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Grit, Noise, and Revolution: The Birth of Detroit Rock 'n' Roll
". . . a great blow-by-blow account of an exciting and still-legendary scene."
---Marshall Crenshaw
From the early days of John Lee Hooker to the heyday of Motown and beyond, Detroit has enjoyed a long reputation as one of the crucibles of American pop music. In Grit, Noise, and Revolution , David Carson turns the spotlight on those hard-rocking, long-haired musicians-influenced by Detroit's R&B heritage-who ultimately helped change the face of rock 'n' roll.
Carson tells the story of some of the great garage-inspired, blue-collar Motor City rock 'n' roll bands that exemplified the Detroit rock The MC5, Iggy Pop and the Stooges, Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels, SRC, the Bob Seger System, Ted Nugent and the Amboy Dukes, and Grand Funk Railroad.
An indispensable guide for rock aficionados, Grit, Noise, and Revolution features stories of these groundbreaking groups and is the first book to survey Detroit music of the 1960s and 70s-a pivotal era in rock music history.
---Marshall Crenshaw
From the early days of John Lee Hooker to the heyday of Motown and beyond, Detroit has enjoyed a long reputation as one of the crucibles of American pop music. In Grit, Noise, and Revolution , David Carson turns the spotlight on those hard-rocking, long-haired musicians-influenced by Detroit's R&B heritage-who ultimately helped change the face of rock 'n' roll.
Carson tells the story of some of the great garage-inspired, blue-collar Motor City rock 'n' roll bands that exemplified the Detroit rock The MC5, Iggy Pop and the Stooges, Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels, SRC, the Bob Seger System, Ted Nugent and the Amboy Dukes, and Grand Funk Railroad.
An indispensable guide for rock aficionados, Grit, Noise, and Revolution features stories of these groundbreaking groups and is the first book to survey Detroit music of the 1960s and 70s-a pivotal era in rock music history.
416 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
August 17, 2016
As a Michigander and life-long devotee of Detroit-area music, whether it be rock, Motown, techno, etc., this book was an enjoyable and informative read - with a few major caveats.
For one thing, I have a hard time imagining that this book will appeal to many fans from outside of Michigan, excepting those with a seriously deep interest in Detroit rock music. Seeing as this book was first published in 2006, shortly following White Stripes-mania and the rock world's short-lived fascination with the Detroit "garage revival," I'm sure that many non-locals picked up this book hoping to dive into the Rust Belt mythologizing in which scene heads like Jack White love to indulge. Not only is there no mention whatsoever of Detroit rock after about 1975 (excepting short snippets in the epilogue), Carson does relatively little to contextualize why and how the Detroit rock scene of the late 60's/early 70's was so uniquely Detroit. Instead, he spends far too much listing mundane details that will appeal to few, namely, specific street addresses of notable venues and studios and exhaustive lists of band personnel. Keep in mind, I say this both as a resident of Detroit and a trivia tidbit addict, but even I started to skim certain sections. One minor peeve in this vein: Carson often mentions musicians fleetingly in what seems to be a kind of wink and nod to seriously committed Motor City rock fans, and then fails to follow up on what makes them interesting. The most notable example I can think of is session guitarist Dennis Coffey, who was and still is an innovator and impressive solo musician in his own right. Carson brings up his name multiple times throughout the book, but never really addresses who he is or why it matters, although he devotes plenty of space to early Michigan rock, doo wop, and R&B musicians whose legacies have almost completely been obscured by history.
This leads me to my other major criticism of the book - the writing is, for the most part, agonizingly dry. This is perhaps not surprising, as this book is a publication of the University of Michigan Regional Press, but there is such little embellishment in describing the intensity of the Detroit scene that it almost fails to convey what a magical blip in space-time the whole thing was. That said, Carson is clearly a massive fan of the MC5, and the sections devoted to them are quite entertaining. One only wishes he could have mustered so much enthusiasm for the rest of his subjects.
This brings me to my final complaint - George Clinton and Funkadelic are barely given any attention. Clinton's name pops up once or twice as a footnote, but Funkadelic (in my opinion, one of the top 2 or 3 Detroit-based rock bands of the era) receive about two paragraphs worth of coverage. Much love for the lesser-known bands covered here, but The Rationals and Mitch Ryder get at least a dozen pages apiece. I suppose that one could argue that Parliament/Funkadelic ultimately had more influence on funk and hip-hop than rock, but jeezus, Carson doesn't even mention the words Maggot Brain, which has got to be one of the most white hot and remarkable albums to ever have come out of Detroit!
All of this probably sounds like I didn't really enjoy the book, which I did. But as a deep fan of this music and history, I can't honestly recommend this book to many people. If you are already as into this music as I am, you likely won't learn very much that will be new to you. If you aren't a serious fan of Detroit music already, this is likely to be about as thrilling as Bob Seger's recent collaborations with Kid Rock (which is to say, not at all). So while I appreciate the scholarship that went into this book and its value as a reference source, I can't say that it comes anywhere near close enough to truly capturing the manic intensity, humor, and sleaze that Detroit ejaculated into the American music scene in the 60's and 70's.
