Destroy All Monsters, Sonic's Rendezvous Band - Sonic's Rendezvous Band
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Free Music Notes for Sonic's Rendezvous Band
Free Music Review: Warning: This Will Probably Take Your Head Off At the Roots
Hit: 5 Stars
(Note: the following is all "in code" for those who love real rock'n'roll, like the Dolls, the MC5, the Flamin' Groovies, the Johnny Thunders Heartbreakers, the Stooges etc. If your idea of a pants-down, pulse-bustin' rock'n'roll sensation stops at Queen (no offence - I own and play all the pre-1980 stuff myself) or U2 (I can't help you there) none of the following applies to you.)
I've always had a sneaking suspicion that these guys might have been the greatest rock'n'roll band there ever was, in terms of the "mechanism" of how they played together, not to mention some pretty amazing rock'n'roll songs. This was difficult to confirm for certain, given the relative obscurity of Sonic's Rendezvous Band, and the long-term difficulty of finding recorded material that would clearly establish/substantiate how good they were.
Well, here's probably just about everything that's around, sounding about as good as it's going to sound. (Which is more than fine, incidentally. "Galvanising" ought to about cover it.) There's some studio rehearsal stuff, and a handful of live sets. All the great songs are represented, generally in multiple.
Fred "Sonic" Smith brought his fire intact from the MC5, and Scott Morgan from the Rationals was a lot more than a great foil. The latter's songs are more "generic" Detroit hard rock than Sonic's (think the original New Order - the Ron Asheton band from the mid-70s - and you won't be going too far wrong) but this is all great guitar rock'n'roll. The bass player, Gary Rasmussen was also a Detroit original (his band was called "The Up" I think?) and Scott "Rock Action" Asheton from the Stooges, you already know if you're reading this.
If you're into the bands I mentioned earlier (err, not so much Queen or U2, the other ones) and you've never heard songs like "City Slang", "Dangerous" and my personal favourite "Let's Do It Again" (emphatically NOT the Beach Boys song) it's past time you submitted your ears and stereo to the incendiary lashing they've got coming from these guys.
Make the mental vault over the hefty price tag for this box, because in terms of value for money in great rock'n'roll, you're getting under-charged here.
Free Music Review: worth the money
Hit: 4 Stars
Sure it's expensive and it has a lot of stuff you'll only play once or twice but you need to get this if you have any interest in high energy rock & roll. I had been a huge MC5/Stooges fan for years but knew very little about this band. I'm very glad I picked this up. Fred's playing is incredible. The band is so good, it's a shame they never got to do more real recording. But this is all we got, so get it while you can!
Check out Mighty High...In Drug City.
Free Music Review: Beautiful box set of one of the greatest rock 'n' roll bands EVER
Hit: 5 Stars
Wow..when I first got this box set a year ago, I thought, what a bunch of rip-off artists, putting out the Sweet Nothing CD as part of the box, not to mention most of the City Slang CD. Now I find out those are out-of-print, going sometimes for extremely exorbitant amounts. Now my view has changed to "why didn't they put the 1999 remix of City Slang on here?".
(the lyrics are MUCH clearer in that mix)
This is an excellent boxset, but let me clarify something: the quality is not that great everywhere on here. In fact, only disc 4, and parts of discs 5 and 6 are really of good quailty.
That said, this is a must for true rock 'n' roll fans. If you don't know it, although Wayne Kramer was the superior guitarist in the MC5, by a few years later, Fred 'Sonic' Smith had become one of THE greatest guitarists in rock 'n' roll history, easily outshining his former bandmate.
Not that this is a contest, or that Wayne isn't great, but Fred Smith is truly one of the most underacknowledged guitarists ever. Makes me think of Denis Tek, from Radio Birdman (from their original period); too many greats not getting their proper perspective in history, and thereby getting ignored. A crime considering how magnificent this stuff is.
Completely beautiful playing, real rockers...I can't find the proper words here, but there have been few bands as exciting to listen to as Sonic's Rendezvous. I remember the first time I heard City Slang, on a "Ron Asheton (Destroy All Monsters)/ Sonic's Rendezvous" split LP.
I was COMPLETELY blown away. I wanted the original. No luck.
But it's okay, it's the MUSIC that matters! And here, you've got a veritable treasure trove of fantastic rock 'n' roll.
The first 3 discs aren't exactly professional sound quality, but the thing with great rock 'n' roll is, that ain't enough to kill excitement if the music's good enough. And here it is; I can only sing the highest praises about ths band.
