The Fleshtones: “Are You Feeling Good, Say YEAH!”

Formed in 1976 in Queens, NY, The Fleshtones have outlived their CBGB contemporaries by a mile and are still putting out first rate garage rock, releasing one of the best albums of the year in “Take A Good Look”.
Perhaps inspired by the rash of modern day competition like the Hives, The White Stripes and the Neck Spiders, “Take A Good Look” sees the New York boys invigorated and , dare I say it, inspired. It’s like 1977 all over again and these guys are here to show these young upstarts how it‘s done…properly! Like the best of their contemporaries (The Gruesomes, The Fuzztones, The Cramps and The Flamin’ Groovies) they make ample use of fuzz guitar, relentless surf drums and greasy Farsifa organ to create a sound not unlike a private beach party from Hell, complete with zombified surf demons dancing the ‘mashed potato’ and the ’swim’.
In other words their music is just plain fun! Nothing deep, no revelations of any kind, but that’s the beauty of these guys. They haven’t changed one bit, which is both their strength and their weakness. Over the course of thirty years they’ve had stretches of mediocrity, but this new one brings them back to the forefront of the genre in a big way, and I for one am glad to see it.

Track Listing: total running time just over 30 minutes.

First Date (Are You Coming On To Me?)
Shiney Heinie
Love Yourself
Back To School
This Time Josephene
Ruby’s Olde Time
Feels Good To Feel
Jet Set Fleshtone
Never Grew Up
Down To The Ground
New York City
Take A Good Look