VARIOUS ARTISTS
Friday At The Hideout (Norton Records)
Reviewed by Shaun Dale

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Friday At The Hideout chronicles the recorded output of some of the bands that rotated across the stage of the Hideout, a teen club in the Detroit suburbs from 1964 to 1967. While most of these bands had few ambitions beyond making party music for the kids, they provided the proving grounds for a few noteworthy names. Among the groups here you'll find early efforts by Bob Seger, Glenn Frey and Suzi Quatro.

It was a scene that was repeated across the country (Quatro and her bandmates in the Pleasure Seekers even trekked across the country to entertain my friends at suburban Seattle hotspots like Lake Hills Roller Rink), and the material, originals and covers alike, was a simple vehicle to get the kids dancing and hopefully distract them enough to keep them from fighting (the latter strategy was only occasionally successful). High volume and hard beats were the measure of success, and while you're in control of your own volume controls, there are plenty of hard beats here if you're in the mood to recreate a bit of rock and roll history in your living room.

There's a bit of history here, and a bit of celebrity, but more importantly there's a lot of fun.

Track List:

Underdogs/Friday At The Hideout * Doug Brown & The Omens/TGIF * Four Of Us/I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better * Pleasure Seekers/What A Way To Die * Underdogs/Don't Pretend * T.R. & The Yardsmen/I Tried * Underdogs/The Man In The Glass * Henchmen/Livin' * Doug Brown & The Omens/ Youth And Experience * Underdogs/Get Down On Your Knees * Pleasure Seekers/Never Thought You'd Leave Me * Four Of Us/You're Gonna Be Mine * Underdogs/Little Girl * Torquays/Shake A Tail Feather * Henchmen/Please Tell Me * Mushrooms/Burned * Underdogs/Suprise Surprise * Four Of Us/Baby Blue * Four Of Us/Batman * Doug Brown & The Omens/Norwest Lounge Radio Spot * Fugitives/Friday At The Hideout

© 2002 - Shaun Dale