The best Detroit Cobras post, ever

The Detroit Cobras crank out some awesome garage-style rock, specializing in semi-obscure cover versions. Thier constantly shifitng lineups make personnel lists redundant, suffice to say they are more a floating amolgation of musicians than anything stable or standard.....poking around the scene since at least 1998 when they released "Mink, Bat, or Rabbit".....loaded with fairly unknown covers, such as "Easier to Cry" originally by the Shagri-La's, "Putty In Your Hand" by the Shirelles, and Charlie Rich's "Midnight Blues".....seekng ou such esoteric material lends tha same materialew life, unlike the slavish, carbon  covers that I have discussed my dislike for so many times before. These sound fresh and new, and it is a fine listening experience.

Rachel Nagy's fine vocals were the reference point of that album, also of the second, 2001's "Life, Love, and Leaving"......another batch of semi-unknown cover version (for example: "Stupidity" by Solomon Burk  , and , "Cry On" by Irma Thomas....EXCELLENT cover materal was the key to this band's success, and, ironically, to it originality. Anyother worthwhile album (somewhat hard to find but fear not I have one)

They released an EP "Seven Easy Pieces" a fwe years later, I DO have one but the entire thing is incorporated on their third release, "Baby"......includng the all of the previously mentioned EP, and a fresh string of nearly 20 MORE unknown tracks, it also incudes an ORIGINAL song, "Hot Dog (Watch me Eat") which fits like a glove and you'd NEVER know it was NOT some other bizarre cover choice. Plenty of more fine cover versions, well chosen, well done, and abaited by intelligent ord collecting: a few examples are "I Wanna Holler" by Gary US Bonds, "Mean Man" by Betty Harris, and "Weak Spot" by Ruby Johnson.

Their fourth disc, "Tied and True", continues the formula, these guys knew their formula, one with which I agree.....take cover versions and MAKE THEM YOUR OWN in a way.. don't have to be "better" than the originals, chances are they WON'T be....but make them YOUR OWN. Takes a specil kind of talent, and the Detroit Cobras did it to the tune of perfection. "Leave My Kitten Alone" (by Little Willie John) and "Only to Other People" by the Cookies are among the unknown- that are transformed on this album.....


Personally I'd rank all four of the above at around ***1/2 stars, pretty good and consistent, and then we have "Original Recording: Singles and Unreleased" which features exactly what the title would imply. A little more esoteric material on this one, a Wana Jackson number, as well as the Deviants, ? and the Mysterians, The Kinks and others, as well as outtakes/unreleased from some of their earlier LP's......sounds like a perfect fit, actually, I'd give it maybe a ***.

Some of you garage rock lovers will love this.....some might despise it (can't see why though)....these are fine albums, and I think highly of them......hope you do, esecially if this NEW to you. We can always find SOMETHING under that big old rock n roll sun, this is todays find......I like these albums. Do you? You don't hear a lot about them, but I'd think to a crowd like this blog's audience, perhaps they would be one that would go over big! Let me know

MINK RAT OR RABBIT-01 Cha Cha Twist/02 I'll Keep Holding On/03 Putty (In Your Hands)/04 Easier to Cry/05 Bad Girl/06 Summer (The Slum)/07 Midnight Blues/08 You Knows What To Do/09 Can't Do Without You/10 Hittin On Nothing/11 Out of This World/12 Chumbawa/13 Breakaway

 

LIFE LOVE AND LEAVING-01 Hey Sailor/02 He Did It/03 Find Me A Home/04 Oh My Lover/05 Cry On/06 Stupidity/07 Bye Bye Love/08 Boss Lady/09 Laughing at You/10 Can't Miss Nothing/11 Right Around the Corner/12 Won't You Dance With Me/13 Let's Forget About the Past/14 Shout Bama Lama

 

BABY-01 Slipping Around/02 I Wanna Holler (But the Town's Too Small)/03 Baby Let Me Hold Your Hand/04 Weak Spot/05 Everybody's Going Wild/06 Hot Dog (Watch Me Eat)/07 Mean Man/08 Now You're Gone/09 It's Raining/10 Just Can't Please You/11 The Real Thing/12 Baby Help Me/13 Cha Cha Twist/14 Ya Ya Ya/15 My baby Loves the Secret Agent/16 Heartbeat/17 You Don't Knock/18 Silver and Gold/19 99 1/2 Percent Just Won't Do/20 Insane Asylum

 

TIED AND TRUE-01 As Long As I have You/02 Noting But a Heartache/03 (If You Don't Think) You Better Change/04 Leave My Kitten Alone/05 (I Wanna Know) What's Going On/06 Try Love/07 You'll Never Change/08 Puppet on a String/09 Only To Other People/10 The Hurt's All Gone/11 It's My Delight/12 On a Monday/13 Green Light

 

ORIGINAL RECORDINGS-SINGLES AND UNRELEASED-01 Village of Love/02 Maria Christina/03 Over To My House/04 Sad Affair/05 Down In Louisiana/06 Ain't It a Shame/07 Slum Lord/08 It's Raining/09 Cha Cha Twist/10 Funnel Of Love/11 I've Got a Feeling/12 Time Changes Eveything/13 Brainwashed/14 With Body and Soul

 

Good stuff here, hope you find a new groove you can get into......I've liked the older records for a while now, it's good stuff! Let me know your concurance or lack thereof!!