Mc5

The big difference between Patti Smith's four 1970s albums and this return to action after nine years lies in the choice of collaborator. Where Smith's main associate earlier had been Lenny Kaye, a deliberately simple guitarist, here her co-writer and co-producer (with Jimmy Iovine) was her husband, Fred "Sonic" Smith, formerly of the MC5, who played guitar with a conventional rock competence and who lent his talents to each of the tracks, giving them a mainstream flavor…

Frijid Pink's self-titled debut album is a slashing, seriously soulful example of late-'60s Detroit rock near its best. Although they never registered with critics or rock historians the way MC5 or the Stooges did, Frijid Pink had obviously learned something in the course of two years on the road, and with Mike Valvano producing, they were able to channel the excitement of their work onto the grooves of this album very neatly. Those who bought the number seven single "House of the Rising Sun" weren't disappointed with the bluesy boogie sound of "I'm on My Way" or the slowed-down Yardbirds approach of "Drivin' Blues" (somehow, when Kelly Green sang "My woman loves me" it seemed to matter), and even if "Tell Me Why" was a tuneless mess, Gary Thompson made up for it with a fuzz-out guitar performance that sounded like speaker burnout in slow motion. They were back in form on the next number, the crunchy, pumping rocker "End of the Line," where Green, Thompson, and company move into Led Zeppelin territory very effectively (you can just imagine them switching gear into "Black Dog" in a jam to this song on-stage), with a killer performance by Rich Stevers on the drums. And that was all leading up to "House of the Rising Sun." "Boozin' Blues," which closed the original LP, is a blues workout reminiscent of Cream's version of Willie Dixon's "Spoonful"; a virtuoso effort by Thompson and Green, it shows off a more reflective and studied side of the band's sound. The 1991 Repertoire Records reissue includes the singles "Heartbreak Hotel" and "Music for the People" (which features a gorgeous and perfectly appropriate gospel chorus) as bonus tracks.
Frijid Pinks' cover of "House of the Rising Sun" reached #7 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart, #4 on the UK singles chart and #3 in Canada in 1970. It was awarded gold record status in the U.S. in May 1970 for selling a million copies.

Originally a hard-driving rocker in the vein of fellow Michigan garage rockers the Rationals and Mitch Ryder, Bob Seger developed into one of the most popular heartland rockers over the course of the '70s. Combining the driving charge of Ryder's Detroit Wheels with Stonesy garage rock and devotion to hard-edged soul and R&B, he crafted a distinctively American sound. While he never attained the critical respect of his contemporary Bruce Springsteen, Seger did develop a dedicated following through constant touring with his Silver Bullet Band. Following several years of missed chances and lost opportunities, Seger finally achieved a national audience in 1976 with the back-to-back release of Live Bullet and Night Moves. After the platinum success of those albums, Seger retained his popularity for the next two decades, releasing seven Top Ten, platinum-selling albums in a row.