Detroit Cobras – Ain’t It A Shame

CB sent this band to me and they are raw and powerful with a unique singer. I really love garage type bands. Bands like this were big in the sixties and turned toward punk in the 70s. They made a comeback in the 80s against the synth based mainstream at the time. The alternative rock scene was born which I liked more than the then top 40 with The Replacements, REM, The Dead Kennedys, and more.

The hardest part about this post was picking out which song to highlight. The album I’ve listened to is The Detroit Cobras: The Original Recordings which rocks. All of their covers are loud raw and catchy like garage rock is. I loved how they picked the songs they covered. Songs that went under the radar when they were originally released.

This song…not to be confused with Ain’t That A Shame was originally recorded by Question Mark and The Mysterians. The song was written by their drummer Robert Martinez and released in 1969.

The Detroit Cobras were known for their reinterpretations of classic R&B, rock, and soul songs. Guess where they are from? They emerged in the mid-1990s and added to the garage rock revival movement of that era. They came out of the same Detroit scene as the White Stripes did.

The band was formed in 1994 by guitarist Steve Shaw and drummer Jeff Meier but lead vocalist Rachel Nagy and guitarist Mary Ramirez would become the core of the band. The Cobras set themselves apart by reimagining lesser-known songs from the 1950s and 1960s rather than writing their own original material.

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

35 thoughts on “Detroit Cobras – Ain’t It A Shame”

    1. Their selection Randy…it’s not songs that you have heard everyday either…but really solid songs…a really different way of covering songs. I thought I would find like a Mustang Sally for example in there…but no.

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  6. The Detroit Cobras sound great and also have a cool name. I continue to be amazed about CB finding all these bands who oftentimes were under the radar screen. The Detroit Cobras are still around and released an EP, “Right Now,” in June this year. I just sampled each of the four tracks, and they still rock!

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    1. I love their sound Christian…I need to check the new one out! I think it’s unique on how they pick their songs…songs that are not known to the general public but sounds so good.

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      1. I already previously had covered the great title track of Lions in the Street’s great new album, which is why I picked a different song here. This album is packed with kickass ’70s style classic rock. It really feels like listening to early ’70s Stones and Faces. I’ll have more about it on Monday! 🙂

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      2. Thats right! It was Moving Along that had that…sorry…I love them no matter. I’m going to get ahead of you and check out tracks tomorrow after church.

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      4. I’ve since checked out “The Original Recordings”, and that album is really great!

        The Detroit Cobras have had many changes in their lineup. Notably, Rachel Nagy died in 2022.

        While I continue to think their latest EP isn’t bad, now that I’ve listened to “The Original Recordings,” it’s not as great as the music on that album.

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  7. You do a great job writing this stuff up. You should hire yourself out. Easy to sell something you like and believe in and you believe in music that grabs you. 2 minutes and one second of nastyness. The “Twist” cut is killer. Catches the essence of rock n roll to me. Great video. Rachel had it going on. The band is perfect. Detroit? Has to be some kind of home for greasy no bull shit rock. Long live Mitch Ryder! That’s the best display window I’ve ever seen. I listened to it 3 times.

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    1. I think I would starve! But thanks all the same. I don’t post stuff I don’t like…thats a rule. They were on that scene when the White Stripes came out…that would have been exciting to see live and especially this band.
      That video…we played in a club where the stage was the front window…they would see us from behind but it was my favorite place to play…and simple joint called Ronnies.

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      2. My dad didn’t come see us a lot…but when he did…he wasn’t a drinker…uh he did other things but he would nurse a vodka all night. I gotta make it up there one day.

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    1. Hey I get it! You know what I do for a living. My wife…can undo in 10 seconds what it takes me 1 hour to do on a computer….so you ARE lucky.

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      1. My ‘brain’ ain’t wired for tech. If it isn’t working and a curse doesn’t make it function it gets a reboot. And more curses while I wait with gritted teeth, humming and tapping in mi- wild irritation. Understanding and patience ain’t in my vocabulary then!

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      2. Funny you say that…reboot is a techs favorite word. It actually repairs I would say 70 percent of the calls I used to take. You are not the dangerouss people though. The bad ones think they know and then mess things up worse…at least you are honest.

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