When I was offered GRIT, NOISE AND REVOLUTION: THE BIRTH OF DETROIT ROCK ‘N’ ROLL for review, it did not take five seconds for me to say “yes!” I knew right from the cover shot of Fred “Sonic” Smith exactly what this book was going to cover. For those expecting a detailed history of Motown, there are plenty of other books that tackle that. This book, my friends, is really all about the rock.
The first few chapeters in this tome cover the early Detroit music scene, including John Lee Hooker, 1950s acts, a dash of Motown and the burgeoning garage movement featuring a young Bob Seger. Once that’s all said and done, GRIT hits the meat of the matter: the MC5 and all their exploits. From here on out, that is the band which all the others mentioned orbit around like satellites.
I could spend the rest of this review telling you folks what albums to pick up and why, but this is a book review site, not Creem (the greatest rock mag started, incidentally, in Detroit.). Author David A. Carson expounds on the exploits of the legendary MC5 and other bands of that era. Yes, The Stooges have their say in this tale, but it seems Carson took the MC5 ball and just kept rolling. So one must thank Carson for that alone. Since the only MC5 stories I’ve read before – dealt with here in greater detail – were in PLEASE KILL ME: THE UNCENSORED ORAL HISTORY OF PUNK, another great book for music fans.
Each chapter in GRIT covers one subject, then moves onwards, with insight about Mitch Ryder’s rise to a little mention of Grand Funk Railroad (but don’t let that dissuade you). My only quibble with Carson’s text is that toward the end, it feels like he tried to cram too much in there and not forget anyone, with pages about Alice Cooper and Parliament Funkadelic. If you are a fan of the Detroit scene from the late ’60s or early ’70s, you won’t regret grabbing this one. For the kids out there who don’t know any better, put down that infernal Kid Rock CD and pick up a copy of KICK OUT THE JAMS or FUN HOUSE; you’ll be much better off. –Bruce Grossman
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It’s an OK attempt, but it’s a stopgap until the better book on the history of MI rock is assembled. Carson’s book is primarily a cut-and-paste edit job; I’m quoted and cited in it, so is a friend of mine, so are about half the people who have ever heard of Michigan rock music. Carson’s own writing chops are nowhere in evidence, if you take the time to compare his sources (gratefully listed) with the text in his book, which is often just a series of paraphrases. I was thrilled to have my writing in hardcover, but neither Carson nor U of M Press asked permission, nor did they pay me. His “research” also extended to a hilarious misquote of me that is easily revealed by looking at the source publication he used for that section.