It's like out of an entirely different list but, still: awesome!Damien wrote:18 "No UFO's" Model 500 (Metroplex) 1985
While Juan Atkins' earlier tracks ("Clear," "Alleys of Your Mind" and "Cosmic Cars"), produced with Richard Davis via the group Cybotron, laid the groundwork for Detroit techno, it was this raw, weird and funky slab of futuristic music that was the real shape of things to come. Grandmaster Flash, Prince and Depeche Mode reimagined, retooled and compressed into four-plus minutes that surge and sizzle in all the right places, it's hard to believe this was released 22 years ago. (WW)
Top 100 Detroit Songs
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Eric
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This is a cool article from Metro Times Detroit.
It's a great music city because it was so important both for soul/R & B and Punk.
The article is too long to post in its entirety, so I've posted the Top 25 and here's the link to the rest:
http://www.metrotimes.com/editorial/story.asp?id=12036
The 100 greatest Detroit songs ever!
Picking the top tracks of the Motor City
by Metro Times music staff
11/21/2007
Our original thought was just to compile a list of the best lists that have appeared in Blender, Rolling Stone, Q, MOJO, etc. over the past five years. Seriously, though, no one's yet done a "Best of Detroit," as far as we can tell, so, hell, why not?
There really was no science to our methodology. In fact, there was no real methodology at all. We simply asked some Detroit music experts for their lists; some got back to us, some didn't. The guidelines were expanded to include southeastern Michigan so that Flint, Grand Rapids, Saginaw, etc., were included. (Hey, if you were doing an L.A. list, you'd have to include Pasadena and Hawthorne — or else no Van Halen and Beach Boys. Same thing ...) "Best" is totally subjective and fairly open-ended, of course, though some of the factors we asked voters to take into account included the song's impact and "pure spine-tingling quality." Sales were a little important but not as important as impact (did someone say "Stooges"?).
The song didn't have to have been recorded in Detroit (or Michigan), but it did have to be associated with Detroit by an artist/group/band whose sound was/is rooted in Michigan. Some caveats: Although Bill Haley was born in the Detroit area, "Rock Around The Clock" is hardly associated with Michigan. "The Twist" didn't make the list because although Hank Ballard's from the Motor City, that song (and dance) is tied closer to Philadelphia (and Chubby Checker) in the national consciousness. And songs about Michigan recorded by non-area artists (i.e., KISS or Lefty Frizell) were ineligible.
After Brian Smith came up with the concept, we realized in retrospect that we probably should have streamlined it. Perhaps limited it to the pop-rock market or songs created after WWII (thereby explaining why no Della Reese songs are here). Oh, well. Too late now. We also discovered that we could have filled one-quarter of the list with nothing but Temptations songs. Or Stevie Wonder. Or Marvin Gaye, the Supremes, etc., etc. Someone even suggested we eliminate Motown candidates altogether due to unfair competition. (Can you imagine the angry letters that would have generated?)
In the end, though, it was simply fun. And we all learned a few trivia tidbits (did you know, for instance, that Fatboy Slim got the riff for "The Rockafeller Skank" from the obscure "Sliced Tomatoes" by Detroit's Just Brothers?). This is simply our list of favorites in the end. We want to see your lists ... and we've created a space at metrotimes.com for you to do just that. When I sent a second e-mail to the judges telling them they couldn't bitch if they didn't vote, Dave Marsh responded: "Good luck enforcing that!" So go ahead and bitch ... and enjoy! —Bill Holdship, music editor
1 "What's Going On" Marvin Gaye (Tamla) 1971
Berry Gordy didn't want to release this, deeming it "uncommercial." The Motown chief finally relented when Gaye — who co-wrote it with Four Top Renaldo "Obie" Benson and Motown in-house songwriter Al Cleveland — threatened to permanently stop recording. His determination not only paved the way for black artists to pursue more personal and sociopolitical songwriting agendas, but along with Stevie Wonder's "emancipation," it changed Motown's whole game. Reaching No. 2 on the pop and No. 1 on the R&B charts, the song is as relevant and poignant today as it was the day it was written. (BH)
2 "Living for the City" Stevie Wonder (Tamla) 1973
Another sociopolitical zinger, it describes ghetto life as aptly as any ever written. Although Wonder — who's never sounded angrier — set the story in Mississippi and NYC, it could just as easily be describing life for many African-Americans in the Motor City. The song (which reached No. 8 on the pop and No. 1 on the R&B charts) had to be edited from seven-and-a-half to a little more than three minutes for radio airplay. But Ray Charles sang the whole thing when he covered it, joining a list of artists that would eventually range from Ramsey Lewis to the Dirtbombs. (BH)