Great packaging (WISH THE COVER WAS A T-SHIRT!) (anybody out there listening? No? I thought not...)
The booklet is fantastic, with Scott Morgan (a great musician and singer in HIS OWN right! A COMPLETELY intregal part of the band and maybe a better singer than Fred) explaining why the group disintegrated (does EVERYTHING Iggy touches turn to s--t?).
I'd love to get the ONE disc in the Iggy set with Sonic's Rendezvous (sans Scott Morgan) backing him up; but I ain't gonna pay $80 for it, for ONE DISC? That should be released seperately, for those of us who don't care much about Iggy's music past Kill City.
This box set, by the way, includes the song "Take A Look" by the Scott Morgan Band (where's Soul Mover?).
The one thing I REALLY wish was on here is the best version of City Slang I can possibly imagine, one that was on a boot LP called "Strikes Like Lightning"; it's UNBELIEVABLE! The leads on that, oh my GOD.....
that LP also contained a fantastic version of "Dangerous"...but you can't have evrything, I guess (SOMEBODY RELEASE THAT VERSION OF CITY SLANG!! PLEASE!!!!)
That aside aside, this box set is one of my prize sets, with only the FunHouse box beating it really (when's Rhino gonna wise up and issue that on their regular label??)
This is a must for any rock 'n' roll fans out there.
EVERYBODY who loves rock 'n' roll MUST HAVE City Slang in their collection, the studio version, one way or another.
Just don't pay more than $80 for this please, it's in print still.
The only problem I have with this set is that no information is given regarding the contents of the last two discs; if you have been a fan of this band for a while, you can figure out a good deal of it, but I can't figure out all of it, and notation is always a good idea, and when so much is put into a set, that's not too much to ask, esp. considering the list price ain't exactly pocket money.
But if you got the money, don't hesitate; GET THIS!
I love Patti Smith at the Rock n Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony; how she said that Fred said one day she'll get in it, although he's better, and not to feel guilty! Which she agreed with, that he was the better of the two. And, (NO disrepect to Patti) -- Fred was right! Fred 'Sonic' Smith RULED!
CI-CI-CI-CITY! City SLANG!!! (one of THE most AMAZING songs of all time...)
Free Music Review: The Greatest Rock & Roll Band ever!
Hit: 5 Stars
What a gold mine of ear-shredding history. If you have gotten this far and are viewing this page featuring Sonic's Rendezvous Band's box set, you HAVE TO BUY IT!! You'll regret not having bought it. Years from now, you'll read something by someone who's heard it, owned it or seen it, they'll be lavishing praise upon this set, saying it's the greatest piece of rock & roll ever recorded ad you'll be left out int he cold.
I bought City Slang on the original single years ago at School Kids Records right across the street from the Second Chance and cherish it to this day. I am sooooooooo glad to have spent the $$$. I have THIS boxed set, and cherish it and know you will too.
This has some of the greatest recorded performances of Sonic's Rendezvous band. The Masonic Auditorium show is fantastic, the show from the Second Chance is legendary, and the rest is GREAT too!
Fred "Sonic" Smith, Scott Morgan, Gary Rasmussen and Scot "Rock Action" Asheton are together the greatest band ever. And that's saying a lot, since I love the Stooges and MC5 as well. SRB is the best.
Free Music Review: Gets Better with Every Listen...
Hit: 4 Stars
If you are a fan of blues-based, dirty garage-rockin' Detroit R&B flavored Rock & Roll, this is it! Members of a couple legendary bands (and a couple lesser-knowns) got together and made some great music...for a little while, anyways.
If you are lookin' for soundboard-quality, perfect-fidelity live footage, you ain't gonna find it here. These recordings are definitely low-fi, but they sound fantastic. Some of these shows have circulated on bootleg tapes for some time, but here we have a few of 'em all together in a great lookin' box and extensive history/liner-notes. Fred was the reason the band never really moved beyond "local" status. According to the liner notes, it appears he got sorta bored and wanted to move on. After the band broke up, he and wife Patti Smith both went on hiatus for a fair amount of time.
Is it worth $70? Well, that's debatable. What is NOT debatable is that you have hours of listening enjoyment supplied by the drum-crushing beats that Rock Action Asheton provides (always underappreciated), Fred 'Sonic' Smith's chainsaw riffs, and Scott Morgan's soulful crooning. This is definitely a piece of Detroit history and if you like that style of balls-out garage rock, you found a real gem.
NOTE: The band minus Sonic Smith backed up Iggy on his '78 tour of Europe. Some of those shows are floating around the internet...
More Free Music Notes:
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