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Splatt Gallery's History of Michigan Music Posters
Volume Nine - 1973 - Page Eleven
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In the accounts we’ve seen, the Dogs moved to New York City from their house near Tiger Stadium in Detroit, Michigan in 1974. But this story by Loren Molinare puts them right on the street for this show on August 10, 1973:
“The first day in Manhattan, when we got there, I saw all these posters on poles: KISS AT THE DIPLOMAT HOTEL! So we went up – so naïve, green behind the ears! – and I found Kiss and went up to Paul Stanley like, “Hi, I’m Loren from the Dogs! We just got in from Detroit. Can we play your show?” And he was like, “Look, this is fuckin’ New York! You can’t come in and think you’re gonna play a Kiss show!” And we’re like – oh wow, welcome to fucking New York.”
This was the second time that KISS performed at the Hotel Diplomat and it was their audition for their future manager Bill Aucoin, who landed them a record contract within two weeks, with Neil Bogart’s newly-formed label Casablanca Records.
Poster for Grand Funk Railroad in Birmingham, Alabama on August 11, 1973.
Record company ad in the August 11, 1973 issue of Billboard magazine, celebrating Grand Funk’s ninth gold album.
A very cool poster by an unknown artist for the Mahavishnu Orchestra with Section in Grand Rapids, Michigan on August 11, 1973. The night before, the band had performed in Saginaw, Michigan on August 10th.
Michigan bands Rare Earth and Funkadelic at “New York’s First Blanket Festival” on Randall’s Island, August 11, 1973, the "Mom" reference for Rare Earth is meant to be "Ma", the title of their current album
Rare Earth – Ma (1973)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkJ1wqQo3zg
Funkadelic – Loose Booty (1972)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0A37iiQh-s
A Globe Poster for the K.D.J. Summer Rock Concert in Cleveland, Ohio on August 12, 1973, with two Motor City-generated bands, Rare Earth and Funkadelic. This same line-up had performed just the day before at the Randall’s Island Festival in New York City.
Dennis Preston poster for Astigafa, Comstock Lode, Northwind, Still Eyes, Toby Redd, and the Mutants at the Roseville Memorial Stadium in Roseville, Michigan, August 12, 1973.
A second poster for Astigafa, Comstock Lode, Northwind, Still Eyes, Toby Redd, and the Mutants at the Roseville Memorial Stadium in Roseville, Michigan, August 12, 1973.
Poster for EMI Radio Luxembourg Day in the Brands Hatch motor racing series on August 12, 1973 with Suzi Quarto (and her group) among the star participants.
An ad for Funochio’s in Atlanta, Georgia with Catfish Hodge appearing August 13-18, 1973.
Tour poster/ad for the British jazz-rock band, Mark-Almond, including a show at the Masonic Auditorium in Detroit, Michigan on August 17, 1973. Opening for the band Poco, this was their sixth Michigan appearance in a little over a year’s time, previously opening for Procol Harum, Joe Cocker, Fleetwood Mac, and the J. Geils Band. They would return one more time, again opening for J. Geils in October 1973.
A sweet little poster/ad for Grand Funk Railroad at Roosevelt Stadium in New Jersey on August 18, 1973. Although technically, at the time, the band was using the shortened “Grand Funk” name, they would revert back to the full name again in 1974.
Another poster showing Grand Funk Railroad at Roosevelt Stadium in New Jersey on August 18, 1973.
Illustration that accompanied the review of Iggy & the Stooges at the Kennedy Center, opening for Mott the Hoople, in Washington DC, August 19, 1973. Here is an excerpt:
“(The Kennedy Center) finally gets some raw power in with the chandeliers and red velvet. They regretted it almost immediately. Iggy Pop and the Stooges mesmerized the two-thirds full hall, revolted the rock-hating rock critics of the two major newspapers, and scared the shit out of the Kennedy Center officials – all in the less than forty-five minutes they played before the mikes were turned off and Iggy was escorted, shrugging, offstage.”
Two more Gary Grimshaw handbills with the schedule of the last two weeks of August 1973 at the Primo Showbar in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Bands were Detroit, Lightnin’, Radio King & his Court of Rhythm, Locomobile, Terraplane, Uprising, and Law.
Poster, presumably by Terry O’Connor, for The Woolies at The Stables in East Lansing, Michigan, August 20-25, 1973.
A Globe Poster for the Jackson 5 at Memorial Stadium in Dallas, Texas, August 22, 1973.
Tour poster/ad for Roy Clark, including an appearance at the Kalamazoo County Fair in Kalamazoo, Michigan (fifth down in second column) on August 23, 1973.
A full-page Motown Records ad for the 3-LP greatest hits set “Anthology” by the Temptations. Released on August 23, 1973, it marked the ten-year anniversary of the group and was the first of a series of “Anthology” sets by other Motown acts.
Volume Nine - 1973 - continues - HERE
Poster/flyer by Gary Grimshaw with the schedule of events at the Primo Showbar in Ann Arbor, Michigan, starting with the Rockets, August 15-16, 1973.
