Groover's Paradise

Groover's Paradise
Studio album by
Doug Sahm
Released1974
RecordedMay–June 1974
StudioCosmo's Factory
GenreRock and roll, tejano, blues
Length34:20
LabelWarner Records
ProducerDoug Clifford
Doug Sahm chronology
Texas Tornado
(1973) 		Groover's Paradise
(1974) 		Texas Rock for Country Rollers
(1976)

Groover's Paradise is an album by Doug Sahm, produced by musician Doug Clifford and released on Warner Records in 1974. Following his return to Texas after his success with the Sir Douglas Quintet in California, Sahm settled in Austin, Texas. As the local music scene thrived, he was featured as the main attraction in local clubs and he recorded his debut album for Atlantic Records.

In California, Sahm became acquainted with the members of Creedence Clearwater Revival, and he signed an agreement with Clifford and Stu Cook to record for their production company after his second Atlantic release was unsuccessful. Groover's Paradise found success in Austin, but it failed to chart on a national level. Meanwhile, it was favored by the critics.

Background

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After a drug arrest in Corpus Christi, Texas in 1965, Doug Sahm left Texas to move to California. With the Sir Douglas Quintet, he made hit records, and he performed in San Francisco venues as the hippie scene grew.[1] Sahm left California in 1971 to return to his home in San Antonio, Texas,[2] and he then moved the same year to Austin, Texas.[3] By the early 1970s, the musical scene of Austin soared. Due to the city's low cost of living, between 1972 and 1974, 200 musicians moved to Austin. Sixty-five bands were based around the area, while there were twenty-eight night clubs. The Ritz theater was re-opened to host large shows, as Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings and Jerry Jeff Walker found major success.[4]

Sahm made appearances at the Armadillo World Headquarters and the Soap Creek Saloon.[3] The Armadillo World Headquarters became a popular club, with a crowd constituted by country music fans, hippies and students. Sahm was often featured as the main attraction of the club.[4] In 1972, he disbanded the Sir Douglas Quintet.[2] He was signed by Jerry Wexler to Atlantic Records, and he released his debut solo album in 1973: Doug Sahm and Band.[5]

Recording

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"Groover's Paradise"
Sahm performing the title track of his album
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During his time in California, Sahm befriended members of Creedence Clearwater Revival.[6] In 1974, following a second unsuccessful album release with Atlantic Records, Sahm traveled to Berkeley, California to record the single "Groover's Paradise".[7] He signed a contract with DSR Productions, owned by former Credence Clearwater Revival members Doug Clifford (drummer) and Stu Cook (bassist).[8] The company had an agreement with Warner Records to record Sahm and to provide them with the masters.[8] Sahm was backed by a band dubbed the Tex -Mex Trip.[9] The band included saxophonist Frank Rodarte, session musician Link Davis, Jr. and Los Angeles session musicians.[6] Clifford produced the album and joined the band on drums, while Cook played the bass.[10] All the songs of the album were written by Sahm, except Luis Guerrero's "La Cacahuata".[11] Groover's Paradise was recorded at Cosmo's Factory studio in Berkeley, California.[10] The record sleeve featured art by Kerry Awn, while the armadillos were drawn by Jim Franklin.[12] The cover depicted "various well-known local scenes" of Austin.[13] The recording of Groover's Paradise took place between May and June 1974.[7][14][15] The recording featured a blend of country music, tejano, blues and rock.[16]

Release and reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
United Press InternationalFavorable
Austin American-StatesmanFavorable
Robert ChristgauFavorable
AllMusic
Austin ChronicleFavorable
Texas MonthlyFavorable

The single "Groover's Paradise" was released in July 1974.[17] Backed with "Girls Today (Don't Like to Sleep Alone)", it was cataloged under WB 7819.[18] The album was released in August 1974, and Sahm begun a national tour to promote it.[19][20] Upon its release, Groover's Paradise became a hit in Austin, but it failed to succeed in other cities.[21]

United Press International called it "the best thing Doug has done in quite a while", and attributed it to Clifford's work as a producer.[22] the Austin American-Statesman favored the album, as the reviewer considered it was performed with "finesse and simplicity".[13] Critic Robert Christgau gave the album a B+ grade. Christgau considered Sahm a "master whose core simplicity is completely unassailable".[23] AllMusic gave Groover's Paradise four-and-a-half stars out of five. Critic Eugene Chadbourne opined: "the tracks indicate a mastery of many basic forms such as blues, rhythm & blues, norteño, country, and Cajun and the players always seem to be probing beyond this to find something new."[16] Meanwhile, Austin Chronicle deemed it "the quintessential Austin album" and called its cover art "the ultimate hippie version of Austin".[24] Texas Monthly considered that the album captured Austin's "insouciant essence" as a "carefree hippie mecca".[25]

Track listing

[edit]
Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Groover's Paradise"3:25
2."Devil Heart"4:20
3."Houston Chicks"3:48
4."For the Sake of Rock 'N Roll"3:17
5."Beautiful Texas Sunshine"3:30
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Just Groove Me" 3:27
2."Girls Today (Don't Like to Sleep Alone)" 2:29
3."La Cacahuata (Peanut)"Luis Guerrero1:45
4."Her Dream Man Never Came" 3:06
5."Catch Me in the Morning" 5:07

Personnel

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Musicians[26]