For one thing, I have a hard time imagining that this book will appeal to many fans from outside of Michigan, excepting those with a seriously deep interest in Detroit rock music. Seeing as this book was first published in 2006, shortly following White Stripes-mania and the rock world's short-lived fascination with the Detroit "garage revival," I'm sure that many non-locals picked up this book hoping to dive into the Rust Belt mythologizing in which scene heads like Jack White love to indulge. Not only is there no mention whatsoever of Detroit rock after about 1975 (excepting short snippets in the epilogue), Carson does relatively little to contextualize why and how the Detroit rock scene of the late 60's/early 70's was so uniquely Detroit. Instead, he spends far too much listing mundane details that will appeal to few, namely, specific street addresses of notable venues and studios and exhaustive lists of band personnel. Keep in mind, I say this both as a resident of Detroit and a trivia tidbit addict, but even I started to skim certain sections. One minor peeve in this vein: Carson often mentions musicians fleetingly in what seems to be a kind of wink and nod to seriously committed Motor City rock fans, and then fails to follow up on what makes them interesting. The most notable example I can think of is session guitarist Dennis Coffey, who was and still is an innovator and impressive solo musician in his own right. Carson brings up his name multiple times throughout the book, but never really addresses who he is or why it matters, although he devotes plenty of space to early Michigan rock, doo wop, and R&B musicians whose legacies have almost completely been obscured by history.
This leads me to my other major criticism of the book - the writing is, for the most part, agonizingly dry. This is perhaps not surprising, as this book is a publication of the University of Michigan Regional Press, but there is such little embellishment in describing the intensity of the Detroit scene that it almost fails to convey what a magical blip in space-time the whole thing was. That said, Carson is clearly a massive fan of the MC5, and the sections devoted to them are quite entertaining. One only wishes he could have mustered so much enthusiasm for the rest of his subjects.
This brings me to my final complaint - George Clinton and Funkadelic are barely given any attention. Clinton's name pops up once or twice as a footnote, but Funkadelic (in my opinion, one of the top 2 or 3 Detroit-based rock bands of the era) receive about two paragraphs worth of coverage. Much love for the lesser-known bands covered here, but The Rationals and Mitch Ryder get at least a dozen pages apiece. I suppose that one could argue that Parliament/Funkadelic ultimately had more influence on funk and hip-hop than rock, but jeezus, Carson doesn't even mention the words Maggot Brain, which has got to be one of the most white hot and remarkable albums to ever have come out of Detroit!
All of this probably sounds like I didn't really enjoy the book, which I did. But as a deep fan of this music and history, I can't honestly recommend this book to many people. If you are already as into this music as I am, you likely won't learn very much that will be new to you. If you aren't a serious fan of Detroit music already, this is likely to be about as thrilling as Bob Seger's recent collaborations with Kid Rock (which is to say, not at all). So while I appreciate the scholarship that went into this book and its value as a reference source, I can't say that it comes anywhere near close enough to truly capturing the manic intensity, humor, and sleaze that Detroit ejaculated into the American music scene in the 60's and 70's.
March 13, 2019
I didn't live in Detroit in the 1960s and 1970s, but the city and its music were certainly on my radar and in my record collection, even when I was more than six-thousand miles away in the South Pacific. Carson's chronicle of Detroit's music scene and its ties to the culture and politics of the time makes for an engrossing read—especially fun for me because when I finally did move to Detroit in the early 1980s, I came to know some of the people who are mentioned in the book. Though I knew a bit about their roles in the music and political scenes of those earlier times, Carson's comprehensive account filled in the blanks.
April 26, 2020
While the subject matter is of great interest to me, I found this book to be painfully written. The first 80 pages felt like a series of listing: names, dates, bands with no tales or interesting storylines weaving them together. The book seemed to pick up its anecdotal flow 80 to 100 pages in, but sadly the last 3 chapters left it ending the same way it began. Fart noise. An anticlimactic let down about the Detroit music scene. Perhaps that was the point, the title doesn’t suggest otherwise, but if you are looking to be impressed and inspired by the 60s music scene in Detroit, this book is going to let you down.
January 4, 2023
Growing up in Michigan I did here MC5 once in concert . My ears had a ring when I left . I still
listen to them at times when I walk. I’m still amazed
at all the bands from the state. The book was a great read about all musicians and bands from
my home state.
listen to them at times when I walk. I’m still amazed
at all the bands from the state. The book was a great read about all musicians and bands from
my home state.
July 6, 2022
Not an enjoyable read. It is a very interesting subject and has some great moments. It just gets bogged down too often.
February 3, 2024
Lots of great background on the Detroit music scene, the chapters dealing with the 50's and early 60's are particularly interesting.
September 29, 2015
if you are a fan of the detroit & it's music scene, this book is a must-read. when i started reading this I really had no clue about the rich and vast pedigree that the motor city had when it came to music. my favorite part (of course) was about the MC5. and what better image for the cover than fred "sonic" smith. need i say that this book really can..KICK OUT THE JAMS, MOTHERF&*$ER!!!
May 11, 2012
A great, quick read about the Detroit rock scene from the 1960s and 1970s. The book explores the changes taking place in the music scene, following the rise of bands like the MC5, the Stooges, Bob Seger, etc. A must for rock fans!
May 16, 2013
Having grown up in Detroit during the time this book covers, and having seen most of the bands mentioned, reading this was like coming home (the one you can't go again). Required reading for anyone interested in the development of rock during those seminal years.
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June 21, 2016Great book, but reads more like a history book or textbook... not nearly as entertaining as Please Kill Me or something a bit more narrative or first person. But this is still a must read for people interested in the history of Michigan's rock scene.
March 18, 2011
It was great to relive those days.
I was there in the middle of it all.
I went to the Grande. I saw the bands.
I was there in the middle of it all.
I went to the Grande. I saw the bands.
November 7, 2011
If your at all interested in Detroit garage rock this is the definitive book.
January 9, 2016
Interesting history that is very complete.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews