner notes. As far as songwriting, well, if you like Scott Walker's improbable blend of lysergic imagery, wise-ass humor, and Andy Williams schmaltz, you'll adore these tunes, which really soar when given breath by these 4 excellent singers."