3 "96 Tears" Question Mark & the Mysterians (Cameo) 1966
When Rudy Martinez and his Hispanic buddies created this classic (originally "69 Tears" — reason for change obvious!) in Saginaw, they basically invented garage rock; Dave Marsh coined the term "punk rock" in CREEM to describe these guys. It made "cheesy" organ one of the form's primary instruments; somewhere the Elvis Costello of This Year's Model was taking notes. Picked up from a small indie label for national distribution, the song went to No. 1 on the charts. Covered by the Stranglers, Eddie & the Hot Rods, Garland Jeffreys, Iggy and Aretha Franklin, among numerous others ... but the original is still the best. (BH)
4 "No Fun" The Stooges (Elektra) 1969
Marsh could've just as easily used this song to coin the "punk rock" label. There are numerous songs on that first album to choose from, but this grinding ode to boredom and self-hate gets the nod — not only because it best encapsulates the band's mood and minimalist aesthetic and not only because the Sex Pistols recorded it ... but also because it includes one of the greatest lines in punk rock history: "Maybe go out, maybe stay home, maybe call Mom on the telephone." Hated by mainstream rockers at the time but now considered legendary on an international level. (BH)
5 "Boogie Chillen" John Lee Hooker (Modern) 1948
Hooker moved to Detroit in 1942, looking for auto factory work. He was working as a janitor at Chrysler, taking in the sights and sounds of the black clubs on Hastings Street, when he created this track. Recorded at Detroit's United Sound Studios, an L.A. label released it nationally, eventually taking it to No. 1 on the R&B charts. Some make a case for it as the first rock song. Whatever the case, it was a call-to-party anthem for blacks in the '50s, hippies in the '60s, and heavy metal kidz (via Led Zeppelin) in the '70s and beyond. (BH)
6 "Runaway" Del Shannon (Big Top) 1961
It's one of the most beloved songs in pop history, but Del Shannon (born Charles Westover) was still working a day job, playing with bands at nights, in Coopersville (near Grand Rapids) when he created this No. 1 hit. Country fan Shannon borrowed the chord progression from Hank Williams' "Kaw Liga" before co-writer and keyboardist Max Crook added his proto-synthesizer Musitron solo, giving the track its otherworldly quality. Used in one of the most memorable scenes in American Graffiti and covered by countless greats, from Bonnie Raitt to the Misfits to Elvis Presley, who sang it nightly during his 1969-'70 Las Vegas comeback shows. (BH)
7 "I'm Eighteen" Alice Cooper (Warner Bros.) 1971
The band was living on a Detroit-area ranch when CKLW began playing this Bob Ezrin-produced garage-glam-punk trailblazer. The rest of the world soon caught on and rock 'n' roll was henceforth altered ("I'm Eighteen," in fact, was the song Johnny Rotten used to audition for the Sex Pistols). If you listen closely, the song's an ear-bending snapshot of teen torment that's literate and littered with slinky subtext — its deliberate pace, ascending guitar and bass lines lend a weird tension to this anthem. That a song this smart and deceptively ironic, housed in Alice's glam couture, should tousle the American Top 40 is a testament to the Motor City. (BS)
8 "Will You, Won't You, Be My Babe" McKinney's Cotton Pickers (Victor) 1929
It's 1929 in Detroit. Jobs a-plenty, booze flowing in every direction ... all to the rhythm of hot jazz, America's theme music. With several notable exceptions, few jazzers explored the lyrical side of the beat. But McKinney's Cotton Pickers, imported from Ohio in 1927, developed a sound in Detroit that was on the cutting edge of the still-young art form. They had a beat you couldn't ignore and choice arrangements, including this very pretty tune featuring captivating solos. It was sweet ... and hot, too, capturing the other side of the '20s frenetic lifestyle and adding to Detroit's growing rep as a music town. (JG)
9 "Love Child" The Supremes (Motown) 1968
Naysayers may complain that the first Supremes cut here isn't one written and produced by Holland-Dozier-Holland, responsible for all the group's previous classics. Some may argue that the track — recorded in Hitsville USA's Studio A — wasn't really a Supremes song but Diana Ross backed by session singers. Nevertheless, composed by Gordy's newest conglomeration of writers, the Clan, it was the grittiest thing the group ever did and gets extra points for sociological lyrical content (the then-controversial subject of illegitimacy) — a true rarity for Motown's ultimate pop crossover act. It also took them back to No. 1, replacing the Beatles' "Hey Jude." (BH)
10 "Kick Out the Jams" The MC5 (Elektra) 1969
