The Frost (RFI)

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Anyone ever heard any records by The Frost? They were a band that made a couple of records in the late 60s/early 70s led by Dick Wagner who later was a lead guitarist for Lou Reed & Alice Cooper.

I'm just curious what they sounded like and if it is any good?

― earlnash, Tuesday, 19 August 2003 15:08 (twenty-two years ago)

They suck. I mean, I own all their records because I collect all that early rock stuff and am interested in the Detroit scene and all ... but, they suck. Frijud Pink's debut blows anything the Frost did out of the water (although Defrosted sucked. but Earth Omen's lineup shake-up found them in a nice poor-man's-Uriah-Heep mode. The 4th one is back to being terrible). The Up's "Just Like An Aborigine" blows anything the Frost did out of the water (and there's actually quite a bit of what sounds like smoking live material on the The Up cd that came out on Total Energy. but the recording is cardboard box quality). The Rationals were probably better than them too.

Wagner also was in Ursa Major who put out an lp on RCA. If I recall, it's ok. Better than the Frost.

― Mr. Diamond (diamond), Tuesday, 19 August 2003 15:21 (twenty-two years ago)

Do you have that Sonic's Rendevous Band record? If so, is it any count?

The reviewer gushed over one of The Frost's records at allmusic, not that is a great indicator, so that is why I asked.

― earlnash, Tuesday, 19 August 2003 15:30 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh yeah, I forgot about their label-mates, The Third Power! Believe is an excellent rock record. Good band, some good heavy swing on that record; too bad they couldn't record another. Sam Charters kind of got into that heavy rock stuff there, didn't he?

Oh and the SRC could be great. First album rules (love "Daystar"), Milestones a little more spotty but has their best song ("Up All Night"); Traveller's Tale was Quackenbush-less and thus pretty dispensible. The Lost Masters cd on One Way finds Quackenbush back but without too much of trademark piercing sustain; still a good early 70's hard rock document.

― Mr. Diamond (diamond), Tuesday, 19 August 2003 15:33 (twenty-two years ago)

oh, cross-post, you mean that City SLang cd that came out a few years back? No, I never picked that up! I've always meant to, it's on my wishlist, just ... never got around to it. The song "City Slang" (the only thing the band released during it's existence; the original 45 didn't even have a B-side) is fucking great though, so I'd imagine that cd is at least decent...

― Mr. Diamond (diamond), Tuesday, 19 August 2003 15:36 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah...that is the one. I was wondering if the live stuff was pretty good or boombox quality.

I've been listening to Radio Birdman today and it got me thinking about these things.

― earlnash, Tuesday, 19 August 2003 15:45 (twenty-two years ago)

The Sonic Rendezvous Band, percentage-wise, is about in the same league as the Frost. The CD I have isn't much for repeat listens
except for "City Slang." Scott Morgan livens up another tune with
an inspired vocal but the rest is mediocre to rotten
Michigan dive bar & liquor store hard rock.

And normally I like that stuff, so the pickings are slim for both.

― George Smith, Wednesday, 20 August 2003 00:47 (twenty-two years ago)

Bummer.

Have anyone heard the "New Order" album or any Destroy All Monsters?

Is it all about the same?

― earlnash, Wednesday, 20 August 2003 00:59 (twenty-two years ago)

Have anyone heard the "New Order" album or any Destroy All Monsters?

New Order album: Half a dozen cheap demo quality tracks.
Cover is the best thing about it, showing Ron Asheton wielding
a dagger in his infatuated-with-Nazi-memorabilia phase. Fronted
by singer who went into The Rockets, a Michigan band that was
a bar-locked spin-off of the Detroit Wheels (sans Mitch).

The Rockets had a few good moments, a great version of "Oh Well"
and an album, "No Ballads," that really was -no ballads.-
Ultimately, more let's-go-to-the-liquor-store rock.

