In the mid-1960s, 'British Invasion', on which Beatles succeeded also in The U.S. and other British rock groups followed it, and 'Crossover', on which Motown produced continuous hits sold also to whites, revved up their own engines. It was the time when Americans got back to the hard rock sound and developed it and accepted black music as it was, though they had once been stagnated musically meanwhile they had exercised influence on the British. In this free-from-isms period of optimistic cheerfulness and vitality and innocence, just before the confusion of Vietnam War, Hippies or Civil Rights Movement, Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels uniquely asserted themselves with hard-edged rock guitars and a voice so close to soul for a white. As compared with Animals or Rolling Stones of The U.K. 'studying' black music, Mitch Ryder of The U.S. himself was 'practicing' it, as he did gigs with a black vocal group called The Peps at first. It can be said to be so idiosyncratic in the years of deep-rooted segregation.
One of the ideas of Bob Crewe, the producer of Freddy Cannon and Four Seasons, was characterized by the R&B hit medleys screwed into hard-rocking arrangements. The group Billy Lee & The Rivieras changed their name to Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels and had hits including such medleys as Jenny Take a Ride! (C.C. Rider of Chuck Willis and Jenny, Jenny of Little Richard) and Too Many Fish in The Sea & Three Little Fishes (the Marvelettes' song and an old children song sang by singers like pretty-voiced Mildred Bailey). Mitch Ryder's most famous song is the medley of Shorty Long's and Little Richard's, Devil with a Blue Dress on & Good Golly Miss Molly, which I gave up on the urging rhythm when I first heard it on the radio.
Though I bought his cassette tape best during my sight-seeing in The U.S., I couldn't be satisfied with it and so I got "Rev Up : The Best of Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels" . Listening to this album, you may get cool by his hard renditions of Little Latin Lupe Lu (The Righteous Brothers) and R&B I Like It Like That (Chris Kenner), Sticks and Stones (Ray Charles) or Shake a Tail Feather (James & Bobby Purify and so on) and Break-out or Sock It to Me-Baby!, and you may be fulfilled by a ballad Takin' All I Can Get or the Memphis' Stax-sound Liberty or Lou Reed's Rock 'N Roll tougher than the original.
After Mitch Ryder launched his solo career, he had bad luck with success because of the wrong direction of producing and he could gain less attention than ever, though he made some efforts like releasing an album with the help of John Cougar Mellencamp in the 80s. When oldies are introduced on the radio or something, you are likely to hear the songs categorized in 'Beatles' or 'Motown', and it is a pity that songs like Mitch Ryder's which are impressive but out of shapes tend to be obscure. While it become more difficult for me to meet freshly with unknown songs as they grow older, I will seek the pleasure of these encounters. (2004/09/01)(2005/10/03)