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News: Detroit 67 .... The Year That Changed Soul

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So that's what he's been up to. Used to be a contributor on here.

Looks a great read.

Just took a look at some of the stuff on the face book page , plenty of pictures of the Supremes i have never seen before ,right up my street , love the social history side of things ,  Also a youtube? clip of Jimmy Mack   My World is on fire , billed   " the ultimate riot record "   . Never thought about the record in  that particular way before ,would be very interested to know if it was created  with that  intent? , was it crossing over the two topics ( in this case  heady , passionate love  and rioting ) like is done in Love Factory, Wash And Wear Love or Cashing In ?   or was it just  a coincidence that the disc was around just before the riots ?    There has always been speculation that   Dancing in the Streets  was a clarion call to riot , never really accepted that view , very interesting nonetheless . 

Just took a look at some of the stuff on the face book page , plenty of pictures of the Supremes i have never seen before ,right up my street , love the social history side of things ,  Also a youtube? clip of Jimmy Mack   My World is on fire , billed   " the ultimate riot record "   . Never thought about the record in  that particular way before ,would be very interested to know if it was created  with that  intent? , was it crossing over the two topics ( in this case  heady , passionate love  and rioting ) like is done in Love Factory, Wash And Wear Love or Cashing In ?   or was it just  a coincidence that the disc was around just before the riots ?    There has always been speculation that   Dancing in the Streets  was a clarion call to riot , never really accepted that view , very interesting nonetheless . 

 

I've known Stuart since early 70s Leeds Central. He's a serious guy and this will be an engaging read. He started off on the Northern Soul scene in the early 70s, spent 4 years at Washington University, became editor of the New Musical Express and is now a senior figure at Channel 4. Stuart's an intellectual and I'll be interested to see how he interprets Detroit in 1967 - I'll probably learn something that I wasn't aware of before. He's one of the few people on the scene that is capable of writing a book on this period and I can't wait to read it.

 

Ian D  :D

I've known Stuart since early 70s Leeds Central. He's a serious guy and this will be an engaging read. He started off on the Northern Soul scene in the early 70s, spent 4 years at Washington University, became editor of the New Musical Express and is now a senior figure at Channel 4. Stuart's an intellectual and I'll be interested to see how he interprets Detroit in 1967 - I'll probably learn something that I wasn't aware of before. He's one of the few people on the scene that is capable of writing a book on this period and I can't wait to read it.

 

Ian D  :D

Ian

A very nice overview of stuart Cosgrove, which no doubt will go a long way to help sell a book ,which really does look a good read.

Soul Discoveries Mick O'Donnell has sceduled a radio interview with Stuart Cosgrove regarding his book to be aired in the next few weeks. A top show featuring many artists and makers and shakers of soul music.

Dave

Remember Stuart  from when he lived in London, brilliant soul music taste and a nice guy to boot. This will be a good read I'm sure.

" ... the implosion of the most successful African-American music label ever...." 

 

If this refers to Motown, I wasn't aware that Motown "imploded" in '67 ???  It just upped and left and moved location to California and arguably on to bigger and better things , didn't it ?

Sunnysoul. Fair point. Yes you are right but the book focuses on the legal implosions of 1967 which in the November of that year led to a dramatic legal dispute with Holland-Dozier Holland, Florence Ballard and subsequently Gladys Knight and others....You are very generous to the LA experience.  But you are right I should have written "personal and legal disputes that negatively impacted on Motown." Dramatic licence.                                                                            A bit like 'My Baby Must be a Magician' by The Marvelettes I don't think they were dating Penn and Teller :)

Motown , post Detroit ? we all have our own opinions ,   for me the golden era was 64 67, plenty of great stuff made after this time ,  i personally got into soul music through Motown around 1970 , buying the latest Supremes,  Four Tops  and Temptations  releases , it wasnt till i aquired the greatest hits albums of the said artists  a year or so later that i was absolutely captivated by what had gone before and the looking back to that golden era for me continues to this day .    I appreciate the classic Stevie  and Marvin  albums of the early seventies , however for me it is the hundreds of magical singles produced in the mid sixties that was the high watermark.

