BOOM-CHUNG-KER-CHUNK!
That, folks, is an attempt to put into writing a signature
element in Led Zeppelin’s sound – the kind of monster shuffling groove that
John Bonham laid down so often. An inadequate
impression I know, and only one aspect of Zeppelin’s many-faceted
aesthetic. But still, that kind of
thunderous rhythm from Bonzo is the kind of thing that got songs by
subsequent rockers labelled as “Zep-esque”.
Why am I mentioning this?
It’s because I want to recall a short-lived Anglo-American outfit from
the Seventies who appropriated elements of the Zeppelin sound more effectively
than most. That band were Detective.
BOOM-CHUNG-KER-CHUNK!
When Detective get cooking on ‘Ain’t None Of Your Business’,
the sixth track on their eponymous 1977 debut, drummer Jon Hyde goes to town on
a rhythm like that, and with a
cavernous sound to match. And there are variations on the Bonzo theme
on a few other tracks into the bargain.
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Nice threads guys - well, it was 70s America |
Hyde was probably the most un-Bonham like dude you could
come across – a total abstaining health freak before such a lifestyle became
fashionable. But boy did he get that
Bonham drum sound down.
Hyde’s drumming isn’t the only reason for the Zeppelin
comparison. There are some Page-like riffs and layering in there too. And apart from
elements of their sound, it so happened that Jimmy Page took a shine to
Detective, they signed for Swan Song, and at one stage Page was slated to produce
them. Comparisons were inevitable.
Now, comparisons can be odious, but in this case it doesn’t
mean that Detective were just unoriginal copyists. They were far better than that. So for the uninitiated, who the hell were
they?
The two key proponents of Detective were Brit vocalist
Michael Des Barres and American guitarist Michael Monarch. Des Barres had been singer with glam rockers
Silverhead - this month featured in a Classic Rock article by Geoff Barton on bands signed by
Purple Records, of whom more later. Monarch, meanwhile, had been in none other
than Steppenwolf, cranking out the riff on ‘Born To Be Wild’, before hooking up
with Hyde and ultimately bringing him into the Detective equation.
BOOM-BOOM-DA-THUMP!
That’s the twitching shuffle on ‘Grim Reaper’,
counterpointed with a lurching guitar riff from Monarch in a distinctly
Zep-like fashion, and jack-knifing into explosive rolls around the kit for
emphasis.
The others in the line-up were no bums either. On keys was Tony Kaye, once of Yes fame,
bringing extra layers to the sound on the likes of ‘Grim Reaper’. And on bass was Bobby Pickett, a former
member of Sugarloaf whose latest gig had been backing Etta James, indicative of
someone who could (and did) bring funk to the bottom end when required.
BOOM-THUMP!
That’s the steady, anchoring stomp on the raucous ‘Got Enough Love’, bolstered by locked-in bass from Pickett, and with Des Barres
giving it plenty with his full-throated vocal.
The fact that he doesn’t sound just like Percy Plant is a useful
distinguishing characteristic
throughout.
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Don't judge an album by its dull cover |
The reason all this is deemed a Flashback is that my first
introduction to Detective was a review in Sounds, the inky weekly that I read
for years in the 70s and 80s, by the aforesaid Geoff Barton. To be honest I don’t recall the review in
detail, but I’d hazard a guess that it was fairly positive, and made the
Zeppelin comparison. What I most
remember is Barton describing Des Barres’ holler of “RECOGNISSHUN!” on the
opening track, making it sound like a statement of intent from a self-confident
bunch.
A little while later I came across a copy of the album in some record library, and so inevitably taped it onto
one side of a C90, as one did back then.
And then let it rip.
Detective had more strings to their bow than the whole
Zeppelin thing. The opener ‘Recognition’
is subdued to start with, before opening up in a relaxed arrangement and featuring a
tasteful solo from Monarch. ‘Nightingale’
kicks off in a mellow mood that could be the prototype for the kind of AOR that
would make Foreigner famous, before revving up into a powerful crescendo, on
which . . .
BOOM-BA-DA-DUM-CRASH-CRASH!
. . . Jon Hyde detonates some pounding flourishes to underpin
proceedings. It sounds better than that, of course.
‘Detective Man’ is a slice of uptempo boogie, propelled by a
strutting riff from Monarch and decorated by some rock’n’roll piano from
Kaye. And ‘Wild Hot Summer Nights’ is a
handsome cousin of Wild Cherry’s ‘Play That Funky Music’.
With all this to their credit, why weren’t Detective huge? Same old, same old really - substance abuse,
delays in recording that cost them a mint, loss of momentum, less well received second album. So it goes. But they were still responsible for a damn
good album of hard-hitting, funky rock.
Something put me in mind of Detective last year, so I did
some exploring and came across a cd reissue on Rock Candy Records. It’s been getting regular plays ever since. You can find the whole album on YouTube - check it out.
BOOM-CHUNG-KER-CHUNK!
Although the basis for this piece is my own impressions and recollections, full credit to Paul Suter for his excellent sleeve notes for the reissue, which filled in the gaps in my knowledge.
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