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The 100 Greatest Detroit Songs Ever

mrfinewinemrfinewine 157 Posts
edited December 2007 in Strut Central
http://www.metrotimes.com/editorial/story.asp?id=12036forgive me if this has been discussed already...i'm a spotty attendee and it didn't come up in a quick search...DISCUSS!unforgiveable boner:"But It's All Right," J.J. Barnes
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  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
    Too bad about that "J.J. Barnes" error, it looks pretty much on the money otherwise.
  • shooteralishooterali 1,591 Posts
    "The Money Is Made" Detroit's Most Wanted (Bryant Records) 1992

    I'm not from detroit but this Album was real nice when it came out.
    people hated on it and it was slepted on but the samples and the whole vibe of the record was just right. Great 90's gangsta rap
  • PATXPATX 2,820 Posts
  • BreakSelfBreakSelf 2,925 Posts

    unforgiveable boner:

    Saying that Grand Rapids is in Southeast Michigan!!!!!!
  • BreakSelfBreakSelf 2,925 Posts
    Not a bad list. That's a rather mind-boggling amount of good music to come out of one city. I'm not exactly sure what their criteria was for a Detroit song, as they list several by out-of-state artists, but omit many major ones (e.g. Jackson Five).

    Given it's iconic status in the Northern world, I'm a little surprised that I didn't see "Our Love (Is in the Pocket)". Would have been nice to see Dave Hamilton's name mentioned as well.

    Notable omissions:

    Eddie Kendricks
    Fantastic Four(!)
    A Number of Names ('Sharevari' seems like a gimme)
    SRC
    The Holidays
    The Precisions
    Lee Rogers
    The Counts
    Steve Mancha
    Yusef Lateef
    The Keggs (due simply to the infamy of their one single)

    many others
  • mrfinewinemrfinewine 157 Posts
    yeah, the darrell banks was one that immediately sprung to mind for me too.

    marshall crenshaw "someday, some way" might have found its way on there...barbara lewis, maybe subbing for one of the umpteen supremes songs?...johnny and jackey "someday we'll be together" would have a place on my list...j5 "the love you save"...eddie holland "leaving here"...SOMETHING by hank ballard besides just "work with me annie"...carl carlton...eddie kendricks...
  • deejdeej 5,125 Posts
    not enough techno
  • BreakSelfBreakSelf 2,925 Posts
    not enough techno

    Absolutely agreed. The last 25 years of Detroit's musical history is pretty much absent.
  • mrfinewinemrfinewine 157 Posts
    not so sure you need THREE jack scott songs in the top 200 either....
  • SoulOnIceSoulOnIce 13,027 Posts
    not enough Blues Company - [i]Experiment In Color

  • pabloscooterpabloscooter 370 Posts
    Agree on the techno tip, UR and one mid eighties electronic mention seems like they were at least trying to cover their bases though.

    Was not was could be in there if you ask me. And I think mc breed should get a spot for no future in your front but maybe that's a flint song...

    It's also worth pointing out this this is greatest songs not most popular, so it seems like some of the choices could have been less mainstream.

    All and all I expected it to be much worse really.
  • BreakSelfBreakSelf 2,925 Posts
    ...or two versions of "I Heard it Through the Grapevine."
  • BreakSelfBreakSelf 2,925 Posts
    not enough Blues Company - Experiment In Color


    Plenty of incredible garage stuff left off the list. Most of it was from the greater Grand Rapids area though, which, contrary to what they may have you believe, is actually in the western part of the state.
  • SoulOnIceSoulOnIce 13,027 Posts
    Most of it was from the greater Grand Rapids area though, which, contrary to what they may have you believe, is actually in the western part of the state.

    I thought of that, but I'm used to anything from Masachusetts
    being considered from "Boston" even if the band is from 4 hours
    outside of Boston, bordering upstate NY. Anyway, I can see why
    that wouldn't apply to Michigan, because Detroit alone has 1000x
    the musical history as the entire state of MA. WE'RE NOT WORTHY.
  • BreakSelfBreakSelf 2,925 Posts
    Most of it was from the greater Grand Rapids area though, which, contrary to what they may have you believe, is actually in the western part of the state.

