Alas, Detroit, that city of industrial might, now known for blight and bankruptcy. Despite its current woes, Detroit (and Michigan at large) has always been fertile ground for the musical arts—and I’m not just talking about the legendary Detroit Symphony Orchestra or Motown—but something that had just as great a reach, but far less recognition: the “garage rock” scene of the ‘60s, which led to a variety of different and significant musical threads: early punk, as represented by Iggy Pop, rock, of the type played by Bob Seger and Mitch Ryder, the famously loud, raucous MC-5, and even the early underpinnings of “glam” in the form of Alice Cooper. (Grand Funk Railroad also hailed from the Michigan, as did that monster telecaster player, Bill Kirchen, which takes us down another path). This album doesn’t include everybody, but what’s here is great and ample proof of truth in advertising: Michigan Rocks!
This compilation is not as rough-edged as the cover art would lead you to believe. First, it’s not a “boot” but from what I gather, a legitimately licensed product of Seeds & Stems Records (ahem). It gives you a fair sampling of the sound of the times, and although I wouldn’t put it into the audiophile demo stack, it’s more than listenable. You can crank it up without ear bleed, and this kind of music has to be listened to at some volume.
What you hear is also more tuneful than you’d expect, tinged with a slight R&B flavor- basically solid rhythm sections with harder-edged guitars and slamming drums. There are elements of psych mixed in but the common denominator is the driving beat. I forgot how good some of these bands were back in the day- Mitch Ryder combines a soul/gospel sound with hard rock and layered guitars, hand-claps, and a great bass line. Even Ted Nugent’s trip to the center of your mind with the Amboy Dukes is worth the journey. This album is easier to find than another compilation, Michigan Nuggets, on the Belvedere label. But it has some gems- I wasn’t familiar with the Third Power’s “Persecution.” SRC’s rendition of “I’m So Glad” is far more Cream than Skip James, but it’s pretty good.
My copy is almost dead quiet, and though the recordings vary in quality, none are horrible. (The MC-5 track is a live recording from the famous Grande Ballroom, but I don’t recall ever hearing a great sounding recording of that band). Some will far exceed your sonic expectations. Worth finding- it was such a cool era, when the possibilities coming out of popular music were seemingly unlimited. Here, the roots of that era are laid bare and knowing where it led, it’s refreshing to go back to the earlier, and still formative work.