The Amazon blurb says:  "It’s January 1967–and one of the worst snowstorms in decades is blanketing Detroit, Michigan. Berry Gordy, owner of Motown Records, is trapped in his home, unable to do anything about the internal war ravaging his most successful group, The Supremes. Diana Ross, Mary Wilson, and Florence Ballard are imploding as Ballard battles alcoholism and the aftermath of rape. But soon, even more chaos will descend on Detroit. As the year heats up, melting the snow, Gordy and his city face one of the most challenging periods of its existence.

Experience twelve turbulent months, in twelve chapters, as rising crime, the Vietnam War, underground rock counterculture, and race riots alter the face of Detroit and force soul music studios to shutter their windows. The death toll escalates as Detroit brings its dead home from the jungles of Vietnam–many of them young men from the Motown generation. Live the year of crisis that follows the deterioration of its main characters and twists them into a full-scale legal dispute, potentially unraveling the city’s very heart and soul.

Every city has its scars, and every scar has its story. Detroit 67 is the passionate history of Detroit’s darkest periods in the modern era

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My advance copy due in next couple of days and can't wait to start reading it, thanks Stuart :thumbsup:

Defo be buying as everything Ive ever read by Stuart has been a great read, one of my fave scribes.     jnjjn

I think another book is coming out soon after called "MEMPHIS 68", should be interesting as well, been pretty busy as Mr Cosgrove. Will need to get them both methinks

  • Author

Arrived this morning and can't wait to get started on it tonight ... thanks Stuart :thumbsup:

 

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The problems of the 67 riot led to Berry Gordy purchasing the Donovan Building in the centre of Detroit, worried that Hitsville, on West Grand , and near to the rioting, was vulnerable.

The shift of 'operations' caused many problems....artists , staff, musicians etc all felt that the 'feeling' created at Hitsville and other buildings on West Grand was missing.

Gordy , increasingly was absent....touring or in LA.

The 'magic' created was replaced a cold atmosphere and many staff and artists were out on a limb.

I will be getting a copy of this book.....should be a good addition to the history of Motown.

Looks an essential purchase , Ed Wolfrum the guy who built the studio at Motown ,told me some interesting stories about the riots and how it effected Motown .Thanks for making us aware of this book Philly...

Soul Discoveries Mick O'Donnell has sceduled a radio interview with Stuart Cosgrove regarding his book to be aired in the next few weeks. A top show featuring many artists and makers and shakers of soul music.

Dave

Sunday 15th March 2015

Special Guest: Stuart Cosgrove

 

Soul Discovery

presented by

Mick O'Donnell

Every Sunday 6.00pm — 8.00pm GMT

Solar Radio

Sky Digital Channel 0129

www.solarradio.com

*****************  Detroit 67 .... The Year That Changed Soul  *************
 
I have been looking forward to starting Stuart Cosgrove"‹'s new book. Last night I nipped into bed early and open the pages. Instantly I was transported back to the early 1980's, when Stuart used to write for a weekly music publication called Black Echoes. I'd pick up the paper from the news stands and eagerly flick through the pages looking for his article. These would always stand head & shoulders above most, opening with scene setting, plenty of context before getting to the heart of the matter, always a joy to read.
 
Well 30+ years on he has lost none of trade skills, opening in January 1967, carefully constructing the ticking time bomb that was Detroit at that time. A city covered by a thick layer of snow, ice and the worst weather in living memory. As he he skillfully introduces us to each player texturising their characters with background and visual traits, so they materialise in your minds eye and so the scene is set for an explosive year that with change the very soul of the city and it's music.
 