Someone suggested this should be Detroit's national anthem ... and that ain't so far from the truth. As notorious at the time for Rob Tyner's "Kick out the jams, motherfucker!" battle cry as for the raw music itself, the song was actually a challenge to other bands that weren't nearly as dynamic. It eventually became synonymous with the '60s ethos of revolution. The controversy didn't prevent it from reaching No. 30, although its influence wouldn't be truly felt until a decade later. Unclassifiable at the time, the group would eventually be considered forebears of both punk and heavy metal. Oh, yeah, and fuck Hudson's! (BH)
11 "The Wind" Nolan Strong & the Diablos (Fortune) 1954
Appropriately atmospheric, absolutely ethereal ballad; sung to perfection — in skyscraping falsetto — by Barrett Strong's cousin and cohorts. (Covered by New York City vocal group the Jesters in 1960 and the combined talents of Laura Nyro and Labelle in 1971, but neither comes within kissin' distance of the original.) The Diablos were longtime Detroit legends, hitting locally with the guitar-driven "Mind Over Matter" as late as '62, with Strong's distinctive vocal style echoed in everyone from Smokey Robinson to Michael Jackson. (DW)
12 "Smokin' in the Boys Room" Brownsville Station (Big Tree) 1973
Formed in Ann Arbor in 1969, Brownsville Station was popular on the local scene before achieving national fame with this archetypal teenage anthem of rebellion. Reaching No. 3 on the charts and selling more than 2 million copies, it ended up being a one-hit wonder, although Mötley Crüe would cover it nearly two decades later, scoring its first Top 40 hit. R.E.M. also covered it onstage during the mid-'80s, and the Crickets did the same in Hollywood two years ago. We're certain late great songwriter and rock historian Cub Koda would've loved hearing his tune performed by Buddy Holly's old band! (BH)
13 "Devil With a Blue Dress On/Good Golly Miss Molly" Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels (Dynovoice) 1966
After renaming Billy Lee & the Rivieras, producer Bob Crewe took them Top 10 with a single that combined "CC Rider" with Little Richard's "Jenny Take a Ride." Deciding to repeat the formula, they paired "Devil With a Blue Dress" — a regional hit for Shorty Long on Motown's Soul label (although Ryder, one of history's greatest blue-eyed shouters, sped it waaay up) — with another Little Richard classic. They reached No. 4, creating a sonic boom forever associated with our fair city. Bruce Springsteen would use all four songs as an encore, titling it "Detroit Medley," for years to come. (BH)
14 "The Way I Walk" Jack Scott (Top Rank) 1959
As Berry Gordy once said: "Jack Scott started it all for Detroit." Indeed, he was the first Motor City rocker to scale the national charts. Possessing a moody baritone versatile enough to pull off both otherworldly ballads and relentless rockers, he was one song shy of completing his debut album at United Sound Studio when he came up with "The Way I Walk" off the top of his head. Seething with cool, flippant attitude and all greasy JD swagger, it was later covered by both Robert Gordon and the Cramps (one listen to the lyrics should tell you why). (MH)
15 "Please Mr. Postman" The Marvelettes (Tamla) 1961
The first No. 1 pop hit to come out of Hitsville USA, it set the mold for the girl group model that would become one of the label's mainstays. Covered by the Beatles during their Cavern Club days, it would be transformed into a power-pop classic on the Fab Four's second album. Martin Scorsese memorably used the Marvelettes' version as the soundtrack to the bar fight in Mean Streets. The song reached No. 1 again in early 1975 via a rather balls-less cover by the Carpenters. More recently, it's been sampled by rappers Juan Santana and Lil' Wayne. (BH)
16 "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" Gladys Knight & the Pips (Soul) 1967
Putting the lie to the myth that Motown's records were somehow less soulful than those waxed at Stax/Volt in Memphis, this was Berry Gordy & company's — or, at least, producer and co-writer (with Barrett Strong) Norman Whitfield's — response to Aretha Franklin's version of "Respect." (The song was originally a Miracles album track and Marvin Gaye's moody, brooding version was actually recorded — but remained unreleased — until after the Pips' hit.) Though Motown's then-unsung sessionmen certainly earn their Funk Brothers nickname, you gotta love how the Pips' harmonies try to box Gladys in at every turn — and how she never lets 'em. (DW)
17 "Ain't No Mountain HigH Enough" Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell (Tamla) 1967
Terrell was the best of Gaye's female vocal partners (Mary Wells, Kim Weston, and Diana Ross were the others) and this soaring, slicker-than-snakes duet eclipses all the rest. But the jaw-dropping, utterly explosive bass playing from now-legendary Motown session stalwart James Jamerson — this might be his finest moment — would be reason enough for this flipped disc to make the list. Let's hear you nail it on the first take ... (DW)
18 "No UFO's" Model 500 (Metroplex) 1985