    I thought of that, but I'm used to anything from Masachusetts
    being considered from "Boston" even if the band is from 4 hours
    outside of Boston, bordering upstate NY. Anyway, I can see why
    that wouldn't apply to Michigan, because Detroit alone has 1000x
    the musical history as the entire state of MA. WE'RE NOT WORTHY.

    Naw, I feel you (PASUE). The same thing goes on to a lesser extent in South East Michigan. If you were in a band from Ypsilanti, Flint, Brighton, Dearborn, Inkster, Ann Arbor even, you are pretty much guaranteed to be lumped into the Detroit music scene.
  • inVrsinVrs 687 Posts
    How can u put Eminem in this list but forget about most of Detroit`s electronic music scene?
    Compared to the thousands of records that have been inspired by these cats, who the fuck is eminem?

    sayin..
  • hammertimehammertime 2,389 Posts
    whenever lists like this come out, they are ALWAYS numbered, and yet somehow things like My Girl and My Guy just happen to be right next to each other?



    that minor annoyance aside, this list is pretty good.
  • pointmanpointman 1,042 Posts
    I guess a little off the popular parth but what about Jimmy Soul Clarke - I'll be your winner - Soulhawk?
  • SoulhawkSoulhawk 3,197 Posts
    thank god they had Mike Hurrt write half of the entries or this list would be worse than it is already - although that might explain the excess Jack Scott entries...

  • The_Hook_UpThe_Hook_Up 8,182 Posts
    I guess a little off the popular parth but what about Carol Jones "dont Destroy Me"[/b]

    also, glad to see Detroit is claiming "Mustang Sally"(in the ones that didnt quite make the top 100) I have always hated that piece of crap bar/wedding band staple, and always hated it was considered a Memphis song...you can have it Detroit!
  • SoulhawkSoulhawk 3,197 Posts
    DJ Assault 'Ass & Titties' should have been in the Top 50 at least.

    at least that's something Detroiters actually listen to!!

    ---
  • mrfinewinemrfinewine 157 Posts
    lee rogers "i want you to have everything"...jimmy delphs "almost"...big local hits
  • SoulhawkSoulhawk 3,197 Posts
    stevie wonder - 'my eyes don't cry no more'
  • SoulhawkSoulhawk 3,197 Posts
    one way - 'cutie pie'
  • SoulhawkSoulhawk 3,197 Posts
    frank wilson - do i love you( indeed i do)

  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
    You can name all the obscurities all night long - the fact is, even if they had included a bunch of private-press raers, people would STILL be thinking of records they missed...
  • SoulhawkSoulhawk 3,197 Posts
    read the list of music mags at the start & you can see where these guys are coming from: MOJO, Q, Blender, yada yada.

    it's a rockist list basically.

    private presses have nothing to do with it.

  • The_Hook_UpThe_Hook_Up 8,182 Posts
    it's a rockist list basically.


    well, Detroit is known for some damn fine rock music(and soul of course)...it just makes sense that the list would lean towards rock/soul...same would hold true for any US city's "top 100", except Nashville or NOLA(perhaps if we are differentiating rock and RnB) of course...
  • SoulhawkSoulhawk 3,197 Posts
    I suppose the list is ok reading for a suburban middle-aged dude to glance through before flipping to the classifieds to holler at a transexual massage.

  • luckluck 4,077 Posts
    it's a rockist list basically.


    well, Detroit is known for some damn fine rock music(and soul of course)...it just makes sense that the list would lean towards rock/soul...same would hold true for any US city's "top 100", except Nashville or NOLA(perhaps if we are differentiating rock and RnB) of course...

    It's certainly not a "rockist" list simply because it actually includes music from a genre that defined a by-name of the city itself. It actually skews towards Motown and Soul and is farily egalitarian.
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