An opportunist vinyl release recording the experiences of rock’s most devoted fans.
Groupies were big news in 1969. As rock music became heavier and hornier, popular culture became sex-obsessed and censorship declined, the idea of fans fucking their idols moved from a barely discussed idea to a mainstream idea. There were movies, both fictional and documentary, books, magazine articles, and bands themselves were happy to discuss their conquests – Frank Zappa even gave celebrity groupies (because they too became a thing at that time) their own recording contracts, while the antics of bands like Led Zeppelin became legend.
In the middle of all this, producer Alan Lorber got together a bunch of groupies in New York (even though the epicentre of the scene was Los Angeles) to record their ‘confessions’ for a documentary LP released by Earth Records. He had the girls talk to each other in separate booths (to ensure that stereo effect) about their lives screwing rock bands. Along the way, they introduce the listener to such slang terms (helpfully printed on the back cover) as ‘slaggy’, ‘creamies’ (a reference to the physical properties of venereal disease), ‘Piggies’ (as in ‘making piggies – sexual intercourse) and – ahem – ‘whank-off’ and ‘roadys’ (I guess no one checked the spelling with the girls).
The Groupies album has been sampled by the Pizzicato Five, The Propellerheads and God knows who else. And why not? If you are in a band, feel free to lift chunks yourself. The sound quality of the below link is all over the place to begin with, but soon settles down.
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