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Splatt Gallery's History of Michigan Concert Posters
Volume Thirteen - 1977 - Page Twelve
An ad for Bootsy’s Rubber Band with the Floaters in Kalamazoo, Michigan on November 25, 1977.
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Elvis Costello and Iggy Pop face off on the front page of the November 25, 1977 issue of the Berkeley Barb newspaper in Berkeley, California.
Poster by Nanzi for Sirius Trixon & the Motor City Bad Boys with Ruby Jones and the Mutants at Second Chance in Ann Arbor, Michigan on November 28, 1977.
A full-page Casablanca Records ad, art by Overton Loyd, for the sixth album by Parliament, “Funkentelechy vs. the Placebo Syndrome”, released on November 28, 1977.
Front and back cover for the sixth album by Parliament, “Funkentelechy vs. the Placebo Syndrome”, released on November 28, 1977. In the course of the year-long P-Funk Earth Tour, George Clinton found time to conceptualize and record the six-track tale of Sir Nose d'Voidoffunk, the Bop Gun, and the hit “Flashlight”.
Poster by Overton Loyd that came with the Parliament album “Funkentelechy vs. the Placebo Syndrome”. The album also came with an eight page, full color comic book, also by Overton Loyd.
Back cover and final end panel of the eight page, full color comic book by Overton Loyd that came with the Parliament album “Funkentelechy vs. the Placebo Syndrome”.
A second full-page Casablanca Records ad, art by Overton Loyd, for the sixth album by Parliament, “Funkentelechy vs. the Placebo Syndrome”, released on November 28, 1977.
A full-page Casablanca Records ad, art by Overton Loyd, for the single “Flashlight” from the Parliament album “Funkentelechy vs. the Placebo Syndrome”.
Parliament – Flashlight (1977)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5uH1JFcaq8
Yet another full-page Casablanca Records ad, art by Overton Loyd, for the sixth album by Parliament, “Funkentelechy vs. the Placebo Syndrome”, released on November 28, 1977. The album was their second million-seller and peaked at #2 on the Billboard R&B album chart, their highest to date, and the single “Flashlight” became their first to hit #1 on the Billboard R&B singles chart.
Here is an amazing five-and-a-half-foot long Casablanca Records poster for the November 28, 1977 release of the Parliament album “Funkentelechy vs. the Placebo Syndrome”. These exceptionally long and narrow posters are commonly referred to as “subway” posters, designed to be displayed in subway stations.
An ad for the Mark Farner Band at the Agora Ballroom in Cleveland, Ohio on November 28, 1977, along with an ad for Farner’s debut solo album.
A video recording of Aretha Franklin at Palais des Sports in Paris, France on November 28, 1977 was released on DVD in 2010. Here is the show’s finale:
Aretha Franklin – The Greatest Love of All (live in Paris, 1977)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsImJLiIJ14
The poster/flyer in the center above is for the Romantics with the Traitors at the 24 Karat in Detroit, Michigan, November 28-29, 1977. They had also become a regular opener for Sonic’s Rendezvous Band.
Even before their first gig, in February 1977, the Romantics had recorded their first single, they self-released it on their own Spider Records label and made it available at their earliest shows. Apparently, the video linked below is not the actual original pressing, as explained in the video’s comments, but it’s as close as we’ve got.
The Romantics – Little White Lies (1977)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cl0-AfPBMfk
Poster/flyer by an unknown artist for the Romantics at the 24 Karat in Detroit, Michigan, November 28-29, 1977.
The Grotto Lounge near Ottawa Lake, Michigan benefitted by being just over the Michigan-Ohio state line, and with a legal age of 18, Michigan was an attraction to students at Bowling Green University who could make the 25-minute trip to drink and see Detroit-area bands like Bogart, Zooster, and Salem Witchcraft, and Rob Tyner’s MC5 who performed there on November 30, 1977.
Newspaper ad for Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band at the Leroy Theatre in Pawtucket, Rhode Island on November 30, 1977.
A pair of ads for a 3-LP set greatest hits collection called “Looking Back” by Stevie Wonder, released on November 30, 1977. Originally planned for release in 1974 as part of the “Anthology” series that were being issued at the time for nearly all of the top Motown acts, it was withheld at Wonder’s request. The 1974 pressings titled “Anthology” were distributed internationally after “Looking Back” was released.
