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Detroit with Mitch Ryder album
During the Livestream last night I promised to send notes on the album I gave to Mona and Lisa. The band, and album, is “Detroit with Mitch Ryder”.
I wanted to send you something you hadn’t heard before. Mitch Ryder had a ’60s band called the Detroit Wheels, but this is not them. These are different musicians, they never did a video, this was their only studio album, and they broke up soon after it was released in 1971.
This album gave Canadian producer Bob Ezrin and Illinois guitarist Steve Hunter their big breaks. It was Hunter’s first album. He was only 22. The song that got them the break is Lou Reed’s “Rock and Roll”. Hunter arranged it. Reed was driving later in New York and heard it on an advert on the radio. He hired Ezrin and Hunter for his Berlin album. There’s a good version of this story on Hunter’s website and the interview on YouTube has Hunter telling the story.
https://www.stevehunter.com/mitch-ryder.html
https://youtu.be/RWjrqBcYnTc interview by Ryan Roxie; it talks about this album at 13:30.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Hunter
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Ezrin
This album also has “It Ain’t Easy”, a song by Ron Davies. You mentioned it on the WOTT for Ziggy Stardust not long ago – it’s the only cover Bowie included on that album.
Ezrin and Hunter worked with many big names, Alice Cooper, Kiss, Kansas, Aerosmith, Julian Lennon, Rod Stewart, Phish, Deep Purple, Dr. John, Bonham, Peter Gabriel, Jack Bruce, U2, Pink Floyd and more. Steve Hunter’s pic and glowing quote about the Orange album is on your website – I saw it when making a donation, which gave me the idea to send this to you.
These guys are still playing. Mitch Ryder toured Germany this year, and will again starting in February. The European version of this album has Gimme Shelter instead of Box of Old Roses. I sent you the American version, but what’s on YouTube is the European version. I couldn’t find vinyl of the European version here or in Europe. YouTube had both versions not long ago.
Detroiters know this album – I hope you enjoy it. Have you heard of it before? It was popular in Detroit, but didn’t get promoted much elsewhere.
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2 Replies
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Chris,
I remember Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels. I never had their albums but remember a few of their singles. I didn’t know he made anything afterward. I remember Bob Ezrin’s name on quite a few albums, namely Alice Cooper, Kiss, Aerosmith and I’m sure a few others. That’s a nice Christmas gift. I have a few albums I’m almost sure Mona and Lisa have never heard, maybe I’ll send one for their birthday.
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Thanks Tim.
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