'Respect' by Aretha Franklin

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Detroit Rock City week is about to end, but The Lost Soul of Rock and Roll is ending the week with a Motor City classic. The song of the day for October 5, 2012 is 'Respect' by Aretha Franklin.

Aretha Franklin was born in Tennessee, but moved to Detroit when she was a young girl. Her father, C.L. Franklin, was a famous preacher, and Aretha was a star singer for his church. She was pursued by Berry Gordy, Jr. of Motown records, but her father demanded she sign with Columbia. Aretha recorded I Have Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You in 1967, and the opening track to that album was 'Respect', an Otis Redding cover.

It should be a law that you can't hate on this song. This is timeless music that has all the right ingredients for a major hit. Motown's history is very impressive and their roster of talent was and will always be second to none. I wonder what would have happened had Aretha signed with Motown instead of Columbia. 'Respect' is not only one of the greatest songs in the history of rock and roll, but it is a song that never gets old. I don't know what else I can say about this fabulous song, but click the video below and enjoy.

Travelin' Man/Beautiful Loser by Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band

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This is Detroit Rock City week at The Lost Soul of Rock and Roll. I'm selecting some of the best rock gems from the Motor City and the song of the day for October 4, 2012 is the 'Travelin' Man/Beautiful Loser' one-two punch by Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band. This is the Live Bullet version recorded at Detroit's Cobo Hall in 1975.

Dearborn, Michigan's very own Bob Seger recorded one hell of a live album in 1975, which was released in 1976 as Live Bullet. The 1970s produced some pretty good live albums like Frampton Comes Alive by Peter Frampton and Alive by Kiss. You can get out of my rock room if you think Foghat Live belongs on a "best of" list for live albums. Some artists are best left unrecorded.

If you've never heard Live Bullet then take a listen to today's selection of 'Travelin' Man/Beautiful Loser'. I was going to pick this for my one-two punch week, but I decided to save it for Detroit Rock City week. Both songs were released in 1975 on the Beautiful Loser album, but 'Beautiful Loser' is the opening track while 'Travelin' Man' is the first song on Side Two. Speaking of the Beautiful Loser album, it features a killer Tina Turner cover of 'Nutbush City Limits', which is the opening track on Live Bullet. Enjoy!

Uptight (Everything's Alright) by Stevie Wonder

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Rocktober is here and this is Detroit Rock City week at The Lost Soul of Rock and Roll. I'm selecting some of the best music from the Motor City, and the song of the day for October 2, 2012 is 'Uptight (Everything's Alright)' by Stevie Wonder, a hit song from 1966.

Stevie Wonder was 15 when he recorded this song, so all of you teeny-bopper artists need to pay attention to the brilliance of Mr. Wonder. 'Uptight (Everything's Alright)' was another piece of musical gold from Motown, a label that I view was the greatest in the history of rock and roll. I was fortunate enough to grow up in a Motown household and if you don't like Motown, then you need to get out of my rock room. Take a listen to Stevie Wonder and enjoy your Rocktober.

The Hardest Button to Button by The White Stripes

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October is Rocktober at The Lost Soul of Rock and Roll, so get ready for one rockin' month. In case you are wondering, I will continue to have a weekly theme, and this week's theme is Detroit Rock City. I'm going to select my favorite songs from artists from the Motor City, and the song of the day for October 1, 2012 is 'The Hardest Button to Button' by The White Stripes. This song is featured on their 2003 album, Elephant.

In my opinion, Detroit is THE city for producing rock and roll greats. New York, London, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Boston have rich traditions as well, but it is tough to beat Detroit. The amount of talent on the Motown label alone beats all of the previously listed cities. Don't be a hater because you know I'm right.

My first selection is 'The Hardest Button to Button' by The White Stripes. What? I didn't select 'Detroit Rock City' as my first selection? I'd like to set the record straight and inform you that Kiss is not from Detroit. Although they wrote and recorded a song called 'Detroit Rock City', it does not mean they are representing the Motor City. Kiss is straight out of New York City.  Now you know and knowing is half the battle.

Mainstream rock has been awful over the past decade, but The White Stripes kept the genre respectable. Jack and Meg are kickin' out the jams on this track, and it is one of my favorite songs by The White Stripes. I won't just kick mainstream rock while it's down, but I'll also kick indie rock as well. Come on folks, indie rock is stuck in a cycle that's comparable to lite 70s AM radio hits. Nobody rocks and everyone is stuck on feelings and all that crap. I need a band that knows what a distortion pedal is and uses it to create some killer music. Good work, White Stripes. Enjoy the song.