I eventually got to sleep at 1am after much page turning, saying to myself with each flip of the page 'Well just one more'. riveting and like so many years ago, a joy to read. I will return so to tell you more !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Starting to show up in shops already - a month early. Kindle is already avaliable as is iBooks         https://www.amazon.co.uk/Detroit-67-Year-That-Changed-ebook/dp/B00TTBKCNQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1425046744&sr=1-1&keywords=detroit+67                  Anyone who has any problems sourcing via any mechanism please pm me as it helps me to sort.                                                                                                            

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*****************  Detroit 67 .... The Year That Changed Soul  *************
 
I have been looking forward to starting Stuart Cosgrove"‹'s new book. Last night I nipped into bed early and open the pages. Instantly I was transported back to the early 1980's, when Stuart used to write for a weekly music publication called Black Echoes. I'd pick up the paper from the news stands and eagerly flick through the pages looking for his article. These would always stand head & shoulders above most, opening with scene setting, plenty of context before getting to the heart of the matter, always a joy to read.
 
Well 30+ years on he has lost none of trade skills, opening in January 1967, carefully constructing the ticking time bomb that was Detroit at that time. A city covered by a thick layer of snow, ice and the worst weather in living memory. As he he skillfully introduces us to each player texturising their characters with background and visual traits, so they materialise in your minds eye and so the scene is set for an explosive year that with change the very soul of the city and it's music.
 
I eventually got to sleep at 1am after much page turning, saying to myself with each flip of the page 'Well just one more'. riveting and like so many years ago, a joy to read. I will return so to tell you more !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Where did you get it from please Dave ? As others have said it doesn't look as if it is published until March 31st .

Ordered this at Waterstones Monday.

Got a phone call today saying order cancelled as they dont deal with distributor.

interesting interview here

 

"He gives another example of this synchronicity, where Muhammad Ali fought an exhibition match against local Detroit fighter Alvin Lewis in the city one Friday in June, and on the Monday was in Houston, Texas being stripped of his title for refusing the draft to Vietnam. In the same month, meanwhile, more young Detroiters were shipped back home in body bags than to any other US city."

 

 

https://www.list.co.uk/article/68964-interview-stuart-cosgrove-on-detroit-67/

  • 4 weeks later...

Soul Discovery

Sunday 29th March 2015

6.00pm – 8.00pm GMT

 

Special Guest: Stuart Cosgrove 

Detroit 67 is the story of Detroit in the year that changed everything. Twelve monthly chapters take you on a turbulent year long journey through the drama and chaos that ripped through the city in 1967. Over a dramatic 12-month period, the Motor City was torn apart by personal, political and inter-racial disputes. It is the story of Motown, the breakup of The Supremes and damaging disputes at the heart of the most successful African-American music label ever.

 

Solar Radio

Sky Digital Channel 0129

www.solarradio.com

stuarts a great guy fellow soulie and tartan army member recently after we beat the irish he played key to my happiness by the charades for me  on his football show "off the ball"on radio Scotland.the book looks great and really looking forward to reading it should be a good companion piece to "the last days of Detroit-motor cars motown and the collapse of an industrial giantby mark binelli which was a good read

I have just finished this excellent book and think it will take its place as one of the best there is that takes soul as a theme, although it is really just as much about Detroit as a city - even a mind-set - as it is about music. The research is highly impressive, and I admire the book’s structure too, breaking down what was happening in that key year month by month. The Supremes take centre stage, and everything keeps coming back to them.

   If anyone is looking for lots of stories about the smaller soul labels in the city, and the artists, producers and owners associated with those labels , then you won’t find it – or much of it – here. But that’s fine with me, as its already very generous at  608 pages long. There are also a number of photos I have not seen before, and the only “constructive criticism“ I think worth pointing out is around the proof-reading which is , frankly, very poor. There are literally hundreds of typos, and I’m sure Stuart will want to rectify this for his follow-up book, Memphis ’68, which also sounds very intriguing. The only glaring error that struck me was around the song “Sam Stone”, which Swamp Dogg is credited with writing; he didn’t – it’s by John Prine – although the Dogg certainly recorded it. A lesser inaccuracy contends that ABC “under promoted“ Florence Ballard’s debut album, but in fact no such album exists.

  But these shouldn’t, and don’t, detract too much from a fine piece of work.

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