References

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  1. ^ Reid, Jan & Sahm, Shawn 2010, p. 41.
  2. ^ a b Jasinski, Laurie 2012, p. 1383.
  3. ^ a b Magnet staff 2002.
  4. ^ a b Time staff 1974, p. 70.
  5. ^ Billboard staff 1973, p. 18.
  6. ^ a b Reid, Jan & Sahm, Shawn 2010, p. 128.
  7. ^ a b Hilburn, Robert 1974, p. 2s.
  8. ^ a b McDonough, Jack 1974, p. 68.
  9. ^ Hinton, Brian 2000, p. 313.
  10. ^ a b Graham, Ben 2015, p. 320.
  11. ^ Bordowitz, Hank 2007, p. 329.
  12. ^ Patoski, Joe Nick & Jacobson, Nels 2015, p. 12.
  13. ^ a b Gracey, Joe 3 1974, p. 25.
  14. ^ Gracey, Joe 1 1974, p. 19.
  15. ^ Gracey, Joe 2 1974, p. 24.
  16. ^ a b Chadbourne, Eugene 2012.
  17. ^ Fries, Jane 1974, p. 22.
  18. ^ Copyright Office 1974, p. 195.
  19. ^ Weller, Don 1974, p. D-9.
  20. ^ Gracey, Joe 4 1974, p. 20.
  21. ^ Casey, Watt 2017, p. 66.
  22. ^ Meyer, Bruce 1974, p. 17.
  23. ^ Christgau, Robert 1974.
  24. ^ Powell, Austin, Freeman, Doug & Johnston, Daniel 2011, p. 134.
  25. ^ Denberg, Jody 1984, p. 228.
  26. ^ a b Warner Bros. staff 1974.
Sources
  • Billboard staff (January 13, 1973). "The Doug Sahm Sessions". Billboard. Vol. 85, no. 2. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved February 2, 2021. Open access icon
  • Bordowitz, Hank (2007). Bad Moon Rising: The Unauthorized History of Creedence Clearwater Revival. Chicago Review Press. ISBN 978-1-569-76984-3.
  • Casey, Watt (2017). My Guitar is My Camera. Texas A&M University Press. ISBN 978-1-623-49558-9.
  • Chadbourne, Eugene (2012). "Groover's Paradise". AllMusic. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  • Christgau, Robert (1974). "Consumer Guide album". Robertchristgau.com. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  • Copyright Office (1974). Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third series. Library of Congress. Retrieved February 22, 2021 – via Google Books. Open access icon
  • Denberg, Jody (November 1984). "Lawrence Welk Meets The Doors". Texas Monthly. 12 (11). Retrieved February 3, 2021 – via Google Books. Open access icon
  • Fries, Jane (July 14, 1974). "Doug Sahm's Just Being Himself". Austin American-Statesman. Vol. 50, no. 67. Retrieved February 22, 2021 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  • Gracey, Joe 1 (May 11, 1974). "Live Entertainment Outstanding This Weekend". Austin American-Statesman. Vol. 50, no. 49. Retrieved February 22, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) Open access icon
  • Gracey, Joe 2 (June 15, 1974). "Maria Muldaur Swings at Texas Opry House Tonight". Austin American-Statesman. Vol. 50, no. 58. Retrieved February 22, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) Open access icon
  • Gracey, Joe 3 (August 24, 1974). "Doug Sahm: It Takes Awhile". Austin American-Statesman. Vol. 50, no. 75. Retrieved February 22, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) Open access icon
  • Gracey, Joe 4 (August 31, 1974). "Rock Beat". Austin American-Statesman. Vol. 50, no. 77. Retrieved February 22, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) Open access icon
  • Graham, Ben (2015). A Gathering of Promises: The Battle for Texas's Psychedelic Music, from The 13th Floor Elevators to The Black Angels and Beyond. John Hunt Publishing. ISBN 978-1-782-79093-8.
  • Hilburn, Robert (June 23, 1974). "Sahm, Back in Texas Now, Busy Recording New Album". Los Angeles Times. Vol. 92, no. 40. Spokane, Washington. Retrieved February 22, 2021 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  • Hinton, Brian (2000). Country Roads: How Country Came to Nashville. Sanctuary. ISBN 978-1-860-74293-4.
  • Jasinski, Laurie (2012). Handbook of Texas Music. Texas A&M University Press. ISBN 978-0-876-11297-7.
  • Magnet staff (September 24, 2002). "Doug Sahm: A Lone Star State of Mind". Magnet. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  • McDonough, Jack (October 26, 1974). "DSR: Album and QS 'on tour' producers". Billboard. Vol. 86, no. 43. Retrieved February 18, 2021 – via Google Books. Open access icon
  • Meyer, Bruce (October 16, 1974). "Fleetwood Fakes Don't Fool Audiences". Latrobe, Pennsylvania: Latrobe Bulletin. United Press International. Retrieved February 22, 2021 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  • Patoski, Joe Nick; Jacobson, Nels (2015). Homegrown: Austin Music Posters 1967 to 1982. University of Texas Press. ISBN 978-0-292-77239-7.
  • Powell, Austin; Freeman, Doug; Johnston, Daniel (2011). The Austin Chronicle Music Anthology. University of Texas Press. ISBN 978-0-292-72270-5.
  • Reid, Jan; Sahm, Shawn (2010). Texas Tornado: The Times & Music of Doug Sahm. University of Texas Press. ISBN 978-0-292-72196-8.
  • Time staff (September 9, 1974). "Groover's Paradise". Life. Vol. 104, no. 11. Retrieved February 18, 2021. Open access icon
  • Warner Bros. staff (1974). Groover's Paradise (LP). Warner Bros. BS 2810.
  • Weller, Don (August 31, 1974). "Allman Fame Grows". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Vol. 63, no. 241. Retrieved February 22, 2021 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon


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