Promised Land - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Berry, C.
Earthy - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Morgan, S.
It's Alright - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Smith, F.
Mystically Yours - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Morgan, S.
Keep on Hustlin' - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Morgan, S.
Space Age Blues - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Cooke, W.R.
Do It Again - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Smith, F.
Hearts - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Smith, F.
I Believe to My Soul - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Charles, R.
Let the Kids Dance - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Diddley, B.
Chungo of the Asphalt Jungle - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Cooke, W.R.
Goin' Bye - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Smith, F.
Roberta - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Smith, A.
Track Listings (9) - Disc #2
Dangerous - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Morgan, S.
Asteroid B-612 - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Morgan, S.
Hard Stoppin' - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Smith, F.
Irish Girl - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Morgan, S.
Like a Rolling Stone - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Dylan, Bob
Succeed - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Morgan, S.
Cool Breeze - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Morgan, S.
Song L - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Smith, F.
Slow Down (Take a Look) - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Morgan, S.
Track Listings (7) - Disc #3
Electrophonic Tonic - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Morgan, S.
Sweet Nothin' - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Smith, F.
Asteroid B-612 - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Morgan, S.
Gone with the Dogs - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Smith, F.
Love and Learn - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Morgan, S.
Song L - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Smith, F.
City Slang - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Smith, F.
Track Listings (10) - Disc #4
Dangerous - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Morgan, S.
Getting There - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Morgan, S.
Do It Again - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Smith, F.
Hearts - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Smith, F.
Love and Learn - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Morgan, S.
Heart of Stone - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Jagger
Sweet Nothin' - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Smith, F.
Asteroid B-612 - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Morgan, S.
Song L - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Smith, F.
City Slang - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Smith, F.
Track Listings (15) - Disc #5
Succeed - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Morgan, S.
Highjackin' Love - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Hester, T.
Mystically Yours - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Morgan, S.
Take a Look - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Morgan, S.
Electrophonic Tonic - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Morgan, S.
So Sincerely Yours - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Smith, F.
Dangerous - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Morgan, S.
Earthy - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Morgan, S.
Hearts (aka Detroit Tango) - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Smith, F.
Step by Step - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Smith, F.
Party Lights - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Clark, C.
Flight 505 - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Jagger
Thrill - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Morgan, S.
Goin' Bye - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Smith, F.
Gone with the Dogs - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Smith, F.
Track Listings (12) - Disc #6
Sweet Little Sixteen - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Berry, Chuck
Clock with No Hands - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Smith, Fred "Leadbe
You're So Great - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Smith, F.
Sweet Nothin' - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Smith, F.
Song L - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Smith, F.
Love and Learn - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Morgan, S.
It's Alright - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Smith, F.
Empty Heart - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Nanker
American Boy - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Smith, F.
Sweet Nothin' [Instrumental] - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Smith, F.
Electrophonic Tonic - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Morgan, S.
City Slang - Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Smith, F.
A lavish 6 Disc box set by one of the most legendary (almost ) super groups of the seventies, featuring Scott Morgan ( Rationals ) Fred ' Sonic ' Smith (MC5) Scott 'Rock Action' Asheton (Stooges) . The only product the b... more »and ever released was a 7" Single of "City Slang" ( which was on both sides mono & stereo). The original of which commands ridiculous prices in the collectors field. The band themselves have all contributed as well as the estate of Fred Smith. Contains interviews with existing band members, unseen photographs from Bob Matheu (Creem), Sue Rynski and various shots from the private collection of the band themselves. Due to the lack of material available to date, demand for this box set on the Easy Action web site has been unprecedented. Design of this set is being handled by ex Rhino art director and Grammy award winner Rachel Gutek« less
A lavish 6 Disc box set by one of the most legendary (almost ) super groups of the seventies, featuring Scott Morgan ( Rationals ) Fred ' Sonic ' Smith (MC5) Scott 'Rock Action' Asheton (Stooges) . The only product the band ever released was a 7" Single of "City Slang" ( which was on both sides mono & stereo). The original of which commands ridiculous prices in the collectors field. The band themselves have all contributed as well as the estate of Fred Smith. Contains interviews with existing band members, unseen photographs from Bob Matheu (Creem), Sue Rynski and various shots from the private collection of the band themselves. Due to the lack of material available to date, demand for this box set on the Easy Action web site has been unprecedented. Design of this set is being handled by ex Rhino art director and Grammy award winner Rachel Gutek
CD Reviews
A No-Brainer
S. Kurtz | Almost Asbury Park | 04/23/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"If you love rock and roll, this is a no-brainer.
If you loved the MC5, this is a no-brainer.
If you listen to Fred Sonic Smith and hear one of the greatest guitarists in the history of rock and roll, this is a no-brainer.
The Second Chance show (disc 4) is worth the cost of the boxset alone.
CITY SLANG from the Second Chance show is worth the cost of the boxset alone.
Can you see where I'm going with this?
How these guys flew under the radar for so long is beyond me.
After I listened to this, I wanted to throw away most of my CD collection, cuz it paled in comparison.
I didn't, of course, but...
In a perfect world, I'd make copies of this and give one to every teenager out there and tell him/her..."This is what rock and roll is all about. You can thank me later."
Think about it...Sonic Smith and Scott Morgan on guitars, Gary Rasmussen on bass, and if that ain't enough, Scott "Rock Action" Ashton on drums.
Turn it up and turn it loose...this is rock and roll at its best!"
Great set from a great band.
Nathan Neugebauer | Algoma, WI, USA | 11/21/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"If you do not own this box set, I believe you should own it! If you are at all interested in this band, then you need to purchase it. I had no one idea what to expect from a band that I have not heard ANYTHING by, so I did not know what to expect. At first it took some time getting used to with the DYI sound at various live shows, but you see a band just grow from their Genesis to when Fred "Sonic" Smith (RIP), decided to hang it up. By the third or four listen of the CDs, you will love this music, and wish they had record a proper studio album. The box consists of four live discs from 1975-1978, and the last two (in my mind), well worth the price of admissions. But the raw, avant song "American Boy," on the last disc is the best piece of music in the box. If you are a fan of the MC5s music I strongly urge you to purchase this "BEST BOX OF 2006" or if you are at all curious about what lies in store, you will not be disappointed."
Gets Better with Every Listen...
Michael Gross | Burke, VA | 05/29/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"If you are a fan of blues-based, dirty garage-rockin' Detroit R&B flavored Rock & Roll, this is it! Members of a couple legendary bands (and a couple lesser-knowns) got together and made some great music...for a little while, anyways.
If you are lookin' for soundboard-quality, perfect-fidelity live footage, you ain't gonna find it here. These recordings are definitely low-fi, but they sound fantastic. Some of these shows have circulated on bootleg tapes for some time, but here we have a few of 'em all together in a great lookin' box and extensive history/liner-notes. Fred was the reason the band never really moved beyond "local" status. According to the liner notes, it appears he got sorta bored and wanted to move on. After the band broke up, he and wife Patti Smith both went on hiatus for a fair amount of time.
Is it worth $70? Well, that's debatable. What is NOT debatable is that you have hours of listening enjoyment supplied by the drum-crushing beats that Rock Action Asheton provides (always underappreciated), Fred 'Sonic' Smith's chainsaw riffs, and Scott Morgan's soulful crooning. This is definitely a piece of Detroit history and if you like that style of balls-out garage rock, you found a real gem.
NOTE: The band minus Sonic Smith backed up Iggy on his '78 tour of Europe. Some of those shows are floating around the internet..."
Straight Forward Rock!
Dylan K. Lane | VA USA | 01/02/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I was a little sceptical of a box set w/ mostly live performances b/c I never really got into "Live" too much but this blew me away. Unlike many bootleg type material (particularly lots of Iggy stuff out there thats not worth it) the sound quality is great. The production all around is A+ and if you like good balls to the wall rocknroll you cannot go wrong w/ this CD."
