The Bigger Picture

Death Revived

by Bob Moses

Detroit was the northern getting-off place for generations of immigrants, whether from overseas or the American South. The collision of cultures led to periodic explosions, of blues, R&B, and punk rock. We’ve lately been thinking about Detroit and its role in the birth of punk with the passing of Ron Asheton of the Stooges. Now Drag City opens the window on another little-known stream of Detroit influence with the re-release of … for the Whole World to See from Death. Though they attracted interest in 1974 from Columbia Records, their refusal to bend to Clive Davis’s commercial instincts meant the end of the project.

The new release of the Hackney brothers’ one recorded set from 1975 provides a new perspective on black voices in early punk rock. The three brothers who comprised Death apparently grew up surrounded by the R&B and funk that defined the Motown sound – witness the bass line in the track Drag City has made available, “Politicians In My Eyes.” Under the thick, elemental guitar that mark the sound as protopunk, the bass pops and propels with a funkiness that wouldn’t be married to punk rock for another decade. As with H.R. and the Bad Brains, Death reminds us that the bracing anger and power of punk rock attracted more than skinny white guys.

Death: Politicians in My Eyes

Bobby Hackney Jr.’s band Rough Francis performing a Death song.

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