A full-page color illustration by Gary Grimshaw in the December 1977 issue of CREEM magazine that accompanied part one of Richard Robinson’s story “So You Wanna be a Rock and Roll Star” along with a contest of the same name to win instruments and recording studio time. Grimshaw will have a companion illustration in the February 1978 issue that runs part two of the story and a last chance entry to the contest.
An unusual full-page Warner Bros. Records ad for the Alice Cooper album “The Alice Cooper Show”, a live album recorded in August in Las Vegas and released in December 1977.
A full-page A&M Records ad for the release of the fifth album by Gino Vannelli with tour dates including a show at Cobo Arena in Detroit, Michigan on December 1, 1977.
A pair of ads for Destroy All Monsters’ third appearance at Pirate’s Cove in Cleveland, Ohio, on December 1, 1977, their second time with Pere Ubu.
Newspaper ad for a free show by the Romantics and the Traitors at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan on December 2, 1977. One of the earliest ads with the Traitors, although they had a number of notorious shows before this, especially their appearance on WGPR's The Scene TV Show on October 17, 1977. There is a better picture than the one shown above, the whole story is told here:
http://detroitpunkarchive.com/bands/the-traitors/
A full-page Warner Bros. Records ad in the December 3, 1977 issue of Billboard magazine for the Alice Cooper live album “The Alice Cooper Show”.
Poster by an unknown artist with Destroy All Monsters opening for Devo in Cleveland, Ohio on December 3, 1977.
One of three different poster/flyers, all presumably by Freddie Brooks, for Sonic’s Rendezvous Band with the Romantics and Destroy All Monsters at Second Chance in Ann Arbor, Michigan on December 5, 1977.
Here is an audio tape of the complete Destroy All Monsters set from that night:
Destroy All Monsters - Live in Ann Arbor (12/5/1977)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s59zlKAzjIg
The second of three different poster/flyers, presumably by Freddie Brooks, for Sonic’s Rendezvous Band with the Romantics and Destroy All Monsters at Second Chance in Ann Arbor, Michigan on December 5, 1977.
The third of three different poster/flyers, presumably by Freddie Brooks, for Sonic’s Rendezvous Band with the Romantics and Destroy All Monsters at Second Chance in Ann Arbor, Michigan on December 5, 1977.
Detroit’s Gilda Radner on the cover of the December 5, 1977 issue of People magazine.
Poster/ad for Kansas at Wings Stadium in Kalamazoo, Michigan on December 7, 1977.
Two separate full-page Kirshner Records ads for Kansas touring in support of their fifth album with two Michigan shows, in Kalamazoo on December 7, 1977, and at Cobo Arena in Detroit the following night.
An ad for the Romantics in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, December 7-10, 1977.
Poster for Ted Nugent with Golden Earring in Minot, North Dakota on December 9, 1977.
On this poster for Oscar Peterson at Hill Auditorium in Ann Arbor, Michigan on December 10, 1977, we finally have a clear image of the artist signature for the Eclipse Jazz series illustrations. The name appears to be “Nosoo”.
Oscar Peterson was a prolific composer and performer, releasing over 200 albums, winning eight Grammy Awards, and performing over 200 times in Michigan, primarily appearing at Baker’s Keyboard Lounge in Detroit.
A full-page Motown Records ad in the December 10, 1977 issue of the British music magazine Music Week reviving the summer’s “three babies” promotional campaign for the greatest hits album by Diana Ross & the Supremes called “20 Golden Greats” to capitalize on Christmas sales.
A full-page Mercury Records ad for Rush touring in support of their fifth studio album, with two Michigan shows, at Cobo Arena in Detroit on December 15, 1977 and at Wings Stadium in Kalamazoo on December 19th. The second show was their 34th Michigan show with nine of them in 1977.
An ad for the Second Chance in Ann Arbor, Michigan with the Rockets appearing on December 19, 1977. Mugsy and Masquerade held down the fort immediately before and after.
The promoters thought it would be a great idea to screen a science fiction movie as a warm-up to the Rockets’ concert at the Agora Ballroom in Cleveland, Ohio on December 19, 1977. Sometime between the first ad and the night of the show, someone realized that the 1974 film “Flesh Gordon” was softcore porn and changed the concert opener to “Assorted Space Films!”