While Juan Atkins' earlier tracks ("Clear," "Alleys of Your Mind" and "Cosmic Cars"), produced with Richard Davis via the group Cybotron, laid the groundwork for Detroit techno, it was this raw, weird and funky slab of futuristic music that was the real shape of things to come. Grandmaster Flash, Prince and Depeche Mode reimagined, retooled and compressed into four-plus minutes that surge and sizzle in all the right places, it's hard to believe this was released 22 years ago. (WW)
19 "Out of This World" Gino Washington (Amon) 1963
"Gino Is a Coward" might be a favorite of Bruce Springsteen — who covered it on his Tunnel of Love tour — but you cannot argue with a song entitled "Out of this World," particularly when it is precisely that. The combination of white garage band Jeff & the Atlantics exploding behind a bombastic black soul singer (who borrowed from Berry Gordy's "Money" for a line here) was a match made in rock 'n' roll heaven. A cultural crossroad that brought the myriad threads of Detroit music to a boiling point, complete with the Rochelles — later Tony Orlando's Dawn — delivering irresistibly fervent backing vocals. (MH)
20 "Cloud Nine" The Temptations (Gordy) 1968
Heavily influenced by Sly & the Family Stone — and picking up 16 tons of bonus points for Barrett Strong's unapologetically escapist lyrics ("Depressed and down-hearted, I took to Cloud Nine/And I'm doin' fine ... on Cloud Nine!") — this, along with the equally gimlet-eyed "Papa Was a Rolling Stone," is the acid-tipped, "psychedelicized" peak of the Temptations' five-lead-voices incarnation. (DW)
21 "Misery" The Dynamics (Big Top) 1963
When the Who were still called the High Numbers and scrounging around for material for their first single, they simply pilfered two American hits and changed the lyrics rather than writing anything original. Slim Harpo's "Got Love If You Want It" became "I'm the Face," and the Dynamics' "Misery" became "Zoot Suit." Originally from Dearborn, the Dynamics were a Detroit favorite whose garage-style take on doowop and soul has proved enduring. While rock 'n' roll fans the world over still love "Misery," which sounds like absolutely nothing else (despite the Brit cover), only true Who devotees recall "Zoot Suit." (MH)
22 "The Tears of a Clown" Smokey Robinson & the Miracles (Tamla) 1970
A circus-organ hook and some of Robinson's slickest lyrics ("Just like Pagliacci did/I try to keep my surface hid") highlight what was originally a throwaway 1967 album track. When Bob Dylan called Smokey Robinson "America's greatest living poet," a lot of people thought that was some kinda joke. (It wasn't.) Co-written by Stevie Wonder and Hank Cosby, this pumping, propulsively, perpetually circular — like wheels turning inside of wheels — number was cooly covered by UK ska revivalists the English Beat in 1980. (DW)
23 "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" Jimmy Ruffin (Soul/Motown) 1966
Many consider it the definitive Motown soul single. It's certainly one of the grandest productions (via William Weatherspoon, who co-wrote it, and William "Mickey" Stevenson) to come out of West Grand Boulevard's Studio A. The song was originally intended for the Spinners, but Jimmy Ruffin, older brother of the Temptations' David, convinced the producers to let him record it instead. It turned out to be a one-hit wonder for the singer, reaching No. 7 — but what a one-hit wonder it was! It remains one of the label's most revived songs, including Joan Osborne's glorious finale in the Funk Brothers documentary. (BH)
24 "The Hucklebuck" Paul Williams (Savoy) 1949
Before "The Twist," the definitive Detroit-rooted dance craze was Paul Williams' suggestively titled "The Hucklebuck." The R&B hit regenerated itself in wave after wave of subsequent versions by everyone from Bo Diddley to Count Basie, Frank Sinatra to Ralph Kramden (in a Honeymooners episode). Arguably, "the earliest instance of the crossover that became a pop phenomenon in the 1954-56 period and that spelled the end of R&B as a segregated music," said music historian Arnold Shaw. Lyrics came later; the original was a bluesy big-band vehicle for Williams. Jazzbos heard Charlie Parker's 1945 "Now's the Time" slowed for dance-floor salaciousness. Williams argued otherwise. Did folks on the floor care? (WKH)
25 "Respect" Aretha Franklin (Atlantic) 1967
Aretha was already on a roll when she went into the studio on Valentine's Day 1967. Raised on gospel (influential preacher Rev. C.L. Franklin was her father, giants such as Mahalia Jackson were family friends), she'd spent six moderately successful years at Columbia, largely in a Dinah Washington mold. Her first Atlantic hit, "I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You," smashed the mold with a new funkier, gospel-hued sound (backed by the Muscle Shoals rhythm section). Now she upped the tempo (and the ante) with the 1965 Otis Redding tune she'd been transforming on the road, creating an anthem of the time. Civil rights, black power, feminism; when she spelled out R-E-S-P-E-C-T, she spoke for legions. (WKH)
Edited By Damien on 1195672979
It's a great music city because it was so important both for soul/R & B and Punk.
