A quick word about Death

So even though I just came back a few days ago from Coachella -- with three days of up-and-coming bands of all varieties on display -- for some reason I find myself playing and replaying an album that was originally made in Detroit circa 1974 but was only properly released a few months ago. The title is ...For The Whole World To See, and the band's name? Death.

Originally, the three teen aged Hackney brothers (David on guitar, Dannis on drums, and Bobby on bass and vocals) started off interested in funk and soul, but in the crowded Detroit market, it was hard for the family to gain a musical foothold. Once they heard The Stooges and the MC5, however, they began to move in a rocking raw power direction, and Death was born. Sonically and lyrically uncompromising -- they turned down an offer to sign with Columbia Records after industry legend Clive Davis told them to change their name -- Death blended the energy and spit of proto-punk and garage rock with maximum R&B.

The seven songs on ...For The Whole World To See sprint along with vim and vigor, an entire career in less than thirty minutes. After the band failed to get a recording deal, the brothers embraced their spiritual sides and moved to New England, recording a Christian rock album. But thanks to the good people at Drag City, their time as Death will live on. It's a record you should snag post haste.

Go to http://www.dragcity.com/press/pimages/pdf/dc387.pdf for more info on this underheard gem from Detroit Rock City.

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