Search - Sympathetic Sounds of Detro :: Sympathetic Sounds of Detroit

Do yourself a favor

Dougie | Lakeville, MN | 03/08/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Pick this disc up. If you like gutsy, impassioned updated garage-rock, you'll love the bulk of this. Take the plunge and enjoy!"

A good sampler of the detroit scene

cgalizio | Westlake, OH United States | 03/14/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Being a White Stripes fan I had to seek out this album to get their previously unreleased track "Red Death at 6:14". Along the way I was introduced to a number of bands from detroit I would have not heard of otherwise. Standout bands on this compilation include The Dirtbombs, Ko and the Knockouts, The Soledad Brothers, The Von Bondies, and Whirlwind Heat.And about the tracks that seem to "cut off" after 30 seconds, I have this album on vinyl (yes I have a record player) and the tracks are meant to be like that. I think of them as segues."

Assorted tracks from the big buzz town.

Leslie M. Basalla | Cleveland, OH | 10/08/2002

(3 out of 5 stars)

"In the wake of the White Stripes, the long-forgotten Motor City has suddenly become a pretty happening place, and deservedly so, because, as those in the know can tell you, Detroit has had a burgeoning scene for quite some time now.
This record, compiled by Jack White, serves as a decent taste of what's happening up in Michigan for neophytes, and might even deserve a place in more seasoned garage fans' CD collections. However, for all the great, raw, rocking tracks on the album, there is a nearly equal number that fall flat.
Among the best are "Shaky Puddin'" a charging blues tune by the Soledad Brothers, that makes the smooth, creamy foodstuff a lascivious metaphor for a girl who knows how to flaunt what she's got; Ko and the Knockouts' poppy revenge song "Black and Blue," and the Von Bondies' genuinely spooky "Sound of Terror" which reminds me of Ohio's vastly underappreciated Them Wranch.
Deroit mainstays The Dirtbombs contribute "I'm Through with White Girls," which has a fist-pumping bridge and tons of great 70's references. The song fails to deliver an accurate picture of the band's sound, though, because bass player (and semi-legendary producer) Jim Diamond has lead vocal duties rather than the superbly soulful Mick Collins.
Also good are tracks by The Paybacks, whose singer Wendy Case yowls like a female Bon Scott; The Detroit Cobras, who offer an alternate version of Otis Redding's "Shout Bama Lama;" Bantam Rooster, The Hentchmen, and, yes, The White Stripes.
Other songs range from somewhat disappointing to nearly unlistenable. The Buzzards' "High Class" is killed by singer Joe Burdick's irritating Wayne County-style lisp; the Clone Defects "Whiskey 'n Women" is lackluster at best, and Whirlwind Heat's "Decal on My Sticker" is pointless filler.
Even so, the balance here weighs heavily toward the good. "Sympathetic Sounds of Detroit" is a worthy buy, if the price is right, and one of the better ways for fans new and old to get and handle on one of the liveliest rock scenes in the U.S. I recommend you catch a few of these bands live now, before ticket prices get too high and the whole bunch implodes under the pressure of sudden fame."