line up 1 (1975-77)

- Bobby "Boris" Pickett -- bass 
- Michael Des Barres -- lead vocals 
- Jon Hyde -- drums, percussion, backing vocals 
- Tony Kaye -- keyboards
- Michael Monarch -- lead guitar 

- Badger (Tony Kaye)

- Bittersweet (Tony Kaye)

- Cafe R&B (Bobby Pickett)

- Chequered Past (Michael Des Barres)

- Cinema (Tony Kaye)

- Michael Des Barres (solo efforts)

- The Federals (Tony Kaye)

- Flash (Tony Kaye)

- Hocus Pocus (Jon Hyde and Michael Monarch)

- Honeycrunch (Michael Monarch)

- Phoenix (Michael Des Barres)

- Power Station (Michael Des Barres)

- Silverhead (Michael Des Barres)

- Steppenwolf (Michael Monarch)

- Sugarloaf (Bobby Pickett)

- Jimmy Winston and His Reflections (Tony Kaye)

- The World Class Rockers (Michael Monarch)

- Yes (Tony Kaye)

Genre: rock

Rating: 3 stars ***

Title:  Live from the Atlantic Studios

Company: Swan Song

Catalog: LAAS 002
Year: 19

Country/State: US / UK

Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+

Comments: minor edge wear along bottom center

Available: SOLD  

Catalog ID: SOLD  

Price: SOLD $20.00

By the mid-1970s, thanks to the likes of Bad Company and Led Zeppelin, the Atlantic affiliated Swan Song label was generating some massive sales.  Plain and simple, the short-lived Detective was an effort to expand the label's nameplate and generate a couple more million dollars in sales.

Apparently envisioned as sort of a second generation metal super group, the line up featured ex-Silverhead vocalist Michael Des Barres, former Steppenwolf lead guitarist Michael Monarch and a pair of L.A.-based musicians; former Sugarloaf bassist Bobby Pickett (not the 'Monster Mash' guy), and drummer Jon Hyde who'd played for the little known Hocus Pocus.  Ex-Yes keyboardist Tony Kaye was added to the band for their second LP.  The group found a mentor in the form of Zeppelin's Jimmy Page who helped get them signed to Swan Song and produced about half of the debut under the pseudonym Jimmy Robinson.

I own the original studio sets, and while each has occasional moments, by and large they're both fairly pedestrian mid-1970s hard rock. One part Zeppelin, two parts Bad Company, and a little Pretty Things added for R&B authenticity.  Anyhow, I'll get around to talking about both studios albums at some point ... just not this moment.  

Recorded and released in 1978 on the heels of their second studio set, "Live from the Atlantic Studios" was a curious venture.  Recorded at a December 1977 performance at New York's Atlantic Studios the set showcased the band working their way through nine tracks pulled from their two earlier studio albums.  There was also one forgettable non-LP effort - the rock chestnut 'Good Rockin' Tonight'.  Never intended for public consumption, this set was apparently aimed at generating radio station attention (note the liner notes thanking Washington D.C.'s DC 101 which I recall plugged the band with considerable energy - yes I was in my prime record buying mode in the late-1970s).  The irony was that by the time the set was released Detective was on life support.  If you've ever heard the studio sets you'll know these guys were competent players, though not exactly the most innovative band out there.  Widely seen as Zeppelin wannabes, or a poor man's Bad Company, the two studio albums were largely slammed by critics and ignored by the buying public.  I've owned both and can't say a great deal in their defense.  So what did they sound like without all the studio effects and post-production support?   Much to my surprise, not nearly as bad as I would have thought.  Yeah, Des Barres' screechy voice was very much an acquired taste, particularly when he tried to stretch out and go heavy ('Fever') and there wasn't an original musical note or thought across these ten songs.  That said, the raw and slightly sloppy performances (check out the ragged harmony vocals on 'Got Enough Love') showed these guys actually had some talent and could occasionally even spark off of one another  (check out 'Recognition') ...  Imagine a live Faces album without their drunken charisma and you'd be in the right aural neighborhood.  With the exception of the hideous ballad 'Nightingale' the good news was that stripped of their studio gloss the live renditions were far better than the studio originals.  Highlights included the pounding 'One More Heartache' (yeah, it didn't need to go on for almost nine minutes), Monarch's solo on the instrumental 'Tear Jerker', and 'Grim Reaper (which was probably the standout number)'.  If you're going to buy a Detective LP, this might well be the best of the lot.

"Live from the Atlantic Studios" track listing:
(side 1)

1.) Help Me Up   (John Hyde) - 5:21

2.) Got Enough Love   (Michael Monarch - Miller - Michael Des Barres) - 4:46

3.) Recognition   (Michael Monarch - Miller - Michael Des Barres) - 5:22   

4.) One More Heartache   (Michael Monarch - John Hyde) - 8:57

5.) Detective Man    (Michael Monarch - John Hyde) - 4:31

(side 2)
1.) Grim Reaper    (Michael Monarch - Pickett - John Hyde - Michael Des Barres) - 5:20

2.) Fever     (Michael Monarch - Pickett - John Hyde) - 5:35
3.) Nightingale     (Michael Monarch - John Hyde) - 5:49

4.) Tear Jerker (instrumental)    (Michael Monarch - Tony Kaye - John Hyde) - 

5.) Good Rockin' Tonight   (Roy Brown) 

Most folks think that's the end of The Detective story.  True, Des Barres tendered his resignation and a couple of years later reappeared in the hideous Chequered Past, followed by a brief stint replacing the late Robert Palmer in the Duran Duran spin off Power Station.  In the meantime the other three members decided to try to salvage the band and with support from Atlantic started looking for a replacement singer.   Atlantic management was reportedly interested in seeing singer/songwriter John Cougar step into the role.  Working with produced Tom Dowd the revamped line up apparently recorded some material for a planned third studio set, but the project was quickly abandoned.