Gary Grimshaw spread in the Winter 1977 issue of Lightworks magazine, which was published quarterly in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Poster/ad by the Lansing-area mystery artist “G” for a surprise return to Lansing by the Dogs on December 23, 1977. An article in the Lansing Star newspaper explained:
“A regular feature of the local music scene four, five years ago was the Goodman Ballroom concerts on Lansing’s northeast side. Throughout the summer, local rock and roll bands would do benefit performances for the Goodman Free School and Mountain Free High School, whose survival was a week-to-week kind of thing. Goodman School made it and continues its state approved alternative educational program for K-8 grade young people on East Lansing’s north side.
“The people involved in the school and the old ballroom experiences have decided to hold a Goodman Ballroom Reunion to benefit the school. It will basically be musicians and their friends getting together for a holiday party/reunion, with the public invited.
“Just as in the old days, the party will feature decadent rock and roll. Lansing’s own Tool Box, punkers now billing themselves as “Lansing’s threat to world order”, will appear. This will be a chance to see which world order they’re threatening. Two new groups, Traftion and Krackerboxx, the latter a re-formation of East Lansing’s old street band of the same name, will be there too.
“But the stars of the evening will be The Dogs, Lansing circa 1970 who migrated to Los Angeles via New York, where they played at temples of decadence like CBGB’s and Max’s Kansas City. Once in El Lay, they helped originate what has been termed the “Los Angeles New Wave”, a movement back to the hard-driving rock and roll of the ‘fifties and early ‘sixties. They put on shows to generate excitement for the New Wave and have developed a national cult following. The Goodman Benefit Reunion will be their first Lansing appearance in four years.”
This photo of the poster for the Dogs with Tool Box and Traftion at Plumbers Hall in Lansing on December 23, 1977 gives us the best shot so far at identifying the Lansing-area mystery artist “G”, the last name is almost legible.
Poster/ad by the Lansing-area mystery artist “G”, apparently rallying against a no-dancing policy at the Lansing Civic Center.
A collection of posters and ads by the Lansing-area mystery artist “G”. His distinct hand lettering and head-band hippie dude can be found at least as far back as 1973 issues of The Paper in East Lansing.
A full-page Cleveland International Records ad in the December 24, 1977 issue of Billboard magazine promoting live shows by Meat Loaf.
Newspaper ad for Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky on December 26, 1977.
An ad with Ted Nugent and Golden Earring at the Coliseum near Cleveland, Ohio on December 26, 1977. The cover story of this issue of Scene magazine was looking forward to the upcoming concert by KISS and the Rockets in the new year.
Newspaper ad for the Floaters at the Detroit Light Guard Armory in Detroit, Michigan on December 28, 1977. The Detroit group released the song “Float On” in June 1977 which became one of the biggest singles of the year, spending six weeks at #1 on the U.S. Hot Soul Singles chart, and becoming Billboard’s #1 soul single for the year, also a crossover hit, peaking at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
The Floaters – Float On (1977)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WclAFJSvyWw
A full-page Anchor ABC Records ad in a British music magazine for the Floaters’ single “Float On”, released in June 1977.
Blue Oyster Cult ended the year with two more Michigan shows, giving them at least 28 to date, with an appearance in Saginaw on December 29, 1977 and at Cobo Arena in Detroit on December 30th. The Rockets opened both shows.
The Cobo show was video taped for the British version of the King Biscuit show and by Columbia Records for a European promo and two of the songs are performed in the links below:
Blue Öyster Cult - R.U. Ready 2 Rock (live in Detroit) (12/30/77)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0zBm30QfIQ
Blue Öyster Cult - (Don't Fear)The Reaper (live in Detroit) (12/30/77)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxeh7Y6Sk6E
Volume Thirteen - 1977 - continues - HERE
The front page of Entertainment One, a free weekly publication that was distributed in the bars and nightclubs around metro Detroit and was full of ads, billing itself as “Michigan’s Largest Entertainment Weekly”. This issue with a cover date of December 15, 1977 was Vol. 5, No. 49.
Stevie Wonder on the front cover of the December 1977 issue of the British music magazine Black Music.
An ad with Michigan’s original rock star, Jack Scott, at the Flying Dutchman Motor Inn in Warren, Michigan, December 14-18, 1977.
An ad for the bands Tantrum and White Wolf at the Pontiac Palace in Pontiac, Michigan on December 23, 1977.
A full-page ad in the Northeastern Scene magazine with a sale on the Rockets’ debut album and the launch of a 40-city 1978 tour at the Agora Ballroom in Cleveland, Ohio on December 19, 1977.
