Friday at the Hideout

Various Artists (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 2, 2001)
• Original Release Date: 2001
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Norton
• ASIN: B00005NKIC
• In-Print Editions: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #305,190 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

To most folks, the phrase Detroit rock & roll either means the high-energy overdrive of MC5, the Stooges, and the Amboy Dukes, or the no-nonsense working-class rock of Bob Seger and Mitch Ryder. But before those acts established themselves in the public eye, the Motor City already had a thriving garage rock scene in the early to mid-'60s, and one of the real movers and shakers in pre-psychedelic Detroit rock was Dave Leone, who ran The Hideout, Detroit's leading teen dance club, and later branched out with his own record label, Hideout Records. Friday at the Hideout collects 21 highlights (18 on LP) from the Hideout catalog, and while legal problems prevented the inclusion of any of the six sides a young Bob Seger cut for Leone (among them the anti-draft-dodging classic "The Ballad of the Yellow Beret"), this is still a top-shelf collection of quality Midwest stomp, and at least two other names destined for bigger things pop up. Teenaged Glen Frey played with two different Hideout acts, the Byrds-centric the Four of Us and moody popsters the Mushrooms, both of whom are in fine form here (the former do a great version of " "Feel a Whole Lot Better," while the latter score with "Burned"), and future glam goddess and Happy Days regular Suzi Quatro's early band, the Pleasure Seekers, are on hand with their near-legendary paean to the joys of teenage beer-swilling, "What a Way to Die." Elsewhere, you get some quality frat rock with attitude from Doug Brown and the Omens (including "Youth and Experience," perhaps the only great garage rock tune written to endorse a candidate for the U.S. Senate), some fine guitar mauling from the Henchmen (no relation to the similarly named Detroit band of the '90s), five cuts from scene stalwarts the Underdogs (including "Man in the Glass," whose lyrics are cribbed from the Alcoholics Anonymous big book, and a solid version of the title cut), and the Fugitives, whose gloriously low-tech version of "Friday at the Hideout" drips with teen-club ambience as they explore the possibilities of reverb. It ain't exactly Kick out the Jams, but Friday at the Hideout is nearly as much fun, and a must for anyone interested in the roots of Detroit rock. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide --This text refers to the Vinyl edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I can't believe somebody released this stuff !!!, November 2, 2001

By 

Rick Smith (Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Friday at the Hideout (Audio CD)

I read a review of this disc two weeks ago in the Sunday Detroit Free Press. I was pretty impressed that there was a record company compiling and preserving stuff that was this obscure.

From 1964 through 1967, there was a very active "teen club" scene in Suburban Detroit. The two guys that recorded all these bands pretty much started that scene. One of them, Punch Andrews, is still Bob Seger's manager.

The Recordings themselves are better than I expected. The individual instruments and voices are all balanced adequately ,considering the mid-sixties technology. Everything is being played on vintage Fender, Gibson, and Rickenbacker Equipment, before it was vintage! The Material is real cool, a lot of originals, and some interesting covers. (Surprise Surprise, Stones) There is early Glen Frey in a Band called the Mushrooms, and Seger is singing and playing keyboards with Doug Brown and the Omens. There is also a very young Suzi Quatro (Leather Tuscadaro in "Happy Days") playing with her two sisters in the Pleasure Seekers. Unfortunately, there is only one cut by the Fugitives, argueably the best band in the Suburbs in 64-65.

The book is nicely done. Great old pictures, and a lot of inside information on the early rock scene in Detroit.

I heard most of these bands, and this disc brings back great memories. If you were a Detroit teen-ager in the mid-sixties, or just interested in hearing what it was like "at the creation",
this is a must-have.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not Just Historical But Some Fun Roots Power Pop Tracks, March 13, 2006

By 

KC "metroxing" (Northern CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Friday at the Hideout (Audio CD)

While the other reviewers are on-target, what's not mentioned is this is a nice collection of roots power pop tracks - yes, 'garagey' but it still holds up pretty well. Raggedy yes - but's the charm. Sound quality is acceptable on most of the tracks - better than lots of collection of 'lost tracks.' Well worth adding to your collection.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Thanx to D. Leone & Gary & Glenn's mom & dad . . ., January 14, 2007

By 

M Mom WRUW "mstie53737" (Cleveland, OH) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Friday at the Hideout (Audio CD)

Primary importance is the write up about those times included w/the CD. So maybe every "garage" band wasn't all that great (lyrical or music), but ya gotta admire the sincerity and enthusiasm. My favorite Underdogs 45, Love's Gone Bad, isn't on this CD (not on the Hideout label)(one of my fave 45s of all time), but the other "singles" are. Unfortunately, many rock lyrics in general in this era are female hostile, but, hey, at least we have female musicians on the CD! We're talking early 1960s, folks, way before we women became a sisterhood. Read the insert & immerse yourself in the perspective. Groovy!