Mick Collins is a force of nature. His first major band, The Gories, are one of the most classic of all garage-rock bands. After they broke up, he started up The Dirtbombs (mid-90's), who continue to perform and record. They are from Detroit and are known for putting on unforgettable live shows and for releasing a good stack of excellent records. So far they have put out 6 CDs including a 2-disc collection of singles. Mick is also involved in all kinds of side projects and collaborations including Blacktops and Screws.
Someone turned me on to The Gories around 2007 or so. I liked them right away - actual rock and roll music, sort of a rarity these days. One day in 2009, amidst frustration with the vast anti-rock and roll movement that seems to have infected this place, I went in to Guestroom Records to see if they might happen to have a Gories CD. Travis replies "Yes we do - we keep them all in stock. And if you like them, you need to check out the Dirtbombs". So I picked up I Know You Fine But How You Doin'/I Know You Be Houserockin', 2 Gories records on one disc, and (at his recommendation) If You Don't Already Have a Look, a 2-disc collection of Dirtbombs singles. I can listen to the Gories CD over and over. Its like a study in pure, essential, primal rock and roll. Mick on guitar and vocals along with another guitar and drums. The Dirtbombs are a bit wilder or intense and maybe more advanced and experimental. Mick is backed by 2 basses (one is fuzz) and 2 drummers. This singles collection has some interesting variety to it, but its all guitar rock and roll. My favorites - song 2 - The Sharpest Claws, and song 8 - Little Miss Chocolate Syrup. So after digesting this for awhile and being really excited to discover some cool new music and finding proof that rock and roll is alive, I picked up Dangerous Magical Noise. Starts out with a really wild one, yikes - this is intense! But then the songs seemed like one hit after another. Cool stuff. 4th song, Sunny Day is a strong one. This is a very powerful record. If the radio was still alive, there would be hits from The Dirtbombs all over it. A week or so later, I went back for Ultraglide in Black. On first listen I guess it wasn't what I expected, but it hit me the second time, and then I had to listen to it over and over, with different songs grabbing me each time.
So one night I'm thinking this logo for In The Red looks familiar, don't I have something else on that label? Hey wait a minute, I've got a couple of Andre Williams CDs - yeah they're on In The Red, and look at that, they're both produced by Mick Collins. He plays all over on Silky, and the Dirtbombs are on a couple of songs on The Godfather. Silky has some of the coolest, rawest rock'n'roll you can find. I remember back when I picked this up, thinking - "Who are these people backing this guy up? I need to find more of this." A lot of people play on it, but the bulk of it is Mick Collins and Dan Kroha, who is the other guitar player in the Gories. So now I know why that record sounds so cool.
Get your Dirtbombs records! And they have led me to the Detroit Cobras! Its cool to find something else to be excited about in this crazy world.
Some Links:
Mick tweets prolifically - twitter.com/BrokenHeadphones
Wikipedia - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dirtbombs
In The Red Records - www.intheredrecords.com
The Records:
Horndog Fest (1998 - In the Red)
Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horndog_Fest
Ultraglide in Black (2001 - In the Red)
Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultraglide_in_Black
These are all covers of classic soul songs.
Dangerous Magical Noise (2003 - In the Red)
Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dangerous_Magical_Noise
If You Don't Already Have a Look (2005 - In the Red)
Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_You_Don't_Already_Have_a_Look
2-disc set, first disc is 29 originals (go Mick!), second disc is 23 covers.
Loaded with treasure. A couple of MONSTER AWESOME favorite songs on the
first disc - song 2 - The Sharpest Claws - song 08 - Little Miss
Chocolate Syrup.
We Have You Surrounded (2008 - In the Red)
Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_Have_You_Surrounded
Party Store (2011 - In the Red)
Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Party_Store_(album)
These are all covers of Detroit techno songs. Seemed really strange at
first since it is so different, but after getting this unique sound, it's
one of my favorite Dirtbombs records. So get that these are all techno
songs - but the Dirtbombs are of course playing in their usual lineup
of Mick on guitar, 2 basses, 2 drummers. Interesting arrangements of some
interesting music. I love that Mick makes these experimental excursions
into various musical genres.
Ooey Gooey Chewy Ka-blooey! (2013 - In the Red)
Bubblegum!
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This Page Revised 11/18/14 First Posted 05/12/09