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Two Bobs and Motown 50th
The last photo I saw of Seger on the golf course sure didn't look anything like the album cover. We've all been through some changes to be sure, but your photo in the Detroit News articles looks great, Susan. Today's feature spread on Dylan has a pair of "before and after" photos that tell the tale and along with the cover collage makes this issue a keeper. Noticed that you weren't quite so hard on his Christmas offering (Gravelly voice)as earlier. I still prefer his earlier incarnations like "Highway 61 Revisited" etc. Thanks a lot for the heads-up on the Lions' Thanksgiving game halftime show featuring a Motown 50th Anniversary tribute from their current artists. Should be fun. The CBC 1550 AM programming changes do not have a total feed from the BBC Overnight as I had thought, but a variety of things that are replacing the former shows from around the world. I'm missing some of those in my moments of insomnia.
Great!
I love to read interesting post that has knowledge to impart! Thank you for sharing your insights! I will avidly wait for your next entry.
Best regards,
Buy GoldTop 20 Detroit Songs
Awesome lists. I didn't think it had to be songs so much "about" Detroit as songs that made you "feel" Detroit. For me, that would be Seger's "Heavy Music" from Smokin OPs and (going WAY back) a hand up for Salem Township's own Barbara Lewis and "Puppy Love." Would probably have to note how Detroit was the foil for so many country singers, too. Who was it that sang "Last night, I went to sleep in Detroit City, and dreamed about the cotton fields back home.." Earnest Tubb? Anyway, keep it up, all!
I agree, I think it's more about capturing the essence of Detroit, or a flavor...than being literally about Detroit. Bobby Bare did "Detroit City," right? "By day we make the cars, at night we hit the bars..." -- Susan Whitall
Soupy Sales Clips
Susan, you just made my day! The Alice Cooper clip still has left a smile. It's priceless. And the Clifford Brown clip is indeed a rarity that rekindles long faded memories of the other side of Soupy. Thanks very much. The book "Grand River and Joy" by Susan Messer which was featured on an earlier posting sounds interesting as well.
RIP Soupy Sales
Soupy Sales was totally insane in a very good way. Who else could have entertained both youth and adults with two shows on the same day? The late night showcasing of top jazz talents equalled his "intellegent counter cultural" appeal. He was truly ahead of his time or at least a pioneer for the cultural shift.
As I write this some otherworldly vibes are streaming while I view the linked Youtube video with Stevie Wonder's "High Heeled Sneakers" and simultaneously listen to an early airing of Ann Delisi's "Essential Music" which is playing Stevie Wonder's "Very Superstitious". (It's an otherworldly experience!) They are wrapping up their Semi-annual pledge drive today. True fans of variety in music can support WDET with a donation at anytime. Just go to their webpage at wdetfm.org.
Culture gap was a chasm
Long after large swaths of mainstream culture met counterculture, the maestro and his fans orbited in an unchanging universe.
In WelkWorld, roaches referred only to insects, rolling papers was something newspaper carriers did, hash was served with eggs and a bong was presumed to be an Asian percussion instrument that's not needed in the LW Orchestra.
Sadly, some folks still think that was -- is? -- The Real America.
Alan --
Yeah but I've always said, there would be no counter-culture if there weren't things like Lawrence Welk to "rebel" against. Without AM radio, what would Frank Zappa have attacked? I liked the yin/yang aspect of culture in the '60s. I'm not sure if we have that today or not. A little bit with "Dancing with the Stars" etc., but where is the intelligent counter-culture? -- Susan Whitall
Lawrence Welk
This is hilarious Susan! Especially the line: "I've been changing as you can plainly see." sung by Gail and Dale without so much as a hint of recognition. "Ah wannerful, ah wannerful!" Thanks for sharing!
Another song for the list...
"The New World" by the Knitters
"...windshield wipers, Buffalo NY...Gary Indiana...don't forget the Motor City....don't forget the Motor City...this is supposed to be the New World...."
Top 20 Detroit Songs
Here are a few more songs about Detroit to continue my earlier list. There are others but I've listed only those I am familiar with. As far as favorites, can't say that I have any, but do enjoy hearing a Detroit tune.
28. 8 Mile - Eminem
29. Born in Detroit - The Rockets
30. Detroit Blues - Diana Krall
31. Hotel Yorba - White Stripes
32. I Care About Detroit - Smokey Robinson and the Miracles
33. Move to Detroit - Eddie Flashin' Fowlkes
34. Nobody in Detroit - Howling Diablos
35. Passport to Detroit - Joe Strummer
36. Rock and Roll - Mitch Ryder
37. We Almost Lost Detroit - Gil Scott Heron
38. Welcome to Detroit - Jay Dee
39. Who's Afraid of Detroit? - Claude Von Stroke
40. (This spot is reserved for all those artists from the "D" who never made a song about our town. What are you waiting for?) THANKS again Susan for a great idea!
