Five full
albums of work from the mighty Mitch Ryder – plus a fair bit of rare singles as
well – all brought together in a package that features the first full look at
his years at the New Voice label!
First up is Take A Ride – a classic set from
the mighty Mitch Ryder and his smoking Detroit Wheels combo! These guys might
have been a garage band in another side of the universe – and you can
definitely hear that style on some of the guitars and keyboards in the set –
but they also drunk deep of the Motown sound of their hometown, and listened to
plenty of soul from Chicago and Memphis too – which they draw on to great
extent for the grooves in this classic set! Years before so many other groups
would cop 60s soul style and hit it big on the charts, Mitch and the boys made
their move – much closer to the ground at the time, and with a lot more grit in
their grooves too – so much so that we've always been unsure as to whether to
file this record in the rock section or in soul. The whole thing's great – and
titles titles that include "Jenny Take A Ride", "Shake A Tail
Feather", "Come See About Me", and "I Hope" – plus
three James Brown songs – "I'll Go Crazy", "Please Please
Please", and "I Got You".
Next is Breakout – a record that's
steeped in styles borrowed from Memphis and Muscle Shoals, and given a bit of a
color-blind twist on the Detroit scene of the late 60s! Mitch clearly loves the
motor city sound of the 60s, but also takes things to farther points south, too
– using elements that would be right at home on Stax or Atlantic Records, and
coming up with a crossover sound that had his recorded almost ending up in more
soul collections over the years than rock ones! Production is by pop maestro
Bob Crewe, but it's surprisingly unadorned compared to some of Crewe's other
work of the time – and the album bristles with sock-soul instrumentation from
the Detroit Wheels, and loud, proud vocals from Mitch. There's a bit of garaey
guitars in the mix, too – making for a mighty nice hybrid of styles – and
titles include "Shakin With Linda", "You Get Your Kicks",
"Any Day Now", "I Need Help", "Little Latin Lupe
Lu", "Walkin The Dog", "I Had It Made", and the
classic "Breakout".
Sock It To Me is a smoking third set has the
group breaking out with a fierce and funky sort of style! Most songs are by
producer Bob Crewe – but Mitch and the group deliver the goods with a strong
dose of Detroit soul influence – mixing Motown inspirations with lots of
rougher garagey touches on the instrument – all with nonstop energy that makes the
record a cooker all the way through! Titles include "I Can't Hide
It", "Sock It To Me", "Shakedown", "I Never Had
It Better", "Slow Fizz", "A Face In The Crowd", and
"Wild Child".
Sings The Hits is a record that has Mitch Ryder singing
the hits of other big soul and rock artists of his generation – but with that
crackling Detroit Wheels blend of fuzzy rock and funky soul! Arrangements are
by Hutch Davie, and Bob Crewe produces the group to perfection – but it's
really Mitch and the group that make the real magic – with titles that include
"Come See About Me", "Walk The Dog", "Sticks &
Stones", "I Got You", "Let Your Lovelight Shine/Turn On
Your Lovelight", "Stubborn Kind Of Fellow", and "Please
Please Please".
On What Now My Love, Mitch Ryder takes a bit of a turn
from the garagey funk and Detroit soul of previous records – and works in
territory that's maybe a bit more familiar for longtime producer Bob Crewe –
Mitch in the lead, ala solo Frankie Vallie – working through tunes made popular
by other artists, but with all these unusual inflections in both the
arrangements and vocals! The vibe isn't the same rollicking party as early
records by Ryder, but the album has all these sublime elements that make the
whole thing stand up there with some of the best on Dyno Voice – a list that
would also include the Barbarella soundtrack – almost like Mitch is trying to
go into solo Scott Walker territory. Titles include "Born To Lose",
"If You Go Away", "Let It Be Me", "Sally Go Round The
Roses", "Brown Eyed Handsome Man", "I Need Lovin You",
and "That's It I Quit I'm Moving On".
CD also features loads of rare
tracks from 45s – including "Joy", "Ring Your Bell",
"One Grain Of Sand", "Personality/Chantilly Lace",
"Lights Of Night", "Blessing In Disguise", and a special
"Radio Promo". ~ Dusty Groove
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