Staving the Slaughter
Episode 605 - Rhythm Corps
This album almost cost me my prestigious job as Assistant Manager at Record World. Along with The Replacements Don’t Tell a Soul, I played the debut album by Detroit’s Rhythm Corps, Common Ground, so often that my manager threatened to fire me.
By the conclusion of my tenure, I played these two records solely to vex her.
In the ever-evolving tapestry of post-punk and alternative rock, Rhythm Corps is a vibrant and overlooked gem.
Hailing from Detroit, the band Rhythm Corps forged its distinct sound with an amalgamation of punk sensibilities, new-wave aesthetics, and a healthy dose of the intelligence and grit of the motor city.
Rhythm Corps is:
Michael Persh – lead vocals/guitar
Greg Apro – guitar/vocals
Davey Holmbo – bass/vocals
Richie Lovsin – drums
Under their original moniker, (ahem) Rhythm Method, the group began gaining recognition with their debut EP, Paquet De Cinq, in 1984. Following their name change to Rhythm Corps, the band gained momentum with their subsequent release, Esprit De Corps in 1985. Both capture the essence and allure of the post-punk era and the bands that emerged from it – notably, the four lads from Dublin.
The success of the EPs made the band pack their bags and move west to Los Angeles and within a few months, they had signed a contract with music impresario Spencer Proffer. Of course, there’s more to their story. While biased, I’d encourage you to listen to my interview with Mike and Richie (Greg dropped by a little later).
What sets Rhythm Corps apart from many of their post-punk contemporaries is not just their thought-provoking lyricism but also their knack for crafting infectious hooks that embed themselves in your subconscious. Marrying these elements with the irresistible trio of jangling guitars, pulsating rhythms, and Persh's impassioned vocals creates an exceptional and inescapable sound.
Their full-length debut album Common Ground came out in 1988. Driven by the title track, the LP found success on radio where the song became a Top Ten hit on radio, and the album made its way to a respectable #104 on the Billboard album chart.
Despite the critical acclaim and chart success of Common Ground, Rhythm Corps remained somewhat under the radar, overshadowed by the more prominent acts of their era. The release of 1991’s The Future's Not What It Used to Be followed the same path as Common Ground. Its lead-off song and single “Satellite,” is catchy, and “Choices” is a nice dip into the world of rock kind of rap like Def Leppard’s “Pour Some Sugar on Me.”
However, it’s the song “Martin” that is as prescient socially as it is lyrically.
A similar themed song by a band that was part of the rising sound from the grungy water of the Puget Sound, Pearl Jam, would catapult them and not their labelmates Rythym Corps to superstardom.
The Future's Not What It Used to Be is a fine follow-up, but the landscape had changed, as had the hierarchy at their label. And if you’ve listened to the podcast enough, or read a thing or two about the music business, then you know a regime change is the death knell for any band that isn’t a platinum-selling act. Of course, this was in the before times when such things mattered.
A regime change with a tectonic shift in both the business and taste would be difficult for any band to thrive in.
The band's songs remain as resonant today as they were, a testament to the vitality of intelligent, electrically charged rock with an irresistible pop veneer. In the expansive tapestry of rock history, Rhythm Corps may occupy a humble niche, but their enduring legacy attests to the enduring influence of music.
Here is my conversation with Mike, Richie, and Greg from Rhythm Corps:
