It's Murder!

The Dynamics - Murder in the First Degree

The Dynamics hit the charts with a splash with their Cotillion record "The Ice Cream Song," but then faded away. The Detroit group's Cotillion records were recorded in Memphis at American Sound, and the Detroit-meets-Memphis style the group exhibited resulted in great recordings that were unfortunately overlooked, leaving "Ice Cream Song," which is actually one of their weaker recordings, to represent their legacy. Fortunately, the folks at the eclectic reissue label Hacktone Records have a CD release of First Landing, one of the group's two LPs, in the making, so the Dynamics can get their long-overdue reappraisal.

Today's selection showcases the group's sound nicely. "Murder in the First Degree" is a nice midtempo thing with great lyrics of the "baby please don't go" variety ("I know it must be a bill that's overdue," the lead singer says about his woman's ticket to ride) over an easygoing groove. It's my favorite track on the album. Watch out for the CD release of First Landing and get it when it comes out. You'll be glad you did. In the meantime, also check out the Ear Fuzz post about the LP/CD, where more audio files can be found.