The article is too long to post in its entirety, so I've posted the Top 25 and here's the link to the rest:
http://www.metrotimes.com/editorial/story.asp?id=12036
The 100 greatest Detroit songs ever!
Picking the top tracks of the Motor City
by Metro Times music staff
11/21/2007
Our original thought was just to compile a list of the best lists that have appeared in Blender, Rolling Stone, Q, MOJO, etc. over the past five years. Seriously, though, no one's yet done a "Best of Detroit," as far as we can tell, so, hell, why not?
There really was no science to our methodology. In fact, there was no real methodology at all. We simply asked some Detroit music experts for their lists; some got back to us, some didn't. The guidelines were expanded to include southeastern Michigan so that Flint, Grand Rapids, Saginaw, etc., were included. (Hey, if you were doing an L.A. list, you'd have to include Pasadena and Hawthorne — or else no Van Halen and Beach Boys. Same thing ...) "Best" is totally subjective and fairly open-ended, of course, though some of the factors we asked voters to take into account included the song's impact and "pure spine-tingling quality." Sales were a little important but not as important as impact (did someone say "Stooges"?).
The song didn't have to have been recorded in Detroit (or Michigan), but it did have to be associated with Detroit by an artist/group/band whose sound was/is rooted in Michigan. Some caveats: Although Bill Haley was born in the Detroit area, "Rock Around The Clock" is hardly associated with Michigan. "The Twist" didn't make the list because although Hank Ballard's from the Motor City, that song (and dance) is tied closer to Philadelphia (and Chubby Checker) in the national consciousness. And songs about Michigan recorded by non-area artists (i.e., KISS or Lefty Frizell) were ineligible.
After Brian Smith came up with the concept, we realized in retrospect that we probably should have streamlined it. Perhaps limited it to the pop-rock market or songs created after WWII (thereby explaining why no Della Reese songs are here). Oh, well. Too late now. We also discovered that we could have filled one-quarter of the list with nothing but Temptations songs. Or Stevie Wonder. Or Marvin Gaye, the Supremes, etc., etc. Someone even suggested we eliminate Motown candidates altogether due to unfair competition. (Can you imagine the angry letters that would have generated?)
In the end, though, it was simply fun. And we all learned a few trivia tidbits (did you know, for instance, that Fatboy Slim got the riff for "The Rockafeller Skank" from the obscure "Sliced Tomatoes" by Detroit's Just Brothers?). This is simply our list of favorites in the end. We want to see your lists ... and we've created a space at metrotimes.com for you to do just that. When I sent a second e-mail to the judges telling them they couldn't bitch if they didn't vote, Dave Marsh responded: "Good luck enforcing that!" So go ahead and bitch ... and enjoy! —Bill Holdship, music editor
1 "What's Going On" Marvin Gaye (Tamla) 1971
Berry Gordy didn't want to release this, deeming it "uncommercial." The Motown chief finally relented when Gaye — who co-wrote it with Four Top Renaldo "Obie" Benson and Motown in-house songwriter Al Cleveland — threatened to permanently stop recording. His determination not only paved the way for black artists to pursue more personal and sociopolitical songwriting agendas, but along with Stevie Wonder's "emancipation," it changed Motown's whole game. Reaching No. 2 on the pop and No. 1 on the R&B charts, the song is as relevant and poignant today as it was the day it was written. (BH)
2 "Living for the City" Stevie Wonder (Tamla) 1973
Another sociopolitical zinger, it describes ghetto life as aptly as any ever written. Although Wonder — who's never sounded angrier — set the story in Mississippi and NYC, it could just as easily be describing life for many African-Americans in the Motor City. The song (which reached No. 8 on the pop and No. 1 on the R&B charts) had to be edited from seven-and-a-half to a little more than three minutes for radio airplay. But Ray Charles sang the whole thing when he covered it, joining a list of artists that would eventually range from Ramsey Lewis to the Dirtbombs. (BH)
3 "96 Tears" Question Mark & the Mysterians (Cameo) 1966
When Rudy Martinez and his Hispanic buddies created this classic (originally "69 Tears" — reason for change obvious!) in Saginaw, they basically invented garage rock; Dave Marsh coined the term "punk rock" in CREEM to describe these guys. It made "cheesy" organ one of the form's primary instruments; somewhere the Elvis Costello of This Year's Model was taking notes. Picked up from a small indie label for national distribution, the song went to No. 1 on the charts. Covered by the Stranglers, Eddie & the Hot Rods, Garland Jeffreys, Iggy and Aretha Franklin, among numerous others ... but the original is still the best. (BH)