New Order, however, wasn't quite that good, call 'em --
pre-"Bumfights" bums-in-the-alley-behind-the-liquor-store rock.
You won't listen to it more once or twice. Has some value as a curiosity.

Destroy All Monsters -- slightly better, fronted by an odd,
arty, good-looking woman named Niagara. I had a single that
was fair, lost it, didn't mourn its passing. Average hard
rock band -- not as good as Brownsville Station, maybe as
good or better than "Good Singin', Good Playin'"-era Grand
Funk.

Beware a DAM CD purporting to be an anniversary recording. It's
a live recording of Niagara, some stiffs, drum machine and a backing
track -- Savoy Brown's "Savoy Brown Boogie." The absolute worst.

― George Smith, Thursday, 21 August 2003 01:20 (twenty-two years ago)

George, speaking of the Rockets, did you ever see this article in the Detroit Metro Times? It's pretty long (uh, everything you ever wanted to know about Dave Gilbert), but well-written (hard to believe in that rag) and holds your interest. Or it held mine, anyway.

Hey, I remember a bill-padder we haven't mentioned yet -- Savage Grace! They were better than the Frost too.

Yeah, I've got one New Order lp - I don't know if it's the same material George has or not (the cover isn't as he describes; it's, uh, Ron playing guitar and sporting some funky aviator glasses, feeling the 70's burnout vibe). I think the studio and various live stuff has been sadly repackaged a bunch of different ways trading off the Asheton name. But yeah it is pretty terrible.

Ditto to the New Race. The old college radio station I worked for had that live lp. Completely unmemorable.

Honestly earl, I'd recommend picking up the first SRC record, the Third Power record (there was a reissue on Akarma) and maybe that UP cd if you want to explore the scene in more detail.

― Mr. Diamond (diamond), Thursday, 21 August 2003 01:45 (twenty-two years ago)

i used to have that frost live album, yr right it kind of sucks. wish i'd kept the ursa minor album, that was ok & now if you ever see it it's got like 30 bucks on it.

― duane, Thursday, 21 August 2003 02:23 (twenty-two years ago)

speaking of the Rockets, did you ever see this article in the Detroit Metro Times

No, I didn't even know Dave Gilbert was dead. The dire life and times of liquor store rockers.

The article was a good one and nailed the band's best moments:
"Oh Well" and "Desire." Wounded Bird ought to be badgered into
reissuing "Rockets" and "No Ballads." I mean, fer cryin' out
loud, they're gonna release the Steve Hunter solo LP.

Imagine the "Welcome to My Nightmare" Alice Cooper backing band
stumbling through a metal version of "Sail On, Sailor."

― George Smith, Thursday, 21 August 2003 02:24 (twenty-two years ago)

& destroy all monsters as a rock band were ok & sometimes great ("november 22nd 1963"! 'you're gonna die"!) but the earlier incarnation as a weird experimental band with carey loren & mike kelley was amazing (triple CD on ecstatic peace1, i haven't got it tho. also a movie they made but i dunno what it's called, it's mentalistic0

― duane, Thursday, 21 August 2003 02:26 (twenty-two years ago)

Imagine the "Welcome to My Nightmare" Alice Cooper backing band
stumbling through a metal version of "Sail On, Sailor."

that sounds almost cool.

― duane, Thursday, 21 August 2003 02:26 (twenty-two years ago)

re: DAM : http://www.mikekelley.com/compound.html

― duane, Thursday, 21 August 2003 02:33 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.mikekelley.com/mallculture.jpg

also : http://www.niagaradetroit.com/

― duane, Thursday, 21 August 2003 02:43 (twenty-two years ago)

heavy metal stumble-through of "Sail On, Sailor"

that sounds almost cool.

Agreed. Better in theory than in practice, however. Trust me.

― George Smith, Thursday, 21 August 2003 07:58 (twenty-two years ago)

"november 22nd 1963"

Evidence of the just and fairly underrated Deniz Tek.

― George Smith, Thursday, 21 August 2003 08:01 (twenty-two years ago)

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