About this Artist

• Biography

Editorial Reviews

Roy Loney was the lead singer with the Flamin' Groovies until he walked out on the band in 1971, and he took a good share of their rock action with him -- when the Groovies re-emerged in 1976 under the leadership of founding guitarist Cyril Jordan, their frenetic rockabilly and blues-infused approach was gone in favor of a British Invasion-styled pop sound that was often beautiful but no match for the original in terms of sheer power. Anyone who wondered what had happened to the band's frantic energy only had to turn to Roy Loney's first solo album, 1979's Out After Dark, which sounded like a slightly updated version of the sound the Flamin' Groovies were reaching for on their masterful 1971 album, Teenage Head. Loney cut a handful of solo albums ranging from good to great after returning to action in the late '70s (and is still cutting great stuff in the new millennium), but most of those discs are unfortunately out of print, so the record collectors at Australia's Raven Records have cherry-picked the highlights from six different Loney releases for the compilation A Hundred Miles an Hour 1978-1989. On top of being a great rock & roll belter with no fear of pushing himself into the red zone, Loney is a fine songwriter with a wildly idiosyncratic sense of humor, and not many roots rockers would have come up with anything like the big city rant "Scum City," the libidinous "Neat Petite," or the tongue-in-cheek hipster anthem "Panic to a Manic Degree." Most of these cuts feature a few other former Groovies backing Loney (including drummer Danny Mihm, bassist George Alexander, and guitarist Tim Lynch -- Cyril Jordan even pops up on two cuts), and while these sessions were cut for small labels that couldn't always give Loney the studio time and production smarts his songs deserved, when Loney and his sidemen kick into fourth gear the occasionally thin production can be easily forgiven as Loney's full-bodied voice fills the playing field. The Flamin' Groovies' catalog has been extensively reissued in recent years, but most of Loney's solo work remains unfortunately hard to find, and A Hundred Miles an Hour is an excellent stopgap until his work starts getting the treatment it deserves; those who wonder what became of Loney after he quit the Flamin' Groovies should do themselves a favor and pick up this profile of a natural born rock & roll genius in action. Mark Deming, All Music Guide

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