4 "No Fun" The Stooges (Elektra) 1969
Marsh could've just as easily used this song to coin the "punk rock" label. There are numerous songs on that first album to choose from, but this grinding ode to boredom and self-hate gets the nod — not only because it best encapsulates the band's mood and minimalist aesthetic and not only because the Sex Pistols recorded it ... but also because it includes one of the greatest lines in punk rock history: "Maybe go out, maybe stay home, maybe call Mom on the telephone." Hated by mainstream rockers at the time but now considered legendary on an international level. (BH)
5 "Boogie Chillen" John Lee Hooker (Modern) 1948
Hooker moved to Detroit in 1942, looking for auto factory work. He was working as a janitor at Chrysler, taking in the sights and sounds of the black clubs on Hastings Street, when he created this track. Recorded at Detroit's United Sound Studios, an L.A. label released it nationally, eventually taking it to No. 1 on the R&B charts. Some make a case for it as the first rock song. Whatever the case, it was a call-to-party anthem for blacks in the '50s, hippies in the '60s, and heavy metal kidz (via Led Zeppelin) in the '70s and beyond. (BH)
6 "Runaway" Del Shannon (Big Top) 1961
It's one of the most beloved songs in pop history, but Del Shannon (born Charles Westover) was still working a day job, playing with bands at nights, in Coopersville (near Grand Rapids) when he created this No. 1 hit. Country fan Shannon borrowed the chord progression from Hank Williams' "Kaw Liga" before co-writer and keyboardist Max Crook added his proto-synthesizer Musitron solo, giving the track its otherworldly quality. Used in one of the most memorable scenes in American Graffiti and covered by countless greats, from Bonnie Raitt to the Misfits to Elvis Presley, who sang it nightly during his 1969-'70 Las Vegas comeback shows. (BH)
7 "I'm Eighteen" Alice Cooper (Warner Bros.) 1971
The band was living on a Detroit-area ranch when CKLW began playing this Bob Ezrin-produced garage-glam-punk trailblazer. The rest of the world soon caught on and rock 'n' roll was henceforth altered ("I'm Eighteen," in fact, was the song Johnny Rotten used to audition for the Sex Pistols). If you listen closely, the song's an ear-bending snapshot of teen torment that's literate and littered with slinky subtext — its deliberate pace, ascending guitar and bass lines lend a weird tension to this anthem. That a song this smart and deceptively ironic, housed in Alice's glam couture, should tousle the American Top 40 is a testament to the Motor City. (BS)
8 "Will You, Won't You, Be My Babe" McKinney's Cotton Pickers (Victor) 1929
It's 1929 in Detroit. Jobs a-plenty, booze flowing in every direction ... all to the rhythm of hot jazz, America's theme music. With several notable exceptions, few jazzers explored the lyrical side of the beat. But McKinney's Cotton Pickers, imported from Ohio in 1927, developed a sound in Detroit that was on the cutting edge of the still-young art form. They had a beat you couldn't ignore and choice arrangements, including this very pretty tune featuring captivating solos. It was sweet ... and hot, too, capturing the other side of the '20s frenetic lifestyle and adding to Detroit's growing rep as a music town. (JG)
9 "Love Child" The Supremes (Motown) 1968
Naysayers may complain that the first Supremes cut here isn't one written and produced by Holland-Dozier-Holland, responsible for all the group's previous classics. Some may argue that the track — recorded in Hitsville USA's Studio A — wasn't really a Supremes song but Diana Ross backed by session singers. Nevertheless, composed by Gordy's newest conglomeration of writers, the Clan, it was the grittiest thing the group ever did and gets extra points for sociological lyrical content (the then-controversial subject of illegitimacy) — a true rarity for Motown's ultimate pop crossover act. It also took them back to No. 1, replacing the Beatles' "Hey Jude." (BH)
10 "Kick Out the Jams" The MC5 (Elektra) 1969
Someone suggested this should be Detroit's national anthem ... and that ain't so far from the truth. As notorious at the time for Rob Tyner's "Kick out the jams, motherfucker!" battle cry as for the raw music itself, the song was actually a challenge to other bands that weren't nearly as dynamic. It eventually became synonymous with the '60s ethos of revolution. The controversy didn't prevent it from reaching No. 30, although its influence wouldn't be truly felt until a decade later. Unclassifiable at the time, the group would eventually be considered forebears of both punk and heavy metal. Oh, yeah, and fuck Hudson's! (BH)
11 "The Wind" Nolan Strong & the Diablos (Fortune) 1954
