When West Coast proto-punks Crime self-released their first single in 1976, they thumbed their noses at their home town's history of psychedelia, flower power, and all that was mellow by billing themselves as "San Francisco's First and Only Rock & Roll Band." Of course, to those in the know, the slogan begged one important question -- "what about the Flamin' Groovies?" Cutting their first EP, Sneakers, in 1968, the Flamin' Groovies were singing the praises of rockabilly, garage rock, raw blues, old-school boogie, and all that was gloriously greasy at a time when the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane were Northern California's Next Big Things, and over the course of their first decade, the band evolved from America's toughest and wildest roots rock band, one that could match the MC5 for sheer energy and swagger, into a striking aural re-creation of the golden age of British Invasion rock, always serving as a reminder that rock & roll's history was every bit as important as its present (and even more fun). This Band Is Red Hot 1969-1979 is the first cross-licensed compilation that brings together the cream of this great band's recording career, from their first full-length album (1969's Supersnazz) to their final major-label effort (1979's Jumpin' in the Night). Though the Flamin' Groovies cut a lot of truly great music, they weren't especially consistent in the studio, and by opening with three tunes from the fun but woefully overproduced Supersnazz, this disc doesn't lead off with a bang like Sire's superb 1989 anthology Groovies Greatest Grooves. But Groovies Greatest Grooves puts its primary focus on the band's later faux British Invasion albums, and by giving equal time to the Groovies' more raucous efforts for Buddah (Flamingo and Teenage Head, arguably their two best albums), This Band Is Red Hot easily ups the rock & roll ante over the earlier compilation. Simply having the definitive recordings of "Second Cousin," "Teenage Head," "High Flyin' Baby," "Slow Death," "Shake Some Action," and "Jumpin' in the Night" in one place would make This Band Is Red Hot worth having, but the compilers have also thrown in some excellent lesser-known tunes, given the set an intelligent sequence that flatters the music, included some well-written and well-informed liner notes, and mastered the tracks with care and skill. The result is the best single-disc introduction to the glories of the Flamin' Groovies to date, and a rock & roll party that honors the work of one of the great bands their era. Pick it up, crank it up, and let the good times roll.