Continuing our commitment to shining a celebratory light on classic and influential music from Detroit, Third Man Records is honored to re-introduce the world to the undeniable importance of the Detroit Cobras. We will reissue the Detroit Cobras debut records - Mink, Rat or Rabbit and Life, Love and Leaving - on August 26th on glorious black vinyl at a record store near you, and available at thirdmanstore.com for pre-order today.
The band has experienced many roster revisions over the years, especially when it comes to their touring configuration, but the perfectly irreverent Rachel Nagy on vocals and Mary Ramirez, one of the greatest guitarists to ever come out of Detroit, have been near constants and the creative force behind these two records. The first of the two releases also include noted Detroit photographer Steve Shaw (The Fondas) on guitar, the prolific Jeff Meier (Rocket 455, Nathaniel Mayer) on bass, and the pure drum work by Damian Lang (Two Star Tabernacle) making for a line-up of pure perfection.
As one of the earliest salvos in the great Detroit garage explosion of the turn of the century, the Detroit Cobras' Mink, Rat or Rabbit (1998) is a landmark album. Comprised solely of covers songs (as has always been the band's MO) the Cobra's spirited takes on Motown classics ("I'll Keep Holding On" originally by the Marvellettes), garage punk laments ("Bad Girl" originally known as "Bad Man" by the Oblivians) girl group tear-jerkers ("Easier to Cry" originally by the Shangri-Las) and New Orleans soul standards ("Break-a-way" originally by Irma Thomas) and the end result is nothing short of a staple that any record collection is empty without.
Originally released in 2001, the Detroit Cobras' Life, Love and Leaving is the group's best-known effort, coming at a time when bands like the White Stripes and Dirtbombs were also releasing seminal albums that started picking up recognition outside of their collective hometown. Hitting hard with songs by soul heavyweights like Solomon Burke ("Stupidity"), Mary Wells ("Bye Bye Baby"), Otis Redding ("Shout Bamalama"), the inimitable vocals of Rachel Nagy would no-doubt be a template from which folks like Amy Winehouse would work from years later. A landmark collection of covers.
To wet your whistles, here is a previously unreleased song, which has been pressed as a bonus track on Life, Love and Leaving titled "This Old Heart."
Pre-Order the records, individually or as a bundle HERE. Officially in stores August 26th.
You may enjoy this also … http://artsbeatseats.com Ford is hosting a massive street festival
Here is a bit of Detroit update for those planning on visiting the area http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2016/08/29/michigan-art-museum-bringing-art-films-music-outdoors/
@aquamarine Thanks! Yeah, thinking about it, you are right.
@missterpickles Not usually, except Jack’s own bands
Anyone know if they will come with digital downloads?
Yeah Hatfield… I saw that List of covers and especially that Bad Man switch up then i knew it was on… Too cool
Great!! Hope to see their 3rd album also be reissued!
Back atcha, Applie_Blossom. I’ve already placed my order for these jewels. The thing I love about the Cobras is that even though they play covers, they aren’t the obvious ones. Nagy has a great knack for pulling out deep girl band tracks and putting an oh-so-cool edge to them. I can’t recommend them highly enough.
“I’m the boss with the hot sauce…”
Thanks David … That is a good once over for me on the descriptive end of things! Please pardon the sailor talk previously… Excitement can be a tough buddy to run with!
I’ve got all the Cobras stuff on CD, and these are definitely the two top releases. Once the band started trying to write their own material it seemed they lost their way a bit. Nagy reminds me a bit of Maria McKee of Lone Justice – not vocally, but the fact that she couldn’t keep a solid band together for more than a year. But that voice…. Oh, man, that voice….