Ko and The Knockouts-20 Years Later

This Detroit trio came and went like a flash of lightning. I still recall the excitement of hearing this blast out of the speakers for the first time.  At the time, they most reminded me of early Blondie. Hearing this 20 years later, Ko’s vocals recalled Lisa Marr of cub coupled with the rust belt resolve of Chrissie Hynde, while the band surges with the dynamic energy of the Embrooks.

This 2002 album released by SFTRI captures their early momentum of their brief short-lived heyday (2001-2003). They generated quite an initial stir as they quickly found their sound that has retained an enduring edge.  In fall 2003, I was fortunate to see them in Tucson at Solar Culture opening for Holly Golightly with Ko backed by an entirely different line-up than the musicians heard on this recording (Eddie from the Sights on guitar and Jeff Klein on drums, Jim Diamond on organ and some others from Rocket 455). While the show was good, there was a seemingly discontented mood of “I would rather be somewhere else” feeling in the air. Tucson is certainly a lovely place to be in November. Perhaps it was an off night like we all have.

Songs like “Cry No More” and “Go Getter” are instantly captivating with their dashing tempos and Ko’s harmonized vocals leading the way. “Set Me Free” breakouts like the incendiary freakbeat stormer “When the Night Falls” by the Eyes. Fittingly, a serrated cover of the (UK) Birds’ "You're on My Mind" follows.  They are able to slow things down with the smoldering “You Did It,” which displays their command of rhythm & blues and now emerges as a worthy candidate for sync licensing. Their inspired and charged-up cover of Nolan Stong’s "If I (Could Be With You Tonight)" is up there with the best of the Detroit Cobras as they make this Fortune Records group harmony classic entirely their own. This would have also fit perfectly on 2013’s Daddy Rockin' Strong: A Tribute to Nolan Strong and the Diablos. “I Wanna (See You Again)” is an indelible out-of-time pop song with a growling guitar expressing their inherent grittiness that was mislabeled as "Twistin Postman" (and never corrected on the 2007 Wicked Cool reissue).

They were quite the garage power trio and frequently took their propulsive rock ‘n’ roll sound out to the edges of glory, demonstrating that the roll is as important as the rock. Their memorable songs are still striking not only for their infectious hooks and catchy melodies, but also for their combination of straightforwardness with some deft lane changes within songs. All this should have made them contenders on the level somewhere between the subterranean Subsonics and the major label-era of the Muffs. Overall, they made their first foray into recording appear so easy to do. Their self-titled power-packed album added a new layer to the Motor City's monumental tradition of stripped-down rock ‘n’ roll. Consequently, has there ever been a Detroit group and/or singer more deserving of thunderous applause and opportunity for a second act?