Beautiful box set of one of the greatest rock 'n' roll bands
Shlomo Sinatra | Alaska | 12/08/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Wow..when I first got this box set a year ago, I thought, what a bunch of rip-off artists, putting out the Sweet Nothing CD as part of the box, not to mention most of the City Slang CD. Now I find out those are out-of-print, going sometimes for extremely exorbitant amounts. Now my view has changed to "why didn't they put the 1999 remix of City Slang on here?".
(the lyrics are MUCH clearer in that mix)
This is an excellent boxset, but let me clarify something: the quality is not that great everywhere on here. In fact, only disc 4, and parts of discs 5 and 6 are really of good quailty.
That said, this is a must for true rock 'n' roll fans. If you don't know it, although Wayne Kramer was the superior guitarist in the MC5, by a few years later, Fred 'Sonic' Smith had become one of THE greatest guitarists in rock 'n' roll history, easily outshining his former bandmate.
Not that this is a contest, or that Wayne isn't great, but Fred Smith is truly one of the most underacknowledged guitarists ever. Makes me think of Denis Tek, from Radio Birdman (from their original period); too many greats not getting their proper perspective in history, and thereby getting ignored. A crime considering how magnificent this stuff is.
Completely beautiful playing, real rockers...I can't find the proper words here, but there have been few bands as exciting to listen to as Sonic's Rendezvous. I remember the first time I heard City Slang, on a "Ron Asheton (Destroy All Monsters)/ Sonic's Rendezvous" split LP.
I was COMPLETELY blown away. I wanted the original. No luck.
But it's okay, it's the MUSIC that matters! And here, you've got a veritable treasure trove of fantastic rock 'n' roll.
The first 3 discs aren't exactly professional sound quality, but the thing with great rock 'n' roll is, that ain't enough to kill excitement if the music's good enough. And here it is; I can only sing the highest praises about ths band.
Great packaging (WISH THE COVER WAS A T-SHIRT!) (anybody out there listening? No? I thought not...)
The booklet is fantastic, with Scott Morgan (a great musician and singer in HIS OWN right! A COMPLETELY intregal part of the band and maybe a better singer than Fred) explaining why the group disintegrated (does EVERYTHING Iggy touches turn to s--t?).
I'd love to get the ONE disc in the Iggy set with Sonic's Rendezvous (sans Scott Morgan) backing him up; but I ain't gonna pay $80 for it, for ONE DISC? That should be released seperately, for those of us who don't care much about Iggy's music past Kill City.
This box set, by the way, includes the song "Take A Look" by the Scott Morgan Band (where's Soul Mover?).
The one thing I REALLY wish was on here is the best version of City Slang I can possibly imagine, one that was on a boot LP called "Strikes Like Lightning"; it's UNBELIEVABLE! The leads on that, oh my GOD.....
that LP also contained a fantastic version of "Dangerous"...but you can't have evrything, I guess (SOMEBODY RELEASE THAT VERSION OF CITY SLANG!! PLEASE!!!!)
That aside aside, this box set is one of my prize sets, with only the FunHouse box beating it really (when's Rhino gonna wise up and issue that on their regular label??)
This is a must for any rock 'n' roll fans out there.
EVERYBODY who loves rock 'n' roll MUST HAVE City Slang in their collection, the studio version, one way or another.
Just don't pay more than $80 for this please, it's in print still.
The only problem I have with this set is that no information is given regarding the contents of the last two discs; if you have been a fan of this band for a while, you can figure out a good deal of it, but I can't figure out all of it, and notation is always a good idea, and when so much is put into a set, that's not too much to ask, esp. considering the list price ain't exactly pocket money.
But if you got the money, don't hesitate; GET THIS!
I love Patti Smith at the Rock n Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony; how she said that Fred said one day she'll get in it, although he's better, and not to feel guilty! Which she agreed with, that he was the better of the two. And, (NO disrepect to Patti) -- Fred was right! Fred 'Sonic' Smith RULED!
CI-CI-CI-CITY! City SLANG!!! (one of THE most AMAZING songs of all time...)"
Track Listings (13) - Disc #1