Top 20 Detroit Songs
When I first read your post I thought "No way are there 20 songs about Detroit." But as it turns out there are way more than that. So here's my first list and there will probably be another after I do a little more research. Thanks Susan, for generating the idea. Why should N.Y. get all the glory, right? The music coming from and about Detroit should get more recognition especially from Detroiters, so that we realize our musical talent and heritage.
In mostly alphabetical order by title:
1. Detroit - Laurent Garnier
2. Detroit '67 - Sam Roberts Band
3. Detroit Breakdown - J. Geils
4. Detroit City - Alice Cooper
5. Detroit Lift Up Your Weary Head - Sufjan Stevens
6. Detroit Rock City - Kiss
7. Detroit Swing 66 - Gomez
8. Detroit Thang - Kid Rock
9. Detroit Winter - PPP (Platinum Pied Pipers)
10.Doctor Detroit - Devo
11.Hands Up for Detroit - Matthew Dear
12.I Am Detroit - Electric Six
13.Motor City Baby - Dirtbombs (Also, Broke in Detroit)
14.Motor City Burning - MC5 or John Lee Hooker
15.Motor City Madhouse - Ted Nugent
16.Motown Music - Rod Stewart
17.My Life in the D - Brendan Benson
18.One Piece at a Time - Johnny Cash
19.Panic in Detroit - David Bowie
20.Worse Than Detroit - Robert Plant
21.Midnight at the 20 Grand - The Detroit Experiment-C.Craig
22.Eastern Market - Jusef Lateef
23.Makin' Thunderbirds - Bob Seger
24.Black Day in July - Gordon Lightfoot (Also, Edmund Fitz.)
25.Dancing in the Street - Martha and the Vandellas
26.Inner City Blues - Marvin Gaye
27.Hello Detroit - Sammy Davis Jr.
Had to go over the limit but will probably add more later.
Anticipating some corrections, so feel free. Thanks again!
P.S. If you want to get an idea of what some Detroiters consider as their personal "Top-5" songs, go to "Ann Delisi's Fans of Essential Music on WDET-FM 101.9" on Facebook for an interesting bunch of lists. You also can hear the lists played from time to time on her show airing Saturdays an Sundays from Noon to 4:00 P.M.
Ray,
This is great, you're on the research tip. "One Piece at a Time" by Johnny Cash is one I had, "Detroit Breakdown" by J. Geils was almost the first song I noted down. It would be hard to confine it to 20 songs, as Little Steven did with his New York list. I'll have to see. -- Susan Whitall
What Is Jazz?
If I don't make the spelling errors good I'll never stop thinking about them! I looked up "G R A F F I T I" and discovered that the word has two "F's", one "T", and is actually a plural form of "graffito", meaning a singular, crude work of visual art, the country of origin of course being Italy.
No excuse for "there's", but I do wish this blog had "spell-check".
What Is Jazz?
You're absolutely right Susan, "Smooth Jazz" was never a pure form. More like elevator music actually, but as an alternative to the usual stuff on the radio it was welcome from time to time. And like the "lower" forms of visual art (comics, grafitti, etc. ther's no harm done unless the audience takes it for the "real" thing. Thanks for the correction.
Good bye WVMV
For those who have an HD-2 radio receiver, another place you can go for Jazz on Saturday afternoons is WDET-FM 101.9 HD-2 "The Avenue" which airs three jazz shows from around 1:00p.m. to 5:00p.m. I agree, we need more jazz representation on the radio, especially in Detroit which traditionally has been one of the incubators of this musical genre.
Good bye WVMV
They are off my select list.in the car. I don't need to listen to top 40 junk. CBS really blew this one.
I listened, attended Jazz concerts and really met a lot of great people. The ethnic diversity of the crowds helped prove that when people gather based on their similarities (namely an appreciation of the music)they didn't see black or white musicians, just talented people. "Respect for people based on the quality of their character...".
We've just lost another little piece of the dream.
Ron Powell
Canton, Michigan
Judging from the reaction of outraged smooth jazz fans, I would think some similar format would pop up -- too few have HD radio. At the moment, they only care about one demographic it appears.
-- Susan Whitall"Smooth Jazz" Flip
I checked-out the new WVMV format on the FM frequency yesterday. Too much noise (translated as ads and promos) for me. But they(CBS)are going for another demographic in young adult females if I read your article correctly, so it may work for them. It's kind of "more of the same" that we already have too much of already. The "Smooth Jazz" on the HD-2 frequency is about the same minus those personalities who you mentioned. I much prefer listening to shows like Ann Delisi's "Essential Music", weekend afternoons on WDET who you wrote about several months ago (Thanks for that!). She puts some thought into her selections and gives related info between sets and has live guests and special features to add to the mix.
Ann's "Essential Music" is wonderful, my only problem is I tend to be a daily listener. If something isn't on daily -- music especially -- I'll forget that it's there for me on the weekend. -- Susan Whitall
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