Suzi Quatro on the cover of the August 9, 1973 issue of Bravo magazine, the largest teen magazine in Germany. She was also the feature poster in the August 11th issue.
Poster for Iggy & the Stooges, for two nights, August 10-11, 1973, at Pender Auditorium in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
A newspaper ad for the Jackson 5 in Nashville, Tennessee on August 8, 1973, that is a bit unique in acknowledging the youngest Jackson brother, Randy. Randy was only two years old when the Jackson 5 was formed, so he was not a member of the group, but he spent his time developing his skills on the bongos and the congas, and he joined his brothers, in his first official appearance right around his 10th birthday in late 1971. Replacing brother Jermaine, who quit the group to start his solo career, Randy would be on every Jackson 5 tour from 1972 forward, but we believe this is the first time that we’ve seen his name included on the bill.
John Sinclair’s Selected Discography for getting prepared for the up-coming Ann Arbor Blues & Jazz Festival, as published in the August 8, 1973 issue of the Ann Arbor Sun newspaper, including one of our all-time favorites:
Yusef Lateef’s Detroit (album) (1973)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMeTXCzJqrI&list=PL8a8cutYP7fo9x-bBjdEOGM1YIrmpHZyB
OMG, somebody please tell us that someone has this stashed away and in safe keeping.
A huge, billboard-size painting by Mike Brady with lettering by Gary Grimshaw was erected atop the Rainbow Multi-Media office, greeting Ann Arbor visitors with the announcement of the up-coming Blues & Jazz Festival. This photo was published in the August 8, 1973 issue of the Ann Arbor Sun newspaper.
A poster/flyer for one of the rare performances by the band Ascension, featuring former MC5 members Fred Smith, Mike Davis, and Dennis Thompson, in Lincoln Park, Michigan on August 10, 1973.
A small color image of the billboard for the 1973 Blue & Jazz Festival in Ann Arbor (better quality image hopefully coming soon).
Poster by Gary Grimshaw with Catfish Hodge, Iris Bell, Ascension (three former members of the MC5 - Fred Smith, Dennis Thompson, and Michael Davis), and the Mutants at a Sunday free concert at Otis Spann Memorial Field in Ann Arbor, Michigan on August 5, 1973.
A poster for Brownsville Station in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania on August 5, 1973.
Iggy mended quickly, recuperating by checking out the New York Dolls, who were opening for Mott the Hoople, at the Felt Forum in Madison Square Gardens. The Stooges made up the two postponed shows at Max’s Kansas City on August 6-7, 1973. The review of the last show is printed above.
Next, the band embarked on a hop-scotch tour of the continent, traveling to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Phoenix, Arizona, St. Louis, Missouri, and back to the East Coast to Washington DC.
Iggy – Max’s 8/6/73
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHafGZfA7rw
Newspaper ad for Kenny’s Castaways in New York City with a six-night appearance by Detroit featuring Rusty Day, August 7-12, 1973. Local favorites Teenage Lust will be spending some time in Michigan, coming up.
Two albums released a week apart, mid-Summer 1973, that will become central to our story.
Stevie Wonder – He’s Misstra Know-It-All (1973)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JL5wei4phz0
New York Dolls – Looking For a Kiss (1973)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgZHXF-FaOw
A full-page Motown Records ad for the sixteenth studio album by Stevie Wonder, “Innervisions” released on August 3, 1973. The album was Wonder’s second consecutive #1 on the Billboard R&B Albums chart and peaked at #4 on the Billboard 200 album chart. It also earned Wonder his first Grammy awards.
Front and back covers and inside gatefold for Stevie Wonder’s “Innervisions” album, with artwork by Efram Wolff.
Gary Grimshaw handbill for the second set of shows at the re-opened Eastown Theatre in Detroit, Michigan, August 3-4, 1973, with Bloodrock and the first US appearance by the Canadian band Mahogany Rush.
Flyer by an unknown artist for the Full Tilt party at Simon’s Park in Dundee, Michigan, August 4, 1973. After the Full Tilt Boogie Ballroom was destroyed by fire, Full Tilt Boogie Productions moved the operation down the road to Simon’s Park.
Poster for Stevie Wonder in Tampa, Florida, August 4, 1973, with Miles Davis. Two days later, traveling through Durham, North Carolina, Wonder was seriously injured in a car crash that put him in a coma for four days. He would not perform again until January 1974, except for a surprise guest appearance during the encore of an Elton John concert in Boston on September 25, 1973.
A Tamla Motown poster/ad for the single “Higher Ground” by Stevie Wonder, released in July 1973. The same image was used for the picture sleeve of the single’s release in Germany.
An illustration in the August 1973 issue of CREEM magazine that is credited to Don Forsyth, which we know is the birth name of Donnie Dope, Max Elbo, and various other aliases.
Front cover of the August 1973 issue of CREEM magazine, featuring Alice Cooper and Iggy Pop among “Rock’s Deca-Sexual Elite”.
An Atlantic Records ad from the August 1973 issue of CREEM magazine with albums by the Spinners and the Ann Arbor Blues & Jazz Festival.