Appropriately atmospheric, absolutely ethereal ballad; sung to perfection — in skyscraping falsetto — by Barrett Strong's cousin and cohorts. (Covered by New York City vocal group the Jesters in 1960 and the combined talents of Laura Nyro and Labelle in 1971, but neither comes within kissin' distance of the original.) The Diablos were longtime Detroit legends, hitting locally with the guitar-driven "Mind Over Matter" as late as '62, with Strong's distinctive vocal style echoed in everyone from Smokey Robinson to Michael Jackson. (DW)
12 "Smokin' in the Boys Room" Brownsville Station (Big Tree) 1973
Formed in Ann Arbor in 1969, Brownsville Station was popular on the local scene before achieving national fame with this archetypal teenage anthem of rebellion. Reaching No. 3 on the charts and selling more than 2 million copies, it ended up being a one-hit wonder, although Mötley Crüe would cover it nearly two decades later, scoring its first Top 40 hit. R.E.M. also covered it onstage during the mid-'80s, and the Crickets did the same in Hollywood two years ago. We're certain late great songwriter and rock historian Cub Koda would've loved hearing his tune performed by Buddy Holly's old band! (BH)
13 "Devil With a Blue Dress On/Good Golly Miss Molly" Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels (Dynovoice) 1966
After renaming Billy Lee & the Rivieras, producer Bob Crewe took them Top 10 with a single that combined "CC Rider" with Little Richard's "Jenny Take a Ride." Deciding to repeat the formula, they paired "Devil With a Blue Dress" — a regional hit for Shorty Long on Motown's Soul label (although Ryder, one of history's greatest blue-eyed shouters, sped it waaay up) — with another Little Richard classic. They reached No. 4, creating a sonic boom forever associated with our fair city. Bruce Springsteen would use all four songs as an encore, titling it "Detroit Medley," for years to come. (BH)
14 "The Way I Walk" Jack Scott (Top Rank) 1959
As Berry Gordy once said: "Jack Scott started it all for Detroit." Indeed, he was the first Motor City rocker to scale the national charts. Possessing a moody baritone versatile enough to pull off both otherworldly ballads and relentless rockers, he was one song shy of completing his debut album at United Sound Studio when he came up with "The Way I Walk" off the top of his head. Seething with cool, flippant attitude and all greasy JD swagger, it was later covered by both Robert Gordon and the Cramps (one listen to the lyrics should tell you why). (MH)
15 "Please Mr. Postman" The Marvelettes (Tamla) 1961
The first No. 1 pop hit to come out of Hitsville USA, it set the mold for the girl group model that would become one of the label's mainstays. Covered by the Beatles during their Cavern Club days, it would be transformed into a power-pop classic on the Fab Four's second album. Martin Scorsese memorably used the Marvelettes' version as the soundtrack to the bar fight in Mean Streets. The song reached No. 1 again in early 1975 via a rather balls-less cover by the Carpenters. More recently, it's been sampled by rappers Juan Santana and Lil' Wayne. (BH)
16 "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" Gladys Knight & the Pips (Soul) 1967
Putting the lie to the myth that Motown's records were somehow less soulful than those waxed at Stax/Volt in Memphis, this was Berry Gordy & company's — or, at least, producer and co-writer (with Barrett Strong) Norman Whitfield's — response to Aretha Franklin's version of "Respect." (The song was originally a Miracles album track and Marvin Gaye's moody, brooding version was actually recorded — but remained unreleased — until after the Pips' hit.) Though Motown's then-unsung sessionmen certainly earn their Funk Brothers nickname, you gotta love how the Pips' harmonies try to box Gladys in at every turn — and how she never lets 'em. (DW)
17 "Ain't No Mountain HigH Enough" Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell (Tamla) 1967
Terrell was the best of Gaye's female vocal partners (Mary Wells, Kim Weston, and Diana Ross were the others) and this soaring, slicker-than-snakes duet eclipses all the rest. But the jaw-dropping, utterly explosive bass playing from now-legendary Motown session stalwart James Jamerson — this might be his finest moment — would be reason enough for this flipped disc to make the list. Let's hear you nail it on the first take ... (DW)
18 "No UFO's" Model 500 (Metroplex) 1985
While Juan Atkins' earlier tracks ("Clear," "Alleys of Your Mind" and "Cosmic Cars"), produced with Richard Davis via the group Cybotron, laid the groundwork for Detroit techno, it was this raw, weird and funky slab of futuristic music that was the real shape of things to come. Grandmaster Flash, Prince and Depeche Mode reimagined, retooled and compressed into four-plus minutes that surge and sizzle in all the right places, it's hard to believe this was released 22 years ago. (WW)