Poster by Dennis Preston for the third Wild Wednesday of 1973, “The 3rd One”, at the Sherwood Forest in Davison, Michigan, August 1, 1973, with Bob Seger, Siegal-Schwall, Ted Nugent & the Amboy Dukes, Catfish with Bob Hodge, Justice Miles, Skin Deep, Scott, and others.
The Main Ingredient at Cobo Arena in Detroit, Michigan, August 3, 1973, with three support acts; Mandrill, Osibisa, and Funkadelic. The same three-group bill also had opened for Billy Preston in Long Beach, California two weeks earlier. Long Beach had a better ad, proper spelling of Osibisa, and much better fanfare for “The return of the fabulous Funkadelic.”
Following the Michigan show at the beginning of the month, Iggy & the Stooges, with new keyboardist Scott Thurston, went to New York City for four scheduled shows at Max’s Kansas City, July 30, 1973 through August 2nd. During the second show, July 31, Iggy suffered multiple cuts from broken glass after falling off a table in the middle of the audience. He finished the show, but the next two nights were postponed.
Also of interest is the bill at Max’s just prior to the Stooges engagement, four nights of Bob Marley & the Wailers opening for Bruce Springsteen.
Newspaper ad for The Supremes at the Showcase Theater in the Magic Mountain amusement park outside of Los Angeles, California from July 30, 1973 through August 4th. The group would be the Supremes Ver. 5.0, with the only original member, Mary Wells, along with Jean Terrell (Diana Ross’ original replacement) and Lynda Laurence, who had replaced Cindy Birdsong when Birdsong became pregnant.
Laurence would become pregnant in October 1973 and would be replaced by the returning Birdsong. Also in October, Terrell would be replaced by Scherrie Payne, ending the year with Supremes Ver. 6.0, a line-up that would last until February 1976.
A full-page London records ad for the third album by ZZ Top, released just four days before their first Michigan appearance, opening for Savoy Brown at Ford Auditorium in Detroit on July 30, 1973.
Four weeks of Gary Grimshaw handbills for the Primo Showbar in Ann Arbor, Michigan, July 22, 1973 through August 25th. Over that time, there are appearances by twenty bands, and multiple shows by eleven of them, with the most by Lightnin’ with five, and the Rockets with four, and three each by Uprising, Sky King, Radio King, Detroit, and Locomobile.
Also of note, were two shows by Ascension, the band featuring three former members of the MC5. All in all, a total of forty shows. No one can say “nothing’s happening in town”. And this was just at Primo’s, in addition, there was the Blind Pig, Mr. Flood’s Party, and Flick’s Bar, all within walking distance of each other, and also with live music nearly every night of the week.
A Primo Showbar ad listing over-lapping with the above post.
The September 5, 1973 issue of the Ann Arbor Sun newspaper, which gave us much of the low-down on the Ann Arbor bar scene described in the previous post, was festooned with artwork by Chris Frayne (Ozone).
A Warner Bros. Records ad in the July 28, 1973 issue of the British music magazine New Musical Express for the double album set “School Days” by Alice Cooper. Sub-titled “The Early Recordings”, it was simply a re-packaging of the group’s first two albums, “Pretties For You” and “Easy Action”. It was not released in the US.
The cover illustration and design (seen in the comments below) were created by the German artist Petrus Wandrey. Wandrey began his career with album covers, magazine illustrations, and movie posters. His most familiar work from the period may be the series of album covers that he created for the German jazz fusion band Passport. With the proceeds from these commissioned works he was able to finance his further artistic endeavors in sculpture and object art.
In 1975 he visited his idol Salvador Dalí and gave Dali a work called “Venus' Wind” (seen in the comments below) as a birthday present. Dalí installed “Venus Wind” as a permanent fixture in his Teatre-Museo Dalí museum, but he warned Wandrey that surrealism was an invention of Dalí's generation and that Wandrey should seek and find a new style for his time.
Wandrey found his inspiration in the characteristics of the early computer games from Atari and the design possibilities of raster and pixel graphics. In 1978, Wandrey proclaimed his "digitalism" in New York with the picture "Science And Beyond" (seen in the comments below).
Since then he has implemented extensive possibilities of "digitalistic" image design. According to Wandrey, the digital language of form does not allow any national peculiarities to dominate and accordingly, it is globally understandable and accepted by all people of all nations.
Album cover and inside gatefold art for the Alice Cooper album “School Days” by artist Petrus Wandrey.
“Venus Wind (1973) and "Science And Beyond" (1978) by artist Petrus Wandrey.
Nice poster by Mr. Marcieri for the James Gang with Brownsville Station at the Duluth Auditorium in Duluth, Minnesota, July 29, 1973.
Poster by Gary Grimshaw for the Sunday Free Concert at Wilson Park in Flint, Michigan on July 29, 1973, with the Good Times Band and Sky Song.
Poster by an unknown artist for Rare Earth in Honolulu, Hawaii on July 28, 1973.
A Globe Poster in beautiful lime green for Commander Cody & his Lost Planet Airmen in Charlotte, North Carolina, July 28, 1973.