19 "Out of This World" Gino Washington (Amon) 1963
"Gino Is a Coward" might be a favorite of Bruce Springsteen — who covered it on his Tunnel of Love tour — but you cannot argue with a song entitled "Out of this World," particularly when it is precisely that. The combination of white garage band Jeff & the Atlantics exploding behind a bombastic black soul singer (who borrowed from Berry Gordy's "Money" for a line here) was a match made in rock 'n' roll heaven. A cultural crossroad that brought the myriad threads of Detroit music to a boiling point, complete with the Rochelles — later Tony Orlando's Dawn — delivering irresistibly fervent backing vocals. (MH)
20 "Cloud Nine" The Temptations (Gordy) 1968
Heavily influenced by Sly & the Family Stone — and picking up 16 tons of bonus points for Barrett Strong's unapologetically escapist lyrics ("Depressed and down-hearted, I took to Cloud Nine/And I'm doin' fine ... on Cloud Nine!") — this, along with the equally gimlet-eyed "Papa Was a Rolling Stone," is the acid-tipped, "psychedelicized" peak of the Temptations' five-lead-voices incarnation. (DW)
21 "Misery" The Dynamics (Big Top) 1963
When the Who were still called the High Numbers and scrounging around for material for their first single, they simply pilfered two American hits and changed the lyrics rather than writing anything original. Slim Harpo's "Got Love If You Want It" became "I'm the Face," and the Dynamics' "Misery" became "Zoot Suit." Originally from Dearborn, the Dynamics were a Detroit favorite whose garage-style take on doowop and soul has proved enduring. While rock 'n' roll fans the world over still love "Misery," which sounds like absolutely nothing else (despite the Brit cover), only true Who devotees recall "Zoot Suit." (MH)
22 "The Tears of a Clown" Smokey Robinson & the Miracles (Tamla) 1970
A circus-organ hook and some of Robinson's slickest lyrics ("Just like Pagliacci did/I try to keep my surface hid") highlight what was originally a throwaway 1967 album track. When Bob Dylan called Smokey Robinson "America's greatest living poet," a lot of people thought that was some kinda joke. (It wasn't.) Co-written by Stevie Wonder and Hank Cosby, this pumping, propulsively, perpetually circular — like wheels turning inside of wheels — number was cooly covered by UK ska revivalists the English Beat in 1980. (DW)
23 "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" Jimmy Ruffin (Soul/Motown) 1966
Many consider it the definitive Motown soul single. It's certainly one of the grandest productions (via William Weatherspoon, who co-wrote it, and William "Mickey" Stevenson) to come out of West Grand Boulevard's Studio A. The song was originally intended for the Spinners, but Jimmy Ruffin, older brother of the Temptations' David, convinced the producers to let him record it instead. It turned out to be a one-hit wonder for the singer, reaching No. 7 — but what a one-hit wonder it was! It remains one of the label's most revived songs, including Joan Osborne's glorious finale in the Funk Brothers documentary. (BH)
24 "The Hucklebuck" Paul Williams (Savoy) 1949
Before "The Twist," the definitive Detroit-rooted dance craze was Paul Williams' suggestively titled "The Hucklebuck." The R&B hit regenerated itself in wave after wave of subsequent versions by everyone from Bo Diddley to Count Basie, Frank Sinatra to Ralph Kramden (in a Honeymooners episode). Arguably, "the earliest instance of the crossover that became a pop phenomenon in the 1954-56 period and that spelled the end of R&B as a segregated music," said music historian Arnold Shaw. Lyrics came later; the original was a bluesy big-band vehicle for Williams. Jazzbos heard Charlie Parker's 1945 "Now's the Time" slowed for dance-floor salaciousness. Williams argued otherwise. Did folks on the floor care? (WKH)
25 "Respect" Aretha Franklin (Atlantic) 1967
Aretha was already on a roll when she went into the studio on Valentine's Day 1967. Raised on gospel (influential preacher Rev. C.L. Franklin was her father, giants such as Mahalia Jackson were family friends), she'd spent six moderately successful years at Columbia, largely in a Dinah Washington mold. Her first Atlantic hit, "I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You," smashed the mold with a new funkier, gospel-hued sound (backed by the Muscle Shoals rhythm section). Now she upped the tempo (and the ante) with the 1965 Otis Redding tune she'd been transforming on the road, creating an anthem of the time. Civil rights, black power, feminism; when she spelled out R-E-S-P-E-C-T, she spoke for legions. (WKH)
Edited By Damien on 1195672979
"Y'know, that's one of the things I like about Mitt Romney. He's been consistent since he changed his mind." -- Christine O'Donnell